Nestled just a hop and a skip from Aspen lies Hunter Creek Valley, a 60-acre site rich with history. Although its history had been deteriorating over several decades, locals, along with some help from the state and a national nonprofit, have changed that tune.
In 2021, Roaring Fork Valley locals founded the Hunter Creek Historical Foundation (HCHF) with a mission to restore and preserve the Hunter Creek settlement. HCHF has partnered with HistoriCorps, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving historic structures on public lands across the country. HistoriCorps employs trained field staff, as well as volunteers with various skill sets, to complete projects.
There are two to three field staff members and one crew member from HistoriCorps responsible for overseeing six to eight volunteers working on the Hunter Creek project.
Historical evidence indicates that Hunter Creek Valley hosted one of the first prospector settlements in the Aspen area that made it through a winter season. Typically, Independence would have been the last stop for miners and prospectors from Leadville that time of year. That is until 1879, when a group of 13 miners decided to hold out until the spring of 1880 — eight in Ute City (Aspen) and five in the Hunter Creek Valley.
Suffice to say, Hunter Creek holds a lot of historical significance when it comes to Aspen’s past. William Koch’s homestead and the Adelaide Ranch, which dates back to 1893, still stand today. Although the historic barn on the Adelaide Ranch has deteriorated.
Most of the deterioration can be attributed to water movement over the years causing rapid erosion. During Koch’s time, multiple ditches were formed, and blockage thereof has caused diversions, which continue to flow toward the buildings, contributing to the problem. Colorado’s Historic Preservation Office underwent a Section 106 process for the site, which has since been approved and allows HistoriCorps to hire contractors to do remediation. The goal is to clear the higher elevation ditches of blockage and to build protective barriers around the buildings to redirect any water still coming down the hillside.
The first phase of the restoration effort was the stabilization and preservation of the old blacksmith shop, likely constructed once Koch arrived. This phase was completed in October 2022. The second phase is the stabilization and preservation of the roadhouse, which is expected to be completed later this year. There is at least one additional phase planned for 2025 that will focus on another cabin, which sits just northwest of the shop, and is currently surrounded by aspen trees.
“The cabin will probably be a reconstruction project. That’s how we’re scoping it right now,” explained Mardita Murphy, a regional program manager with HistoriCorps. “It may be one of the initial cabins that was constructed by those prospectors in 1879. So, it could potentially be the oldest standing structure in Aspen. Our hope is to fill out some of that history this year in preparation for the 2025 phase.”
Finally, the restoration of the dam keeper’s cabin, on property adjacent to Hunter Creek, should begin by 2026 and is the final planned phase of the project at this time.
“We’re not just fixing buildings; we’re keeping a legacy going,” Murphy concluded.
For more information on the Hunter Creek historical preservation project, visit www.huntercreekhistoricalfoundation.org