Colorado Rocks
No, I’m not referring to the music scene in this particular US State, where we have spent the last two months in our fifth wheel trailer.
Nor am I saying that the bands we heard at the Leadville BBQ and Brewfest a few weekends ago weren’t pretty good either (though not quite on a par with those we heard at Austin’s annual music festival in February). Though I must add that the natural Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver which hosts concerts of all types, is an amazing music venue.
No, what I am referring to is the Rockies. The highest mountain range in the USA, and the youngest mountains formed in the recent eons of time, if my high school Geography serves me correctly. That is about the limit of my geological education. Suffice to say that these mountains, which extend from Mexico through Canada to Alaska, were crushed and pushed skywards and consequently weathered by wind and rain, thus allowing all kinds of strange rock formations and their inherent minerals and gems to rise to within reach of mankind.
This meant that gold and silver rush pioneers could shiver through freezing winters while they greedily panned for gold in rivers, or dug shafts deep into the earth to extract all types of minerals to enhance their pocketbooks. Eventually, as a bi-product, railways were built to transport their rocks and gems to market, and a supply chain back into the mining shanties that sprung up. Finally, from the fortunes that were made, cities were created, and the welfare of society generally improved. When demand for gold and silver decreased, their descendants used the railways and road infrastructure to build ski resorts, uncover ancient artifacts, modify natural amphitheaters to hold rock concerts, and transport tourists like me, to gape in awe at the natural beauty of the snow-capped peaks and what lies beneath.
OK, I admit my précis of 300 years of history is a little simplistic. You would have to visit the numerous mining museums to get a full understanding of the impact the gold and silver rushes had on the development of the western part of the United States. These are the ones Richard and I went to:
1. Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science www.dmns.org - a great introduction to Colorado, its rock formations and its natural history. I especially loved the gem sculptures exhibit by the remarkable Vasily Konovalenko - each scene made up of various rocks and gems.
2. Cripple Creek’s District Museum, www.cripplecreekmuseum.com Cripple Creek is a tourist haven, with several mining museums, an old steam railway, and plenty of casinos. On a one day trip there was too much for us to take everything in. But we intend to return and include a tour of The Old Homestead House Museum, which was once the most famous brothel in Cripple Creek. Owned and operated by Pearl DeVere, this opulent parlor bustled with activity and became known for its impeccable service, high-powered customers, and its glamorous madams. At a time when $3 a day was considered a good wage for a miner, Pearl charged $250 a night!
3. The Molly Kathleen Gold Mine, Cripple Creek www.goldminetours.com the best $20 I ever spent on a museum. We squeezed into the original cage used by the miners and dropped 1000 feet below ground. Scary stuff. Then we witnessed some of the smells and sounds of the cramped dark underworld once inhabited by hundreds of men. The aroma of donkeys and rock dust and unwashed bodies was missing of course,
but we saw and heard some of the drilling machines used throughout the century this mine was worked. What a racket it must have been and how eerie when the cacophony stopped and all you could hear was the Tommy knockers. And I thought that was just a figment of Stephen King’s imagination!!
4. Park City’s Museum www.parkcityhistory.org . A five day side trip (without the Jet) to visit a former work colleague of Richard’s, allowed us to learn that Utah had experienced the same silver rush as Colorado. As the silver market deteriorated this particular mining town diversified into skiing, using the rails in one of the original shafts to create the first underground ski lift, transporting adventurous non-claustrophobic skiers deep underground into the bowels of the mountain, and then lifting the carriages to the surface. An experience no longer available to modern day skiers, unfortunately. Though Richard and I, during a hike into the mountains with our hosts Bob and Debbie, did manage to see the abandoned mine
and even step into the insides of the derelict lift. Might be an interesting detour for inquisitive skiiers too. It certainly seemed to be a diversion for the young moose we encountered…
5. National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Leadville www.mininghalloffame.org This picturesque old city, the highest incorporated city in Colorado at 10,000 feet, actually has eight museums, a mine tour, a walking tour and a driving tour to give visitors plenty of opportunity to learn about the area's colorful history and view the Victorian architecture. It was once considered as candidate for the capital of Colorado, but that accolade went to Denver (which grew from the spoils of those who made their fortunes in Leadville – eg Guggenheim). Richard and I stayed for five nights, but the aforementioned annual BBQ and Brewfest held over the weekend meant we were otherwise entertained.
