Sometimes to appreciate what something is, you first have to appreciate what it was and how it came to be. Looking down Elk Avenue toward Crested Butte Mountain, you see a cozy little Victorian mountain town, with its bright facades and beautiful surroundings. There’s a thriving main street lined with entrepreneurs hoping to make a living in an unlikely place. In a way it’s a modern iteration of an old story. But when you look a little deeper, you can see an enduring struggle against the elements, an outpost at the edge of civilization in 1880 that would have changed or returned to the earth years ago if not for the people who inhabit it.
Story by Beth Buehler | Photos by James Ray Spahn Crested Butte is a poster child for colorful paint swatches,…