The Historic Railroad Depot was the first passenger loading area and mail station in the central valley. The Depot was a source of pride and the center of the town. By 1919 the railroad departed Basalt.
From 1930 the building has been repurposed . . . — — Map (db m152905) HM
In 1883, investors created the Colorado Midland Railroad and built track from Colorado Springs to Buena Vista. In 1885 the CMR began tunneling under Hagerman pass, on to Aspen Junction and then to Aspen and Grand Junction. This was the first great . . . — — Map (db m152985) HM
The durable Colorado Midland Depot in Basalt has had a wide and varied career over its 127 years of existence and is still going strong today.
Constructed in 1886, the Railroad Depot was the first passenger loading area and mail station in the . . . — — Map (db m152903) HM
In the lower left corner of the large photo, you can see the edge of the roof of a house, which you are now facing. Constructed as a residence circa 1890, Frank Snell's home was destroyed in the fire of 1897 that devastated the western end of . . . — — Map (db m152902) HM
In March 1908, the "Potato Special” pulled into the Valley. Staffed by government
agents, they promoted the potato, illustrating the latest tools, species and techniques.
The local ranchers took notice, and by 1922 more potatoes were grown . . . — — Map (db m152901) HM
Basalt was formed in the late 1800s. Settlement of the West was influenced by many factors: miners looking for precious metals; ranchers providing meat, grains and vegetables; and the railroads, which served both. Railroads became the lifelines that . . . — — Map (db m152906) HM
The white barn that now serves as the Eagle County Historical Society local
history museum started out as part of a ranch located at the Eagle 1-70
interchange about where the Burger King parking lot is today. The barn was
likely built about . . . — — Map (db m255805) HM
Skiing in Colorado
The earliest recorded use of skis in Colorado dates to 1857, when mountain guide Jim Bridger fashioned a crude pair to bail out an army unit snowbound in the San Juan Mountains. Such was the function of "snowshoes" . . . — — Map (db m120241) HM
When Charles Minot Minnie Dole, head of the National Ski Patrol System, heard how ski-mounted Finnish troops repelled a larger Soviet army in 1939, he realized that the United States was unprepared for mountain or winter combat in the event the . . . — — Map (db m289993) HM
Before Italy, however, the 3,000-man 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment got a taste of being under fire when it took part in a joint U.S.-Canada mission to retake the Aleutian island of Kiska from the Japanese. The 87th suffered its first casualties . . . — — Map (db m289994) HM
After its stunning success in breaking through the Germans' Apennine defenses, the 10th was selected to spearhead the U.S. Fifth Army's huge 1945 spring offensive northward into the Po Valley, where it suffered its heaviest casualties of the war. . . . — — Map (db m289995) HM
The 10th did not fade away after being deactivated following victory in World War II. Many of its veterans accomplished significant achievements in business, sports, and other endeavors. Some, like Bob Dole, (left below), 1988 GOP presidential . . . — — Map (db m289996) HM
Across Continental Divide between Arkansas and Eagle Rivers Altitude 10,424 feet Named from the Tennessee Fork of the Arkansas Explored by Fremont and Kit Carson 1845 Railroad constructed 1881 This memorial is the property of . . . — — Map (db m281597) HM
Tennessee Pass connects the headwaters of the Eagle River flowing to the West and the Arkansas River to the East at a gap between the Sawatch and Mosquito Mountain Ranges. The area was first explored by John C. Fremont and Kit Carson in 1845. . . . — — Map (db m289999) HM
In 1886, the Denver & Rio Grand Railroad hurried tracks down the Eagle River, to end at Aspens rich silver ores. The Rio Grand established a station, and in June 1887, it was designated Minturn, in honor of Robert H. Minturn of New York, a . . . — — Map (db m289897) HM
With roots running all the way back to the late 1800s, Minturn holds a refreshing bit of history compared to the rest of the relatively young towns in the Eagle Valley. Early families arriving in Minturn set up homesteads and started farming, but . . . — — Map (db m289898) HM
1945 January 10th Mountain Division deploys to Naples, Italy. Throughout January, 10th Mountain regiments conduct reconnaissance and combat patrols in preparation for an assault on Riva Ridge code name for Pizzo di Campiano, . . . — — Map (db m290292) HM
From 1958 to 1964, Camp Hale played an important role as a training site for Tibetan Freedom Fighters. Trained by the CIA, many of these brave men lost their lives in the struggle for freedom. They were the best and the bravest of their . . . — — Map (db m290295) HM
Dedicated on October 12, 2022 by Joseph R. Biden Jr. President of the United States Since time immemorial, the Parianuche and Uncompahgre bands of Ute peoples traveled seasonally here to harvest the bounty of the Eagle River Valley. This area . . . — — Map (db m290356) HM
[English] President Joe Biden designated the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument on October 12, 2022 to protect its important prehistoric, historic, natural and recreational values. Facilities are . . . — — Map (db m290385) HM
Camp Hale is the only site developed by the United States Army specifically for mountain and winter warfare training. The location provided natural features necessary for training and convenient access by both a Federal Highway and the Denver & Rio . . . — — Map (db m69168) HM
1944 March-April The first week of the maneuvers was held in the Tennessee Pass area at well over ten thousand feet snow and more snow fell With fatigue a constant effect and cold an enveloping tormentor Harris Dusenbery, 86th . . . — — Map (db m290273) HM
As a small city, the Camp provided entertainment and recreation for its residents. There were movie theaters, a Service Club and a large field house. A camp newspaper provided updates. The Camp band played at Regimental and Divisional dances and . . . — — Map (db m290294) HM
1870s 1880s The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RGW) begins building the highest rail line route over Tennessee Pass (10,240 feet) to transport timber, coal, gold, and silver between Denver and Salt Lake City, Utah. A railway stop . . . — — Map (db m290298) HM
1940-1941 German forces invade Czechoslovakia and Poland; Britain and France declare war on Germany. The Soviet Union invades Finland; Outnumbered Finnish soldiers in white camouflage and mounted on skis ambush and destroy several . . . — — Map (db m290241) HM
As mountain troops, soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division became accomplished rock climbers. They trained on the cliffs in front of you summer and winter, regardless of weather. Safety, not hot dogging, was paramount. By today's standards, the . . . — — Map (db m290296) HM
The 10th Mountain Division, America's only division trained specifically for mountain warfare, needed to know how to ski. Alex Bright, Bob Livermore, Roger Langely, and Charles M. "Minnie" Dole, leaders in American skiing during the 1930s, pressed . . . — — Map (db m290297) HM
1939-1940 German forces launch a surprise attack on Poland from the west and the Soviet Union attacks from the east in 1939; World War II begins; the Soviet Union invades Finland. 1941 German invasion of the Soviet . . . — — Map (db m290243) HM
President Benjamin Harrison set aside the White River Plateau Timberland Reserve (precursor of White River National Forest) in 1891 the first in Colorado and second in the nation. Fern Lake Lodge, a cabin in Rocky Mountain National Park used by . . . — — Map (db m290293) HM
As World War II unfolded in Europe, no mountain and winter warfare military divisions existed in the United States. Charles Minot Dole, Chairman of the National Ski Patrol System convinced the U.S. War Department of the urgency of establishing a . . . — — Map (db m290299) HM
