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Historic Trail Map of the Leadville 1° × 2° Quadrangle, Central Colorado

By Glenn R. Scott

Prepared in cooperation with the
Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department, and the Colorado Railroad Museum

Pamphlet to accompany
Scientific Investigations Map 2820

2004

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey


The PDF for the report is 84.36 mb


Table of Contents

Introduction
Unsolved Problems
Method of Preparation of the Trail Map
Acknowledgments
Historic Trails
Abbreviations and Symbol Used in this Report
Road Building in the Mountains of the West
Roads Established or Proposed Under General Assembly Session Laws, Colorado Territorial Corporations and Charters, 1859-1876
Mountain Passes in the Leadville Quadrangle
Post Roads in the Leadville Quadrangle in 1881
More Post Roads in the Leadville Quadrangle in 1881
An Act to Establish and Regulate Territorial (Free) Roads
Freighting Business in the Leadville Quadrangle
Routines and Perils of Stage Travel
Stage Companies that Operated in the Leadville Quadrangle
Leadville Street Railway
Aspen Street Railway
Railroads Operated in the Leadville Quadrangle
List of Railroads in the Leadville Quadrangle
Military and Civilian Camps, Forts, and Bases in the Leadville Quadrangle
The Highest Steamer in the World
Ute Reservation and Early Treaties with the Colorado Ute Indians
Commission of September 1873 for the Purchase of the San Juan Mountains Region (The Brunot Agreement)
Place Names in the Leadville Quadrangle
Sources of Information

Figures

1. Index Map of the Leadville 1° × 2° Quadrangle, Showing Major Geographic Features and Communities.
2. Map Showing Details of the Historic Features in the Eastern Part of the Leadville 1° × 2° Quadrangle
3. Route of the Colorado Midland Railway Across Hagerman Pass via the Hagerman Tunnel
4. Map Showing Leadville and Vicinity
5. Map Showing the Route of the Treasury Mountain Railroad Southward from Marble, Colorado


Photographic credits:

Except as noted otherwise, photographs are courtesy of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department. The photographer (where known) and Denver Public Library call number for each photograph are shown at the end of each caption.

All historical photographs, sketches, and engravings are clearly referenced so that viewers can readily review the originals in the source institutions. A few of the illustrations have enhancements that are meant to complement the overall publication design. We are careful not to alter the context of these wonderful visions of an era but, rather, to use them to evoke a sense of time and place.


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"Map of Colorado Territory," dated 1861. Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department.


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Introduction

Colorado contains the equivalent of fourteen 1° × 2° areas the size of the Leadville quadrangle, and each area contains about 7,200 square miles. The Leadville quadrangle contains all or parts of 13 counties, named here with their dates of founding:

Chaffee Feb. 10, 1879

Delta Feb. 11, 1883

Eagle Feb. 11, 1883

Garfield Feb. 10, 1883

Grand Feb. 2, 1874

Gunnison Mar. 9, 1877

Lake Nov. 1, 1861

Mesa Feb. 14, 1883

Park Nov. 1, 1861

Pitkin Feb. 23, 1881

Rio Blanco Mar. 25, 1889

Routt Jan. 29, 1877

Summit Nov. 1, 1861

The formal Colorado Territory was established on February 28, 1861, and Colorado officially became a State in 1876. Settlement of the Leadville area started in the late 1850s when ore deposits were discovered there. Miners spread out across most of the mountainous parts of the State in search of minable deposits of gold, silver, and other valuable minerals. The mountains were then in a completely primitive state. Only simple undeveloped trails were then being used. The Ute Indians were the principal users; however, parties from the Great Plains tribes occasionally traveled into the mountains for berries and game. Many of the historic trails in the quadrangle were used by Indian Tribes long before trappers and settlers of European ancestry reached the area. After beaver pelts were found to be useful for the manufacture of men's fur hats, fur trappers and traders rode horses or walked into the primitive areas with their rifles and traps in pursuit of beaver in the 1830s and 1840s. Probably most of the creeks and many of the rivers were dammed by beaver. A market for the beaver pelts was readily available at all of the four fur-trade posts along the South Platte River south of the present town of Greeley: Fort St. Vrain, Fort Jackson, Fort Vasquez, and Fort Lupton. The fur trappers and traders also sought trade with the Indians, often trading with them for bison hides. Bison were scattered throughout the lower parts of the mountains, but not in the immense herds that occupied the Great Plains. Buffalo hunting was not a very profitable business in the mountains.

The earliest recorded exploratory use of the Indian trails in this area by Europeans was in about 1844 by John C. Fremont's second expedition. That party visited the eastern part of the Leadville quadrangle, including the present sites of Dillon, Fremont Pass, the Mosquito Range, the Blue River, Middle Park, and Hoosier Pass (Ewan, 1950, p. 30 and 31). At that time access was only by horseback or on foot because of the bouldery or drowned valley bottoms or because of the narrowness of the valleys.

Discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountains in central Colorado in 1858 led to the discovery and use of several new trails to the streams that had placer deposits. Few trails had destinations to populated areas within the Leadville quadrangle until the discovery of gold placers and the establishment of the earliest towns in the late 1850s. Previous to that there were no major wagon roads that crossed the quadrangle.

The first roads generally were established along animal trails or Indian trails and then were improved by toll road builders or government road builders. When the trails were built, an effort was made to choose level routes; however, very little grading was done, so the horses, mules, or oxen were constantly traveling down into valleys and back up the other side, and fording streams where necessary. Roads passable for wagons were graded in places and generally were free from tree stumps, large boulders, and deep ruts. Diaries kept by some of the travelers on these roads give accounts of stages turning over when traversing steep banks along valleys. Deep streams had to be bridged; shallow streams were forded. Many of the post roads and toll roads listed and shown on this historic trail map were built quickly and had very rough surfaces compared to the paved and even to the unpaved roads today. Over the years, many types of vehicles used the primitive roads, ranging from huge freight wagons to Conestoga wagons and small delivery wagons. Passenger vehicles also varied considerably in size from large stagecoaches to surreys, buggies, open spring wagons, or even hand carts such as those used by the Mormons during their immigration to Utah. Travel on the roads must have been especially difficult after strong rains or heavy snowfall. On mountain roads, heavy snowfall generally shut down all passenger traffic. In this report the actual routes of travel of stages from one point to another can be ascertained by reference to the lists of post roads which describe the most-used routes of travel in the Leadville quadrangle.

Stage lines and stations were established along the major routes between towns and cities. The stages traveled as rapidly as the drivers could get the horses or mules to run. Teams were changed about every 10–15 miles at stations where extra stock were kept in order to provide rested and vigorous animals that could maintain the schedules. These stations were called "swing" stations, but they provided little comfort to the passengers, because stops were only long enough to change the teams. About every fourth station was equipped with a kitchen and dining room so that the passengers could take meals along the routes. These stations were called "home" stations. Some had beds, but generally the stages did not stop for the night, and the passengers had to eat a quick meal, then climb back on and sleep in the coaches as they traveled through the night. Some stations were log cabins; others in the dryer areas were made of adobe or, rarely, clapboard.

Several incentives led to the establishment of stage lines in Colorado. The principal need was for transportation of people, but almost as important was the transport of freight and mail, which constituted a large part of the profit for the stage companies. Many contractors began transporting freight as soon as roads were built. However, operators of the stages had to submit bids to the Post Office Department for the privilege of carrying the mail, and competition along some stage lines was very keen, even though the profit was somewhat meager. Although the stage routes were established by the mail contractors to haul mail and passengers, the traffic along the roads also included freighters, immigrants, and gold seekers.

During most of the time the trails were used, travel was rather hazardous. The best known reason was that the resident Indian Tribes were antagonized by the intrusion of the European settlers into their native lands, which led them to try to discourage settlement by attacking the settlers. In the Leadville quadrangle the Ute Indians were particularly troublesome. Treaties between the Indian Tribes and the U.S. Government were agreed to, but were commonly broken either by the Indians or the settlers. In the early years (1858–1863) when there were fewer travelers into Colorado, there was much less trouble than in the later years (1864–1869) when travel increased. The trouble escalated when the military attempted to prevent the Indians from harassing travelers along the stage lines. To protect travelers along the stage routes, the military fortified and stationed troops at some of the existing stage stations. New forts that had cavalry soldiers were also built along some of the trails. Travelers were forced to travel in groups and the cavalry controlled the number of wagons in each traveling group and provided escorts to assure their safety from Indian attacks.

Whereas on the plains the only sources of water for travelers were from scarce springs, ephemeral water holes, and a few ephemeral streams, in the mountains there were many streams, springs, and small lakes. Many of the trails followed creeks directly up to a mountain pass and then descended along a different stream on the other side. Nearly all of the water in the streams and springs was cold, clear, and drinkable; however, some springs gave forth hot water. Hot springs are fairly common in the Leadville quadrangle. Many of them are labeled as hot springs on the trail map. Some were renowned and became tourist destinations, such as those at Glenwood Springs and at Soda Springs at the eastern foot of Mount Massive.

Westward movement and settlement was encouraged by the Homestead Act of 1862. Many persons displaced by the Civil War moved onto the newly opened land even though the resident Indians were still a potential threat. However, after the General Land Office completed the land surveys in the 1880s, many of the Tribes had already moved out of the area. Much of the land became safe for settlement and small towns sprang up, generally spaced no more than 10 miles apart—about the distance a team and wagon could travel to town and back in a day. Roads were built to connect the new communities and to provide access to the major trails. Finally, railroads were built westward into the Colorado mountains and connected the mountain communities with the plains.

