The "second" Rocky Mountain Club

The “Rocky Mountain Club” was formed in 1875, one year before the iconic Appalachian Mountain Club was established in Boston. Little is known about the original RMC, other than its famous members, which included Frederick Hayden, Albert Bierstadt and Cyrus West Field. One of the charter members of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Charles Fay, speculated that the club didn’t last long because that area of the country was still unsettled, thus, the pioneers who lived there simply didn’t have time for recreational activities.

A second “Rocky Mountain Club” was established in 1896. This organization was founded by William L. Hallett, one of the early mountaineers in the Rocky Mountains. Although it started out as a hiking club, it morphed into a climbing group, and as a result, was renamed the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club several years later. It’s most notable achievement was the first ascent of Grand Teton in Wyoming in 1898. Hallett was expected to lead this ascent, but a work-related issue prevented his participation.

Born in Massachusetts in 1859, William Hallett became a prominent cattle rancher and mining engineer. Shortly after moving to Colorado in 1878 he became one of the first pioneers to reside in the Estes Valley. In 1881 he built a house on Mary's Lake Road, which still stands today, and is now used as a dentist office. Hallett also climbed several peaks in the region, including the first documented ascent of Stones Peak. Another favorite ascent, 12,713-foot Hallett Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, now bears his name.

In Ramble On, I discuss the emergence of hiking clubs and the crucial role they played in helping to make hiking a popular pastime across much of the globe.