ML - Aspen Peak

2013 - Issue 1 - Summer

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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HOTTEST TICKET haute heritage THE ASPEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A TRAVELING SMITHSONIAN EXHIBITION AND SPECIAL EVENTS. BY AMIEE WHITE BEAZLEY I t seems curious that Aspen had already formed a historical society in 1963, well before the skibum culture of the 1970s, the excess of the '80s, the boom of the real estate–fueled economy, and the town's inevitable growth issues. Back then, so much of Aspen's story had yet to unfold. Now, at 50 and no worse for wear, the Aspen Historical Society reflects on itself as if to say, "You're all grown up, Aspen. But who are you really?" "Fifty is a stupid number," says Georgia Hanson with a laugh. She's president and CEO of the Aspen Historical Society. "Yes, it's historic, and 50 is a nice round number, but what does it mean? I guess it means we get to recognize that people here kept a record of this place. Albeit tiny, Aspen was important enough to pay attention to its story. We are most grateful they were prescient enough to start a society and start collecting and keeping the stories that often get lost. Stories are the absolute foundation of civilization and provide a cultural base that allows a community to flourish." The Society was founded by Aspenites such as Ramona Markalunas and Herbert Bayer, who felt the town's early history passing with each old timer who passed with it. Today, the nonprofit is not just in charge of capturing the stories of those who have come before us, but of the physical places that teach us about our past—the Independence and From the "Journey Stories" exhibit: a photo of families saying goodbye to a trainful of departing soldiers in Decatur, Illinois, in June 1944. 76 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 076-080_AP_SP_HT_SUM_Fall_13.indd 76 5/6/13 11:01 AM

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