Silverthorne began its life in the 1960s and 1970s as a place for the workers who were building the Eisenhower tunnel to live. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation website, the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels were designed as "twin bores". Construction on the first bore (North Tunnel) began March 15, 1968 and was completed five years later on March 8, 1973. This westbound bore was originally called the Straight Creek Tunnel, and later was officially named the Eisenhower Memorial Bore. Construction on the second bore (South Tunnel) began August 18, 1975 and was completed four years later on December 21, 1979. This eastbound bore was named after Edwin C. Johnson, a past Governor and U.S. Senator who had actively supported an interstate highway system across Colorado.
Silverthorne was often jokingly called "Trailerthorne" as mobile homes had been brought in for the workers. However, real estate today is expensive, and the trailer parks have mostly gone and become stores and car dealers. The Outlet Mall is a big draw, and it has been recently remodeled with lots of name stores like Polo, Anne Klein, Banana Republic, Levi, Nike, and lots more. My favorite is Pure Mountain Sports, which is an outlet store for Copper Mountain. Target came to town a year or two ago, giving WalMart in Frisco some competition.
Head further north and you will see some very nice homes in the hills to the left of the highway. Between those homes and the road are two tall poles that used to carry powerlines. Today they have only an Osprey nest on them. The same pair of Osprey come back every year, rebuild their nest and raise a new set of young. We enjoy watching them fishing in nearby ponds as they feed the chicks. The poles are at the edge of the Raven golf course, which is set among the homes of Three Peaks and Eagles Nest. The golf course is owned by Intrawest, owner of Copper Mountain Ski Mountain, so they have several reciprocal arrangements between them. The homes are mostly multi-million dollar homes and more will be built as Maryland Creek Ranch, a little further north, and Angler Mountain Ranch across the valley, are both developed.
Silverthorne is known for its great views of both the Gore Mountain Range, with Buffalo Mountain anchoring it at the south end, and the Williams Fork Range, just across the valley. In this photo of Buffalo Mountain above, note the moose ambling toward the willows.
There is not much better than seeing the sun go down behind Buffalo and Red Mountains! Although in the winter, if you turn around and look back east, you can often see the Alpenglow on the Continental Divide as the mountains turn pink. All in all, a wonderful place to live with plenty of things to do!
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