APRIL THEME
Dillon, Colorado
SUMMIT COUNTY COLORADO 150
Photo, John Bailey, Statue of John Bailey, first mayor of the new town of Dillon, overlooking the Dillon Reservoir. Credit: Ann Cross.
Celebrating 150 Years of Summit County History
Dillon, Colorado
In April, we feature people and events in the Town of Dillon in the four time periods of Pre-statehood, 1876-1926, 1926-1976, 1976-2026.
The Old Town of Dillon was located at the confluence of the Blue River, Snake River, and Ten Mile Creek in the Blue River Valley. Trains arrived in 1882 aiding the growth of the town at the center of Summit County. The old town was home to businesses, families, and individuals involved in the growing economies supporting mining and ranching.
Water was a key resource and the Denver Water Board began buying up property and water rights in the early 20th century to make way for the Dillon Reservoir, a massive water storage project built to supply water to the growing Front Range communities.
Construction of the dam began in the 1950’s, was completed in 1961, and residents relocated, buildings were moved and any remaining structures were burned by April 1, 1961. See the informative 7 minute video showing the entire process establishing Lake Dillon and transforming the Blue River Valley here.
Today the new Town of Dillon center is located on the north side of Lake Dillon, the defining landmark of Summit County and home to the world’s highest deep-water marina at 9,017 feet. Enjoy learning about Dillon, old and new, through key people and events.
Enjoy reading about each individual we selected to represent each 50 year span! 50+50+50=Colorado 150, plus a bonus highlight every so often from our pre-statehood days.
Support Summit’s Past.
APRIL: WEEK 1
Pre-Statehood
Photo: Summit County Rivers, 2017 from Dillon, Denver, and the Dam by Sandra F. Mather PhD, drawn by author.
LaBonte’s Hole
Confluence of the Snake, Ten Mile and Blue Rivers (the site of early Dillon)
During the 1800s in Summit County, the Ute and Arapaho peoples faced challenges beyond their own rivalries. From the early 1800s through the 1840s, the region also attracted fur trappers and traders.
The area now occupied by Dillon Reservoir, near where the Snake and Blue Rivers meet Tenmile Creek, was once called LaBonte’s Hole. It served as a central rendezvous point for trappers, traders, and Native Americans. At the time, the word “hole” referred to a natural gathering place or geographic meeting spot.
LaBonte was a fur trapper, born to a French father and an American mother. His travels took him across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and California. According to one account, he and a group of mountain men once seized 400 horses and mules in California, drove them to southern Colorado, and sold them.
1876-1926
Ed and Etta Riley in Dillon in front of "Ed's Place" c. 1920. Summit Historical Society Collection.
Edward Theodore Riley and
Mary Etta Morris Riley
Edward T Riley (1872-1960)
Mary Etta Morris Riley (1876-1969)
Dillon, CO
Edward “Ed” Riley was born in Missouri, and moved to Dillon in 1891 with his father and brother, John Walter Riley. The brothers remained closely linked throughout life. Ed focused on business, while John leaned toward adventure, reflecting the rugged, opportunity-driven character of early Colorado mining towns.
Ed married his childhood sweetheart, Etta. They started a family in Dillon, lost a son early in his life, and gave birth to Mabel in Dillon in 1895. Mabel married Johnny Capelli and had a daughter, Ellen. After Mabel’s death in 1918, Ed and Etta raised their granddaughter, Ellen.
As partners in both life and work, Ed and Etta operated a general store and established a 161-acre homestead in 1899. Ed also owned The Mint, a local saloon, highlighting his role in Dillon’s early commercial life during its silver mining era.
Ed and Etta are buried in Dillon Cemetery.
1926-1976
1961. Nanci hand painting first sign for New Town of Dillon. Courtesy, Nanci Campbell.
Nanci Campbell
Nanci Ammer is a respected local historian with deep roots in Summit County. The daughter of one of TWA’s early pilots, she grew up across the United States before graduating high school in California and attending the University of Colorado, drawn in part by a desire to ski.
While earning her teaching degree at CU, she met and married Fred Ammer, an avid skier. The two spent their weekends driving their Volkswagen “Bug” over Loveland Pass to Arapahoe Basin. During this time, Nanci became connected to Dillon’s early development, supporting Mayor John Bailey and the newly forming town. In 1962, she and Fred invested $1,000 in a lot, becoming among Dillon’s first permanent residents.
