More Destination Guides | Search the Destination Guides
Introduction | Attractions and Activities | Travel Basics

Aspen was first settled by the Ute Indians, who called the area 'Shining Mountains.' The first prospectors came from Leadville in the spring of 1897 and called their camp Ute City after the Native population. By 1880, the town had grown to 300 residents and was renamed Aspen. At the height of the gold boom, Aspen boasted 12,000 residents; some of the nearby settlements were larger, but Aspen's citizens craved permanence.

Many of Aspen's Victorian structures remain intact, including the Wheeler Opera House and the Hotel Jerome, both built by Jerome B. Wheeler, a partner in Macy's Department Store in New York City. When silver was demonetized, many of the mines shut down and the area became dependent of ranching and farming.

It was in the mid 1930s that a group of investors arrived to build a ski resort to be designed by famous Swiss ski industry expert Andre Roch. Although this plan was interrupted by World War II, the Army's nearby 10th Mountain Division mountain training base (Camp Hale) introduced some of these world-class skiers to Aspen's fine powder snow. Post-war growth and prosperity put Aspen on the fast-track to success. New arrivals saw a much brighter future for the area than just as a ski resort, and today the city is home to the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, the Aspen Music Festival, and the International Design Conference. When the resort's first chair lift was built, it was the longest in the world, and in 1950 Aspen hosted the World FIS Downhill Championships, ensuring the town's place as one of the premier ski resort areas of the world.

So come to these 'Shining Mountains' and find your own 'Rocky Mountain High'.