After settlements were established in the mountains, a system for the distribution of mail became more formalized. The first mail routes in the west were called Star Routes. Prospective carriers had to bid for mail routes that had been publicly advertised. Contractors had to provide their own transport and other equipment to deliver the United States Mail; however, they were also permitted to carry freight, passengers, and express.

Before the Star Routes were established, mail, freight, and express had been delivered by the stage companies. According to McCullough (1998), upon arrival of the mail, the carrier would empty the mail sacks into a large wooden box. Those expecting mail would sort out their own letters. Mail might be delivered only once a week or even less often. In 1866, mail to the Leadville area was transported by people who volunteered to bring the mail from postal sources closer to Denver and who commonly were paid per letter for their service.


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Unsolved Problems

Locations of some stage stations, road ranches (the popular name for stage stations that offered food, livestock, and lodging in the 1860s), and ghost towns are not well known, because there are few detailed maps or descriptions of the exact locations of these features. Most of the available early maps were very generalized and lacked a surveyed grid. Even after the General Land Office township grid became available, cultural features were located differently on many of the published maps. Some place names listed in the toll road charters could not be located or accurately placed by me on the Leadville trail maps. In addition, many of the trails and features, such as stage stations, were abandoned before the land was surveyed and before the counties were organized, so these features cannot be found on the land plats or on county deed records. After the stage lines were abandoned, the station buildings were almost immediately torn down and scavenged as material for constructing buildings elsewhere.


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Method of Preparation of the Trail Map

The most reliable sources for accurately identifying and locating the trails are aerial photographs, the original General Land Office (GLO) land plats, and the early GLO surveyor's field notes that were prepared only a few years after the trails were in use. The railroads were located from many excellent published maps, railroad time tables, and books. The names and locations of towns were obtained from old maps, gazetteers, postal guides, and the earliest site localities in the official applications for the establishment of Post Offices. The correct location for many towns was obtained from U.S. Postal Service site maps; however, some towns did not have site maps, so accurate locations of those towns cannot be assured. In addition, the locations of Post Offices have changed over the years; nevertheless, each place where a town's Post Office existed is shown. Published articles about events along the historic trails in the quadrangle were a great help in preparing the map. Hundreds of U.S. Geological Survey aerial photographs (taken mostly in the 1950s) of the mineral and coal mining areas at a scale of about 1:20,000 were examined with a stereoscope to locate the railroads, mining settlements, and some of the trails; in addition, trails plotted from the land plats were searched for on the aerial photographs. Many segments of the trails are still detectable on the aerial photographs because almost none of the Leadville area was ever plowed. Very little use of some of the trails was made after the middle of the 19th century. Only the aerial photographs of mining areas were studied stereoscopically in order to find old trails; many segments were found. Aerial photographs outside of the mining areas were not readily available to me, but some were examined. Therefore, most of the trails ultimately were plotted from those shown on the land plats made from 1876 to 1890, and from old privately published maps. Finally, the trails, railroads, stage stations, towns, and other features were transferred to mylar base maps of the Leadville quadrangle.

More than 110 books and articles and more than 100 published and unpublished maps were examined to obtain information for this map. Unfortunately, locations of many cultural features varied from map to map, and the exact locations of some features were difficult to determine; therefore, those features may not be accurately located. Where the location of a town or other feature is uncertain, the term "location?" is added on the map.


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Acknowledgments

I extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the following U.S. Geological Survey managers for their unwavering and enthusiastic support of the last three trail maps I've published (Denver, Trinidad, and Leadville): Diane N. Wells (Associate Regional Executive for Geology), Tom Fouch (former Central Regional Executive for Geology), Randall G. Updike (Central Regional Executive for Geology), Elly Brouwers (former Associate Regional Executive for Geology), Terry D'Erchia (Chief, Central Publications Group), and Randy Schumann (Team Chief Scientist, Central Earth Surface Processes Team).

This map was prepared principally at the request of the librarians in the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library. Also, other researchers of early immigration trails and of Colorado history have requested that preparation of the historic trail maps of Colorado be continued. Most of the research was done in the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library. Its comprehensive collection of maps and books about the history of the Western United States was the primary source for most of the information. For their kind help, I thank the department personnel, especially Philip J. Panum, map specialist. The official records of Colorado that are preserved in the Colorado Archives provided almost all of the information about toll roads in the quadrangle. After I had searched Archive records for many days, I fortunately was offered the loan of the research notes of the late Paul D. Harrison, Sr., that contained his records of all toll roads in Colorado. The Colorado Historical Society Library helped solve some special problems. Postal site location applications were studied at the Denver Regional Office of the National Archives and at the local office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Also the General Land Office plats were studied at the National Archives office on the Denver Federal Center. Both the General Land Office plats and surveyor's field notes were examined at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 2850 Youngfield St., Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I benefited greatly from the assistance of the BLM staff, especially Andrew J. Senti, historian of the BLM, who is very knowledgeable about the BLM records and maps. The U.S. Geological Survey Library, Building 20, Denver Federal Center, gave access to early topographic and geologic maps and also to the field records of the geological surveys of the mineral mining lands in the Leadville quadrangle; these materials permitted me to more accurately locate all of the railroad spur lines that went to the mines. The U.S. Geological Survey National Mapping Division Mapping Center helped me to study a small part of their immense coverage of their low altitude aerial photographs of the Leadville quadrangle. I thank William H. Bauer, the expert on U.S. Post Offices in Colorado, who examined the list of place names in the Leadville quadrangle, and restricted the use of the title "Post Office" to only those places that actually had official Post Offices. Other places that did postal business, such as Oro City, are called unofficial Post Offices. Sam McGeorge, President and Executive Director of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum at Leadville, located Shantytown and a second community of Tintown, which I had not been able to find. Kenton Forrest of the Colorado Railroad Museum reviewed the text and maps and suggested many revisions of railroad names and routes, and made suggestions about content that improved the accuracy and made it easier to understand which rail lines actually operated in the map area. I am very grateful to him for compiling the list of railroads in the Leadville quadrangle. I benefited greatly by the use of the ghost–town books by Bancroft (1961), Brown (1968), Eberhart (1959), Griswold and Griswold (1996), and Wolle (1955, 1974, and 1977). Ralph Shroba, a geologist of the U.S. Geological Survey, who is a skilled map reviewer, examined the maps and text and suggested many corrections and additions.


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Historic Trails

The trails shown on this map were derived mostly from maps of Colorado made from the middle 1800s to the early 1900s. Maps made by the U.S. Forest Service of National Forests within the boundaries of the Leadville quadrangle provided the locations of many trails. Books about mountain passes and toll roads contained names and approximate locations of some important trails. All of the trails on the historic trail maps are approximately located and could not be directly used as Revised Statute 2477 right–of–ways.

Revised Statute–2477 is a brief but important Federal law that helps control the legality of roads. The exact wording of the 19–word statute is: "The right–of–way for construction of highways over public lands, not reserved for public uses, is hereby granted." A most informative article about RS–2477 was written by Ed Quillen and published in the Colorado Central Magazine, number 85, March 2001, entitled "RS–2477 old roads and new controversies." On October 21, 1976, a Federal Land Policy Management Act went into effect that specifically repealed RS–2477, but all existing RS–2477 rights–of–way were to be honored. Before any of the trails on this historic trail map can be considered as RS–2477 trails, the appropriate county legal authority should be consulted.


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Abbreviations and Symbol Used in this Report

& = and

BLM = U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Br. = Branch

Co. = Company

Jct. = Junction

n.g. = narrow gauge

Rd. = Road

R.R. = Railroad

Ry. = Railway

s.g. = standard gauge

Sta. = Station


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Road Building in the Mountains of the West

One of the first big problems in the mountains was getting people and their tools into the mountains and getting their products back out to buyers. According to Blair (1980, p. 38), Edwin Harrison started the first extensive road building enterprise in Lake County in 1877. Roads were built or improved into California Gulch and up Stray Horse Gulch to the Gallagher's holdings and to Breece's Iron mine. Harrison improved the road over Weston Pass to link his holdings in Alma with those in Leadville. In 1879 a group who formed the Mosquito Pass Toll Road Company built the first good road over the 13,180–foot Mosquito pass. Other early road builders were the Long brothers, Jacob and John, and their partner Charles Derry. Their road was built to get the ore from the J.D. Dana mine in Iowa Gulch to the market. The first ore shipped from the mine went by jack train to Alma on October 26, 1876. They then started building a road from Iowa Gulch to California Gulch so they could ship their ore by wagons instead of the costly jack trains. The two most effective tools for road building were the mule–drawn road scrapers and dynamite. The main roads in 1878 were from Leadville to Stray Horse Gulch, California Gulch, Iowa Gulch, Granite along the Arkansas River south of Leadville, Cache Creek west of Granite, and Twin Lakes. In addition, roads from Leadville were built over Weston Pass and Trout Creek Pass. Another road ran westward from Leadville to the foot of Mount Massive.


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Roads Established or Proposed Under General Assembly Session Laws, Colorado Territorial Corporations and Charters, 1859–1876

(Information is from the Colorado Archives (toll road index cards to certificates of incorporation of road companies, Secretary of State, microfilm roll 1, 1864–1899). Charter, volume and page numbers, and dates of incorporation are shown for most roads. Includes some toll road charters from Hill (1949). Some road alignments could not be shown on the trail map because of crowding. Some segments of trails project outside the Leadville quadrangle; such segments are described. Some proposed roads were never built. The descriptions of the roads are mostly quoted from the original certificates. The spelling and usage of some words, although not in current use today, are retained from the original descriptions. For example, the spelling of the words "ranche" [ranch] and "canon" [canyon].)

