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Sunday morning we awoke from our well rested sleep and made our way downstairs to the historic dining area of the Inn of the Rockies. Our host Michael made us a wonderful fruit smoothie and homemade banana bread breakfast completed with a build your own granola buffet.
With a hearty breakfast under our belts, Michael was nice enough to let us borrow his personal map of the Silverton area. Our fist stop was a tour of the Old 100 Gold Mine, which is named after an old mining song. The tour started out with us all riding in a battery powered mine train back 1700’ into the mine. Our guide appeared at first to be a grumpy old man, but he seemed to warm as the tour went on and he was able to show off his operational equipment. Pneumatic mining tools are deafeningly loud inside a small confined space. Further back inside the mine we saw a demonstration of blasting patterns and the progression of explosives technology that have occurred in the last century. I found it fascinating that the biggest difference between then and now is the method of ignition. One of my favorite parts of the tour was a demonstration of a working elevator that transported men and supplies between the seven working levels of the mine in the 1880’s. I learned that mules were a very valuable resource in the mine and they were treated with utmost respect, several miners lost their job over abusing a mule. The last thing we saw was a fully functional mucker, a slusher, a giant 1960’s era steel ore bin, and an original honeywagon.
When the tour was over we left the mine and continued up stony pass to determine the accessibility of the Old 100 Boarding house trail. Unfortunately most of the road was still covered in snow and we were unable to get up to the trailhead. Not wanting to waste further time we headed back down to Cunningham gulch and saw the remains of an old mill. The mill was nestled up against a raging waterfall much like many of the other scenic waterfalls in the gulch.
Next on our list was the Eureka mill, but all that remained is five levels of concrete foundations. We took a road up the gulch above the mill and saw a mine dump suggesting a very large mine. The four of us hiked up the mine dump and to our disappointment found the portal to be backfilled. Stuart was very disappointed and eager to get underground so he began trying to dig his way in. Meanwhile, the rest of us poked around the tailings pile and found some amazing rocks to take home. When Stuart exhausted his digging resources we headed back down to the Rover and continued our adventure.
The Mayflower mill is a wonderful example of Colorado’s mining heritage mindset. Unlike Utah, the mill is open for the public to appreciate and enjoy. There is even an interpretive sign that talks about the mill and the accompanying tram that runs to the other side of the canyon. We spent a good while here taking pictures and being amazed by how Colorado appreciates and respects their mining history. All of the sites we visited in Colorado were free of signs of vandalism and graffiti suggesting that even Colorado’s teens are respectful of their heritage.
When we finally returned back to Siverton, a little later than we expected to be, we returned the map and sat down for a quick lunch in the local park. With our bellies full we reluctantly started our long journey home. Leaving the beautiful sites of Colorado was difficult and we were all sad to go. There are still thousands of mine sites that we need to visit.
I think I can say for all of us that our Colorado adventure is not finished. On the contrary it has just begun. I want to know why we, here in Utah, can’t take the same approach as our neighbor when it comes to mining. I am sick and tired of this “Stay Out Stay Alive†abandoned mines will kill you bullshit! We need to come together and agree that these mines and these mills are our heritage. Many men and women sacrificed their whole lives to work these areas and we should not turn our backs on them and bury the landscape that they once called home. They deserve some acknowledgment so that we may learn from them and respect the lives they had in this state. We should not bury the past, but rather recognize it and share it!
COLORADO PHOTO GALLERY
With a hearty breakfast under our belts, Michael was nice enough to let us borrow his personal map of the Silverton area. Our fist stop was a tour of the Old 100 Gold Mine, which is named after an old mining song. The tour started out with us all riding in a battery powered mine train back 1700’ into the mine. Our guide appeared at first to be a grumpy old man, but he seemed to warm as the tour went on and he was able to show off his operational equipment. Pneumatic mining tools are deafeningly loud inside a small confined space. Further back inside the mine we saw a demonstration of blasting patterns and the progression of explosives technology that have occurred in the last century. I found it fascinating that the biggest difference between then and now is the method of ignition. One of my favorite parts of the tour was a demonstration of a working elevator that transported men and supplies between the seven working levels of the mine in the 1880’s. I learned that mules were a very valuable resource in the mine and they were treated with utmost respect, several miners lost their job over abusing a mule. The last thing we saw was a fully functional mucker, a slusher, a giant 1960’s era steel ore bin, and an original honeywagon.
When the tour was over we left the mine and continued up stony pass to determine the accessibility of the Old 100 Boarding house trail. Unfortunately most of the road was still covered in snow and we were unable to get up to the trailhead. Not wanting to waste further time we headed back down to Cunningham gulch and saw the remains of an old mill. The mill was nestled up against a raging waterfall much like many of the other scenic waterfalls in the gulch.
Next on our list was the Eureka mill, but all that remained is five levels of concrete foundations. We took a road up the gulch above the mill and saw a mine dump suggesting a very large mine. The four of us hiked up the mine dump and to our disappointment found the portal to be backfilled. Stuart was very disappointed and eager to get underground so he began trying to dig his way in. Meanwhile, the rest of us poked around the tailings pile and found some amazing rocks to take home. When Stuart exhausted his digging resources we headed back down to the Rover and continued our adventure.
The Mayflower mill is a wonderful example of Colorado’s mining heritage mindset. Unlike Utah, the mill is open for the public to appreciate and enjoy. There is even an interpretive sign that talks about the mill and the accompanying tram that runs to the other side of the canyon. We spent a good while here taking pictures and being amazed by how Colorado appreciates and respects their mining history. All of the sites we visited in Colorado were free of signs of vandalism and graffiti suggesting that even Colorado’s teens are respectful of their heritage.
When we finally returned back to Siverton, a little later than we expected to be, we returned the map and sat down for a quick lunch in the local park. With our bellies full we reluctantly started our long journey home. Leaving the beautiful sites of Colorado was difficult and we were all sad to go. There are still thousands of mine sites that we need to visit.
I think I can say for all of us that our Colorado adventure is not finished. On the contrary it has just begun. I want to know why we, here in Utah, can’t take the same approach as our neighbor when it comes to mining. I am sick and tired of this “Stay Out Stay Alive†abandoned mines will kill you bullshit! We need to come together and agree that these mines and these mills are our heritage. Many men and women sacrificed their whole lives to work these areas and we should not turn our backs on them and bury the landscape that they once called home. They deserve some acknowledgment so that we may learn from them and respect the lives they had in this state. We should not bury the past, but rather recognize it and share it!
COLORADO PHOTO GALLERY
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