Thank You Enos Mills

Sunrise over a frozen Mills Lake, RMNP
The sun illuminates the top of 14,259 ft Longs Peak from a frozen Mills Lake. It’s cold but majestic morning in Glacier Gorge but the timeless beauty of this location makes it easy to forget the cold temperatures. Enos Mills had the forsight to understand that locations such as Mills Lake needed to be protected and preserved so that future generations could enjoy the beauty of this location much like he would have in the early 1900’s. Technicial Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 17mm F4 TS-E L
Sometimes it’s easy to forget what a short history Rocky Mountain National Park has. While the geographic area that is now Rocky Mountain National Park, has soldiered on for eons, the protected entity drawn out on a map that is Rocky Mountain National Park is not even one hundred years old.

While there are many who were responsible for establishing Rocky Mountain National Park, none other than a former Kansan named Enos Mills. Enos Mills had a greater influence in establishing Rocky Mountain National Park than any other individual. Furthermore, Mr. Mills was a talented photographer and his images of Rocky taken with his Kodak Pocket camera are images of locals in Rocky Mountain National Park never before photographed.

While the Estes Valley was filled with strong pioneering type personalities such as F.O. Stanley and Abner Sprague, it was Enos Mills strong belief in the conservation movement that helped establish Rocky Mountain National Park as a protected and treasured piece of America.

In remembrance of Mr. Mills efforts in helping to establish Rocky Mountain National Park, a lake was named in his honor. Mills Lake is one of Rocky’s most popular and spectacular locations. Located 2.6 miles up Glacier Gorge, Mills Lake resides on the backside of Longs Peak in a beautiful glaciated valley. It’s a location worthy of the man’s name who lectured and educated citizens on the need to protect these beautiful and unique areas.