Adelaide and Rock Creek Toll Road Company, v. 3, p. 471–472, June 18, 1881. Over the range from Slate River to Rock Creek. One terminus is at Adelaide in the Slate River Valley and the other at or near the town of Schofield on Rock Creek in Gunnison County (Snowmass Mountain 7.5–minute quadrangle)

Alma and Breckenridge Toll Road Company, Charter 2543, v. 2, p. 424–425, Mar. 23, 1880, via Hoosier Pass. From Alma then up the Platte Valley and across Hoosier Pass to the Blue River then down the Blue River to Breckenridge

Aspen and Ashcroft and Taylor Grange Toll Road Company, v. 14, p. 506–508, July 15, 1886, route not stated

Aspen, Hunter Creek, and Leadville Toll Road Company, v. 3, p. 441–442, Dec. 31, 1880. From Aspen then up Hunter Creek to the apex of the Continental Divide then east to city of Leadville

Aspen, Maroon Creek, and Gothic Toll Road Company, Charter 7034, v. 13, p. 6–8 (listed as two or more charters), Aug. 31, 1885, and Sept. 3, 1885; v. 3, p. 479–480, Aug. 11, 1881. From Aspen, Pitkin County, crossing Castle Creek to the east bank of Maroon Creek, then up Maroon Creek and up Elk Mountain and connecting with Silver Knight Road in Gunnison County to or near Gothic in Gunnison County

Bakerville and Leadville Toll Road Company, Charter 1873, v. 1, p. 229–230, Mar. 1, 1879, and v. 3, p. 479–480, via Loveland Pass. From Bakerville, Clear Creek County, then running up the main branch of South Clear Creek southwesterly on the best route to Loveland Pass, then down the west slope of Summit County along the north Snake River to the south or main Snake River to bridge crossing Blue River near and above mouth of Ten Mile Creek then up the valley of Ten Mile Creek to Carbonateville via Chalk Ranche and Chalk Mountain to Leadville

Birds Eye and Leadville Toll Road Company, v. 4, p. 53–54, April 20, 1880. From Birdseye (north of Birdseye Gulch) to Leadville

Blue River, Black Lake, and Mount Powell Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 436–437, March 26, 1880. From where the county wagon road crosses Black Lake Creek, 300 yards south of the Blue River, then following the west bank of stream to just below the outlet of Black Lake and finally to the inlet of Black Lake

Bradford & Blue River Toll Road, v. 4, p. 635–636, Oct. 11, 1881. Mostly outside the Leadville quadrangle (see Scott, 1999, p. 9)

Breckenridge, Buckskin Joe [Laurette], and Hamilton Wagon Road Company, November 8, 1861. From Breckenridge up Blue River and Hoosier Gulch thru Ute [Hoosier] Pass, then down [South] Platte River to Buckskin Joe Gulch. Also a branch of road from Hamilton then up bank of Tarryall Creek following Left Hand Fork toward summit of mountain and along same to a point intersecting the main line of said road in Montgomery Mining District

The Buena Vista, Aspen City, and White River Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 300, Mar. 3, 1880. From Buena Vista in Chaffee County to the White River Agency in Summit County. From Buena Vista up Cottonwood Creek then over Cottonwood Pass into Taylor Park. Then up Taylor River and through Taylor Park and across the divide at the head of Taylor Park. Then to the head of Castle Creek, then down Castle Creek to Highland. Then north to Aspen. Then down Roaring Fork Creek to Grand River. Then northwest to White River Agency

Central City and Montgomery Wagon Road Company, Charter March 11, 1864. From Central City via Breckenridge to Montgomery with a branch to Jefferson (see p. 21 of Scott, 1999)

Chalk Creek and Elk Mountain Toll Road Company, crossed Tin Cup Pass and over Taylor Pass to Ashcroft and Aspen (Wolle, 1974, p. 153)

Chalk Creek, Rancho, Carbonateville, Ten Mile, and Cokomo (Kokomo) Toll Road Corporation, v. 1, p. 226–227, Feb. 28, 1879. From Chalk Creek Ranche in Lake County near the line between Lake and Summit Counties and then to Carbonateville then by Robinson mine to Cokomo in Summit County over the route known as Horse and Foot Trail from Chalk Creek Ranch to Ten Mile and Cokomo

Colorado and California Wagon Road Company, Jan. 11, 1867. From a point 6 miles west of Empire City to Bear River to a point on the Denver & Pacific Wagon Road opposite the point where the Berthoud Trail intersects with said road then up the north side of Clear Creek to Jones Pass, over the pass to head of Williams Fork of the Grand River, then down Williams Fork to Middle Park and west to Grand River and Gore Pass to Bear River

Copper Creek and Maroon Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 214 and 216–217, Feb. 18. 1880. At the northeast line of survey of Gothic City and running along Copper Creek to the summit of the divide between Copper Creek and Maroon Creek, Gunnison County

Cottonwood and Roaring Fork Toll Road Company, Charter 2227, v. B, p. 382–383, Nov. 29, 1879. From a point at the Cottonwood Toll Road in Gunnison County and running through Taylor Park following the old Ute Trail as near as may be to Roaring Forks in Gunnison County

Crystal City Toll Road Company, Charter 4006, July 18, 1881, vol. 3, p. 624. From Scofield, Gunnison County, and following Rock Creek down to its junction with Roaring Fork in its most practicable route

Crystal Park Toll Road and Investment Company, v. 14, p. 617–618, Oct. 6, 1886

Crystal River Toll Road Company, v. 14, p. 483–485, June 30, 1886. From a point on the west bank of Crystal River (sometimes called Rock Creek) near the confluence of Yule Creek and Crystal River in Gunnison County, down the valley of Crystal River to the point known as Satank in Garfield County

Currant Creek Wagon Road Company, Charter 984, Apr. 10, 1874 (vol. A?). Route not stated

Currant Creek Toll Road Company, Charter 18335, Mar. 20, 1895. Via Currant Creek Divide? A pass? Route not stated

The Deep Creek and White River Toll Road Construction Company, v. 5, p. 460, May 5, 1883. From the mouth of the Eagle River, up the northeast side of Deep Creek and down the South Fork of White River to the old White River Agency with a bridge from at or near the head of Grizzly Gulch to Carbonate, Garfield County

Denver, Bradford, and Blue River Wagon Road Company, Oct. 11, 1861. From Denver via Bradford, North Fork of the South Platte River, and Hamilton in South Park, to Breckenridge on the Blue River in Middle Park, with a branch from a junction 10 miles from Bradford, on the main line of said road, to Clear Creek, or Vasquez Fork, near Golden City

Dotsero Toll Road Company, v. 5, p. 522–523, Mar. 2, 1883. From a bridge that crosses Eagle River above the mouth of Gypsum Creek in Eagle County then west along north bank of Eagle River to town of Dotsero

Eagle City and Leadville Toll Road Company, Charter 2097, Sept. 5, 1879, via Tennessee Pass, v. 1, p. 580–582, Aug. 23, 1879. From Eagle City via Fishback(?) to Leadville, a wagon road. Beginning at southern line of Eagle City, then up to Piney on Tennessee Creek crossing the range at Tennessee Pass, then down the Tennessee Fork of the Arkansas River about one and a half miles then along the base of the mountain on north side of said stream and crossing the Arkansas River near the mouth of Big Evans Gulch, thence in a southerly direction and entering Leadville from a northerly direction in Summit and Lake Counties

Eagle City and White River Toll Road Company, v. B, p. 280–282, October 27, 1879. From the north end of 5th Street in Eagle City then westerly to the base of Baxter Mountain then down the Eagle River via Redcliff to its junction with the Grand River, then along the Grand River and near the Ute Trail to the White River Agency in the State of Colorado

Eagle River and Gunnison Valley Wagon Road Company, v, 2, p. 120–121, Jan. 14, 1880. From a little beyond Battle Mountain, down Eagle River, then southwest to the Roaring Fork River and into the Gunnison Country, and to Summit County, and to Gothic City, Gunnison County

Eagle River Road Company, v. 4, p. 189–190, May 17, 1880. From the county line on Tennessee Pass, down Buckeye Gulch to Eagle City then along Eagle River about 10 miles below the junction of Brush Creek on Eagle River, then by way of Gypsum Creek Pass (Cottonwood Pass) to the junction of Frying Pan Creek with the Roaring Fork then following along Roaring Fork to near the junction with Castle Creek, then up Castle Creek to the town of Highland, then beginning at a point where the above route leaves the Eagle River continuing down said Eagle River to its mouth

Eagle River Toll Road Company, v. 1, p. 513–515, July 14, 1879; v. B, p. 450, August 6, 1879. From Eagle City and Red Cliff then down Eagle River through Battle Mountain Park to Coronado and the conjunction of the Eagle River with Grand River, about 50 miles. The company built two bridges over the Eagle River that allowed easier transport of ore out and supplies in

