Drawn to the Mountains

During the 1960s and 70s, young adults from all over the U.S. were migrating from urban torural areas in pursuit of a different life. They were often stereotyped as hippies and ski bums.Steamboat Springs was one of the small Western towns that experienced an influx of youngadults who mainly wanted to ski in the newly opened ski resort. Some were back-to-the-landtypes, some came to start over after a break-up, some followed friends or relatives, some camebecause of the music scene, and most came to enjoy skiing and outdoor life. They were drawn tothe Rocky Mountains and the beautiful environment. Many ended up staying and makingsignificant and lasting contributions to a town and culture made up primarily of ranchers, cowboys and miners. Drawn to the Mountains contains the life stories of sixteen of these peoplewho arrived as young adults.Drawn to the Mountains opens with a Prologue that explains how the authors learned aboutSteamboat Springs through meeting, by chance, a couple from Steamboat while living in Iran, and what inspired them to compose this book. The authors, years later, moved to SteamboatSprings themselves and, over the years, met many more people who had migrated to Steamboatas young adults. The Introduction describes the town and valley and the characters. The mainbody of the book recounts the life stories of a selection of those who migrated, most written infirst person by the migrants themselves. With humor, wit and grit, they describe their struggles tofind housing, their entrepreneurial efforts to make the Yampa Valley their permanent home, andtheir many adventures along the way. Some fit the hippie/ski bum stereotype, for a time, butmost had college degrees and soon grew out of that lifestyle as they created their new careers inthis remote mountain town.The concluding chapter summarizes how these sixteen people made significant contributions tothe development of the city and county through community service - one as a countycommissioner, another by serving on city council, another by serving on the school board, another by securing grants for the city, several by raising funds and lobbying for historicpreservation, environmental causes, and the arts. Two became college and middle-schoolteachers. The artists and musicians contributed to the culture of the area. All of them enriched thelocal community with their talents and their efforts confirm the positive impact of thesemidcentury migrants. This book fills a gap in the history of Steamboat Springs and the YampaValley - the impact of the midcentury migration of young adults all across America.