The San Juan Mountains are a rugged range, sparsely speckled with towns that are today transitioning from mining to recreation and tourism. The San Juans have more land above 10,000 feet than any other range in the continental United States - hundreds of peaks rise above 13,000 feet and some are above 14,000 feet. When Spanish explorers came through in the late 1700s, they named many prominent features of the area, which was populated by fur traders and Ute Indians until 1873, when the Utes relinquished their mineral rights.

Long before the mountain range became a ski resort it was the San Juan miners that populated the area. The miners skied to and from work and they worked long hours underground. Husbands and fathers came home from work with frozen feet and stepped into a warm bathtub to defrost their shoes enough to get them off. Miners were tough, living among rock and mudslides, floods, avalanches, shivering winter cold, and extreme conditions in any sense of the word.

This high-risk mentality of mining camps above 10,000 feet set the tone for the excitement and high energy found in the San Juans today. Those who chose to live in mountain towns were and are today tough, courageous, creative, caring, helpful, intelligent and independent. Walk the streets and read the plaques, then go to the library and the museum to educate yourself. The San Juan Mountains will touch you, and Telluride will teach you. Come to absorb the sensitive spirit and historical echoes of a place you can only know by being here. Join us in our celebration of life, of man, of nature, and much more. You won't regret it.