Reverend John Dyer, an intrepid Methodist minister, came to Colorado in 1861 at the ripe old-age of forty-nine, but soon fit in as one of the "boys" in the remote mining towns he served. "Father Dyer," as he was respectfully called by the locals, was very well liked among the miners and prospectors.It was during this time that Dyer pioneered the use of skis (then known as snowshoes) for winter travel in Colorado. Drawing on the knowledge of Scandinavian...