The words “ICE OUT” were briefly displayed on one of Boulder’s Flatirons on Thursday morning, and they were taken down by the same people who put them up.
The white letters, made of fabric or mesh, were taken down by 7:51 a.m., according to Boulder Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jamie Barker. Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks rangers first heard about the sign about 7:23 a.m., she said.
Open Space rangers were headed to the sign when it was taken down, Barker said. Six people were involved in putting the sign up, Barker said.
The same people who put the sign up took it down, Barker said. Four of the six were contacted by Open Space rangers.
Boulder police used a drone to help get an overhead view of the people involved, as well as the sign itself, Barker said.
A person appeared to be standing by the words while they were up, according to one photo.
Rangers are continuing to investigate the incident, Barker said. No one has been arrested or cited.
In 1947, the name “Joe” appeared on the First Flatiron in 6-foot-tall letters, according to . Though the name didn’t last long, two years later, two University of Colorado Boulder students painted a large “C” on the Third Flatiron.
The “C” would later be joined by a “U,” and even later by an “I,” spelling out “ICU” by 1956. Over the following 24 years, sets of letters including “CU” — as well as “DU”, “BYFM” and “AW” — would be washed mostly off by the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and then repainted multiple times.
People on Reddit discussed the “ICE OUT” on Thursday morning, with one person mentioning the first appearance of “CU” in 1949.
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Information about who put the “ICE OUT” message and if any crimes were committed in putting up the sign was not immediately available.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
