Aspen has a very colorful history that dates back to the Ute Indians, the mining boom and eventual bust and ultimately to becoming a world class ski resort.  Most people speak of Aspen’s history with a vague reference to anything that took place before the arrival of Walter and Elizabeth “Pussy” Paepcke.  Elizabeth is often quoted that “when she came to town there was only one light over Main Street swinging in the breeze.” 

Don’t get me wrong, Aspen benefitted from the arrival and generosity of the Paepcke family.  They brought the community the Music Festival, Aspen Airways, The Aspen Airport, The Meadows, The Institute for Humanistic Studies, they provided the needed money to get the Aspen Skiing Corporation up and running and they invited their world class friends to come to town and spend their money.  Aspen would not be the same today without them, but wait!  There is more to Aspen’s story and it goes back 60 years prior to the 1945 arrival of Aspen’s greatest benefactors.

There is no denying the fact that between the 1893 “Silver Crash” and the end of the Second World War, Aspen struggled.  What is often over-looked is the fact that someone kept the town alive during those tough years so it would still exist upon the arrival of the Paepckes.  Without those hard working families, many of which still live in the valley, Aspen would be no different than many other small mining communities of Colorado such as Lake City, Creed, Silverton or Tincup.  All great towns, but they survive to this day as historic locations that only have a past to talk about.

Aspen owes its existence to the Willoughby brothers who mined past the glory days.  How about the ranching families like the Chisholms, the Vagneurs, the Gerbaz, the Smiths or the Andersons?  They provided livestock and other foods essential to the residents.  Let’s not forget the Browns (DRC’s family), the Moore’s, the Herrons, Koch’s, Tomkins, Shaws, Dolinseks, Deanes, Cowenhovens and “yes,” the Beck family.

All of these families worked hard for the community and they stuck together to keep Aspen alive.  Not for profit but for family.  Aspen has so many people to thank and among them Walter and Elizabeth.  I am just proud to be a part of one of the families that gave the Paepckes something to work with.

I know I have left out a lot of names of families who gave the Paepckes a place to call home, and for that I mean “no offense.”  Aspen is a wonderful place, and let’s not forget those who got her through the tough times.