Born in 1870 in Kansas, Enos Mills was a sickly child whose parents eventually sent him to Estes Park with the hope that his health would improve there. He stayed in Estes Park at the ranch of his relative Elkanah Lamb. Carlyle Lamb took Enos on his first climb up Longs Peak, and taught him the craft of the mountain guide.
During his stay, he spent much time wandering the area, and picked a spot across from the ranch to build a small cabin, which he finished in two summers. This is now a museum run by the Mills descendants.
Enos bought the Lamb ranch and renamed it the Longs Peak Inn, where hundreds of tourists stayed comfortably over the years. He guided many of his visitors up Longs Peak, and made hundreds of trips to the top during his lifetime.
Mills met John Muir in 1889 on a trip to San Francisco, and established a friendship. Muir had an enormous impact on Mills’ life. During the off-season, he traveled around the country promoting conservation, and setting aside areas for future generations. It was on one of these lecture tours that he met Esther, his wife-to-be. Mills is widely credited with being the “father of Rocky Mountain National Park,” established in 1915.
