Why was Alfred packer importamt to Colorado?

Answer 1

In truth, Packer was not "important" to Colorado. He was the sole Survivor of an ill fated group who attempted to cross the southern Colorado Rockies too late in the year and became snowbound. He cannibalized the bodies of his dead companions in order to survive the winter. You gotta eat! However, he was accused of murdering his associates in order to eat them and survive. He was tried in Hinsdale County where the Judge at his trial made the famous comment "There were seven Democrats in Hinsdale County and you ate five of them!" True story. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for manslaughter. At the University of Colorado in Boulder where I went to school, the cafeteria is named after Alfred Packer! (The Alfred Packer Grill) That is his only claim to fame.