********** GORE RANGE Originally the hunting ground and summer residence of the Ute Indians, Irishman Lord Gore and American frontiersman Jim Bridger "were the first explorers to venture into the mountainous region from 1854 to 1856". They hunted and explored the peaks northeast of what is now known as Vail. A few years later, Bridger returned to the region and named the mountain range and valley after Gore. BRECKENRIDGE Long before settlers from the east crossed the Continental Divide, Breckenridge was part of the summer hunting grounds of the nomadic White River and Middle Park Ute Native Americans, like many other Coloradan towns. The town of Breckenridge was born out of American mid-19th century rush to settle the West during the Gold Rush. As the population of Breckenridge dropped to fewer than 1,000 people at the turn of the century, World War II ended the mining era. In December 1961, a Kansas lumber company, Rounds and Porter, opened the Breckenridge Ski Area and a new-boom era began. Transportation improvements were facilitated by the Eisenhower Tunnel, which reduced the drive time from Denver to Breckenridge to an-hour-and-a-half. As a result of the relatively easier access from Denver and the Front Range, recreational activities in the high country such as cycling, hiking, golfing, fishing, snowshoe-ing, and skiing, has greatly increased in popularity. A 24-hour winter record was set on December 29, 2001 when 44,000 vehicles passed through the tunnel. Credit to Town of Breckenridge for all above information.
********** COPPER MOUNTAIN Taking its name from the mineral, Copper Mountain was discovered by miners in the mid-1800s when copper was found in the area. In 1971, Copper's founding father, Chuck Lewis, decided he was going to "build me a killer ski resort" and negotiated a deal to purchase 280 acres at the base and worked with the Forest Service to establish parameters and guidelines for the ski area. Over the years, as new lifts were added and ski trails constructed, Copper grew to its current size of 2,433 acres. What was once a sleepy little day ski area, is now one of Colorado's premier destination resorts with defined terrain features for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. Credit to Copper Mountain for all above information. ********** ASPEN In 1879, when prospectors from Gothic and Leadville crossed the Continental Divide into Ute's summer hunting territory, they discovered one of the richest silver lodes in the world. By spring, this Ute City was renamed Aspen. With rich silver ores, two railroads and ample investment from wealthy Victorian capitalists such as Jerome B. Wheeler and David Hyman, Aspen quickly became an urban, industrialized community. In 1947, Aspen Mountain opened with the world’s longest ski lift. Aspen's role as a cultural center was made, by the music, art, dance, theater, and international studies programs developed from the Goethe Bicentennial Convocation in 1949. The very next year, Aspen became the first ski resort in America to host an international competition, precursor of today’s World Cup Races. Three more mountains—Buttermilk (1958), Aspen Highlands (1958), and Snowmass (1968)—added to Aspen’s reputation as a premier international resort, and Aspen flourished in summertime with the combination of climate, recreation, history, and culture. Credit to Patricia Limerick, Professor of History at Colorado University and Aspen Historical Society for all above information. ********** VAIL By the 1870s, the Gore Range began to attract fortune seekers who built mines and railroads to seek their fortune in gold and silver on the hills. The Ute Indians were then driven from their lands by the intruders. Enraged at the invasion, the Utes allegedly set fire to thousands of acres of trees, resulting in the deforested area today known as the famous back bowls of Vail Mountain. When the area's mineral resources had been depleted and the miners abandoned the valley, sheep ranchers inhabited the valley until 1939 when Charlie Vail, project engineer for construction on Highway 6 (running from Denver through the Gore Valley) began work. He lent his name to the road -- today's Vail Pass -- and eventually to the Town of Vail too. During the Second World War, the Army's 10th Mountain Division used the Vail area for backcountry survival training. After the war, many of these men were drawn back to the mountain valleys. Veterans Pete Seibert, Bill Brown and Bob Parker shared the great vision of a mountain ski community, and Vail was born. When Gerald Ford, who owned a house in Vail, became President of the United States in 1974, the ski-town made front-page news. During the early 1980s, the area began to blossom as a year-round resort with golf courses, mountain-biking trails and gondolas becoming part of the Vail summer scene. Credit to Town of Vail for all above information. | 
