Elizabeth and Esther Burnell were sisters who came to Estes Park in the summer of 1916 to stay at the Longs Peak Inn. Both women were college educated and enjoyed the Estes Park area. Esther purchased a homestead near MacGregor Pass where she stayed with enthusiasm, even through the harsh Rocky Mountain winters. She became famous for a 30-mile snowshoe across the Continental Divide.

In 1917, the two sisters were encouraged by Enos Mills to take the examination to become nature teachers. Both sisters passed. They became licensed by Rocky Mountain National Park as nature guides. Superintendent Claude Way felt they filled a longstanding need, and they became very popular guides. Although Way sought to limit female nature guides to one-day hikes below treeline, Elizabeth became the first woman guide on Long's Peak. Elizabeth went on to head Enos Mills' trail school for 12 summers before heading to Los Angeles to promote nature study in schools.

In 1918, Esther Burnell married Enos Mills and helped him operate the Longs Peak Inn. After Mills' unexpected death in 1922 she continued to run the inn and promote her husband's writings for more than 20 years.

Credits and Sources:

“People.” National Park Service: Rocky Mountain, Colorado. History & Culture. Accessed May 31, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/historyculture/people.htm

“People.” National Park Service: Rocky Mountain, Colorado. History & Culture. Accessed May 31, 2013. http://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/historyculture/people.htm