The lush mountain valley known as Bachelor Gulch rises out of the Eagle River Valley, home to the Rocky Mountain towns of Vail, Avon and Edwards. From the Ute Indians who originally settled in the “Shining Mountains” and western valleys of Colorado to a group of spry old bachelors in the early 1900s whose namesake remains, “Bachelor Gulch” as it became known has always been home to many memorable residents. The legends and lore of these bachelors became the inspiration for the secluded mountain resort and the surrounding community on Beaver Creek Mountain.
Many of these original bachelors were miners who first came to Colorado in search of silver and other precious ore. They settled in Bachelor Gulch in search of a better way of life and because they were able to purchase land, which was made possible by the Homestead Act of 1862. Seven of these most colorful men who settled The Gulch were John Anderson, Gunder “Gundy” Berg, Ed Howard, Charley Mays, John Mertz, Ferdinand Smith and Carrothers – a man whom so little is known about that he’s only recognized by his last name in historical references.
John Anderson’s original cabin can still be found around the corner from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Daybreak Ridge. Berg’s and Mertz’s homesteads no longer stand, but the stories of these bachelors holding court at the general store while children raced their horses down the street for their entertainment are legendary. Howard was deaf and it was said that a crowing Rooster perched atop his bedpost couldn’t wake him from his sleep. Smith was actually nicknamed Crippled Smith as Smith was lame – so that people would not confuse him with another Smith who lived up the Valley. Charley Mays was the favorite of the local children, making them lunch pails from his tobacco cans. The area’s most elusive bachelor Carrothers, local lore recounts only as having poor eyesight and making bad decisions as a result.
The bachelors stayed in the area until the 1920s when high altitude lettuce farming or “green gold” took root in Bachelor Gulch. The next generation of homesteaders found an easier way of life in the mountains, making a good living by growing lettuce. The climate was ideal and the soil was very rich with nutrients. However, the Great Depression of the 1930s affected the farmers who sold their land to two local ranchers who used the area for herding cattle and grazing sheep. The land remained privately owned for nearly 40 years until the vision for Bachelor Gulch as a vacation resort began to form.
Theodore Roosevelt was president. It was the era of the locomotive and pioneers were discovering the lure of the American west when the original grand lodges of the national park system were built. In the early 1900s, famed architect Robert Reamer designed The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park and it soon became the model for lodges in the western United States and Canada. Reamer’s parkitecture design revolution created a framework for spectacular hotels that captured the look and feel of their natural surroundings.
Using indigenous materials such as hewn logs, timbers and stone to blend the building with the site on Beaver Creek Mountain, The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch captures the essence of the surrounding national forest and exudes authentic Rocky Mountain luxury. Inspired by turn-of-the-century western lodges such as The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and Awahnee in Yosemite, the resort is in harmony with the grandeur of the natural mountain landscape.
The Bachelor Gulch resort captures the rustic feel of the historic Old Faithful Inn with notched and joined massive timber, forged ironwork and stonework. The exterior resembles the original Inn with dormer windows, broad sweeping gables and log balconies. A stone and timber porte-cochere entry welcomes guests and protects them from the sun and snow.
The Great Room, in typical grand parkitecture scale boasts a three-story stone, wood-burning fireplace, capturing the essence and warmth of the mountain resort lifestyle. Approximately one hundred fireplaces are strategically located throughout the resort – in both common areas and select guest rooms – further broadening the design theme.
Reflecting the nature of the Rockies and providing maximum views of the area, guest rooms feature either a large picture window or a balcony with panoramic mountain or valley views.
Colors such as chestnut, brown and chocolate with rust and green pull in the natural colors of the mountain landscape. Twig-like handles on drawers, pinecone and foliage accents and sculptured lamps depicting wildlife such as elk continue to evoke the surroundings. Large, oversized handcrafted furniture create details in a grand scale, with wood and leather used throughout the interiors. Every design detail evokes the natural beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains.
Parkitecture and grand lodge design flourished throughout the western United States until the mid-1930s. Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Glacier National Parks saw the building of more than a dozen of these historic structures, providing inspiration for Colorado’s newest resort. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is the first grand lodge of the west to be built in authentic parkitecture style in more than fifty years.