Vail Colorado is Situated high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and is conveniently located just off of Interstate 70. Vail was founded as a ski resort in 1962, but before Vail became the world famous ski area it is today, it had a long pioneer history.
Before the arrival of the first white fur trappers in the area, Vail was the summer hunting grounds of the Ute Indians. Hunting and trapping abound in the region. This is what attracted the first Europeans.
Irishman George Gore and American frontiersman Jim Bridger were among the first explorers and trappers to venture into the mountainous region around what is now Vail Colorado. They spent the summers hunting and exploring the peaks northeast Vail and Jim Bridger later named this mountain range and valley the Gore Range after his friend.
By the 1870s, the Gore Range was attracting miners and fortune seekers because of the gold and silver that had been found there. Mines were dug and a railroad system was developed to transport the precious metals.
The local miners and railroad men drove the Ute Indians from the area. The Utes allegedly set fire to thousands of acres of trees in revenge. This resulted in the deforested area which today is known as Vail's famous Back Bowls.
Before too long, the miners in the Vail Colorado area depleted the gold, silver and other mineral resources. They soon abandoned the valley. The Vail region remained a tranquil home for sheep ranchers and other pioneers until 1939, when road construction began on Highway 6, which runs from Denver through the Gore Valley.
Charlie Vail was the project's engineer for the segment of the highway over the mountain pass. He lent his name to the road and soon the pass was named "the Vail Pass" Eventually to the Town of Vail took on his name too. With the completion of the highway, more people had access to the Vail area.
It was during World War II that the Army's Tenth Mountain Division used the Vail area for backcountry survival training. The Vail region was perfect for the type of training they needed and this beautiful, mountainous area left a lasting impression on the soldiers that trained at Vail.
After the war, many of the men who trained at Vail Colorado were drawn back to the mountain valleys. Pete Seibert, one of Vail's founding fathers, was one such veteran.
Pete returned to the Valley along with fellow troopers Bill "Sarge" Brown and Bob Parker. These three WWII vets shared a great vision of developing a mountain ski community. Soon, Earl Eaton, a uranium prospector with a like vision, teamed up with Seibert to draw up a plan for a ski resort. In 1954, the vision for the Vail ski community began to take shape.
Construction on the ski resort began in spring 1962, and by fall 1966, the town of Vail Colorado was incorporated. Vail ski resort had the first gondola in the United States, along with two double chairlifts, and a beginner poma lift, serving six square miles of mountainous ski terrain.
Several restaurants, hotels and a medical clinic opened their doors soon thereafter. Vail was on its way to becoming the resort area that we know today.
By the mid-1970s, skiers and the novo-rich had discovered Vail. Vail had now its earned the reputation as one of Colorado's best ski areas. When Gerald Ford became President of the United States in 1974, the ski town of Vail Colorado made front-page news.
Gerald Ford owned a home in Vail and loved to ski and golf here. He had many news clips (nation wide), where he and his family were doing both activities. Vail was soon recognized worldwide as the Colorado ski resort of the president. Visitors began to flock to the area for its skiing in winter and golf in the summer.
During the early 1980s, the area blossomed into a year-round resort. Golf courses were developed (as President Ford popularized them at Vail), and mountain-biking trails were also added. Vail ski resort gondolas began transporting sightseers instead of skiers. Other attractions such as hot-air balloon rallies, tennis tournaments and concerts featuring everything from chamber music to rock became part of the Vail summer scene.
Vail Colorado has had a rich history. From its simple, pastoral beginnings to the hustle and bustle of one of the best recreational areas in North America. Vail has grown and matured. Today it is one of the great vacation spots in the world.