So, despite visiting this one museum and walking the best part of the town’s 10 mile circular Mineral Trail and viewing and learning interesting stories of individual miners and of the growth and demise of the surrounding derelict mines, we hardly touched the proverbial history iceberg. No icebergs, but there was still plenty of snow in late June. And the sunsets were even more stunning.
Even though temperatures rose into the high seventies during the day, the nights were still baltic (quaint Scottish colloquial word to indicate VERY COLD). Out came the winter quilt once more. One local we met while listening to live bands, sampling succulent BBQ brisket, and sipping craft brews, told us there were only two seasons in Leadville. Winter and August. I’m guessing August is when the last of the snow finally melts and the nights are somewhat balmier.
Local legend Elizabeth McCourt Tabor, known across the USA as “Baby Doe” understood the deprivations of a Leadville winter only too well. Scandalous second wife of “Silver King” Horace Tabor, who built the famous Tabor Opera House in Leadville, the couple spent the earnings of their Matchless Mine like royalty but lost everything when the bottom fell out of the silver market in 1893. After Horace died a year later, Baby Doe remained impoverished in a cabin near the mine, in the hope that the market would improve and her fortune could be remade. She was found frozen to death in March 1935. www.babydoetabor.com
So I’ve given you a brief tour of our tours.
But I should mention a couple more surprises that these young mountains had in store for us old tourists as we traveled back from Utah to Colorado through a town called Vernal. We caught a glimpse into a slightly more distant past, when long dead civilizations posted their stories on flat rock walls:
More information and much better photos can be seen on this blog site http://rockart.me/tag/mcconkie-ranch/
And, even more jaw-droppingly OLD, when we found ourselves on the outskirts of Denver, staring at the side of a hill, where fossilized remains of a former inland sea had been uncovered by road builders,
and revealed footprints of dinosaurs who roamed the earth millions of years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_Ridge
The hairs stood up on the back of my neck when I saw this and thought of what had once stood here before me. Like I said, Colorado Rocks.
Nor am I saying that the bands we heard at the Leadville BBQ and Brewfest a few weekends ago weren’t pretty good either (though not quite on a par with those we heard at Austin’s annual music festival in February). Though I must add that the natural Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver which hosts concerts of all types, is an amazing music venue.
 |
| Yes - that's it in the middle of those rocks - you can just make out the seating area |
No, what I am referring to is the Rockies. The highest mountain range in the USA, and the youngest mountains formed in the recent eons of time, if my high school Geography serves me correctly. That is about the limit of my geological education. Suffice to say that these mountains, which extend from Mexico through Canada to Alaska, were crushed and pushed skywards and consequently weathered by wind and rain, thus allowing all kinds of strange rock formations and their inherent minerals and gems to rise to within reach of mankind.
This meant that gold and silver rush pioneers could shiver through freezing winters while they greedily panned for gold in rivers, or dug shafts deep into the earth to extract all types of minerals to enhance their pocketbooks. Eventually, as a bi-product, railways were built to transport their rocks and gems to market, and a supply chain back into the mining shanties that sprung up. Finally, from the fortunes that were made, cities were created, and the welfare of society generally improved. When demand for gold and silver decreased, their descendants used the railways and road infrastructure to build ski resorts, uncover ancient artifacts, modify natural amphitheaters to hold rock concerts, and transport tourists like me, to gape in awe at the natural beauty of the snow-capped peaks and what lies beneath.
OK, I admit my précis of 300 years of history is a little simplistic. You would have to visit the numerous mining museums to get a full understanding of the impact the gold and silver rushes had on the development of the western part of the United States. These are the ones Richard and I went to:
1. Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science www.dmns.org - a great introduction to Colorado, its rock formations and its natural history. I especially loved the gem sculptures exhibit by the remarkable Vasily Konovalenko - each scene made up of various rocks and gems.
