Summit County writer inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame
On Saturday, Sept 6, Summit County author Mary Ellen Gilliland was officially inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame.
Gilliland most famously published a wide array of historical books and hiking guides including “The Summit Hiker” and “Summit: A Gold Rush History of Summit County, Colorado.”
Gilliland accepted her induction in front of a ballroom packed with 200 guests. Beyond providing lighthearted stories, Gilliland also recounted the story of the growth of her pioneering mountain publishing company, Alpenrose Press. Alpenrose has published Gilliland’s local books, plus many books by outside authors.
Gilliland began producing manuscripts on a 1970s manual typewriter with carbon paper, and ended her 37-year book publishing span with numerous all-digital books.
In May, Gilliland also received a national award, the prestigious Women in the Arts recognition from the Daughters of the American Revolution. This award is given once every two years. She is a past recipient of the Breckenridge Theobald Award and several industry awards for several of her books.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.
Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.
Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.