Emma and Jerome Park Toll Road—no further information

Empire and Grand River Wagon Road Company, v. 4, p. 216–218, Dec. 9, 1880. From Empire west 5.5 miles to Freeman Sawmill in Atlantic Mining District, then from north of old Freeman Sawmill on the Georgetown & Middle Park Wagon Road up the valley of Middle Clear Creek through town of Atlantic and the District of Atlantic in Clear Creek County and along the north bank of Middle Clear Creek about 4 miles to where the "Old Jones Road" crosses said Middle Clear Creek on its way to Jones Pass, then along a line of said Jones Road down to the headwaters of Williams Fork then down Williams Fork along Jones Road to the Grand River in Grand County, Colorado

Empire and White River Wagon Road Company, v. D, p. 352–354, Aug. 7, 1871. From Empire City, Clear Creek County, to White River Indian Agency starting at western boundary line of Empire City on "best" route up Middle Fork of South Clear Creek, via Freeman's Saw Mill and thru Berthoud's Pass, to Hot Sulphur Springs on Grand River in Summit County and by "best" route thru Gore's Pass to White River Indian Agency, the end

Empire City, New Pass (Loveland Pass), Breckenridge and Montgomery City Road Company, August 15, l862. From Empire City to Georgetown, via South Fork of Vasquez River (Clear Creek) over Loveland Pass and to Breckenridge and then Montgomery City on head of South Platte River (Ridgeway, 1932; Gilliland, 1987)

Evans, Leadville, and Green River Toll Road Company, v. 1, p. 175–176, January 18, 1879. From Leadville through Tennessee Pass to the head of Eagle River then down river to the lakes then to mouth of Eagle River then to Grand River then across Grand River to Egeria Park to Hot Springs then northwest to the northwest corner of Colorado at or near mouth of Red River in Colorado

Fairplay and California Gulch Wagon Road Company, Articles of Incorporation 126, July 10, 1865, v. B, p. 17. From Fairplay (Fruth(?) Park) to the old toll gate at the foot of [Mosquito] Range, then over said range to California Gulch

The Gay Toll Road Company, v. 5, p. 210, March 5, 1883. From a point on the east side of Rock Creek about a mile from the confluence of Rock Creek with Roaring Fork River then northwest to a "sage brush park," then one–half mile west thru the park to a small creek then crossing creek to the northwest about 2 miles to another crossing of same creek then west thru a gap formed by creek thru a sandstone ridge near the foot of Huntsman's Hills. Then south to the north end of the Gay Coal Claim, the terminal point. Also with an extension not described here

Georgetown and Breckenridge Wagon Road Company, Jan. 11, 1867; and v. D, p. 150–153, Oct. 29, 1869. From Georgetown up west branch of South Clear Creek to junction of Grizzly Fork, up Grizzly Fork and thru Irwin Pass on North Fork Snake River then down Snake River and up Blue River to Breckenridge. Also a branch road from junction of Kelso Creek then up Kelso Creek

Georgetown and Ten Mile Road Company, Charter 1847, Feb. 3, 1879, v. 1, p. 198–199. From Georgetown and over the range and down the Snake River and up the creek from Snake River to Montezuma, then by way of Ten Mile Creek to Recen and Kokomo and by a feasible route to Leadville. Stages from Denver to Georgetown operated from 1879 to 1886

Glenwood Springs, Carbonate, and Eagle River Wagon Toll Road and Telegraph and Telephone Company, v. 10, p. 386–387, Mar. 26, 1885. To construct a Wagon Toll Road and Telegraph and Telephone Company line from Glenwood Springs in Garfield County up and along on either side of the Grand River crossing it by bridges, ferries, or fords to the mouth of Grizzly Creek then up said creek to Carbonate then up river to mouth of Eagle River at Dotsero in Eagle County

Glenwood Springs and Trappers Lake Toll Road Company, v. 17, p. 451–453, Nov. 6, 1888, route not stated

Gore Pass and White River Wagon Road Company, Jan. 11, 1867. From Gore pass via Egeria Park, Dome Mountain, and White River to intersect, in Simpson's Park, with the Salt Lake Road opened in 1865

Grand and White River Toll Road Company, v. 11, p. 120, Dec. 12, 1882. From a point on the Grand River opposite the mouth of Eagle River, then following the Old Ute Trail in a northwest direction to the White River Agency commencing again on the Grand River opposite the mouth of Roaring Fork River then running north up and across Grizzly Canon Creek and to the head of said creek, there forming a junction with the road projected from the mouth of Eagle River to the White River Agency

Grand River and Carbonate Toll Road Company, Charter 5518, Mar. 3, 1883, v. 5, p. 208–209. From the west end of the bridge crossing the Grand River above the mouth of the Eagle River then west along a dry gulch and near the old Ute Trail to White River Agency, from thence south to Coffee Pot Springs, then west to Carbonate, the terminus

Hamilton and Breckenridge Wagon Road Company, vol. C, p. 301–303, Articles of Incorporation 330, Sept. 10 and Oct. 23, 1867. From Hamilton, Park County, then along north side of Tarryall Creek thru Tarryall to the base of the range then via the Breckenridge [Boreas] Pass to the summit of the range then down the north side of Indiana Gulch to the valley of the Blue to Breckenridge, Summit County

Hamilton and Montgomery Wagon Road Company, Jan. 27, 1866. From Hamilton via Tarryall, Dead Wood, and Little French Creek, across the range and ending at Montgomery

Kelly's Toll Road in Eagle County in the north half of T. 5 S., R. 80 W., in the 1880s, route not stated

Leadville, Hunter Creek, and Aspen Toll Road Company, Charter 3492, Mar. 11, 1881, via Hunter Pass, v. 7, p. 258–259. From Malta to the mouth of Halfmoon Gulch to the head thereof and to the head of Lackawanna Gulch then around the head of Lackawanna Gulch over the Continental Divide between the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Creeks, then west to the head of Hunters Creek, then down the creek to Aspen

Leadville, Roaring Fork, and Grand River Toll Road Company, Charter 2249, v. B, p. 429–431, Dec. 4, 1879, via Sunbeam Pass. Beginning at Leadville thence along the most practicable route to Twin Lakes then up the Mountain Boy Pass (same as Independence Pass?) to the foot of Sunbeam Pass, thence down Independence Gulch for the distance of about four miles crossing the range dividing Hunter's Creek from Roaring Fork, thence down Hunters Creek to Roaring Fork, thence by the most practicable route to Grand River

Leadville and Aspen Toll Road Co., a road between Independence and Aspen, route not stated

Leadville and Eagle River Toll Road Company, v. B, p. 291–292, April 16, 1879. To construct a wagon road between Leadville and Eagle River, route not stated

Leadville and Lime Creek Wagon Road Company, v. 7, p. 293–294, June 9, 1881. From a point on the Leadville, Frying Pan, and Roaring Fork Wagon Road near the Leadville and Company's sawmill, then west up Lake Park Gulch to Evans Pass, then along the west slope of the mountain in a northwest direction to the head of Lime Creek, a distance of 10 miles from Evans Pass

Leadville and Soda Springs Omnibus and Toll Road Company, v. 4, p. 304–305, May 1, 1880, v. 16, July 14, 1887. From foot of Main Street at the west boundary of Leadville and running northwest to a point west of a brick yard then north, crossing the Arkansas River to the race course then northwest to Soda Springs. The Company had constructed 4.5 miles of excellent road and owned one omnibus, one span of horses and harness, two water tanks for sprinkling the road, two wagons, seven miles of fence, two toll houses, and two hundred seventy dollars worth of tools

Leadville and Ten Mile Toll Road Company, Charter 1786 and 1890, v. 1, p. 108–109, Oct. 28, 1878, Oct. 31, 1878, v. 1, p. 255–257, Mar. 14, 1879, and Mar. 17, 1879. From Leadville to junction of the Snake, Blue, and Ten Mile Rivers to connect with the Georgetown and Middle Park Road in Summit County

Leadville and Ten Mile Toll and Wagon Road Company, v. 1, p. 227–229, Mar. 1, 1879. From Leadville to run northwestward, cross Evans Gulch to the Arkansas River then to the Chalk Ranch then over the pass to near the head of Ten Mile Creek to Carbonateville

Leadville, Eagle River, and White River Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 222–223, Feb. 20, 1880. From Leadville, then northwest to the Evans Creek, then down the west side of creek to the Arkansas River then across the Arkansas and along the base of Sawatch Range and along base of Chalk [Sawatch] Range across Tennessee Park and the canon between the upper Tennessee Park, then over Tennessee Pass and then down the north side of White Pine Creek to Little Piney Creek then down said creek to Eagle River, then down Eagle River, along the base of Balten(?) and Horn Silver Mountain to Red Cliff, down the Eagle River to near its junction with Grand River, then crossing Grand River and along and near the Ute Trail to the White River Indian Agency near White River

Leadville, Frying Pan, and Roaring Fork Wagon Road Company, Charter 2406, Feb, 13, 1880, v. 2, p. 160–161, Feb. 9, 1880. From Leadville to Ute City by way of Lake Park Fork of Arkansas River then to Summit of main range then to lake on North Fork of Frying Pan then to Sixty One Camp, then to divide between Woody Creek and Hunter Creek then to north of Hunter Creek and then to Ute City (Aspen), the terminus

Leadville, Malta, and Soda Springs Toll Road Company, v. 4, p. 317–318, June 19, 1880. From Leadville to Soda Springs by way of Malta

Leadville, Massive City, and Roaring Forks Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 354–355, Mar. 11, 1880. From a point on the Arkansas River about 2 miles north of Leadville to its junction of Lake Park Creek then west to Mt. Massive, to Big Frying Pan Creek, then down Frying Pan Creek to Roaring Fork, then along Roaring Fork Creek to its junction with the Grand River, being the northwest terminal

