The American Red Cross, founded by Clara Barton, was close to Aspen’s hearts and pocketbooks. Early settlers had experienced it during the Civil War, hence one of Aspen’s early mining claims was named Red Cross.
Little Nell as it looked in its early days.
In my early childhood I lived in the Cowenhoven Building and spent many hours skiing Little Nell. At that time there were empty lots behind the building so I put my skis on in the backyard and skied over to the base. The only challenge was that sometimes the snow melted on the only pavement along the way, the highway, Cooper Street, and I would have to take off my skis, or slog across oblivious to what it did to the bottoms of my wood skis.
At that time there was no kindergarten so my school was on Little Nell. My aunt, Doris Willoughby, taught me how to ski. More accurately, she accompanied me until she felt I could manage on my own. At that young age instruction in the art of turning was not necessary, but riding the T-bar lift was difficult. She put me between her legs at first, then tried side-by-side, but her waist and mine were at very different heights so the two-person “t” in t-bar did not match. Most likely that is why she ju