Posted by MoparNorm on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 at 2:44PM :
In Reply to: Are we now "Gonzo Journalism"? posted by bruce in CO on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 at 1:09PM :
...Or how the Frying Pan was named.
Ranching and mining have been in my families blood since first coming to Colorado in the 1860's. The Mopar side was dirt farmers and miners (that's NOT minors, Hunter), the Vagner side were bigger dirt farmers (that's ranchers). It didn't take long for the two largest families in the Aspen Mining District to marry and settle down in most of the Valley north of Aspen. Once totalling nearly 5,000 acres and many lots in downtown Aspen, the end of mining and the Great Depression soon whittled the holdings down to a few sections, and the ranch at Woody Creek. The D&RGW had a coaling station on my family's property, on the line that ran from Glenwood Springs to Aspen. The passenger trains would often stop there to load up more water and coal. My Cousin noticed that the folks from back east would get off of the train and wander around his pasture streching their legs, peeing on rocks and just walking around looking for something to do after their long ride. The Woody Creek Store (later tavern) started out as a small stand which held food snacks, cigarettes and such. Over the years it grew little by little and even some locals would stop by, but by the middle 50's passenger service was coming to an end, so the stand was reconfigured to face the hiway and a few gas pumps were added. V Jones(to be named later) was the PostMistress at Aspen, she transfered the Post Office to Woody Creek and they enlarged the store. Ranching wasn't that hot by then so they plowed under about 20 acres and installed a trailer park (since NO one who works in Aspen can afford to live there) and built a laundro-mat. The store became larger in the early 60's and sometime around then they incorporated their ranch as Woody Creek CO. A wholy owned "suburb". Another pasture was sold off and subdivided as 'Starwood', you have more than likely heard of 'Starwood at Aspen' in that song the Dusseldorf kid sang, he was a resident there and people in the big cities called him John Denver.
So the entire thriving berg of Woody Creek was actually on my cousins property. In the early 80's they sold out (the Tavern came later) and moved to Cedaredge, where they lived out their lives happily until passing into that big trout stream in the sky.
That's the abridged version, with the HST episodes left out for the sake of the children and young ladies that might read this page.
Rocky Mt High has more than one meaning in that valley!
MN
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