Aspen History: Fourth of July Pie

The anticipation for Aspen’s upcoming Fourth of July celebration was evident in an article that ran in the July 2, 1912 issue of the Aspen Democrat-Times, which stated “This year’s Fourth of July celebration will be one long to be remembered. At 9 a.m. the people will assemble at the Union Depot to welcome Governor Shafroth and escort him to the Hotel Jerome. At 10:00 a.m. the street sporting events will begin, thirteen of which will be given during the morning. At the fairgrounds beginning at 2:30 in the afternoon there will be the baseball game between Marble and Aspen teams. In the evening at the Wheeler Opera House Governor Shafroth will address the people and there will be a free motion picture show.” There was also a ball scheduled in the evening at Fraternal Hall, which promised to be “the crowning feature of the day’s celebration, as a fine program of dances has been arranged and the best of music has been secured. There is no need for you to leave Aspen to have a good time on the Fourth.” This image shows a pie eating contest, one the many events that took place at the 1912 Fourth of July celebration in Aspen. The mascot was a bear cub, seen here eating pie with the rest of the contestants.