FEBRUARY THEME
KEYSTONE, MONTEZUMA, & SNAKE RIVER BASIN
SUMMIT COUNTY COLORADO 150
Photo Credit: Summit Historical Society, Keystone in July of 1937
Celebrating 150 Years of Summit County History
Keystone, Montezuma & Snake River Basin
Keystone distributed goods and labor into the Snake River and Peru Creek valleys while shipping ore and lumber east to smelters. Montezuma, a high-elevation silver mining town closely tied to Keystone’s rail and supply network. Some of the buildings from the “old town” are located on the property of the Keystone Science School.
When mining declined and the railroad was removed in 1937, Keystone faded as an industrial center before later reemerging as a recreational area and ski resort.
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.
FEBRUARY: WEEK 1
Pre-Statehood
Photo Courtesy: Haywood Station advertisement,
Georgetown Courier, June 1879.
Haywood Station Manuscript by Mike Clary
Kate and William Haywood
[William Haywood ( ? – 1880)
Kate Haywood (1828 – 1912)]
HAYWOOD
Kate and William Haywood opened the first stage stop in Keystone, 1879.
“Haywood” became a small mining settlement and stagecoach stop in the Snake River Valley that predated modern Keystone, serving as a crucial waypoint for travelers bound for mining areas of Breckenridge and Montezuma.
After William’s death, Kate continued operating the station until trains reached Keystone in February 1883.
1876-1926
Keystone Depot, ca. 1955. Photo Courtesy: Alan Rice Digital Collection, Summit Historical Society
Trains come to Keystone
(1883)
Keystone Depot Station marked the end of the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad line, running from Como through Boreas, Breckenridge, and Dillon—35 miles taking about 4 hours and 10 minutes one way. The depot mainly served mining and timber operations, with workers coming from Montezuma, Sts. John, Decatur, Argentine, and other Snake River Valley towns.
1926-1976
Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Verna Sharp
(Circa 1911 – Feb 14, 1995)
Ms. Sharp was a respected author and historian whose work significantly shaped the recorded history of Montezuma and neighboring communities.
Her writing was grounded in rigorous research, drawing on interviews, newspapers, government records, personal papers, and firsthand accounts. She also served as a teacher and school librarian and was an active member of the Summit Historical Society.
Her research contributed to the 1883 Montezuma Schoolhouse being recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
1976-2026
Committee to Reincorporate Keystone CO
Feb 8, 2024
Keystone
The committee to incorporate Keystone, Colorado
Kevin Linehan
Gretchen Davis
Steve Martin
Julia Metzger
Paula Samuelson
William Schorling
Dan Sullivan
Mark Willcoxon
Melanie Woytash
In 2024, Keystone transitioned from an unincorporated community to a statutory town through the efforts of dedicated local citizens. Applying their professional skills and commitment to the community, this committee completed the rigorous incorporation process, which was approved by the State of Colorado in February 2024.
Keystone then joined the incorporated towns of Summit County alongside Breckenridge, Montezuma, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne, and Blue River.
FEBRUARY: WEEK 2
Gassy Thompson Ski Run, Keystone Mountain.
Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
George A. “Gassy” Thompson
KEYSTONE
In the winter of 1867, George A. “Gassy” Thompson and his workers were hired by an absentee mine owner to dig a 100-foot mining tunnel into Decatur Mountain near Peru, Colorado. Enduring deep snow and harsh weather, Thompson excavated only about 14 feet into the mountain and extended the rest of the “tunnel” through a long, hollow, cylindrical structure of packed snow, disguising it with mud, rock, and timber supports.
The owners inspected the work, pronounced it satisfactory, and paid Thompson $2,000. When spring thawed the snow, the deception was revealed, Thompson and his crew were long gone.
1876-1926
Drawing Courtesy: Sandy Watson, 2023. Summit Historical Society Collection
Charles Delker
(April,1861 – ?)
KEYSTONE
Charles Delker, from Dubuque, Iowa, worked from 1879 to 1908 in several mining ventures in Leadville, specializing in milling operations. In 1908, he came to Summit County to build a new mill for the Bolivar Mill, Tunnel, and Transportation Company near Montezuma.
