Brief History of Vail
By the 1870s, the Gore Range was attracting fortune seekers as the news spread that its hills contained both gold and silver. Mines were set up and railroad tracks laid down to transport the precious metals. The greedy intruders drove the Ute Indians from the land; upon their departure, the Utes allegedly set fire to thousands of acres of trees, resulting in the deforested area today known as Vail's famous Back Bowls.
It wasn't long before the miners depleted the area's mineral resources and abandoned the valley. It remained a peaceful home for sheep ranchers until 1939, when construction began on Highway 6, running from Denver through the Gore Valley. Charlie Vail, the project's engineer, lent his name to the road--the Vail Pass--and eventually to the Town of Vail, too.
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8/16/2016 2:30:50 PM
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A Brief Account of Vail, Beaver Creek, and Bachelor Gulch, and The Bachelor Gulch Club Histories.
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