Tales of the Gunnison Country is hosted by Western Colorado University Professor of History Duane Vandenbuche.
In just three minutes, Vandenbuche introduces us to the people, places, and stories of the early days of the region.
Hear Tales of the Gunnison Country twice weekly on KBUT. Scroll down to hear archived episodes.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Famous Non-Whites In Early Gunnison
It wasn’t just white settlers that helped shape the future of the Gunnison Country.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Bowman
Between Tincup and Aspen sits Bowman, at the base of Taylor Pass.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Whitepine Booming
The mines near the east edge of modern-day Gunnison County ended up shipping lead and zinc during WWI for the war effort or to the Sherwin-Williams paint factory in Kansas.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: James Brothers On The Run
Jesse James and brother Frank were one step ahead of the law and wanted to lay low until things cooled down.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Farming is Not Impossible!
Assuming the elevation and cold made farming impossible, not many tried. But George Cornwall didn’t know it was supposed to be impossible, and he made it work.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Silver Discovered In South Arkansas
Silver is discovered along south Arkansas River in the 1880’s. Mining camps quickly popped up along the river.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: WPA Funds Ski Area
Twenty-seven men worked under a foreman to help build Pioneer Ski Area.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Cannibal Plateau
Rocks, trees, and the land slid down the land and built Lake San Cristobal.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Spring Creek’s Doctor Mine
It’s called Doctor Mine, not Doctor’s Mine.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Lake City, the Queen Bee
Is there a more beautiful town in Colorado than Lake City?
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Bowerman, Part Two
J. C. Bowerman’s ‘secret’ camp is no longer a secret.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Bowerman, Part One
A midwesterner tried to hit it rich for 25 years in the silver territory of the Gunnison Country. Then he actually struck it rich.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Early Collegiate Ski Teams
Collegiate skiing featured the best skiers in the nation in the 1960s.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Heroic Postmen
Postmen braved extreme temperatures, avalanches, and hostiles to take the mail from camp to camp.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Ouray Assassination Attempt
At the Los Pinos Indian Agency, a plot was hatched to assassinate Chief Ouray, Chief of the Utes.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Ellen Jack
“Captain” Ellen Jack came west hoping to make a fortune in the mines with diamonds and a .44 pistol.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Capital City
Silver and gold brought prospectors near Henson Creek, the onetime site of Capital City.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Fisher Becomes Wealthy
Sam Fisher’s toll road ceased when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad became the main route between Gunnison and Crested Butte.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Sam Fisher
He worked as a superintendent and mining engineer for mining companies across Colorado. Wanderlust struck, so he headed for the Gunnison Country.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Aspen in Trouble
Burros moved goods and supplies in and silver out.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: the Legend of Snowblind Gulch
Near Whitepine, two veteran prospectors found gold deposits, but failed to note the oncoming signs of winter.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: West vs. East Gunnison
Gunnison was first laid out in 1879 to accommodate miners flocking to the area. Some of the city’s founders didn’t see eye-to-eye on things.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: Skiing Becomes a Way of Life
Skiing was used for transportation and fun for those living in the Gunnison Country in the 1800s.
Tales of the Gunnison Country: One Last Try…
In July of 1879, A.T. Gilkerson tried for one last time to find ore in the Gunnison Country. He found it!