Located in New Mexico on the Zuni reservation, Dowa Yalanne, or Corn Mountain, overlooks Zuni Pueblo at an elevation ranging in the 7000s. A Zuni legend explains that during an intense flood, the people fled to the top of the Dowa Yalanne, bringing their corn. To cause the water to recede, they sent a son and daughter of a Zuni priest into the water as an offering. Eventually the waters receded, revealing that the son and daughter turned to stone. Corn Mountain’s mesa features approximately 320 acres of Zuni sandstone, mudstone, and Dakota sandstone. Based on these sedimentary rocks, Dowa Yalanne appears to have formed during the Triassic and Jurassic periods and is recognizable by its red and white coloring. Piñon-juniper trees populate the mountain, along with smaller brush and foliage.

During the early days of European contact, Dowa Yalanne offered the Zuni people refuge from the Spanish conquistadors. In 1540, after Francisco Vasquez Coronado and his men battled at the Zuni village of Hawikuh, the remaining Zunis fled to Corn Mountain to escape Spanish occupation. Familiar with the mountain trails, they remained secluded until the Spanish left. The Zuni then returned to their villages once it appeared safe.

Zunis utilized Dowa Yalanne as a place of retreat before contact with the Spanish when conflict arose with other tribes. Zunis returned to Dowa Yalanne in 1632 after they conspired and killed two Franciscan Friars and Spanish soldiers stationed at Hawikuh. It was not until 1635 that the people of the six Zuni villages entirely left the mountain’s protection. This particular cycle continued in 1680, after the immediate events of the Pueblo Revolt, and again in 1703 when the Zunis repulsed Spanish interlopers. From that point on, the use of Dowa Yalanne as a place of protection significantly diminished due to fewer conflicts.

Zuni rock art decorates Dowa Yalanne in locations where they took refuge. The historic engraved shields and mountain lion iconography served a magical protective function for them. Zunis still maintain sacred shrines on the top of Dowa Yalanne mesa, cementing its spiritual reminder of Zuni culture and resilience during difficult circumstances.

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With incredible height, diversity, age, and beauty, Pikes Peak towers above at an astounding 14,115 feet, making it one of the tallest mountains in the United States. Many, if not all, Americans have heard the moving lyrics to “America the Beautiful,” but few know that Pikes Peak was the inspiration for the song. Pikes Peak has long been the subject of ballads of beauty and adventure, as well as a symbol of hope and freedom for many throughout American history.  The peak itself has undergone a variety of “discoveries” throughout the different ages of settlement. Some of the first people believed to have discovered and lived near Pikes Peak were the Clovis people yet not much is known or recorded of their experience. However, the histories of many Native peoples’ lifestyles, religions, and legends centered around the peak. The Utes, or the Tabeguache, believed the mountain itself was a sacred site where the Great Spirit created the earth and where many ceremonies were held.  The Spanish were the first Europeans to discover the peak in 1779 and named it “El Capitán,” or “The Captain,” due to the imposing nature of the peak. With the completion of the Louisiana Purchase, the French sold vast tracts of land to the United States of America. In an effort to appraise the land and resources the United States had obtained, President Jefferson sent out several different expeditions to explore and record the areas. It was not until 1806 that Zebulon Pike, the first American explorer who dubbed the mountain Pike’s Peak, came to the Colorado area and attempted to hike the peak. The expedition failed to summit it because they were not prepared for the weather, and the peak remained an alluring call for explorers to attempt to conquer.  Pikes’ writing on his expedition, including the details about the imposing mountain, were published in several languages and widely distributed due to their fame and the public’s interest in the unexplored West. In his writings, Pike referred to the peak as the “the Grand Peak” or simply, “highest peak.”  In 1820, Dr. Edwin James made the first recorded ascent. Later in its history, a variety of media featuring Pikes Peak attracted settlers and spurred further western migration. The phenomenon started with miners and spectators with the discovery of gold and gradually drew more settlers with large plots of grazing land and a tourism industry. Pikes Peak influenced the early formation of American identity and still manages to inspire those who visit today.

