Legends & Legacies
Women fishing on Warren Lake in 1911 when it was a fishing resort. Aspen Historical Society, Masterson Estate Collection/Courtesy Photo
Some of the country’s finest silver came from inside Smuggler Mountain but few know/remember that the mountain had another treasure that was carted down the mountain and sold, peat moss found in the Warren Lake area at the top of the mountain.
There were a variety of uses and forms of peat for as long as history has been recorded. In the early years of Aspen there was increased production and use. Ireland and Scotland led because of the abundance and began using peat to make electricity. Peat was used in Sweden to fuel locomotives. Ground peat powder was used in medicines for dressing wounds. In 1902 peat was discovered in Colorado in Park and Lake Counties.