As the old townsite was cleared and rebuilt, Nanci developed a passion for preserving local history. She became the founding president of the Summit Historical Society in 1966 and later the first woman to serve on the Dillon Town Board.
When the area shifted from ski lodges to condominiums, Nanci launched a real estate business out of her living room, and became the first woman president of the Summit County Board of Realtors and served at the state level.
She raised two children, Rick and Katrina, and lives in the Summit County home she originally built in the 1960s.
1976-2026
Doug Pierce and Daughter Bonnie at Arapahoe Café Courtesy: Robert Tann/Summit Daily News
Douglas “Doug” Allyn Pierce
(March 22, 1953-January 14, 2025)
Doug Pierce moved to Dillon in 1977 after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. Known for his feisty, sometimes cantankerous demeanor, he was, at his core, a deeply passionate and loyal man with a generous heart.
He began his career at Keystone Resort, rising to Director of Food and Beverage over 28 years. Later, he opened the Arapahoe Café & Pub, a longtime locals’ favorite with great warmth, character, and delicious food.
Doug was known for his Southern-style BBQ, competing in numerous BBQ competitions, and for his gumbo, featured at Keystone’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations. He later launched Bonnie Q BBQ with his daughter Bonnie, continuing to share his love of bold, soulful cooking.
Summit County lost Doug far too soon with his sudden passing. He will be remembered for his deep devotion to family, staff, and community, and for the way he showed that love through food, both at the A-Café, festivals and around his own table.
APRIL: WEEK 2
Credit: Summit Historical Society, 2018.
DILLON TOWNSITES
Established 1881
Incorporated, January 26, 1883
Relocated by April 1, 1961
The history of Dillon, Colorado, is a story hidden beneath the waters of the present-day Dillon Reservoir. The original town was relocated in the early 1960s to make way for the reservoir, which now serves as one of Denver’s most vital water sources. Click the video to discover the full story.
1876-1926
Dillon Depot, date unknown, Summit County Historical Collection
Dillon and the Railroad
Railroad arrived in 1892
Service ceased in 1937
By 1879, Dillon had become a thriving trading post and stage stop with a post office. It was only logical for the railroad to come. The Denver & Rio Grande railroad arrived in 1882, followed by the Denver, South Park & Pacific in 1883. Experience the time with these photos.
Colorado and Southern train entering Dillon, date unknown, Summit County Historical Collection
Old Dillon Railyard, date unknown, Alan Rice Collection, Summit Historical Society Collection
1926-1976
John Bailey, Jerry Muth, John McGowan, Nanci and Fred Amner Photo, 1965, Courtesy Nanci Campbell
John Bailey
(Date of Birth and Death unknown)
When Denver Water moved to create the Dillon Reservoir, the original town of Dillon faced being wiped out. Mayor John Bailey refused to let that happen.
In the 1950s, Bailey fought to relocate rather than lose the town entirely. He helped choose and plan the new site for Dillon, guided residents through the move, and secured compensation so homes and businesses could be rebuilt. As the first mayor of the new Dillon, he led one of Colorado’s most notable town relocations.
After stepping down, Bailey continued shaping the community—helping establish the Dillon Marina and contributing to the early development of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. He was also a former soldier of the 10th Mountain Division and served as Summit County’s superintendent of schools.
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Jude Mitchell
Jude Mitchell
Jude is widely recognized for her compassion, care, and deep involvement in the Dillon community. For more than 21 years as Administrator of Dillon Community Church, she has led a wide range of outreach efforts, including Benevolence, the Food Bank, women’s ministries, and key church committees, all focused on supporting the community’s present and future needs.
Known as “The Church Lady,” Jude has built strong partnerships with organizations such as FIRC, the Dillon Police Department, emergency services, St. Anthony’s Hospital, and other local agencies to provide support for both residents and visitors. She has also helped expand DCC’s presence through community traditions and events, including “worship on the water,” holiday festivals, and volunteer initiatives like town clean-up days and community meals.