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In early 1860, prospectors were exploring gulches and panning for gold deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. One prospector, Abe Lee, produced the lucky pan with gold in late April. They named the area California Gulch, supposedly because Abe Lee exclaimed, “I’ve just got California in this here pan!” By summer of the same year, California Gulch’s population had risen from the original party of miners to five thousand individuals, including women. California Gulch was seven miles long and a city grew around it, eventually concentrated toward the northern end of the Gulch. This town came to be known as Oro City and served as the precursor to the modern-day city of Leadville. Oro City experienced waves of growth and decline as the seasons changed and as gold waned and silver and ore increased. In the beginning, the city had no official government and instead operated using the miners’ code and group meetings.  When Colorado became a territory the next year, Oro City became the county seat of Lake County and elections were held. The city’s population fluctuated seasonally, as winter conditions made mining difficult or impossible. Annual spring thaws repeatedly brought miners back until around 1865. By that point around five million dollars of gold had been extracted from three miles of the gulch, but gold-producing ore was exhausted. The population began to decline thereafter. A stamp mill named “The Printer Boy” was constructed in 1868 and helped partially sustain the local economy, but diminishing ore and continued technological troubles with requisite water pumping hindered business. The Printer Boy soon closed, along with other mills and smelters, and Oro City’s population moved elsewhere. In 1873 or 1874, a new settlement emerged near Oro City named Slabtown. Slabtown later became Leadville when William H. Stevens and Albinus B. Wood began the “Oro Mining Ditch and Fluming Company.” Stevens and Wood bought up large areas in the California Gulch and began producing silver and lead. Mining became concentrated in the Gulch, and the population moved down the mountain. Today, California Gulch is one of over 200 superfund sites in the state of Colorado, sites the EPA has specifically set aside for environmental recovery. For the most part, the 18 square miles of the superfund site is under control, although young children and expecting mothers should monitor their blood for heavy metals. Although the exposure is under control, the EPA will need to finish construction to seal up mines to create an area that is safe for the public to enter.

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In 1868, Daniel Plummer and Joseph H. Meyers located an outcrop of silver in the central Colorado Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains, within limestone on Mount Bross. They named it “The Dwight” Three years later, they returned to Mount Bross and discovered a new outcropping that would come to be known as “the Moose”. This discovery led to a silver boom in the local towns of Alma and Fairplay and set the stage for the later Leadville boom. However, the discovery of silver at 13,600 feet with surrounding 14,000-foot peaks presented challenges. With the highest altitude mines in North America, the Moose Mine region demonstrates the unique difficulties of many high-altitude mines. Daniel Plummer and Joseph H. Meyers were both previously-experienced miners and had been in Park County, Colorado since the early to mid 1860s. They filed their first claim, “The Dwight,” on March 9, 1869. However, like other rich but remote mines of the time, not much was done to begin mining until after the discovery of the Moose. The first news of the rich discovery in the Moose hit the Denver Tribune in late July 1871, and by the end of August Plummer and Meyers had secured Judson H. Dudley and Andrew W. Gill as partners, who provided funding necessary for beginning mining. Simple mining began that year, and by November, ore from the mine was shipping from Leadville to Denver where it would go on to New York City and then its final destination in Wales. This had to be done, especially in the beginning, due to the lack of other smelters in the area who could work with the metal. The closest smelter was located in Black Hawk, and shipping there would have required traveling down to Denver and then back up into the mountains. Traveling there involved a series of high altitude passes that made this option difficult, timely, and expensive.  On April 15, 1872, the Moose Mining Company was formed. In order to accommodate those working at the mines on Mount Bross, Mount Democrat, and Mount Lincoln, the town of Quartzville developed on the east side of Mount Lincoln at 11,300 feet. It was located 2,400 feet below the Moose and was the closest residence to the mines. Miners had to hike over two miles one way to reach the Moose and at such high elevation, individuals only processed around one-third of the oxygen they would be accustomed to at sea level. The combination of less oxygen and their difficult morning hike meant that the miners struggled to be effective. But despite these impediments to labor, in July 1872 the Moose Mine Company averaged $22,500 per week, and the Fairplay Mount Lincoln Sentinel claimed that the Moose had produced $330,00 worth of ore in a four-month period.  Today, the Moose Mine remains on private land. Individuals wanting to visit the area can summit four adjacent fourteeners, Mounts Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross, via the 8-mile Decalibron (a portmanteau of the four peak names) loop route. Access to the mountains has been limited over the years due to concern about old mining sites and issues with hikers not remaining on trail. Since 2010, hikers have been able to access the peaks within the Decalibron loop but not the mining sites themselves.