Leadville, Roaring Fork, and Gunnison Toll Road Company, v, 2, p. 458–459, April 1, 1880, Charter 2561, Apr. 3, 1880. From the west end of Chestnut Street, in Leadville, then running west on the south side of California Gulch via the town of Malta to the Arkansas River. Then running in a southwest course to Half Moon Gulch or Half Moon Pass. Then up the pass southwesterly near the range to Roaring Forks and town of Aspen, Gunnison County. Stage fare from Leadville to Aspen was $8.00, through three toll gates

Leadville, Twin Lakes, and Gunnison Toll Road Company, v. 1, p. 363–364, May 6 1879; v. 1, p. 374–375, May 12, 1879. From Leadville via Twin Lakes, Lake Creek and Washington Gulch trail to Gunnison Valley. A minimum amount of work was done on the road west and south of the Twin Lakes and none on the Lake Creek Pass itself

Malta and Twin Lakes Toll Road Mining and Town Company, v. 2, p. 28–29, Jan. 20, 1880. A wagon road between Malta and Twin Lakes

Maroon Toll Road Company, v. 6, p. 198–199, Mar. 4, 1881. From Aspen to Gothic, route not stated

The Middle Park and Grand River Wagon Road Company, v. 5, p. 290, March 2, 1883. From the termination of the Georgetown, Empire, and Middle Park Wagon Road at or near the Junction Ranch in Grand County to the town of Carbonate in Garfield County. From there to Hot Sulphur Springs in Grand County passing the Ostrander Ranch following down the Grand River to the confluence of the Grand and Grizzly Creek, passing thru Eagle County then up the creek to the town of Carbonate in Garfield County

Montgomery and Gertrude Wagon Road Company, Charter 3842, June 7, 1881, via Hoosier Pass, v. 6, p. 318–319, June 3, 1881. From Montgomery and up the Platte River to the Gertrude mine about 5 miles (on North Star Mountain)

Mosquito Pass Wagon Road Company, v. 1, p. 92–93, Oct. 8, 1878. Also called Mosquito Pass Toll Road Company. From the forks of Mosquito Creek above the town of Mosquito (sometimes called Sterling) via Park County, then west and over the Mosquito Range through Mosquito Pass and down west side of range to Evans Gulch and Oro City in California Gulch. From 1879 to 1880 four major stage and freight lines operated over the road

Mount Carbon and Grand River Toll Road Company, Charter 2610, Apr. 19, 1880, v. 2, p. 548–549, Mar. 25, 1880. From the northwest corner of the NE 1/4 of sec. 20, T. 15 S., R. 86 W., then up the east side of the East Branch of Ohio Creek to Mount Carbon coal banks, then along said east branch in a northerly direction for about 1.5 miles and from thence along said east branch in a northwesterly direction for about 2 miles and from there by the most practicable route to Irwin City and Ruby Camp and from there by the most suitable route, yet to be determined by survey, to the Grand River

Park Range Road Company [Leadville] (No. 1), v. A, p. 196, Apr. 30, 1877. From a point a mile below the Cold Spring Ranch near Malta, then easterly to the old Union ranch, then up Union Creek to the top of the Continental Divide between Lake and Park Counties, then down the South Fork of the South Platte River to the public road from Fairplay to the Salt Works. Dissolution on Apr. 20, 1880

Pitkin and Virginia City (Tincup) Toll Road Company, v. 6, p. 498–499, April 4, 1881. From Pitkin down Willow Creek to Virginia City; up the east fork of Quartz Creek and South Frying Pan; also up Roaring Forks Creek about 10 miles, then via Red Mountain Trail to Twin Lakes Creek; also from Aspen to old Highland on Aspen Mountain, then to Taylor Park, and do all the things incident thereto

Red Canon Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 588, January 11, 1877(?). From Squaw Creek near its junction with Eagle River, down Eagle River thru the Red Canon to a point opposite the mouth of Gypsum Creek. All in Summit County

Red Cliff and Gore Creek Toll Road Company, v. 13, p. 379–380, Feb. 18, 1882. A wagon road between Red Cliff and Gore Creek Park in Summit County to run up Willow Creek to where divided and down to the park

Red Cliff and Gore Creek Wagon Road Company, v. 5, p. 306–307, April 6, 1883. From Red Cliff in Eagle County to mouth of Gore Creek. To Cleveland along the Eagle River Toll Road, then to Rock Creek along the Belden mine Road then northwest to Astor City then down Eagle River to the mouth of Gore Creek

Red Cliff Wagon Road Company, Charter 5577, Apr. 9, 1883, via Tennessee Pass, route not stated

Red Mountain and Ashcroft Toll Road Company, v. 13, p. 372–374, Dec. 31, 1881. From the Miners Ranch near the southwest corner of Lake County at a point one–third mile from the confluence from the north and south forks of Lake Creek and running southwest along the South Fork of Lake Creek to Lake Creek or Red Mountain Pass in Chaffee County then west to Ashcroft in Pitkin County

Rifle Creek and White River Toll Road Company, v. 12, Certificate of Incorporation number 43, Mar. 9, 1887. From a point to intersect the old Government Road from White River at Roynors Ranch on Rifle Creek near the Government crossing. Then northerly up Rifle Creek and through the hogback canon, and then up Middle Rifle Creek by the most practicable route to the White River at or near the town of Meeker, Colorado

Roaring Fork Toll Road Company, Charter 2193, v. B, p. 301–303, November 5, 1879. From the mouth of Pass Creek, one terminus, to the mouth of Castle Creek, the other terminus, in the state of Colorado. The road to run from Castle River to Taylor River at the head thereof, then down Taylor River to Willow Creek then to the other terminus in Montrose quadrangle

Schofield and Sheep Mountain Toll Road Company, v. 7, p. 521, May 11, 1881. Snowmass City near the foot of Sheep Mountain. From Schofield to Whopper Mountain then along the north fork of Rock Creek to Snowmass City then from Snowmass City to Sheep Mountain

South Park, Alma, and Leadville Toll Road Company, Jan. 22, 1878, and Charter 1625, v. B, p. 5, Feb. 14, 1878. From a point near Lechners Coal Bank in South Park, Park County, to town of Leadville. From Lechners Coal Bank west over foot hills of Silver Heels Mountain to Alma, then via Mosquito Gulch, Mosquito Pass, and Evans Gulch to Leadville

South Park, Alma, and Ten Mile Toll Road Company, Charter 1937, v. 1, p. 335, April 19, 1879. Beginning at a point on the line of the Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad near the Eight Mile House and the base of Mount Silverheels in Denver 1° × 2° quadrangle to Alma, thence along the Platte to the head then across the range to head of Ten Mile Creek and then to Carbonateville

South Park, Blue River, and Middle Park Wagon Road Company, February 5, 1866. From Tarryall via Breckenridge down Blue River to mouth of Snake River then to Middle Park, Summit County, where road intersects Overland Wagon Road. Also a branch from mouth of Snake River, up Snake River ending at Silveropolis (Scott, 1999) in Summit County, Denver 1° × 2° quadrangle

Sweetwater and White River Toll Road Company, v. 10, p. 558, June 18, 1885. From the town of Dotsero near the junction of the Eagle and Grand Rivers to the mouth of the South Fork of the White River by way of Deep Creek and Sweetwater River and down the South Fork of the White River with branches to Carbonate and Defiance Mining Camp in Colorado

Tarryall and Arkansas River Wagon Road Company, August 14, 1862. Known as the "California Gulch Road" from Fairplay in Park County then past Weston's Ranch and across Snowy Range between the South Park and the Arkansas River to California Gulch passing near the Union Ranch and Anderson's Ranch (Scott, 1999, p. 23)

Taylor River and Spring Creek Toll Road Company, v. 4, p. 448, August 19, 1880, route not stated

Ten Mile and Eagle River Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 98, January 29, 1880. From mouth of West Ten Mile Creek in Summit Creek at the terminus of the Bakerville and Leadville Toll Road on West Ten Mile Creek. Beginning at or near the east end of West Ten Mile, then running up the north side of West Tenmile Creek about 8 miles to the Black Lakes, the summit dividing the waters of Ten Mile Creek and the Eagle River. Then down the Fork of Piney about 6 miles, a northwest and southeast direction to the south fork of Piney that empties into the main Piney opposite the head of Willow Creek, then down the Piney to Eagle a distance of 10 miles in a west direction

Ten Mile Wagon Road Company, Charter 2372, v. 1, p. 221, Feb. 2, 1880. From Bakerville to Carbonateville to transport freight, passengers, and public mail and to erect toll gates and to collect toll

Tennessee Pass and Red Cliff Wagon Road Company, v. 5, p. 308–309, April 9, 1883. From Tennessee Pass in Eagle County to Red Cliff. From Tennessee Pass then by Taylor, westerly from Little Piney Creek to Mitchells then down Little Piney Creek to Eagle City along the line of the Eagle City and Leadville Toll Road. Then across Eagle Park and down Homestake Creek to the mouth of said creek, then up the Eagle Creek to Red Cliff along the line of the Eagle River Toll Road

