Snowmass History

Long before miners discovered silver near Aspen and skiers discovered white gold powder on Snowmass Mountain, members of the Ute tribe inhabited the Brush Creek Valley seasonally. The Utes originally called the ski mountain “Cold Woman” because it was often hidden by clouds and was believed to be the source of bad weather.  As the nearby Aspen mines grew, settlement encroached and by the 1890s ranchers and homesteaders began to move in.

Today vestiges of this ranching heritage can be found throughout Snowmass, from the Little Red School house built in 1894 that is still used as a school today to the Anderson Ranch Arts Center built in the historic Hoaglund ranch buildings. In 2007, Snowmass celebrated the 40th anniversary of the ski area and the 30th anniversary of the town's incorporation.

General Snowmass History:
CLICK HERE for a brief history of Snowmass

CLICK HERE for a brief timeline of Snowmass history

CLICK HERE for place names and points of interest

 

Articles on Snowmass History:

CLICK HERE for  "Snowmass, 40 and Counting" by Charles Agar from The Aspen Times, 2007

CLICK HERE for "Snowmass Celebrates its 40th today" by Catherine Lutz from the Aspen Daily News, 2007

CLICK HERE for an article on women in ranching from the Aspen Historical Society

CLICK HERE for "From this valley the old west is going" on the Snowmass ranching recollections of Jens Christiansen" from The Aspen Times, April 4, 1974

CLICK HERE for "Remembering opening day" by Catherine Lutz from The Snowmass Sun, 2001

CLICK HERE for "Snowmass ski lodges have a colorful history" by Catherine Lutz from The Snowmass Sun

CLICK HERE for "Snowmass and its peaks: The name game" by Catherine Lutz from The Snowmass Sun

CLICK HERE for "They were there on opening day" by Catherine Lutz from The Snowmass Sun

CLICK HERE for "What's in a name? Plenty on Snowmass" by Catherine Lutz from The Snowmass Sun