Guida: More alive than ever

I live in a place that is kept alive by the myths, lore and mysticism surrounding the town. Aspen, Colorado, is home to some of the best stories I’ve heard in my 24 years. From the fogginess surrounding the whereabouts of the “Silver Queen” statue that made its way to Chicago to represent Colorado’s Silver Industry in 1893, to the more recent chatters of Swedish tycoons having possible tumultuous plans in the early stages of the “Lift 1” project at the base of Ajax mountain. The tucked away mountain town also heightens the mystique every year with the influx of celebrities, newfound media personalities who exist only on phones for most and the affluent class.

Where am I going with this?

Well, I do not believe it to be solely the great skiing opportunities, overpriced sushi, cocktails with fancy names and lack of accessibility that bring the array of moguls. No, no. It is the stories they have heard about the “Super-Wealthy-Hideout-Town,” where the media toyed the idea of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos planning his wedding in the valley. The stories John Denver told through his songs such as “AspenGlow” that attracted die-hard fans to remain in the town to this very day after a pilgrimage to his beloved sights.

Oral History is a facet that I learned in university to be dying within the field of history. Documentaries did great PR, however, as it is very much a form of storytelling and interpreting history for audiences. Documentaries allowed for the content to be spread internationally, through translations and adaptions. I would often think to myself in class settings, how can oral history be dying if it is still all around?

I argue it is not dead. If anything, oral history is alive more than ever.

Aspen, Colorado, is proof of the ongoing storytelling that has amassed internationally in recent years. Tales of world-renowned shopping, non-stop partying and first-class skiing are told through episodes of Real Housewives and social media influencer havens such as “Palm Tree Festival.” If it were not for the continuity in tales long after Ted Bundy’s escape from the Pitkin County Courthouse, I am not sure Aspen would remain in the forefront of the mind’s of those who make efforts to visit each year.

Alyson Guida

Basalt