Grand County Living Magazine - Afterwords: Footsteps of Ike

FOOTSTEPS OF IKE
By Cyril Vidergar / Photos Courtesy of Grand County Historical Association

At the Byers Peak Ranch, President Eisenhower explains how a fly rod works, 1954

At the Byers Peak Ranch, President Eisenhower
explains how a fly rod works, 1954 (GCHA Photo#7255).

“From narrow valley east of old landing strip, proceed toward Peaks along feeder stream and cascade below broad beaver dam; At cascade, proceed along south edge of narrowing valley opposite logged slope until bench can be achieved to northwest- Lone Peak nearly due south; Follow bench edge northwest until landing strip is again below to west…” 1

It’s been a while since “I Like Ike” buttons were vogue, though the spirit of the 34th US President still lingers up here. Dwight D. Eisenhower was no stranger to Grand County and the Fraser Valley, where fishing buddies Aksel Nielsen and Carl Norgren operated the Byer’s Peak Ranch. Though no one will say where exactly along the St. Louis Creek (east, west or main stem) that Ike frequented, his H & L Variant dry fly design always drew a hit.

Like many Grand County historic gems, Eisenhower’s legacy in the valley takes some hunting today, as many roads have been erased (including the path to his sacred two-room, red-rugged cabin once sitting on the edge of a pristine meadow behind Sol Vista, according to local lore). The recent efforts of the Fraser Valley Lions Club, Winter Park/Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce, Grand County Historical Society, Rotary Club of Winter Park, and the Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited, with the skilled vision of sculptor Howard Neville, brought the fishing president to life once more in 2008 with the erection of an eight-foot bronze sculpture installed at the Lions Ponds near Safeway.

In 1998, the Norgrens donated Carl A. Norgren’s papers to the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas. Among those materials were many correspondences, including a 1950s description of a route to a fishing spot; the details follow the initial description above, perhaps revealing the route to Ike’s golden water:

“…At top of bench, prominent game trails head into denser forest south, leaving soft, muddy areas, follow to but do not cross seasonal creek on east edge of bench; Follow creek around east and south base of Lone Peak; Avoid pack trail that turns out of creek bank toward side of peak, where mine remnants are found, instead stay in drainage past small rivulet entering from south and west; Proceed to chain of pools in wide portion of drainage.” 1

The trick for this treasure hunt appears to be finding the landing strip, one of which Eisenhower frequented was covered by Lake Granby in 1951. Nevertheless, there is no “Lone Peak” in the Arapaho National Recreation Area, so that may not be the strip referred to at all. Who knows if Ike would have hiked so far anyway just to fish, considering his familiar St. Louis Creek was never a far jaunt from the Byer’s Peak Ranch near Fraser. In another letter to Norgren in 1952, Eisenhower commented on how much he enjoyed fishing in the creek after 350 hatchery fish had just been released; but maybe he loved to hunt for the wild ones, too.

Whether the letter and this description were meant for Ike, another guest of Norgren, or none of the above, the footprints of Eisenhower are still in the Fraser Valley and Grand County’s wilderness. If you go looking for those tracks, bring your dry flies, and keep an eye out for a tall man with a wide-brimmed hat and a cane creel.

In addition to the statue, Eisenhower memorabilia is proudly displayed at the Cozens Ranch Museum in Fraser and at the Grand County Historical Society Museum in Hot Sulphur Springs.

References:
GCL thanks the Grand County Historical Association, Bureau of Reclamation, Fraser Valley Lions Club, Kirk Klanke of Trout Unlimited, and Dwight D. Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, Kansas, for assistance in gathering research.

1 Excerpts from collection of Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS; DDEHobbies; Records as President (White House Central Files), 1953-61; President’s Personal File, Box 898; http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/ (last visited April 29, 2010).

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