Written by Lynn E. Kallos, an Aspen Historical Society research intern in 1997, the paper provides insights into the history of arts and culture in Aspen.

Introduction:

On a quiet day in 1939, two ski-toting visitors from Washington D.C. arrived at the Paepckes’ ranch in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, to find a house full of water and confusion. The pipes had burst. Elizabeth 1 and Walter Paepcke owned the ranch, known as Perry Park, and realized that this water dilemma would prevent their two guests from staying at their place. Elizabeth knew that the visitors wanted to ski and recalled that
another friend had told her about Aspen’s skiing possibilities. While Walter stayed behind at the ranch, Elizabeth and her visitors traveled from Denver to Glenwood Springs on a train, and then, from Glenwood Springs, drove to Aspen in a snowstorm. They arrived around midnight and spent the night in the Hotel Jerome, an old and dilapidated piece of housing that had been quite brilliant in Aspen’s heyday. After spending a night in the drafty rooms, they left early in the morning to ski. They hitched a ride with some miners, and halfway up to the backside of Ajax Mountain, they popped on their skis and proceeded to experience the unpacked snow of the mountainside.