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Courtesy Gertrude Philippe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThere really wasn\u2019t any help up here, and we were amateurs,\u201d Gertrude said. They dug their own well, but it was shallow \u2014 only 8 or 10 feet \u2014 so they used an outhouse. Each year, they would get their water tested for contaminates to make sure it was safe. Through a friend\u2019s generous donation of a coal-burning stove, the two families always had hot water.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was rugged here with all the deer and the mountain lions,\u201d Gertrude said. \u201cI liked to hike, fish, and I have always loved the mountains. We were outdoor people. We came here to get away from the world.\u201d <\/p>\n
She remembers crying when they put the road in, which was before skiing really entered Summit County. She had always felt like their cabin was a glorified version of camping when they came up from Denver. <\/p>\n
\u201cI knew we were no longer camping when the street light was put in,\u201d Gertrude said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Cabin-crew-1024x668.jpg\")
Courtesy Gertrude Philippe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Not a dull moment<\/strong><\/p>\n While they maintained a primary residence in Denver and visited Summit Country on weekends, the Philippe\u2019s do have strong ties to the Rocky Mountain heritage. Frank\u2019s great grandfather Solomon Philippe, a saloon owner, came to Leadville in the 1800s. In keeping with this spirit of western exploration, Gertrude and Frank loved to go off-road in their \u201946 Willys Jeep, driving as high as the roads would take them. They would wander around Peak 10 and the Briar Rose mine before anything was there, often collecting bottles and other items that had been discarded by the miners that had ventured onto the land before them. They covered an entire wall with pioneer memorabilia. One prized piece they uncovered was an old cowbell that Gertrude would ring standing on her porch in order to get her two boys inside for dinner.<\/p>\n \u201cWe came up almost every weekend and every spring break, driving over Loveland Pass, which was still a dirt road,\u201d said Gertrude, who also described some harrowing journeys when someone had to walk out in front of the car to help them from running off the road during near whiteout conditions. Gertrude would often come up with the children during the week, as well, and then Frank would join them on weekends when he had completed work at the Columbia Press, which he owned.\u00a0<\/p>\n A self-described \u201ccity gal,\u201d Gertrude reminisced about her time in Summit County. <\/p>\n \u201cIt is just a great place to be,\u201d Gertrude said. \u201cWe\u2019re here by choice. If we didn\u2019t like it, we would have never come at all and put forth all this time and effort. I guess it never occurred to me at first to live here full time.\u201d<\/p>\n In the winter months, Gertrude and her family enjoyed snowshoeing, both for recreation as well as necessity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe purchased a few pairs of snowshoes at the Army surplus store because the snow was so deep,\u201d Gertrude said. <\/p>\n When they were bringing loads of groceries or other items into the house, they often used a sled. Beginning with ski areas at Arapahoe Basin, followed by Breckenridge and then Keystone, it was an exciting time to watch Summit County being transformed into a recreation paradise. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were very enthusiastic about skiing,\u201d Gertrude said. <\/p>\n Looking back<\/strong><\/p>\n Her son Rob, born in 1949, became a commercial real estate developer and had the vision to purchase property on Main Street in Frisco in anticipation of the growth potential of ski country. He purchased all the land on Main Street from the ReMax real estate building, which once was Sue Chamberlain\u2019s former house, all the way to the corner where the Frisco Hotel is located. Among his first projects was the construction of the restaurant\/bar Charity\u2019s that existed for 18 years until the late 1990s, when the bar underwent new ownership and became Tuscato\u2019s. Rob later won awards for historic restoration for his work on an 1875 locomotive, the oldest in the state, that was stored in his antique barn as well as for work on an 1881 Pullman car that once ran through Frisco. In the late ’90s, Rob and his mother had 60 permanent tenants leasing property from them. Gertrude handled all the bookkeeping, a skill she acquired from a talented auditor who worked with the family company.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we had bought land instead of printing presses, we\u2019d have been better off,\u201d Gertrude said, reflecting on career choices with the present knowledge of Summit County\u2019s real estate boom and the increase in land values.<\/p>\n When Frank retired, he and Gertrude volunteered with the International Executive Service Corps, an organization of retired executives who volunteer to give expertise to other executives in developing countries. From 1974-1984, they traveled to Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, Indonesia and Trinidad. Gertrude also volunteered with the American Women\u2019s organizations of these countries doing various projects. <\/p>\n After Frank died, Gertrude remarried in 1987 to concert violinist and music instructor Bert Naster. At one point in his career, he played with the Denver Symphony during his 53 years of orchestra performance. <\/p>\n \u201cPart of our prenuptial agreement was that Gertrude learn how to ski,\u201d Bert joked. <\/p>\n With a smile, thinking of all the fun she and her family had in their Summit Country refugee, Gertrude said, \u201cWhen I die, no one will be able to say I led a dull life.\u201d<\/p>\n Editor’s note: Gertrude Philippe died in November 2008<\/a> at age 91. <\/em><\/p>\n This story previously published in the book \u201cSummit Pioneers,\u201d which was printed in 1999. The book was written by Alison (Grabau) Pomerantz with photos by Bob Winsett in partnership with Wilson-Lass Creative Communications. It was published to raise money for The Summit Foundation. Read more about the history of Summit County at SummitDaily.com\/news\/history<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Frank-working-696x1024.jpg\")
Courtesy Gertrude Philippe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Gertrude-1935-690x1024.jpg\")
Courtesy Gertrude Philippe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n