Early Colorado Chautauquans reveled in outings into the adjacent foothills, embracing scrambling, tramping, hiking, climbing, and mountaineering. In 1908, enthusiasts founded an official club that continues as the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club, still housed in the Community House, and Boulder remains a mecca for hikers and climbers. The broader Chautauqua idea of communal summer learning and play began in New York in 1876 and quickly spread to 10,000 communities across the nation, bringing with it the ideal of useful leisure, including outdoor recreation, rooted in the belief that nature could uplift both heart and mind. In April 1898, voters approved the purchase of the 75-acre Bachelder Ranch to establish the Boulder Chautauqua, marking the beginning of Boulder's mountain parks system and affirming a way of life centered on protecting and enjoying nearby nature. In 1937, the city and the National Park Service created the first master plan for Boulder Mountain Parks. Over the years, Chautauqua Meadow also served as both a golf course and a ski area, before later being enjoyed as nature presents it.