A Summit County resident since the 1970s, Jude has long been an advocate for community-driven programs. She and her husband raised their two children locally, and she has remained active through volunteer work, leadership roles, and service on community boards, leaving a lasting impact on Dillon.
APRIL: WEEK 3
Pre-Statehood
Cover of Bowles’ book, originally printed 1868, reprinted 1991. Summit Historical Society library.
Samuel Bowles
(February 1826-January 1878)
Samuel Bowles was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. In 1869 Bowles traveled to Colorado from his home in Massachusetts. The result of his travels was a book, The Switzerland of America: A Summer Vacation in the Parks and Mountains of Colorado.
Bowles’ party traveled from Montezuma to Breckenridge via the Blue River prompting Bowles to write “sure that the conjunction of the Blue, the Snake and Ten Mile must offer something worth seeing in the way of valley and mountain scenery.” Bowles later said that through his writing he had hoped to spur public interest in the West. Of course we know that the confluence of the three rivers of which Bowles wrote became the site of the town of Dillon prior to the building of the Dam.
1876-1926
Tip Ballif, Blacksmith shop, ca. 1880, Summit Historical Society Collection
Adolphus “Tip” Ballif
(1851-1926)
DILLON
“Tip” Ballif was born in 1851 in Switzerland and immigrated to the U.S. in 1870.
Naturalized as a citizen in 1876, he drove stagecoaches for the Georgetown-Kokomo line. Trained as a veterinarian, Tip settled first in Frisco, Colorado as a blacksmith but later moved his shop to Dillon in the 1890’s after his marriage to Swedish immigrant Emma Benson.
The location of A. Ballif, Blacksmith and Wheelwright on Main Street included a shop and a house for his wife and two daughters, Anna and Hilda. Tip was a town trustee and served as Deputy Sheriff. His daughter Anna Ballif Emore (author of Dillon, the Blue River Wonderland) reported “that he helped scour the country in 1898 in search for the outlaw-murderer Pug Ryan.”
He is buried in the New Dillon Cemetery. His tools are preserved in the Dillon Schoolhouse Museum.
1926-1976
Photo Credit: Summit Historical Society
Raymond Hill
(August 12, 1921-December 26, 2012)
DILLON
Ray Hill was born on the Mumford Ranch, 25 miles north of Dillon. His parents, Ray F. and Mildred D. (Mumford) Hill lived on the ranch, which now lies beneath the Green Mountain Reservoir. His father was a miner, and owned the Dillon Garage, supervised at the Dillon dam construction site and served as a County Commissioner. His mother taught in the one -room classroom at Slate Creek.
As a teenager, Raymond contracted polio, which left him limited use of his left leg and arm. He was determined to overcome his disability, and went on to become a skier and ski jumper in Steamboat Springs.
After receiving a civil engineering degree from C.U., he worked for the Public Roads Administration as a draftsman and surveyor in Alaska, serving as a member of the first survey crew of the Alcan Highway.
Ray served during WWII, after the war ended, he returned to Summit County where he spent 35 years working as a cartographer for the United States Geological Survey, traveling throughout the western states.
An avid hiker and backpacker, his favorite assignment, in 1954 near Buena Vista, he used packhorses to map Mount Elbert and nearby peaks like Massive, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. During that time, he also named several previously unnamed lakes after his wife and children, including Lake Ann, a spot fondly remembered by his family.
Raymond and his wife shared a love for the outdoors and together climbed 43 of Colorado’s 53 fourteeners, often accompanied by their children. His preserved survey instruments can be found at the Dillon Schoolhouse Museum.
1976-2026
Photo credit Town of Dillon
Craig Simson
(1973- )
DILLON
Craig is a Colorado native, who started skiing and sailing at a very young age. His early fears turned into a passion that continues today.
He attended Mesa College after high school but returned to Summit County and served as a ski patroller for 25 years mostly at Keystone resort and rose through the ranks to Director of Ski Patrol.
His second passion, sailing, took him to a seasonal job at Dillon Marina in the summers. There he filled every position becoming the director in 2015. Craig’s favorite event is the Thursday evening race for sailors of all levels.
Craig lives with his wife in Summit County where they raised their twin daughters.
Summit Historical Society’s most popular summer program for 14+ years, is the Historical Boat Tours on Lake Dillon.
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