On June 5, 1909, he applied for a 160-acre homestead west of the Snake River’s confluence with its North Fork, overlapping the old Haywood Station site.
He received the patent for the homestead on August 19, 1916, securing the property.
Today, his homestead cabin, known as the Myers Cabin, is preserved by the Summit Historical Society at the Historical Park, Dillon.
1926-1976
Photo Courtesy: Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall of Fame
Freda Langell Nieters
(Sept 25, 1931 – Dec 9, 2022)
KEYSTONE
Freda Langell Nieters was a Norwegian-born, world-class skier and a pioneering figure in Colorado skiing. She became one of the first ski instructors hired at Keystone Resort when it opened in 1970.
Over a career spanning more than 40 years, she taught skiing at both Keystone and Arapahoe Basin. Langell was also inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame in.
In addition to teaching, she was a dedicated fundraiser who supported numerous ski-related charities throughout her life.
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Steve Corneillier
Steve Corneillier
Birthdate Unknown
Keystone
Steve Corneillier…..the unofficial “Mayor of Keystone.”
Steve turned his passion for skiing and golf into a lifelong career at Keystone Resort.
After his discharge from the Air Force in 1974, he and his wife, Kathy headed west to build a life and career in the mountain resort and ski industry. They both started at Keystone in 1975 in entry-level jobs making $2.75. Steve parked cars and loaded ski lifts, planning to stay just two years.
Steve went on to work there for 44 years, while raising their two daughters. Over his career, he held leadership roles including Vice President of Marketing and Director of Golf & Recreation. Now, fifty years later, he still lives in Summit County and remains active in local nonprofit organizations.
FEBRUARY: WEEK 3
Pre-Statehood
Stephen Decatur, date unknown.
Photo Courtesy, Stephen Decatur, Dry Land Commodore by Inez Hunt and Wanetta W. Draper
Stephen Decatur Bross
Near Present day Montezuma, CO
“Commodore” Stephen Decatur Bross, a former professor from Poughkeepsie, New York, “disappeared” in the late 1840s, leaving his wife and children behind.
Silver was discovered along Peru Creek, and a town was laid out in 1868 by Stephen Decatur, the Bross name was gone. The town, which was named Decatur after its founder, later became Rathbone and finally Argentine. Decatur served in the Territorial Legislature before statehood.
When Illinois Governor Bross heard of a man in Colorado resembling his missing brother, he traveled west and identified him. Decatur denied any relationship. Regardless of the coincidence, the truth in the matter is still speculative.
1876-1926
Luke Smith Homestead, ca. 1940s, now the Keystone Ranch Restaurant. Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Luke E. and Margaret Smith
Luke Smith: (birth date unknown – circa 1960) Margaret Smith (birth and death date unknown)
Led by Luke Smith, a lumberyard business man, the Smith family helped revive Summit County’s economy after mining declined by developing successful high-altitude lettuce farming, “Green Gold” in the 1940s, that shipped produce nationwide.
They also preserved more than 300 acres of meadowland at what is now Keystone Ranch, maintaining one of Colorado’s oldest working ranches and protecting the valley from development for decades. Their ranch and lodge became a gathering place for community members and visiting business and government leaders.
Visit the Keystone Ranch, where the original Smith-built fireplace stands at the center of the main room, surrounded by the preserved smaller ranch cabins that reflect the site’s historic origins.
1926-1976
Lula and Dimp Myers (left), ca.1940, with daughter Lucy in front of their cabin in Keystone. Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Lula Lillian Orsburn Myers and James Havens “Dimp” Myers Jr.
Lula Myers (July 10, 1881 – 1974)
Dimp Myers (May 19, 1875 – 1954)
Keystone
Lula Orsburn, born July 20, 1881, near Castle Rock, Colorado, came to Summit County in 1902 to teach at Frisco’s one-room schoolhouse. In 1903, she married James Have “Dimp” Myers, the son of a local mining family, and the couple became active members of Summit County society.
In 1926, they purchased the Delker homestead cabin in the Keystone area, where their ranch produced hay to support cattle operations. After Dimp’s death in 1954, Lula continued living in the rustic cabin until 1966, later passing away in Denver in 1973.
