A different view of Brush Creek

Dear editor,

I am appalled at the lack of critical insight and awareness on display in the July 3rd column “Saratoga is famous too” by Joshua Wood. Without a hint of sarcasm or irony, Wood has reaped praise on a company that continues to recklessly gobble up our previously locally owned land in the name of corporate profit and status-sharing among the elite of our nation. Brush Creek Ranch has never been a “win” for our community, no matter how much publicity it brings, because of the exact nature of the tourism Wood shamelessly describes throughout the rest of the article. The “clients” of Brush Creek Ranch will never visit or patronize the businesses or local activities of the Platte Valley because it would disrupt the Wild West fantasy that the resort has built for them. Here in Encampment and Saratoga and Brush Creek road, we have real people, real cowboys, and real workers who cannot be filtered or Photoshopped into an Instagram moment. Brush Creek promotes a one-way street of cultural appropriation for the benefit of the Kushners, Trumps, and Blooms of the world who have no desire to help or contribute to our communities or our people.

Case in point: I have heard that the owner of Brush Creek Ranch has a camp below Ten Mile for urban, under-privileged youth. If true and as admirable as this may be, this smacks of the “white man saves the day” for the “other” narrative that does not fly in a post-colonial world. How about letting our own youth, who have their own needs, participate in Brush Creek’s activities and programs? Or, like even the most posh ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains, how about Brush Creek offering local “passes” or the ability to access its facilities? I doubt this has even crossed higher-ups of Brush Creek’s mind. Very few of us will ever be able to afford anything the ranch has to offer and for them, keeping us away is not only just fine, it is preferable. Thus, I feel Brush Creek will continue to reap the rewards of our isolated, untouched area for the top 1% while giving little back to the community it should be serving.

In contempt,

Carl Beach, Ryan Park