BEAR GULCH
When Eleanor Asmuth flashes her broad, engaging smile, it erases the years from her face, and you find yourself drawn to her like Bernoulli's principle in action. She may be a retired math teacher, and the years may have taken some tolls physically, but when she gives you that grin it's possible to catch a glimpse of the young girl she once was, the little girl her family called 'Nellie.'
Eleanor 'Nellie' Hugins grew up with her parents and two brothers, George and Chuck, on a cattle ranch in Littleton, Colorado, near what is now Chatfield Reservoir. Life on the ranch revolved around the care and feeding of the small herd kept by her father, Charles. Each cow was given a name and seemed, at times, to exhibit its own personality. Some were gentle, some were stubborn and some were wayward. One cow named 'May' seemed to always be someplace she shouldn't be. On a particular day Chuck, who was watching the herd, yelled at her in frustration. "May! Get out of there, May!" What he didn't know was that a new neighbor had moved in, and she was named May. The poor woman was quite taken aback by the young man who was yelling at her for no reason!
Unlike her brothers who got to work outside with their father, Nellie's job as 'mother's girl' kept her confined mostly to the house where there was always much work to do. The one big exception to the indoor chores came in the spring. After each long winter was over it was time to run the cattle from the ranch to feed in a secluded valley in the mountains on the Hugins' old homestead, a place called Bear Gulch.
Nellie's great-grandfather, William Hugins, first came to Colorado in 1850. Like many men of the time, he hoped to strike it rich mining gold. But like most others, William never found enough gold to get rich, so he turned to cutting timber and raising cattle. He homesteaded 160 acres in the mountains just southwest of Denver where he built a small cabin and a life for himself and his family. One day he came over a hill on the land, saw a bear in a gulch and named the property "Bear Gulch." In 1889 Nellie's father, Charles, was born. His parents brought him to the homestead when he was six weeks old. Eventually the Hugins moved down from the mountains to a ranch and were only able to retain 40 acres of Bear Gulch, which became the summer grazing spot for cattle.
Bear Gulch was roughly fifteen miles from the ranch, and the trek required the whole family's help. For those days, Nellie exchanged housework for herding, riding an old workhorse as she helped guide the cattle over the Hogback with its mountainous terrain and trails, and up into the higher elevations where Bear Gulch was located. Sometimes she'd have to stop to pull the ears of the family's lazy herding dog, Shep. If he felt so inclined, Shep could be a very capable herd dog. But occasionally it took that little tug on his ears to motivate him.
The Hugins' cattle spent the summer months in Bear Gulch until the fall when the whole trek was reversed and the herd was driven back to the ranch. Weather in Colorado can be unpredictable. Ten years before Nellie was born, an early fall blizzard hit the area before the cattle had been retrieved. In order to keep the herd alive, Nellie's father and grandfather took hay via a mountain train to a spot from which they could then ski into Bear Gulch. For days they skied back and forth carrying hay on their backs to feed the stranded cows until the weather lifted and they could bring the cows down.
The years went by and Eleanor finished high school and began attending the University of Denver. She served her country during World War II and then, under the GI Bill, began graduate work at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. One night at a square dance she met a man named John Asmuth who was also completing his graduate studies. John noticed her because she was a good dancer. He recalls, jokingly, that when he found out she was from a Colorado ranching family he figured there might be some real money there! Of course, he soon learned the truth about the hard life of ranchers. In fact, Charles Hugins finally gave up ranching although Eleanor's brother, George, has kept his hand in the cattle business to this day.
Bear Gulch remained in the family, divided among George, Chuck and Eleanor after Charles passed away. The property is quite unchanged. The cattle are gone and Thomas' cabin no longer exists, but there is still no electricity to the land, no sewer lines or telephone poles. Decades of highway construction and urban sprawl have altered the landscape around the Hugins' Littleton ranch, but in the mountains at Bear Gulch, time has been held back. The narrow road is best maneuvered with four-wheel drive. Once there, a person can climb the rocks on the tall hillsides or meander through the grassy meadow that lies in the heart of the land and the calendar could say 1907 instead of 2007. It is a quiet place, a meeting place that has brought the family together over the years from the faraway places where they have rooted themselves. It has been an anchor, this land, and now it is time to let it go.
On July 19, 2007, the family reunited at Bear Gulch to culminate a process that had begun over a year ago. Unwilling to see the valuable property snatched up by housing developers, Eleanor and Chuck (George had previously sold them his share) decided to donate Bear Gulch to the school children of Colorado. Under the stewardship of the Colorado State Land Board, Thomas Hugins homestead became part of the School Lands Trust, and on July 19, the dedication was held.
The weather was warm and partly sunny that Thursday as family members, friends and Land Board Commissioners and staff gathered together to celebrate. Picnic tables sat in the middle of the grassy meadow dotted with clover and wildflowers. Galvanized pails held bouquets of daisies, and barbecue was served from the tailgate of a large truck. Occasional dark clouds threatened rain, but only enough to tease. Nothing could spoil the joy of the moment as Thomas and Charles Hugins descendants talked and laughed and ate together for one more time in Bear Gulch. They had traveled from all over the state of Colorado, from Wisconsin and from both coasts of the United States to be here. Now grandparents themselves, the children of Charles Hugins watched their own children and grandchildren hiking, bouldering and calling down from the tops of the tall hills.
Memories and stories filled the afternoon until the time for the dedication ceremony. Charles Hugins' three children, along with their spouses, stood side by side as the story of Bear Gulch was read to all in attendance. By their donation,
"they not only pay an incredible tribute to their father, they make a substantial contribution to this generation and future generations of Colorado school children. This gesture takes on a special significance when you hear the rest of the story. You see, Eleanor, John, Chuck, Phyllis and George all spent their lives as educators.... To donate this property for perpetual benefit of students just confirms their commitment to the importance of education."
As the commissioner's words ended, Eleanor climbed a short rise to a spot where a large sign had stood all day, hidden by a blue tarp. Nellie, the little girl with a big smile who rode a workhorse to Bear Gulch, pulled off the blue tarp and unveiled a rustic sign carefully carved from wood:
BEAR GULCH
Land Donated To: SCHOOL TRUST LANDS
By ASMUTH and HUGINS Families
In Memory of Their Father
CHARLES B. HUGINS SR.
Spontaneous applause and a few cheers came from the onlookers followed by a rush of photographs, some posed and some candid. The land transfer was done and now was officially dedicated. With a feeling of satisfaction about this perfect day, people began to meander back to the picnic tables. It was time for one more bottle of cold water, a few more stories and good-byes to those who had to leave.
It hasn't been decided what will be done with the land. The Commissioners have talked about a possible outdoor learning center, maybe even campouts for small school groups. The family retains the right to visit Bear Gulch for the next fifty years by simply making prior arrangements with the state. And one visit is already tentatively in the works for next summer. With a twinkle in her eye, Eleanor voiced a desire to spend one night at Bear Gulch. In all the times she's been there, she never spent a whole night on the land. And that's what she wants-a night under the stars, one clear, cool Colorado night on this spot, on this place of her father's beginnings. Surely that can be made to happen. It would be the perfect benediction.