Back in Time: Aspen

“Back in Time” is contributed by Aspen Historical Society and features excerpted articles and images from past Snowmass Sun/Aspen Times issues. We can’t rewrite history, but we can learn from it! Visit archiveaspen.org to view the vast Aspen Times photographic collection in the AHS Archives.

“It is still snowing,” stated the Aspen Daily Times on May 12, 1889.

“This will be no news to the readers of this paper, but it will be interesting to know that such a spell of weather at this time of year is unprecedented. This storm set in more than a week ago. It confined itself to wind here until Monday, but there was considerable snow in other parts of the state earlier. Since Monday it has snowed hard every day here with occasional breaks each day. More snow has fallen during the last five days than fell in any whole month during the winter. Such a storm has never before been witnessed here at this season, but it was to have been expected that the absence of snow during the winter would be followed by some such experience. The roads in the mountains are getting worse and worse, and the streets in town are getting very bad. On the Aspen Mountain road there is no longer any travel; in places there are wagons standing axle-deep in mud. They attempted to make the trip down and settled in the mire. These wagons completely block travel, and it is impossible for teams to pass in either direction. The only communication with the park now is by jack train, and everybody is anxiously awaiting for the blockade to break.”

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