“The road from Aspen down!” declared a headline in The Aspen Times on March 2, 1928. The article detailed a trip from Aspen to Glenwood and back, noting that “Saturday the Times force motored to Glenwood Springs and return — and it was some trip. The road from the city to the junction of the Canyon road with the Midland was tip-top and we rolled over the snow with all the comfort possible. But from there to Basalt, with the exception of an occasional stretch of a mile or so, the road was one mass of foot-deep ruts — 11 miles of ruts — and on the return trip it was 11 miles of mud, ruts and misery. It was a fright, that’s all. If the County Commissioners are paying two men a monthly salary to plow the snow off the county roads, why can’t they keep these men busy rolling or scraping out the ruts on the roads as well as pushing the snow off? The snow-plowing work only comes by jerks or following snowstorms. In the interim why not keep ’em busy on rut and mud work? In any event something should be done to alleviate the misery now endured by all who travel the highway — and the travel is extensive! The highway from Basalt to Glenwood is in perfect condition but the highway from Aspen to Basalt — Oh, Mama!”
The photo at left shows a horse-drawn sled on a road in the Emma area.
This photo and more can be found in the Aspen Historical Society archives at aspenhistory.org.