WMountain, officially called Tenderfoot Mountain, is a prominent feature of the Gunnison Valley. It has been used for thousands of years, beginning over 10,000 years ago by the Folsom people. Archeological remains of occupation, including residential structures, have been found on the flat top of the mountain. Much later, early settlers noted the outline of what looked to them like the profile of an “Indian.” Today it is very difficult to see this due to changes in vegetation.
College and high school letters on nearby hills have long been popular. In 1915, an “N” was constructed on Smelter Hill behind what was then Colorado State Normal School (today’s WSCU). In 1923, the Normal School was renamed Western State College. Around that time the “N” was converted to a “G” for Gunnison High School. One of the Western faculty members, John C. Johnson, suggested to four students that they outline a big “W” on Tenderfoot Mountain. They stood in the football field (then just west of Taylor Hall) and identified the best location on the mountain. Armed with bed sheets, they climbed the face of the mountain, fording Tomichi Creek, still swollen with melting snow. Arriving at the proposed location they pushed over four dead trees, propped them up with rocks, tied the sheets to them, and went back to campus to view their work. Deciding 300’ x 300’ was too small, they climbed up again and moved the sheets, marking a 400’ x 400’ square. A few days later, they went back with thousands of feet of string and outlined the “W”, creating four arms, each 16’ wide.
On May 23, 1923, President Samuel Quigley decreed a holiday. Most of the students and some of the faculty climbed the mountain to build the “W”, hand-carrying hundreds of rocks to the site. The next step was whitewashing, something that became an annual tradition. Since there was no road to the top, students carried a ton of lime and buckets up the mountain. They gathered snow in the trees, heated it in buckets over fires, and mixed in the lime. The students formed lines to the “W” and the buckets were passed person-to-person to be splashed over the rocks.
Initially, the “W” consisted of four straight lines. In 1932 rectangular blocks were added to the top of each line, making the dimensions 320’ x 420. At the time, it was believed to be twice as large as any letter in the world. According to Wikipedia, the “W” no longer has that distinction. Lassen High School and the University of Redlands, both in California, are larger. Western’s “W” is listed third.
Shortly after being built, the traditional homecoming lighting of the “W” began and continues today. To accomplish this, cotton is pre-soaked in diesel fuel and torches are created by securing cotton to long sticks. The drums of cotton are trucked up the mountain, along with eager students. After the large balls of cotton are placed on each arm of the “W”, the students are lined up along the arms. Starting at the top, the torches are lit and passed from person to person, lighting the cotton on the “W”. It is quite the spectacle!
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