Chris Cassatt
“The race to be ZG Numero Uno is over,” announced The Aspen Times on Jan. 6, 1977. “The Pitkin County Clerk’s office gave out more than 1,000 1977 license plates in one day, Jan. 3, as residents lined up on the first day of issue to get a low number. When (county staff) arrived for work, a line estimated at 350 persons long was forming. Three days earlier, Brian Gaddis stopped by the Aspen Times’ offices to say he was prepared to camp out in order to get ZG-1 for his pickup truck. Sure enough, Gaddis was first in line when the office opened for business at 8:30 am.” This image, taken by Chris Cassatt, shows Brian Gaddis proudly displaying his new 1977 license plate, the first issued for a pickup. ZG plates became especially coveted when ZP plates were introduced in 1978.