05/21/2026
Like so many Colorado kids, I grew up outside—hiking, camping, fishing, and, most of all, skiing. Every weekend my family would head to Ski Cooper, our local hill, where I spent long days carving runs with my dad and warming up in the lodge. I remember wandering past old rucksacks and oversized skis mounted on the walls, and thinking how odd the small emblem of a panda on skis that appeared here and there was, without giving much thought to the history behind the slopes I loved.
That understanding came later. Ski Cooper—originally Cooper Hill—was once the training ground for the 10th Mountain Division, and the surrounding landscape I had spent years exploring held the remnants of Camp Hale. During World War II, Leadville and the nearby Pando Valley (hence the skiing panda!) became the center of a crucial chapter in American history. Soldiers trained here for high-altitude combat, while the local community supported the war effort in ways both visible and unseen.
That’s what makes the Winter Warriors: The 10th Mountain Division in World War II exhibition so meaningful to bring home. Opening Friday, May 22 at the Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin, the exhibition shares the story of Camp Hale, the 10th Mountain Division, and the community that helped shape their legacy. Join us for the opening and experience this story where it began.
—Hannah Cary, Director of the Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin
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Image of the Pando Valley, home to Camp Hale and training grounds for the famed 10th Mountain Division, around 1942–1945. History Colorado, 2023.142.5. Camp Hale Headquarters. Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection. TMD711
