Muriel Sibell Wolle (American, 1898-1977). "Ashcroft Backyard" drawing, 1946. Hand signed and dated on the lower right. A beautiful drawing of Ashcroft, a Colorado silver mining ghost town, replete with several log buildings, perhaps including an old saloon and post office, set in the Castle Creek Valley. According to the Aspen Historical Society, by the year 1883, what we now call Ashcroft, "was a town with a population of perhaps 2,000 with two newspapers, a school, sawmills, a small smelter, and 20 saloons—bigger than Aspen and closer to the railroad in Crested Butte." Sadly, although initially producing an impressive 14,000 ounces of silver to the ton, the mines contained only shallow deposits and ran out. However, the situation would evolve. For more on its history, see the extended description below. Size of drawing: 11.875" L x 15.875" W (30.2 cm x 40.3 cm)

According to the Aspen Historical Society, "Only a handful of aging, single men made Ashcroft their home by the turn of the century. They all owned mining claims, but spent their time hunting, fishing, reading and drinking in Dan McArthur’s bar. They told stories in exchange for drinks and served as an informal employment service, matching sporadic work at the remaining mines above Ashcroft with an unstable work force.

In the 1930s there was a new flurry of interest in Ashcroft, this time by international sportsman Ted Ryan and his partner Billy Fiske, captain of America’s gold medal Olympic bobsled team. They built the Highland-Bavarian Lodge (north of Ashcroft on Castle Creek Road) and planned a European-style ski resort in Ashcroft with an aerial tramway up Mount Hayden. World War II put an end to their plans. Fiske died in combat and Ryan leased Ashcroft to the army for $1 a year. The 10th Mountain Division, America’s soldiers on skis, used Ashcroft for mountaineering training in the summer of 1942.

After the war, ski area development moved to Aspen, and Ryan later deeded the site to the United States Forest Service. In 1948, Stuart Mace, a veteran of W.W.II and commander of a canine division, brought his family and dog sled operation to Ashcroft. Mace and his Toklat huskies were featured in the popular 1950s TV series Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. The ghost town was fitted with false fronts to create a Canadian set. Given use of five acres in exchange for caretaking on behalf of the Highland-Bavarian’s remaining holdings, Mace devoted the rest of his life to protecting the area from development and restoring the ecology.

In 1974, Mace was joined in that effort by Aspen Historical Society. Under the direction of Ramona Markalunas, Ashcroft became a National Register Historic Site, and Aspen Historical Society received the first USFS permit ever granted to a historical society to preserve and interpret a ghost town."

Provenance: private John and Mary Williams collection, Boulder, Colorado, USA

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Laid on illustration board. Slight matte burn to edges. Handwritten notes and stains on the surrounding margin are on the board to which the drawing is laid upon rather than the drawing, and could be cut away if so desired.