2. Cripple Creek’s District Museum, www.cripplecreekmuseum.com Cripple Creek is a tourist haven, with several mining museums, an old steam railway, and plenty of casinos. On a one day trip there was too much for us to take everything in. But we intend to return and include a tour of The Old Homestead House Museum, which was once the most famous brothel in Cripple Creek. Owned and operated by Pearl DeVere, this opulent parlor bustled with activity and became known for its impeccable service, high-powered customers, and its glamorous madams. At a time when $3 a day was considered a good wage for a miner, Pearl charged $250 a night!
3. The Molly Kathleen Gold Mine, Cripple Creek www.goldminetours.com the best $20 I ever spent on a museum. We squeezed into the original cage used by the miners and dropped 1000 feet below ground. Scary stuff. Then we witnessed some of the smells and sounds of the cramped dark underworld once inhabited by hundreds of men. The aroma of donkeys and rock dust and unwashed bodies was missing of course,
but we saw and heard some of the drilling machines used throughout the century this mine was worked. What a racket it must have been and how eerie when the cacophony stopped and all you could hear was the Tommy knockers. And I thought that was just a figment of Stephen King’s imagination!!
4. Park City’s Museum www.parkcityhistory.org . A five day side trip (without the Jet) to visit a former work colleague of Richard’s, allowed us to learn that Utah had experienced the same silver rush as Colorado. As the silver market deteriorated this particular mining town diversified into skiing, using the rails in one of the original shafts to create the first underground ski lift, transporting adventurous non-claustrophobic skiers deep underground into the bowels of the mountain, and then lifting the carriages to the surface. An experience no longer available to modern day skiers, unfortunately. Though Richard and I, during a hike into the mountains with our hosts Bob and Debbie, did manage to see the abandoned mine
and even step into the insides of the derelict lift. Might be an interesting detour for inquisitive skiiers too. It certainly seemed to be a diversion for the young moose we encountered…
5. National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Leadville www.mininghalloffame.org This picturesque old city, the highest incorporated city in Colorado at 10,000 feet, actually has eight museums, a mine tour, a walking tour and a driving tour to give visitors plenty of opportunity to learn about the area's colorful history and view the Victorian architecture. It was once considered as candidate for the capital of Colorado, but that accolade went to Denver (which grew from the spoils of those who made their fortunes in Leadville – eg Guggenheim). Richard and I stayed for five nights, but the aforementioned annual BBQ and Brewfest held over the weekend meant we were otherwise entertained.
So, despite visiting this one museum and walking the best part of the town’s 10 mile circular Mineral Trail and viewing and learning interesting stories of individual miners and of the growth and demise of the surrounding derelict mines, we hardly touched the proverbial history iceberg. No icebergs, but there was still plenty of snow in late June. And the sunsets were even more stunning.
Even though temperatures rose into the high seventies during the day, the nights were still baltic (quaint Scottish colloquial word to indicate VERY COLD). Out came the winter quilt once more. One local we met while listening to live bands, sampling succulent BBQ brisket, and sipping craft brews, told us there were only two seasons in Leadville. Winter and August. I’m guessing August is when the last of the snow finally melts and the nights are somewhat balmier.
Local legend Elizabeth McCourt Tabor, known across the USA as “Baby Doe” understood the deprivations of a Leadville winter only too well. Scandalous second wife of “Silver King” Horace Tabor, who built the famous Tabor Opera House in Leadville, the couple spent the earnings of their Matchless Mine like royalty but lost everything when the bottom fell out of the silver market in 1893. After Horace died a year later, Baby Doe remained impoverished in a cabin near the mine, in the hope that the market would improve and her fortune could be remade. She was found frozen to death in March 1935. www.babydoetabor.com
So I’ve given you a brief tour of our tours.
But I should mention a couple more surprises that these young mountains had in store for us old tourists as we traveled back from Utah to Colorado through a town called Vernal. We caught a glimpse into a slightly more distant past, when long dead civilizations posted their stories on flat rock walls:
More information and much better photos can be seen on this blog site http://rockart.me/tag/mcconkie-ranch/
And, even more jaw-droppingly OLD, when we found ourselves on the outskirts of Denver, staring at the side of a hill, where fossilized remains of a former inland sea had been uncovered by road builders,
and revealed footprints of dinosaurs who roamed the earth millions of years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_Ridge
The hairs stood up on the back of my neck when I saw this and thought of what had once stood here before me. Like I said, Colorado Rocks.
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