Twin Lakes and Arkansas Toll Road Company, v. 9, p. 8, Feb. 28, 1881. From the station on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad known as the Twin Lakes Station then west by a bridge across the Arkansas River then up the bluffs on the west bank of the Arkansas River to the valley of Lake Creek, then along the valley of Lake Creek on the north or south bank of said Creek to the Lower Twin Lake. Then along the southern and western shore of Lower Twin Lake to the village of Twin Lakes between the two lakes, also commencing at some point on the above route along the valley of Lake Creek and along the north side of the Lower Twin Lake to the village of Twin Lakes between the two lakes

Twin Lake and Gunnison Toll Road and Mining and Town Company, route not stated

Twin Lakes, Roaring Forks, and Grand River Toll Road Company, Charter 2098, v. 1, p. 582, Sept. 5, 1879, via Sunbeam Pass (Hunter or Independence Pass). From the end of the county road on Lake Creek in Lake County and running thence up Lake Creek to the Forks of said Creek thence up the north fork of said Creek to the Mountain Boy Gulch, and up said Mountain Boy Gulch at the foot of Sunbeam Pass (Independence Pass?), thence over Sunbeam Pass and down Independence Gulch to the Roaring Fork Creek, thence down Roaring Fork Creek to the "Indian boundary" near the mouth of the Frying Pan Creek in Summit County, then to the Grand River (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 507). (Toll 25 cents for a pack animal; $8.00 fare from Leadville to Aspen on the stage.) The stage stops westward from Twin Lakes were: (1) Twin Lakes, (2) Four Mile Park, (3) Red Mountain Inn, 0.5 mile below forks of the Lake Creek, (4) Myers Camp, (5) Brumley (Bromley?), and (6) Independence

Ute Pass Toll Road Company, Charter 5013, v. 13, p. 599, July 12, 1882, via Ute Pass. From a point on the Blue River in Summit County opposite the Ute Pass and where the trail over Ute Pass leaves the Blue River then as near as practicable following the trail over the Ute Pass to Williams River in Grand County then up and along said River following said River to a point near the Ready Cash mine in said county from Blue River to the summit of Williams River mountain range in Summit County and from summit of said range to terminus of road in Grand County in Colorado

Virginia and Roaring Fork Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 276, Mar. 5, 1880. From Virginia City (Tincup) in Gunnison County, then to Hillerton in Gunnison County then to a point on the Cottonwood Toll Road near Willow Creek, then through Taylor Park along the line of the Old Ute Trail then to Roaring Forks (through later Aspen), north of Gunnison County

Western Colorado and Grand River Toll Road Company, v. 4, p. 500, September 8, 1880. From Aspen down the Roaring Fork to the mouth of the Frying Pan Creek then west to west line of Colorado. Also the building of a road up each [some] of the tributaries of Roaring Fork and Grand River: Rock, Sopris, Capitol, Snowmass, Maroon, Castle, Difficult, Frying Pan, and North [named creeks and rivers]

Western Union Toll Road Company, v. 2, p. 134, February 2, 1880. From Carbonateville, Summit County, to the White River Agency. From Carbonateville west to Eagle River, then down Eagle River via Eagle City, Red Cliff, and the Eagle Laper(?). To the junction of said Eagle River with the Grand River then along and near the Old Ute Trail to the White River Agency


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Mountain Passes in the Leadville Quadrangle

(Information included for each pass: name, alternate names, altitude, names of the opposite two drainages leading from the pass, location, county or counties, published 7.5' U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle where located, and type of access. Includes much information from Helmuth and Helmuth (1994).)

Anthracite Pass (The Gap), 10,280 feet. From North Anthracite Creek to Yule Creek, NW l/4 sec. 12, T. 12 S., R. 88 W, Gunnison County/Pitkin County, Marble quadrangle. Foot trail

Avalanche Pass (Coyote Pass, Silver Creek Pass), 12,100 feet. From West Fork Avalanche Creek to Carbonate Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 11 S., R. 87 W., Gunnison County, Marble quadrangle. Foot trail

Blue Hill Pass, 7,660 feet. From Cottonwood Creek to Gypsum Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 5 S., R. 86 W., Eagle County, Cottonwood Pass quadrangle. Automobile road

Booth Creek Passes, 11,780 and 12,060 feet. From Piney River to Booth Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 4 S., R. 80 W., Eagle County, Vail East quadrangle. Foot trails. One pass crosses between Upper Piney Lake and Pitkin Lake via a tributary east of Booth Lake; the second pass uses a "west" fork of Booth Creek Pass at 11,780 feet or the east fork of the creek that comes out of the lake (Helmuth and Helmuth, 1994)

Bowman Pass (Roaring Fork), 12,241 feet. From Bruin Creek to Bowman Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 31, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., Gunnison County/Pitkin County, New York Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

Break Neck Pass (Warm Spring Pass), 10,910 feet. From Sheep Creek to High Creek, north of center of sec. 26, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., Park County, Fairplay West quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Browns Pass, 11,372 feet. From Sheep Creek to High Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., Park County, Fairplay West quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Buckskin Pass, 12,462 feet. From Minnehaha Gulch to Snowmass Creek, NE corner sec. 16, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. On Snowmass Trail. Foot trail

Buzzard Pass (Hightower Pass), 8,026 feet. From Buzzard Creek to Alkali Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 8 S., R. 92 W., Mesa County, Hightower Mountain quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Capitol Pass, 12,060 feet. From Capitol Creek to Avalanche Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 34, T. 10 S., R. 87 W., Pitkin County, Capitol Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

Carbonate Creek Pass, 11,900 feet. From Carbonate Creek to North Fork, Lost Trail Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 11 S., R. 87 W., Gunnison County, Snowmass quadrangle. Foot trail

Central Pass, 12,340 feet. From Big Horn Creek to North Rock Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 28, T. 4 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County/Summit County, Willow Lakes quadrangle. Foot trail

Coberly Gap, 9,260 feet. From Alkali Creek to Milk Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 23, T. 3 S., R. 84 W., Eagle County, Castle Peak quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Columbia Pass, 12,460 feet. From New York Creek to Columbia Creek, SE corner sec. 19, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., Pitkin County, New York Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

Conundrum Pass, 12,780 feet. From Conundrum Creek to East Maroon Creek, in NE 1/4 sec. 17, T. 12 S., R. 85 W., Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

Cottonwood Pass (Gypsum Creek Pass), 8,280 feet. From East Coulter Creek to Cottonwood Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 6 S., R. 87 W., Eagle County, Cottonwood Pass quadrangle. Automobile road

Crooked Creek Pass, 9,995 feet. From Brush Creek to Crooked Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 7 S., T. 83 W., Eagle County, Crooked Creek Pass quadrangle. Automobile road

Dagget Pass, 10,780 feet. From Timber Creek to Turkey Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 6 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County, Red Cliff quadrangle. Automobile road

Daly Pass, 12,500 feet. From Capitol Creek to West Snowmass Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 35, T. 10 S., R. 87 W., Pitkin County, Capital Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

Dick Pass, 8,146 feet. From Thirteenmile Creek to Fourteenmile Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 3 S., R. 94 W., Garfield County, Thirteenmile quadrangle. Automobile road

Difficult Pass, 12,020 feet. From Difficult Creek to Bowman Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 36, T. 11 S., R. 84 W., Pitkin County, New York Peak quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Eagle River Pass, 11,140 feet. From East Fork of the Eagle River to Tenmile Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County/Summit County, Copper Mountain quadrangle, pass buried by Climax mill tailings (Robinson tailings pond)

East Hightower Mountain Pass, 9,390 feet. From Owens Creek to West Willow Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 91 W., Mesa County, Spruce Mountain quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

East Maroon Pass, 11,820 feet. From East Maroon Creek to Copper Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 12 S., R. 86 W. Before the railroads reached Aspen, stagecoaches from Crested Butte traveled daily over Maroon Pass, and down Maroon Creek to Aspen. Gunnison County/Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

East Snowmass (Snowdrift) Pass, 12,700 feet. From East Snowmass Creek to Willow Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

Eccles Pass, 11,900 feet. From South Willow Creek to Meadow Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., Summit County, Vail Pass quadrangle. Foot trail

Electric Pass, 13,500 feet. From Conundrum Creek to Castle Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 11 S., R. 85 W., Pitkin County, Hayden Peak quadrangle. Foot trail on south side of Cathedral Peak

Fall Creek Pass, 12,580 feet. From French Creek to Fall Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 17, T. 7 S., R. 81 W., Eagle County, Mount of the Holy Cross quadrangle. Foot trail

Fancy Pass, 12,380 feet. From Cross Creek to Fancy Creek, center sec. 25, T. 7 S., R. 82 W., Eagle County, Mount Jackson quadrangle. Foot trail

Fremont Pass (Alicante Pass, Arkansas Pass, Tenmile Pass), 11,318 feet. From Tenmile Creek to Arkansas River, SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., Lake County, Climax quadrangle. Two railroads, the D.S.P. & P. and the D. & R.G., and the Climax Post Office at Fremont Pass were once almost the highest in the United States. Only the Ibex Branch east of Leadville was higher. Although Fremont pass was named for John C. Fremont, he never crossed it. Automobile road, Colorado Highway 91

Frigid Air Pass (Fravert Pass) 12,380 feet. From North Fork of Crystal River to the East Fork of the Crystal River, NE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., Gunnison County, Snowmass Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail

Graham Park Divide, 10,575 feet. Foot trail from the north at Stray Horse Gulch to the south to Graham Gulch, SW corner sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., Lake County, Leadville South quadrangle. Foot trail

Graham Pass, 12,540 feet. From Grizzly Creek to Graham Gulch, SE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 11 S., R. 82 W., Lake County/Pitkin County, Independence Pass quadrangle. Foot trail