When Keystone Ski Resort was developed, their cabin was relocated to Summit Historical Park in Dillon in 1976, and Keystone’s Schoolmarm ski run was later named in honor of Lula’s teaching legacy.
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Colorado Snowsports Museum, Braden Gunem
Robert W. Craig
(September 16, 1924 – January 16, 2015)
Keystone
Bob Craig climbed Everest and K2, led major expeditions, authored Storm and Sorrow, led the first attempted American ascent of K2 in 1953, and was inducted into the American Mountaineering Museum’s Hall of Mountaineering Excellence in 2010.
He continued skiing until age 88. He served in World War II and later became the first executive director and COO of the Aspen Institute, helping found the Aspen Center for Physics.
Founder of The Keystone Center in the early 1970’s, a collaborative problem-solving organization that initially focused on environmental regulatory issues. The Center remains headquartered in Keystone and has expanded its work to address other critical state and national policy issues.
FEBRUARY: WEEK 4
Sts. John, August 1910, built on townsite of the previous town of Coleyville. Credit: Summit Historical Society Collection
John Coley
Near Present day Montezuma, CO
John Coley discovered silver ore in 1863 near Montezuma. He named the new town Coleyville, later renamed Saints John by a group of Freemasons in honor of their patron Saints, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist.
Coley smelted galena sulfides in a crude furnace with a flue built from a hollow log encased with rocks and clay to extract the silver.
Other prospectors followed, including John Cullom who discovered the Saints John Lode.
1876-1926
Artist rendition of 19th century stagecoach Drawing Courtesy: Bruce Queen
Mary Elizabeth Franklin Warren
(Oct 1844 – Dec 1921)
Keystone
Mary Elizabeth Franklin Warren and her husband Chauncey operated Warren Station, a stagecoach stop on Silas Knott’s Highline route.
Mary had taken her sick baby to a Denver doctor. On their return to Keystone, drivers faced a snow slide at the top of Loveland Pass. While the men got out of the stagecoach to shovel, Mary and the other women struggled through deep drifts to climb the pass and reboard the stagecoach. Exhausted by the steep incline, Mary handed her baby to a man who worked at Warren Station. By the time Mary reached the summit, the baby had died. This poignant story portrays the hardships and suffering that mountain women endured during the 1870’s.
1926-1976
Photos Courtesy: Dercum’s - Keystone Resort and Bergman’s William (Bill) Bergman
Bergman and Dercum Families
Max Dercum
(Oct 2, 1912 – Sept 30, 2011)
Edna Dercum
(Aug 2, 1914 – Sept 15, 2008)
Bill Bergman
(Mar 15, 1924 – Dec 11, 2023)
Jane Bergman
(June 28, 1924 – Sept 27, 2015)
Keystone
The Dercum’s and Bergman’s founded Keystone Resort in 1970, combining Dercum’s vision for a family-friendly ski area with Bergman’s business expertise.
Dercum, a forestry professor and champion skier, and his wife Edna owned the Ski Tip Lodge and planned early trails on what became Dercum Mountain. Bill Bergman, an Iowa attorney, and his wife Jane provided capital and corporate structure after partnering with the Dercums in 1968.
Keystone officially opened on November 21, 1970, with two lifts, two lodges, and a strong family focus. Bergman, the resort’s first president later helped secure a key partnership with Ralston Purina in 1974 to fund expansion and snowmaking.
Together, both couples transformed a quiet valley into a world-renowned ski destination.
1976-2026
Credit: Summit Daily News
Jana Hlavaty (née Ledvinková)
(Aug 25, 1941 – )
Keystone
Jana Hlavaty (née Ledvinková), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, is a retired Czech-American cross-country skier who immigrated to the United States at age 28 with her husband.
Following her Olympic career, she became the long-time director of the Nordic skiing program at Keystone beginning in 1978. Hlavaty is widely recognized as a pivotal figure in Summit County’s winter sports ecosystem, helping expand the region’s focus beyond alpine skiing to include Nordic disciplines for people of all ages. She has organized instructional programs and community events.
Through her efforts, she has a significant role in promoting both classic and skate skiing and strengthening community engagement in Nordic sports.
Jana is in her 48th year working at Keystone!
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