People

: Jim Russell; "Jim Russell came to town (Telluride, Colorado) in 1972 after a tour in Vietnam, bought a mining claim off the back of the ski mountain with a partner, and after drawing the design for a dream backcountry lodge on the back of a napkin at the bar in The Sheridan, built the Alta Lakes Observatory. The stone, concrete and timber structure has an in-ground hot tub and sits at the foot of a high-alpine lake and a gallery of steep, long couloirs, and is without a doubt one of the most stunning backcountry lodges in the country. His sons, Chason and Garrett, are fully emblematic of both the soulfulness and adventuresome spirit this tiny town high in the San Juan Mountains engenders." Taken from: https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/my-telluride-garrett-russell-and-the-quintessential-colorado-ski-town/ "In the early 1970s, Jim Russell purchased a mining claim above Alta Lakes, approximately 13 miles from Telluride. During the summers of 1975 to 1977, he painstakingly built a fairytale stone and log structure—including a sauna and a neck-deep hot tub of native stone—on the shore of an alpine tarn. At the time, the building was the highest construction project in the state, so Jim called it “The Observatory,” based on its 11,300-foot location at the foot of Silver Mountain. Russell has hosted backcountry travelers in the Observatory since 1984, and winter is his favorite time to visit. “Ski, eat, relax, repeat,” he says simply. Observatory guests may ski over from the Telluride Ski Resort via either the Bald Mountain access gate or the top of Chair 10, or ascend from the Alta Lakes Road. Either way, Russell can deliver personal gear and food in a snowcat, so guests can travel with only light touring packs. The Observatory sleeps up to 16 guests in a combination of upper-story beds and bunks and is complete with a modern kitchen for cooking après-ski feasts. While he raves about the quality of the ski terrain surrounding the Observatory, Russell recognizes that not everybody shares a love of the steep and deep. “Some people want to ski the powder; others prefer to sled, snowshoe or simply relax. The Observatory in winter is a great place for all those things.” --Taken from https://telluridemagazine.com/backcountry-retreats/

: Jim Sangosti; Contributor to "Out of the Blue and Into the Sun," (source: Out of the Blue and Into the Sun: A Gunnison Valley Journal)

: Jim Schmidt; Contributor to "2020: The Hammer and The Dance: A Gunnison Valley Journal," (source:2020: The Hammer and The Dance : A Gunnison Valley Journal). Mayor of Crested Butte 2020.

: Jim Schultz; Early Twentieth century teacher at Pleasant View School [in Collbran?] who took over leadership of the school and ran it well. He was also an auctioneer who ran the auction at the Junior Fat Stock Show.

: Jim Seabry

: Jim Seal

: Jim Shield; Early Mesa County doctor. Chief of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Colorado University School of Medicine. Co-member with Dr. E. H. Munro of the American College of Surgeons.