Grassy Pass, 12,260 feet. From Cross Creek to Lime Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 7 S., R. 82 W., Eagle County, Mount Jackson quadrangle. Foot trail

Gunsight Pass, no information available

Hagerman Pass (Cooke Pass, Fryingpan Pass, Saguache Pass), 11,925 feet. From Busk Creek to Ivanhoe Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., Lake County/Pitkin County, Homestake Reservoir quadrangle. The Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel was used by the Colorado Midland from 1893 to 1922, then renamed the Carlton Tunnel for automobile use. Four–wheel drive trail. The pass is on the Continental Divide Trail

Half Moon Pass, 11,650 feet. From Notch Mountain Creek to East Cross Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 28, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., Eagle County, Mount of the Holy Cross quadrangle. Foot trail

Halsey Pass (Hasley?), 12,100 feet. From the North Fork of the Crystal River to the East Fork of the Crystal River, SE 1/4, sec. 31, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., Gunnison County, Snowmass Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail

Hardscrabble Saddle Pass, 8,859 feet. From Hardscrabble Gulch to Abrams Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 5 S., R. 85 W., Eagle County, Suicide Mountain quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road, passable only from the east

Hartman Divide, 7,940 feet. From Sheephorn Creek to Colorado River, SW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 1 S., R. 81 W., Grand County, Radium quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road, closed

Harvey Gap, 6,200 feet. Sec. 24, T. 5 S., R. 92 W., Silt quadrangle

Haystack Gate Pass, 9,756 feet. From North Thompson Creek to West Divide Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 9 S., R. 90 W., Mesa County/Pitkin County, Quaker Mesa quadrangle. Four–wheel drive trail

Heckert Pass, 12,700 feet. From Bear Creek to Snowmass Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., Pitkin County, Capitol Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

Hell Gate, 10,400 feet. On Ivanhoe Creek in the SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 9 S., R. 82 W., Pitkin County, Nast quadrangle. Now a primitive automobile road?

Hells Gate, 6,600 feet, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 3 S., R. 86 W., Eagle County, Dotsero quadrangle. Now a primitive auto road?

Hoosier Pass (Montgomery Pass and Ute Pass), 11,539 feet. From the Middle Fork of the South Platte River to the Blue River, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 8 S., R. 78 W., Park County/Summit County, Alma quadrangle. Pass used by the Ute Indians. Automobile road. Pass is on the Continental Divide Trail

Horseshoe Pass, 13,180 feet. From Empire Gulch to Horseshoe Gulch, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 10 S., R. 79 W., Lake County/Park County, Mount Sherman quadrangle. Four–wheel drive trail to the east, no access from the west

Hunters Pass, an early name for Independence Pass

Independence Pass (Hunters Pass, Ute Pass), 12,095 feet. From Roaring Fork River to North Fork Lake Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 11 S., R. 82 W, Lake County/Pitkin County. Toll 25 cents per pack animal in the 1880s(?). Independence Pass quadrangle. Colorado Highway 82, closed in winter from November through May

Indian Camp Pass, 9,724 feet. From Buck Creek to Dry Sweetwater Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 3 S., R. 88 W., Garfield County, Deep Lake quadrangle. Automobile road, a former Indian crossing

Kokomo Pass, 12,022 feet. From Cataract Creek to Kokomo Gulch, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County/Summit County, Copper Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail. Pass is on the Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail

Lost Man Pass, 12,810 feet. From Roaring Fork River to Lost Man Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 10 S., R. 82 W., Pitkin County, Mount Champion quadrangle. Foot trail

Lost Ramada Pass, 13,300(?) feet. From North Fork Crystal River to Snowmass Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 12 S., R. 86 W., Gunnison County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

Luens Pass, 12,408 feet. From Tenmile Creek to Sawmill Gulch, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 7 S., R. 78 W., Summit County, Breckenridge quadrangle. Foot trail. Pass is on the Colorado Trail

McClure Pass, 8,763 feet. From Lee Creek to the Crystal River, SE 1/4 sec. 1, T. 11 S., R. 89 W., Pitkin County/Gunnison County, Placita quadrangle. Automobile road

McCord Pass, 10,825 feet. From Piney River to Sheephorn Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 3 S., R. 81 W., Eagle County, Lava Creek quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Midway Pass, 11,841 feet. From Coleman Creek to Midway Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 10 S., R. 83 W., Pitkin County, Thimble Rock quadrangle. Foot trail

Missouri Pass, 11,986 feet. From Cross Creek to Missouri Creek, NE corner sec. 35, T. 7 S., R. 82 W., Eagle County, Mount Jackson quadrangle. Foot trail

Mosquito Pass, 13,186 feet. From Birdseye Gulch to South Mosquito Creek, center NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., also was a toll road. Called the highest pass in North America. Was first traveled by wagons on July 6, 1879, by Wall and Witter, nicknamed the "Highway of Frozen Death." Park County/Lake County, Climax quadrangle. Four–wheel drive trail

Muddy Creek Pass (Muddy Pass), 8,625 feet. From Muddy Creek to Piney River, NW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 3 S., R. 82 W., Eagle County, Lava Creek quadrangle. Automobile road

The Narrows, 7,240 feet. Gunnison County, Bull Mountain quadrangle, SE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 11 S., R. 90 W., a dike narrows a tributary of West Muddy Creek. Foot(?) trail

New York Pass, 12,265 feet. From New York Creek to Bowman Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., Gunnison County/Pitkin County, New York Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

The Notch, 11,795 feet. From East Brush Creek to Lime Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 7 S., R. 83 W., Eagle County, Mount Jackson quadrangle. Foot trail

Paradise Divide (Paradise Pass), 11,250 feet. From Rock Creek to the north to Slate River to the south, NE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 87 W., Gunnison County, Oh–be–Joyful quadrangle, same place as Yule Pass. Four–wheel drive road

Pearl Pass, 12,705 feet. From Copper Creek to East Brush Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 12 S., R. 85 W., Gunnison County/Pitkin County, Pearl Pass quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Ptarmigan Pass, 11,777 feet. From Laskey Gulch to South Fork of Williams Fork River, SW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 4 S., R. 77 W., Grand County/Summit County, Dillon quadrangle. Foot trail, a former Indian trail

Ptarmigan Pass, 11,765 feet. From Resolution Creek to Wilder Gulch, SW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 6 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County/Summit County, Pando quadrangle. Automobile road from south side and four–wheel drive road from the north side

Red Buffalo Pass, 11,540 feet. From South Willow Creek to Gore Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 5 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County/Summit County, Vail Pass quadrangle. Foot trail

Red Mountain Pass, 12,860 feet. From Lincoln Creek to Peekaboo Gulch (South Fork Lake Creek), SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 12 S., R. 82 W., Chaffee County/Pitkin County, Independence quadrangle. Former wagon road, now a rough foot trail on the Continental Divide

Rifle Gap, 5,800 feet. On Rifle Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 92 W., Garfield County, Rifle quadrangle. Automobile(?) road.

The Saddle, 9,340 feet. From Shane Gulch to Lonesome Gulch, SW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 2 S., R. 79 W., Summit County, Squaw Creek quadrangle. Foot trail

Schofield Pass, 10,707 feet. From South Fork of Crystal River to East River, NW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 12 S., R. 86 W., Gunnison County, Snowmass Mountain quadrangle. Automobile road on the south side and four–wheel drive road on the north side. Pass used by Ute Indians

Searle Pass, 12,020 feet. From Searle Gulch to Guller Creek, SE corner NW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., Summit County, Copper Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail, on the Colorado Trail

Shrine Pass, 11,089 feet. From West Ten Mile Creek to Turkey Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 6 S., R. 79 W, Summit County/Eagle County, Vail Pass quadrangle. Automobile road, a former Indian trail

Silver Creek Pass, 12,260 feet. From East Fork of Avalanche Creek to the North Fork of Lost Trail Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 11 S., R. 87 W., Gunnison County, Snowmass Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail

Snowcat Pass, 12,510 feet. From East Fork Eagle River to the Arkansas River, SE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County, Leadville North quadrangle. Foot trail on Continental Divide

Snow Lake Pass, 12,540 feet. From Deluge Creek to Gore Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 5 S., R. 79 W., Eagle County, Willow Lakes quadrangle. Foot trail

South Fork Pass, 11,840 feet. From South Fork of the Fryingpan Creek to Lost Man Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 10 S., R. 82 W., Pitkin County, Mount Champion quadrangle. Foot trail

South Halfmoon Pass, 12,880 feet. From South Halfmoon Creek to Echo Creek, center sec. 7, T. 11 S., R. 81 W., Lake County, Mount Elbert quadrangle. Foot trail, on the Continental Divide Trail

Spud Pass, 11,740 feet. From Deep Creek to North Anthracite Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 16, T. 12 S., R. 88 W., Gunnison County, Marble quadrangle. Foot trail

Sugarloaf Pass, 11,075 feet. From Lake Fork of Arkansas River to Colorado Gulch, SW corner sec. 14, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., Lake County, Homestake Reservoir quadrangle. Foot trail, on the Colorado Divide Trail

Taylor Pass, 11,928 feet. From Taylor River to Express Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 11, T. 12 S., R. 84 W., Pitkin County/Gunnison County, Hayden Peak quadrangle. Four–wheel drive road

Taylor Creek Pass, 9,980 feet. From Cattle Creek to Taylor Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 7 S., R. 86 W., Eagle County, Toner Reservoir quadrangle. Foot trail. Pass road gives access to the Red Table Mountain Road (Helmuth and Helmuth, 1994, p. 215)