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On July 22, 1923, work started on the highest road in North America: the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. Today, visitors can travel its twenty-eight mile stretch one way to reach the summit of the 14,130-foot mountain. The byway begins about sixty miles west of Denver in the mining town of Idaho Springs. Along the way up, visitors pass Echo Lake, Summit Lake, and the Walter Pesman Alpine Garden, which is home to 1,700-year-old bristlecone pines. Along the road, individuals gain 7,000 feet of elevation while those starting in Denver will gain about 9,000 feet. Due to volatile winter conditions, the road is generally only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  The first recorded summiting of Mount Evans itself was by landscape painter Albert Bierstadt in 1863. Originally, the mountain was named Mount Rosalie. After the expulsion of Governor John Evans due to the Sand Creek Massacre, the name of the mountain was changed to remember the disgraced governor. The mountain later became more accessible in 1931 when construction of the road was complete and was opened to the public.  Bagging “fourteeners”—a colloquialism meaning summiting a peak 14,000 feet above sea level—is a popular sport in Colorado, and the mountains are hard to resist. Because Mount Evans Scenic Byway is so easy to access, it makes for an easy first peak. After parking at the top of the mountain, individuals only have to hike a quarter of a mile to the real summit. However, high altitude presents many dangers such as oxygen deprivation, extreme sun exposure, and sudden thunderstorms. Visitors may experience altitude sickness, which can be broken down into acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary edema, and high-altitude cerebral edema. In its less serious stage, acute mountain sickness, individuals may suffer from headaches, nausea, dizziness, and other systems. High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) becomes a possible concern among 15% of healthy individuals at 14,000 feet but is still not the most dangerous form of altitude sickness. Individuals suffering from HAPE may experience confusions, serious fatigue, and coughing or chest tightness. Finally, high-altitude cerebral edema is the most dangerous form of altitude sickness and if not treated, can lead to coma and death. Its symptoms include confusion, incoordination, and even hallucinations, caused by a buildup of fluids in the brain and sometimes lungs.  In order to prevent altitude sickness, individuals are advised to acclimate to altitude gradually, drink plenty of water, and travel high but sleep low. Sunscreen will also help protect individuals against the sun at 14,000 feet, where the atmosphere provides 50% less protection than visitors may be used to. Also, individuals should try to be off the mountain by the afternoon to avoid thunderstorms. All of these steps can help to prevent disaster on the mountain.

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In 1978, the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) was added as one of America’s scenic long-distance trails. It, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Appalachian Trail are the three most prominent national scenic trails. The CDT’s roughly 3,000 miles of trail are open to day hikers, backpackers, and thru-hikers, with unique sections also open to equestrian use. Anywhere from 150 to 200 hikers attempt the full distance each year but only a third will complete the full distance. To officially count as a thru-hike of the CDT, the hiker must stay within 100 miles of the Continental Divide itself. This is complicated by the fact that only 85% of the trail is officially completed and marked. In order to finish their hike within the five to six months of good weather, hikers need to average about 22 to 25 miles a day. This aggressive pace requires consistently consuming about 6,000 calories each day.  The CDT started as the Blue Can Trail, named for the painted tuna cans used by the Colorado Mountain Club to mark the trail in 1964. The first individual to hike the Continental Divide is disputed, although there is documented evidence through journals and photographs that it may have been by Peter Parsons in 1924. The trail was first proposed to the National Park Service in the 1960s, but it did not become official until 1978. Still, individuals explored the Continental Divide in the years in between. In 1972, Erik Ryback became the first individual to complete the “Triple Crown” of the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.  Waterton Lake serves as the Northern Terminus for the CDT and marks either the end or the beginning of a thru-hike between the U.S.–Mexico and U.S.–Canada borders. Approximately 20% of CDT thru-hikers begin there as “South Bounders,” and 80% end there as “North Bounders,” all passing through the Goat Haunt Ranger Station located just above Waterton Lake and the international border. The Ranger Station works as a customs station to allow hikers to pass between the two countries and also showcases the international agreement that combined Glacier National Park in the United States with Waterton National Park in Canada to become the first International Peace Park. Ultimately, the Goat Haunt Ranger Station represents both international peace and the start or end of an incredible adventure along the Continental Divide. Those finishing their thru-hikes there will have crossed five states, three national parks, seven different ecoregions, and fourteen native tribal land regions.

