"Enos A. Mills was born in Kansas but moved to Colorado early in his life during a bout with tuberculosis. At age 15, he made his first ascent of the 14,255-foot Longs Peak. Over the course of his life, he made the trip 40 times by himself and nearly 300 additional times as a guide.
In 1887, after returning to health, he moved to Butte, Montana. There he lived and worked intermittently until 1902, spending more summers traveling the West Coast of the United States, Alaska, and Europe. In 1889, he had a chance encounter with famed naturalist John Muir on a San Francisco beach, and from that point on Mills dedicated his life to conservation activism, lecturing, and writing.
In 1902, Mills returned to Colorado and purchased from his cousin the Longs Peak House in Estes Park. He eventually homesteaded in the surrounding area and later turned the Longs Peak house into the Longs Peak Inn, from which he treated guests to excursions into the wilderness and evening nature talks.
From 1902-1906, Mills also served as the Colorado State Snow Observer, a position that took him into the wild he so loved. His job was to measure the snow depths to predict spring and summer runoff. Following this position, he served as government lecturer on forestry from 1907-1909. During this time, he also authored several articles and books on nature and Estes Park area.
Throughout his time in various assignments, Mills was also leading the fight to preserve the area around Longs Peak as a national park. Aided by groups such as the Sierra Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mills succeeded and Congress established Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. Called the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park," Mills continued to lecture and write books until his death at age 52 in 1922. Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is named in his honor." (from (
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A much more thorough compilation of his life and accomplishments may be found at (
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The life-sized piece is found in a small park across from Estes Park's Town Hall just off Elkhorn Avenue (Hwy 34/66) that leads to Rocky Mountain National Park. The sculpture is oriented so that Mills is looking towards the park. The sculpture was created in 2003 by local artist Bonnie J. Fulford (
visit link) . Mills is accompanied by his border collie, Scotch. The entire sculpture is placed on a large bolder that is inscribed:
Enos A. Mills
1870 - 1922
"The Father of Rocky Mountain National Park"
Homesteader, Nature Guide, Naturalist, Writer, Lecturer, Photographer
and "CITIZEN OF NATURE"
He brought the love for nature and the wilderness to all that he touched.
His legacy is in the scenery and wild gardens of the nature that we enjoy.