Heritage Lecture Series: The Rocky Mountain Climbers Club @ Chautauqua Community House

Come discover the history of the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club. It began life at the same time as the Colorado Chautauqua in 1898. First known as the Colorado Chautauqua Climbers Club, in 1912 the club expanded its range and became the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club. The club’s original goals were “to promote interest in the ranges of the Rocky Mountains, to organize parties for trips into the foothills and mountains, to secure responsible guides, to develop trails, to protect natural resources, and to improve the natural facilities and provide opportunities for educational and recreational contact with the Rocky Mountain region.” Many prominent leaders of the community were members, and today the club is still supporting its original goals.

About the Speaker:
Peter Arts, president of the Rocky Mountain Climber’s Club, is a native son of Dutch immigrants who came to work at Caribou Ranch after World War II ended. The family moved down to Boulder when the children were school-aged. Pete started off his adult life as a mechanic for the City of Boulder, later choosing to expand his reach into personnel management at local furniture-maker Contemporary Comfort, providing licensed child care, serving as warehouse manager for Community Food Share, and driving for RTD, before becoming a materials planner for CU’s Housing & Dining Services. Pete joined the RMCC in 1974 and now leads the group. An amateur history buff of all things Boulder, Pete relishes making the connections between Boulder’s past and present.