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Echo Lake Park is located at about 10,600 feet above sea level along the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. Ever since the Mount Evans Crest House at the top of the Mount Evans Scenic Byway burned down in 1979, Echo Lake has served as the primary lodging and stop for visitors to the area. Echo Lake hosts a variety of activities and also features two surprising historical sites. Visitors coming to fish at the lake or hike the trails might be surprised to find laboratories that were used to research cosmic radiation. Similarly, those stopping to get a meal at Echo Lake Lodge might be surprised by its wartime history.

Orphaned in her teenage years, Elinore Pruitt Stewart was accustomed to independence. She found employment as a housekeeper for Mrs. Juliet Coney in Colorado after leaving a failed marriage in Oklahoma. In 1909, Elinore decided to seek a more permanent and reliable life for herself and her daughter, Jerrine. Following the advice of her employer and her priest, Elinore began looking for a position as a housekeeper for a homesteader. She accepted a position from Clyde Stewart and moved west to his property in Burntfork, Wyoming.

That May, she filed for a 160 acre homestead under the Homestead Act on a lot adjacent to Clyde’s. The two married shortly after. She recalled that first summer of work as “the busiest, happiest” she could remember. While the work was hard, it was labor she could “really enjoy.” Over the years, Elinore detailed her life and experiences in Wyoming in letters sent to her friend and previous employer, Mrs. Coney. This collection of letters was later published as a book. It heralded the merits of homesteading as a means for women to provide for themselves. Of women considering the possibility, Elinore wrote, “I feel like urging them every one to get out and file on land… It really requires less strength and labor to raise plenty to satisfy a large family than it does to go out to wash, with the added satisfaction of knowing that their job will not be lost to them if they care to keep it.” She was “very enthusiastic about women homesteading” as a source of autonomy and solution to poverty. In her eagerness for independence and ownership of land, Elinore delayed revealing her new husband to Mrs. Coney until nearly a year after the marriage took place.

Homestead law required that married women file jointly with their husbands or live separately. Elinore had to relinquish her claim to her mother-in-law in 1912 to avoid losing it completely. She and Clyde later bought the property back once the deed had been acquired. Together they had five children, three of whom survived to adulthood. The family wintered in Boulder, Colorado so their children could attend school there. The remaining months were spent on the ranch, gardening, haying, and caring for livestock.

In addition to the hard labor, Elinore’s letters described trips with her children or into the mountains. On one such occasion, “after working so hard and so steadily,” she got away by dawn and had a “glorious day” riding in the hills with Jerrine. The publication of her letters brought some notoriety and time was also spent entertaining visitors who came to meet the confident and optimistic woman homesteader.

Elinore spent her life working and improving the Stewart homestead until her death in 1933. She died of a blood clot to the brain after a surgery following several bouts of serious illness in the years leading to her death. She was buried in Burntfork Pioneer Cemetery, leaving both a historic and a literary legacy that preserves her memory as a successful female homesteader in the American West.

The ranch continued to be operated by Clyde and their sons until it was leased in 1940 and then sold. The site is now included on the National Register of Historic Places. The homestead building still remains at its original site, although in a much dilapidated condition. There are no current plans to preserve or restore it.

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