In 1964, Ray Duncan came to my parent’s house with plans for Purgatory Ski Area. He laid them out on the dining room table. I asked him if it was going to be as big as Wolf Creek. Here put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Bigger.” I remember he and my father talking about how great it was going to be to have a ski area, how much it would mean for the winter business in Durango, how many jobs it would provide and how the college could certainly use it to promote the area to students. All I could think about was how fun it was going to be.
The day before Purgatory opened, my father drove my mother, sister, a couple of guys from the Fort Lewis ski team and me up Hermosa Road and we hiked to the top of Pitchfork and skied a foot of powder to the bottom. The next day, there was a 30-minute wait for the chairlift and we were glad to be in it! Fort Lewis went on to win several national championships and my sister and I have made Purgatory a part of our lives.
Before the area was built, the sidewalks folded up in Durango at the end of the summer season. There were a handful of restaurants in town and people had a hard time making a living here. There was no winter tourism and many kids who were born in the area usually moved away to find jobs as they grew older. A business like ours could never have survived here.
Ray Duncan set his mind on creating something special – something that would last. His vision and dedication survived bad snow years and tough economic times to become something that few people in our area can imagine being without. He made a difference to Southwest Colorado and to generations of people who have and will benefit from his vision.
Thank you, Ray.
Jackson Clark II
Durango
