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This week in history: Local sports invention proves useful in Antarctica, skiers flock over holiday weekend and more

With a light wind blowing from the northwest, Up Skiers Kriste Huffs and Cecily Carney's sails fill as they begin to tack back and forth across the Dillon Reservoir in January 1995. Originally invented in Summit County by Phil Huff and John Stanford, Up Skis eventually were used on expeditions in both the Arctic and Antartica because of its lightweight and unique design that allows polar explorers to cover great distances very quickly.
Brad Odekirk/Summit Daily News

1 year ago: More than 700 apply for housing in lottery’s first few days

A new affordable housing complex near Breckenridge has received hundreds of applications just days after opening a lottery for residents to apply for a spot. The Larkspur, formally known as the Justice Center, is a joint development between the Summit County government and the town of Breckenridge. It will offer 52 below-market-rent housing units when it opens later this year. A lottery launched on Jan. 19, 2024, will determine the order for who gets to apply. As of Jan. 23, 776 applications have been received, according to Summit County Housing Director Jason Dietz. 

— From the Jan. 24, 2024, edition of the Summit Daily News

5 years ago: Silverthorne leaders press for local fire station

At a meeting Jan. 22, 2020, Silverthorne Town Council members questioned why Summit Fire & EMS did not have a timeline for a fire station in Silverthorne despite discussions about the project that began in 2006. With an upcoming fire insurance reassessment, the town faces the possibility of a lower rating because some areas in Silverthorne, such as Summit Sky Ranch, are more than 5 miles from the closest fire station in Dillon. During the previous reassessment, the Summit Fire administration building in Silverthorne was counted as a station. The administration building since has been moved to Frisco, and Summit Fire sold the Silverthorne building as part of the Fourth Street Crossing development. (A groundbreaking for a new fire station was held in April 2024.)



— From the Jan. 25, 2020, edition of the Summit Daily News

10 years ago: Skiers flock to Summit County for MLK weekend

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Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Summit County welcomed a steady stream of visitors from the Front Range and beyond, spurred as usual by school and federal breaks. The weekend put an exclamation point on a strong 2014 Christmas holiday, which saw nearly 3 feet of snow, along with higher skier numbers thanks to a recovering economy. In 2015, roughly 164,000 vehicles passed through both sides of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel over the four-day holiday, the most since 2010.



— From the Jan. 23, 2015, edition of the Summit Daily News

15 years ago: Longtime Summit County Animal Control director dies

Summit Daily file photo/Mark Fox
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Nancy Ring, the longtime Summit County Animal Control director, died shortly before midnight Jan 17, 2010, after a long fight with breast cancer. According to her friends and colleagues, Nancy Ring helped both humans and animals throughout the community in a career that spanned more than three decades. A road adjacent to the Summit County Animal Control building in Frisco was named for Ring — now called Nancy’s Place. Ring became the Summit County Animal Control director in 1982, and she dedicated herself to animal welfare issues at the local, state and even national level. She was one of the founders of the League for Animals and People of the Summit, and she also was an active leader in developing the Summit County’s Community Animal Response Team.

— From the Jan. 22, 2010, edition of the Summit Daily News

30 years ago: Increased molybdenum demand brings revenue locally

While no official statements have been made, rumors of a possible reopening of the Climax Mine have been swirling around the area. In any case, an upswing in the international steel industry may result in a healthy economic boost for Summit County and other Colorado mountain communities. Although Henderson Mine and Mill are located in nearby Grand and Clear Creek counties, Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, the mine and mill’s parent company, paid more than a quarter million dollars to Summit County in 1994 for its molybdenum mining operation. 

— From the Jan. 22, 1995, edition of the Summit Daily News

125 years ago: New saloon opens with a grand ball in Dillon

Barney Chambers moved into, and dedicated, his new saloon Jan. 20, 1900. The building is a fine one — iron clad in all its exterior exposures. In honor of the event, Chambers rented the new town hall and Louage’s orchestra in order to give a grand free ball, with supper at the Oro Grande Hotel. Over 100 people attended.

— From the Jan. 28, 1900, edition of the Summit County Journal


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