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Ted Kindel – Vail’s first mayor

Dick Hauserman
Daily file photoTed Kindel, Vail's first mayor and the builder of the Christiania Lodge, in front of his well-used Jeep.
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“You better go out there and see it,” Miller told them. “And while you are there, buy some property, because there isn’t a whole lot available.”

They did just that during Vail’s first season. They fell in love with it and decided to move the next year when Ottie Kuehn gave up his option on the lot. They built the Christiania-at-Vail. Ted Kindel was heir to the Kindel Furniture Company, and it was extremely disappointing when he told his father that they would be moving to Vail.

But the Kindels soon became part of the growing village. Ted Kindel was elected Vail’s first mayor when it became a town on Aug. 3, 1966, and was active in town affairs. He was on many boards, most of which he helped start. Both Ted and Nancy were also regular ski instructors for the ski school. They raised a family of three girls.



The attractive Christiania-at-Vail Lodge, built in 1963, gave Vail the first-class lodging it needed at the time. After it was sold in March 1968 to Mary Ann and Bob Clark, the Kindels moved to Litchfield, Ariz., where Ted learned to stunt-fly his old biplane. That led to his unfortunate demise several years ago. The Kindels’ presence in Vail will not be forgotten.

Editor’s Note: In a continued effort to help the community understand its roots, the Vail Daily for a second time is serializing Dick Hauserman’s “The Inventors of Vail.” This is the 104th installment, an excerpt from chapter 12, “The Ever-Increasing “New Locals.” The book is available at Verbatim Booksellers, The Bookworm of Edwards, Pepi’s Sports, Gorsuch Ltd. and The Rucksack, as well as other retailers throughout the valley. Hauserman can be contacted by phone at 926-2895 or by mail at P.O. Box 1410, Edwards CO, 81632.


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