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Latest Aspen hotel reviews
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The Aspen area was originally discovered by the Ute Indians and called "Shining Mountains". The first gold miners arrived in the Roaring Fork Valley in the summer of 1879 and by that fall a small group of entrepreneurs and speculators had staked claims and set up camp at the foot of Aspen Mountain. Prospectors settled in Aspen hoping to strike it rich in silver.
First christened Ute City, the town of 300 residents was renamed to Aspen in 1880. By 1891 Aspen had surpassed Leadville as the nation's largest single silver producing mining district. By 1893, Aspen was a booming silver town with 12,000 people, six newspapers, two railroads, four schools, three banks, electric lights, a modern hospital, two theaters, an opera house, and a very small brothel district. In 1893 however the Sherman Silver Act was repealed which demonetized silver and marked Aspen's decline as a mining town. Ironically, one of the largest nuggets of native silver ever found was mined in 1894 in Aspen from the Smuggler mine, weighing in at 2,350 pounds.
Around 1936, another ore was discovered - SNOW! Three investors sought to establish a ski area above Aspen. Unfortunately World War II halted progress on the ski area, but after the war, Friedl Pfeifer, a member of the 10th Mountain Division, who trained at Camp Hale near Leadville, returned to Aspen and began making plans for Aspen's first chair lift. In 1945, Chicago industrialist, Walter Paepcke and his wife Elizabeth came to Aspen and joined forces with Pfeifer in the development of the Aspen ski area. In 1946 the Aspen Skiing Corporation was founded and in 1950 Aspen hosted the FIS World Championships, which confirmed Aspen's status as an international resort. The rest is history!
(Taken from the City of Aspen Pitkin Website; http://www.aspenpitkin.com/misc/visitors/visitors.cfm)
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Late June through August, a classical music festival featuring 200 plus music performances. The Wheeler Opera House hosts some of the events, but there is also an outdoor music tent where many of the performances are free.
Written May 8, 2004
Website: www.aspenmusicfestival.com
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Another of Aspen's finest historical buildings. The hotel, one of Aspen's best, is still in operation. If you can't or won't pay the steep prices to stay the night, at least check out the hotel and its architecture.
Written May 8, 2004
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Aspen began as a mining town which developed into a major city, in part through the efforts of Jerome B. Wheeler. Wheeler built the Wheeler Opera House, which still stands today and is one of Aspen's grandest public buildings. Bentley's is located in the Wheeler Opera House (see nightlife) and it is used as a music venue for the Aspen music festival. Also, foreign and independent films are presented here as well as theatre.
Updated May 8, 2004
Phone: 970 920 5783
Hunter S. Thompson began what is still one the most memorable and strategically effective anti-campaigns in the history of the U.S: the Freak Power ticket. It was the fall of 1969 and the Aspen Mayoral election was coming up. Thompson was so disgusted by the candidates that he and a group of local friends ran their own candidate for mayor: a 29-year-old hippie bike-racer named Joe Edwards. Their campaign began three weeks before the election and nearly caused the upheaval of the small Western town.
This wasn't a whim or joke. Thompson noticed that there was a very low voter turnout in previous elections and determined that for the most part, it was the 18 to 25 year olds who were missing. So the theory he perpetuated was that if any candidate could garner the young vote, they would have the power to not necessarily win, but at least change the outcome of the election.
But the Freak Party got more than it bargained for. With only three weeks to organize, Joe Edwards lost the mayoral race by one vote. In reality, Edwards won the actual vote by six -- but lost the absentee ballot by seven. As Thompson wrote, "we scared the living s**t out of the Aspen Power Structure."
Written Mar 6, 2003
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Most restaurants offer a discounted menu for dining at the bar. Some bars have cocktail tables as well. The same great food at a fraction of the cost - definately worth it.
Written Oct 8, 2008
Mid-August beer festival at the Snowmass Village Mall. More than 40 Rocky Mountain Breweries participate.
Written May 8, 2004
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2 Reviews and 216 Opinions I worked in this fabulous place for 4 months, It was a nice experience, I met artists and i felt I...
1 Review and 85 Opinions What a great, reasonably-priced hotel, just blocks away from the best of downtown Aspen, or the base...
1 Review and 144 Opinions Fair. Right on the main street - and kind of oddly laid out - so that you have to walk along the...
Reviews and photos of Aspen attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Aspen sightseeing.
Mid-August beer festival at the Snowmass Village Mall. More than 40 Rocky Mountain Breweries participate.
46 members live in Aspen
Q: Hi, I will travel to Snowmass early February 2008 with my daugther (5 years old). She does not speak English (we are...
A: due to the large quantity of brazilians coming to aspen/snowmass, there are many instructors who speak portuguese. they may be native brasileiros or argentinos or from...
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Located high in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 7,815 feet, Aspen sits 200 miles southwest of Denver. Aspen's recorded history goes back about 120 years. Our first known residents were the Ute...
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Aspen - Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
I took a scouting trip to Aspen this weekend. The annual Jazz Aspen brought Natalie Cole to town. Natalie is one of my all time favorites, so I booked a hotel room and took the three hour drive from...
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Aspen and Carbondale, whirlwind trip
The quaking aspen woods of independence pass were the first place I headed for after getting off the plane in Aspen. It is amazing how quickly you can get away from the crowds of aspen city - and how...
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My mother and I just pose after getting off the Elk Camp Lift at Snowmass Mountain. The beautiful Maroon Bells are in the background. Our family has visited aspen yearly since I was a child, there's...
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Most think of Aspen as a place to visit in winter months. Although the town boasts four great mountains to ski on, summer and fall can be just as exciting and beautiful. Fishing, camping, white water...
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