One of my favorite subjects in school has always been history. Though I may know more about Puerto Rico’s past than America’s, this offers me an opportunity to continue learning about the place I now call home. Loving Colorado as much as I do, makes it particularly special to learn about its history.

Today, I’d like you to join me in discovering the origins of Steamboat Springs’ More Barn. Let’s first learn about the city itself. Steamboat Springs is in the Yampa Valley. According to Steamboat historians, for hundreds of years, it was the summer hunting grounds of the Ute Indians.

The native Yampatika Ute and Arapaho tribes were also known to visit and live in the area for its medicinal springs. To the tribes, the Yampa Valley was a sacred place of healing. The first fur trappers settled in the area by the early 1800s.

By the mid to late 19th century, more trappers, miners, and explorers frequented the valley and stayed for good, establishing ranches and farms as a way of life. Twelve years after skiing was introduced to Steamboat, cattle rancher Martin “Chick” Yock bought land, building a hay barn between 1926 and 1928.

During the 1950s, the development of Steamboat Springs ski resort began, and by 1957, Jerry More purchased the property from Yock. As the city grew, cattle prices dropped, and property taxes increased, the More family and other ranchers sold their lands.

With its proximity to the base of Mount Werner and the Steamboat ski area, the More Barn became a symbol of Steamboat’s old west rustic charm. Sometime between 1957 and 1972, an image of the two Western-clad horseback riders making their way through 18 inches of snow with their skis across their saddles was captured, becoming part of the famous poster, promoting the city as a ski town.

By the early 21st century, the developer of Steamboat Barn Village gifted the barn to the community in hopes of preserving the famous view corridor of the barn in front of Mount Werner. Today, More Barn is Steamboat Springs’ iconic symbol, revealing only some of the city’s intriguing history.

It’s impossible to cover all the details of any particular time in history in such a short column. Hopefully, the next time you drive by what looks like an abandoned structure, you’ll be inspired to stop and discover its many stories.

To learn more about Steamboat Springs and More Barn, visit https:// steamboatsprings.net/.