In the fall, the streaked grays and browns of old mine tailing heaps blend in with the rusts, reds and golds of the surrounding vegetation at the base of Smuggler Mountain in Aspen. Yet Aspen’s history—as home to the Utes, as one of the nation’s top silver producers, and as a recreational oasis—can be appreciated from a number of locations on the 170-acre Smuggler Mountain Open Space.
Hike up to the Smuggler Overlook platform (a 2003 RFOV project) for 270-degree views of Independence Pass, Mount Sopris and Sunlight Mountain, and, of course, a bird’s eye perspective on the town originally called Ute City.
Prior to the 1870s, the Roaring Fork River Valley had been used by and was home to Ute Indians for more than 800 years. Knowledge of how the Utes lived during those centuries is limited, but Ute Indian summer camps, including "teepee circles," in the area have been documented, according to the Aspen Historical Society. Before the first mining prospectors arrived in 1879, the Utes traveled up-valley, hunting along the Maroon and Conundrum valleys into Aspen.
From the platform, non-motorized users can access the Hunter Creek cutoff trail to reach the Hunter Creek trails and the Iowa Shaft Trail (both areas in which RFOV has done trail work). The Iowa Shaft at the trail cutoff is one of three mineshafts on Smuggler, which hearken to Aspen’s mining years.
The town’s mining boom lasted roughly from 1879 to 1893, and during that period Aspen produced one-sixth of the nation’s silver. Smuggler’s first claims were filed by Edward Fuller and his younger partner Con Allbright, who came to the valley in June 1879 via the town of Gothic and the Maroon Creek Valley.
In 1893—at the same time that Aspen’s population had peaked to between 10,000 and 16,000—the Sherman Silver Act was repealed and silver lost its value. Following what is known as the Silver Panic, Aspen began a downward slide. Ironically, a 2,350-pound silver nugget that was located within Smuggler in 1893 was not removed until 1894, a year after the crash of the silver market.
Since the Silver Rush days, the land ownership of Smuggler has had a turbulent history. In the late 1960s, much of Smuggler and Hunter Creek was owned by McCullough Oil Company and other private parties. The Hunter Creek lands were largely acquired by the U.S. Forest Service, Pitkin County, the City of Aspen, and the Aspen Valley Land Trust.
"The acquisition of the properties, which make up Smuggler, accomplished the goal of acquiring private parcels in order to protect wildlife habitat, view sheds, and to allow for continued outdoor recreational opportunities," states the Smuggler Mountain Management Plan.
2006, the county and city began a process to restore the area; part of the plan is to close unsafe mine areas and restore the natural landscape. RFOV will help fulfill some of those goals this summer by continuing the trail and restoration work that began in 2009.
In addition to RFOV’s July 24 trail work project, on August 28, volunteers will continue the restoration efforts by turning sections of double-track roads into single-track. For this family-friendly RFOV project, volunteers will also seed and plant trees and shrubs to restore areas impacted by old mining activities.
