I moved to Gold Hill in 1962. I was 8 years old. The town was pretty sparse, with maybe 5 or 6 families. The Finns, The Shepards (Don Shepard was the maintainer man,) The Pecks, The Farrs, The Gibsons, and in the summer there were still some very old Bluebirds (a lady's vacation club out of Chicago that ran from 1921 - 1959 at the hotel, but many ladies bought summer cabins that they'd return to every summer.) Us kids would explore the old minder's trails, ride horses, smoke in the old chicken coop behind the brown house, and lay in the tall grasses for hours watching the clouds go by. At some point, Coach Walker told some of our parents that he was gong to open up the pool at Trojan Ranch fur us Gold Hill kids every Tuesday, so we could swim! This was a very big deal! I wasn't much of a swimmer back then, but it could get hot in the summer, and being in the cool water was an extravagant pleasure! Never mind the fact that most of us didn't really have running water, so I suspect the Coach invited us up to not only get cool, but also to get clean. (smile.) I also suspect he probably had to clean the pool once per week, and he figured, hey why not let these kid play in the water and get a weekly bath at the same time, then I'll clean the pool. It was a generous, magnanimous, and benevolent thing to do for us kids. And in fact, I always thought of the Coach as a jovial, kind man, although I only really saw him from afar - but I knew exactly who he was.
I also remember Gale as the most beautiful woman in the world. Her only competition was Kari Gibson who was also stunningly beautiful. They were friends. I held these two on a pedestal, as a child.
Me and my younger brother Eric Runey from Texas, we attend two full summers at Trojan in the early 80's .Gail and Lynn may remember Eric had a giant splitter removed from his foot and y'all mailed it back in two pieces to my parents lol . We had such a great time and so many great memories .
Merry Christmas , Erin Runey
Dave, thanks for contributing here and for staying in touch over the years. Glad that you also find the Amphitheatre to be the special spot that it is!
Resident counselor 1984, Rifle instructor 1987, Maintenance 1989, sometimes helping hand 1992. The Ranch is, what it is? Just a very special place...Even when, I didn't work there, I would sometimes go up to Chapel, the back way, and Sit...
Maggie, Thanks for sharing your story. How fun to hear about a kid's life in Gold Hill in the early 60s!. You got it right, Coach Walker was an amazing man. He paved the way for the Colorado Mountain Ranch's dedication to kids!