Monarch Mountain was officially built in 1939 by Works Project Administration workers. Upon completion of the project, the ski area was given to the city of Salida. At that time, a 500 foot rope tow powered by a gear box from an old oil derrick and a Chevy engine ran from what is now the parking lot to the top of Gunbarrel, although the skiable run was only half this length. Gerald Berry, a Salida resident and son of a previous owner, provides a first hand account of the infamous Gunbarrel run.  “We skied Gunbarrel two years before we ever saw anyone who could turn on skis.  The challenge was to make it to the bottom of the hill without falling or falling into the creek during the early part of the season”.  A short time later another rope tow was added which ran from the engine house (currently the Monarch Ski Team building) to the top of the Snowflake run.  Here is where the first day lodge was built which was then locally referred to as the “Inn Ferno” after the Mayor of Salida at that time, Claude Ferno.  The structure was built from logs 30 feet long by 30 feet wide.  The front half of the lodge was a warming area for skiers with only a fireplace.  The northeast quarter was a kitchen with a wood stove for cooking, while the northwest quarter was reserved for ski patrol and had one bed for injured skiers to use.  At that time there was no running water or electricity at the area.  The toilet was a 6-hole outhouse located 100 feet north of the lodge.  Interestingly enough, the outhouse was moved in the 1960’s and currently serves as a storage shed which is now located next to the vehicle maintenance building.   During the early years, the only parking area was a pullout next to Hwy. 50.  Food and supplies had to be transported from the highway to the lodge by toboggan.  When heavy snowfalls came, the “parking lot” was plowed by Earl Milligan who was the highway superintendent for the east side of Monarch Pass.  Because he was unable to accept payment for the work, a case of whiskey was donated each season for his time.

During the mid 1950’s recreational skiing was growing at a rapid pace; however the city of Salida was not interested in running the ski area.  In 1955 Salida Mayor Ed Touber and the city council offered to sell the ski area to Ray Berry who was the area manager for six years prior.  Mr. Berry accepted the offer and purchased Monarch ski area for $100.  From 1955 to 1960 the ski area was operated on weekends and holidays only.  In 1957 a Constam T-bar was bought from the city of Victor.  At the time there was no Colorado Tramway Board to approve the design and installation of new lifts so one of Mr. Berry’s sons prepared drawings for the U.S. Forest Service.  After approval from the regional office in Pueblo construction of the new lift was underway.  The A-frame lift towers were made from logs cut from the mountain.  The towers were set on the ground and held in place by guy wires that were attached to car axels driven into the ground.  After that first season the Forest Service required the towers to be set on concrete.  Two trails were then cut; Little Joe and Freeway.  Other much needed improvements included the addition of water, electricity, and indoor toilets.

The year 1960 marked the purchase and installation of another lift.  This one was a “homemade” lift built by a man named Gus Irvin out of Texas.  It was made from scrap steel used in the Texas oil fields.  Before the lift was open to the public, safety test had to be carried out.  This involved placing four hundred pounds of sandbags on half of the chairs and running the lift up and down the hill.  The test was a near total disaster.  Gerald Berry provides an account of what happened next.  “When most of the loaded chairs were on the downhill cable, the lift began to gain speed.  The chairs tore off the chair guide at the lower terminal, and the cable derailed upwards from the bull wheel at the lower terminal which was then caught by the shaft that held the bull wheel.  An engineer was on the lift at the time and was nearly thrown off.  He had to be manually evacuated”.  Another month was required to fix the problem and run the tests again, which were performed successfully.  After the addition of the new lift and the cutting of Sleepy Hollow, Glade, Ray’s Romp (abbreviated to Romp), Toni’s Tango (abbreviated to Tango), Kanonen, Christmas Tree, No Name, and Lobo, the ski are was opened full time.  A new 5,500 square foot warming lodge and 1,200 square foot A-frame were built between 1963 and 1965 to replace the aging log hut.

In 1968, Elmo Bevington purchased Monarch. At the time Elmo already owned most of the old mining town of Garfield, three miles east on US Highway 50 from the ski area. Improvements by Bevington included the first double chair lift in 1969 followed by construction of a second double chair in 1970 and a new parking lot. Construction of the Monarch Mountain Lodge in Garfield allowed for overnight skier stays - prior to that the 11 room Garfield schoolhouse was utilized for chalet lodging. Elmo's philosophy of the personal touch was exemplified in his management and development of his Monarch Pass holdings.

In 1979, Westlake Mortgage and Investment Corporation, Inc. represented by Gerald Rogers purchased Monarch. A third double chair lift was installed; the day lodge was doubled in size; and skiable acreage was increased twofold. In 1981 the old Poma lift was replaced by a double chair lift and in 1983 two outside ticket windows were constructed. Since then Monarch has changed hands privately a number of times. Currently it is owned by a group of private investors who share some of the same philosophies as the ol' timers; provide a great winter sports experience while keeping a friendly small town feel.

(Special thanks to Gerald Berry who provided first hand accounts during the early years of operation).