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 he Peak-to-Peak
Highway skirts the Continental Divide, which forms the western boundary of Boulder County. Parts of the highway date
from as early as 1864, and the area has long attracted tourists and others seeking outdoor recreational opportunities.
Isabella Bird, a pioneering "ecotourist," and many other women came
west to witness firsthand the scenic splendors they had read about in books and brochures. Bird's adventure was the
precursor of a new form of recreation, giving rise to generations of determined
women mountaineers such as
Agnes Vaille.
Women also encouraged and profited from tourism. They ran stage stops and spas, hotels and restaurants,
transportation services and tours. They acted as interpreters, guides, hostesses, healers, and chauffeurs.
Emma Fairhurst and
Hazel Schmoll both ran local tourist enterprises in Ward;
taxi drivers and dude ranch owners Florence Molloy and
Mabel MacLeay took visitors on scenic drives such as this one in the mountains.
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