Hallam Lake always has been a focal point of Aspen and has hosted different attractions over the decades. As the Aspen Daily Times noted on Nov. 27, 1889, “The toboggan slide will be formally opened to the public tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day. This, indeed, will be a gala day for the young folks, and old folks with young hearts, and will culminate in the evening in a grand display of pyrotechnics. The slide is now almost completed and the toboggans are on hand. The coaster will leave the office at the foot of Center Street (now Garmisch), descend a safe but steep incline and speed like the wind across Hallam Lake on a bridge and land far out in the park among the pine trees. The popular prices for the use of the toboggans are 25 cents for the morning and noon hours and 50 cents for the evening; and one toboggan will carry three persons, that is, one gentleman and two ladies. The toboggan is something new in Aspen and no doubt the dedication of the slide will draw a large crowd.” The image to the left shows the toboggan slide going into Hallam Lake in the early 1900s.
This photo and more can be found in the Aspen Historical Society archives at aspenhistory.org.