Tellurium Pass, 12,620 feet. From Brooklyn Gulch to Tellurium Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., Gunnison County/Pitkin County, New York Peak quadrangle. Foot trail

Tenmile Pass (see Fremont Pass)

Tennessee Pass, 10,424 feet. From South Fork of the Eagle River to Tennessee Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 10, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., pass was an old Indian Trail and was used by trappers and fur traders as early as the 1830s. In 1879, a wagon toll road that crossed the pass was opened between Leadville and Redcliff and stage service was started. At 10,424 feet it was the highest Continental Divide crossing in Colorado. A community was started near the pass in the 1880s. A narrow gauge railroad was built over the pass in 1881; a third rail was added in 1891. A tunnel under the pass was built by the D. & R.G. R.R. in 1890 and a second bore was built in 1945. Passenger service on the trains was stopped in 1964. An auto road over the pass was built in 1913. Located in Eagle County/Lake County, Leadville North quadrangle. Auto road on U.S. Highway 24. Pass is on the Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail

Trail Rider Pass, 12,410 feet. From Snowmass Creek to North Fork of Crystal River, NE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 11 S., R. 87 W., Gunnison County/Pitkin County, Snowmass Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail

Trapezoid Pass, 12,850 feet. From West Maroon Creek to East Maroon Creek, NE corner sec. 2, T. 12 S., R. 86 W., Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

Trough Road Pass, 8,329 feet. From Colorado River to Beaver Creek, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 1 S., R. 81 W., Grand County, Sheephorn Mountain quadrangle. Automobile road. Pass is on an extension of the Midland Trail toward Salt Lake City (Helmuth and Helmuth, 1994, p. 223)

Two Elk Pass (Peck Pass), 10,970 feet. From Black Gore Creek to Two Elk Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 5 S., R. 80 W., Eagle County, Red Cliff quadrangle. Foot trail

Uneva Pass, 11,900 feet. From Officers Gulch to North Tenmile Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 6 S., R. 79 W., Summit County, Vail Pass quadrangle. Foot trail, on Continental Divide Trail

Utah Pass, 12,820 feet. From the East Fork of Homestake Creek to West Tennessee Creek, SE 1/4 NW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 81 W., Eagle County/Lake County, Homestake Reservoir quadrangle. Foot trail

Ute Pass, 9,568 feet. An old Indian trail. From Williams Fork to Pass Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 3 S., R. 78 W., Grand County/Summit County, Ute Peak quadrangle. Automobile road

Vail Pass (Black Gore Pass, Low Divide, and Pottery Pass), 10,603 feet on eastbound lane; 10,662 feet on westbound lane of I–70. Was also a Ute Indian trail. From Black Gore Creek to West Tenmile Creek, NE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 6 S., R. 79 W., Summit County/Eagle County, Vail Pass quadrangle. Automobile highway I–70

Warm Spring Pass (see Break Neck Pass)

Watson Divide, 7,582 feet. From Snowmass Creek to Roaring Fork River, SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 9 S., R. 86 W., Pitkin County, Woody Creek quadrangle. Automobile road passable in good weather

West Maroon Pass, 12,500 feet. From West Maroon Creek to East Fork of the Crystal River, SE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 12 S., R. 86 W., Gunnison County/Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

Weston Pass, 11,921 feet. An old Indian trail. From Big Union Creek to South Fork of the South Platte River, SE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 10 S., R. 79 W., Park County/Lake County, Mount Sherman quadrangle. A corduroy road that was started in the 1860s when it was considered a part of the old Ute Trail. In 1873, the Hayden Survey party found a usable road over the pass. Later, several improved roads and stages traversed the pass: (1) in 1862 the Tarryall and Arkansas River Wagon Road Co. built a road between Fairplay and California Gulch, (2) the C.O.C. & P.P. used the road, (3) the Park Range Company used the road for about three years. The Wall and Witter Stage Company used the road many times. During the use of the pass by stages there was one really treacherous stretch on the Leadville side of the pass called Rocky Point where many drivers and passengers were injured when stages ran off the edge of the road. The trip to Leadville over Weston Pass was a tiresome trip indeed. The stagecoaches were tossed about like vessels in a rough sea on the bumpy road. Drivers were paid from $50 to $80 per month. The hours were long and the work dangerous. There were many accidents on the Weston Pass route (Murray and Lee, 1978, p. 27). The west end of the road was at Nine Mile House on the Arkansas River. The road to the pass was called the Weston Pass, Fairplay, and Leadville Road. The road that crosses the pass was improved in the 1950s and is accessible by automobiles except on the west side for cars with low clearance

Willow Pass, 12,580. From Minnehaha Gulch to Willow Creek, SW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., Pitkin County, Maroon Bells quadrangle. Foot trail

Yule Pass, 11,700 feet. From Yule Creek to Slate River, NE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 87 W., Gunnison County, Snowmass Mountain quadrangle. Foot trail


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Post Roads in the Leadville Quadrangle in 1881

(The following material is quoted or paraphrased from Crofutt's (1885) Grip–Sack Guide, which contains two separate listings of post roads. This material is from the first list. A post road was a road, along which were stations that housed horses for travelers, stagecoaches, wagons, and riders that transported mail and other goods. A "hack" is a horse–drawn passenger wagon.)

No. 13. From Georgetown via "High Line" (Loveland Pass), west and southerly, via Silver Plume, Montezuma, Junction City, and Frisco, to Kokomo, 44 miles and back, daily, from May 1st to October 31st of each year. Stage

No. 14. From Georgetown, southerly, via Decatur, Chihuahua, Montezuma, Haywoods, Dillon, and Frisco to Kokomo, 50 miles and back. Daily in the summer months. Hack

No. 17. From Breckenridge, west of north, via Blue River and Williams' Fork, to Hot Sulphur Springs, Middle Park, 62 miles and back, once a week. Hack

No. 23. From Breckenridge, north to Frisco, then south to Kokomo, 26 miles, and back, three times a week. Wagons and hacks daily

No. 40. From Webster, west, via Hall's Valley, Montezuma, St. John, Preston, and Lincoln City, to Breckenridge, 39 miles and back three times a week. Hack

No. 41. From Como northwest, via Hamilton and Conger, to Breckenridge, 18 miles and back, six times a week. Concord Coaches

No. 42. From Fairplay, west, via Alma, to Dudley, 7 miles and back, six times a week. Coach


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More Post Roads in the Leadville Quadrangle in 1881

(The following material is quoted or paraphrased from Crofutt's (1885) Grip–Sack Guide, which contains two separate listings of post roads. This material is from the second list. A "hack" is a horse–drawn passenger wagon. The word "saddle" probably refers to a saddle horse. "Coach and 4" probably refers to a stagecoach and four–horse team.)

No. 29. From Glenwood Springs, west 12 miles to Chapman, and then 7 miles to Ferguson; total, 19 miles. Three times a week. Hack and saddle

No. 30. From Red Cliff, northwest 7 miles to Blaine; 14 miles to Edwards; 6 miles to Squaw Creek; 19.5 miles to Gypsum; 5 miles to Dotsero; 25 miles to Carbondale—[a mistake; should read Carbonate], and south 1.5 miles to Gresham; total, 79 miles. Three times a week. Coach and 4

No. 31. From Red Cliff, south 4 miles to Holy Cross. Three times a week. Hack

No. 32. From Dillon, northwest 10 miles to Naomi; 10.5 miles to Lakeside; 6 miles to Colorow; and 8 miles to Troublesome; fare, $7; total, 35.5 miles. Three times a week. Hack

No. 37. From Swan, southwest 5 miles to Preston; thence northwest 3 miles to Braddock [Broncho station]; total, 8 miles. Three times a week. Saddle

No. 38. From Breckenridge, east 5 miles to Lincoln. Three times a week. Hack

No. 40. From London (Junction), northwest 1 mile to Alma. Six times a week. Hack

No. 41. From Alma, west 2 miles to Park (City). Six times a week. Hack

No. 56. From Granite, southwest 11 miles to Vicksburg, and 6 miles to Winfield; total, 17 miles. Three times a week. Hack and saddle

No. 57. From Leadville, east 3 miles to (New) Oro City. Daily. Hack

No. 58. From Leadville, southeast 18 miles to Twin Lakes; 8.5 miles to Everett; northwest 12 miles to Sparkill; and 20 miles to Aspen; total, 58.5 miles. Daily. Coach and 4

No. 59. From Crystal, south 2.5 miles to Scofield. Three times a week. Saddle

No. 62. From Gothic, northwest 10.5 miles to Scofield. Six times a week. Hack and saddle

No. 64. From Crested Butte, northeast 25 miles to Ashcroft and 12 miles to Aspen; total, 37 miles. Daily. Coach and 4

No. 65. From Glenwood Springs, southeast 12 miles to Satank; 8 miles to Emma; and 22 miles to Aspen; total 42 miles. Daily. Coach and 4

No. 107. From Grand Junction, northeast 30 miles to Orson; 10 miles to Plateau; and 6 miles to Hawxhurst; total, 46 miles. Twice a week. Hack

No. 140. From Ferguson, southwest 75 miles to Grand Junction. Once a week. Saddle


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An Act to Establish and Regulate Territorial (Free) Roads

"Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of Colorado Territory"

"Section I. That the nearest traveled road between the following named places is hereby declared a Territorial Road, to–wit: From Fort Lyon, by way of Pueblo, Canon City, Platte Valley Ranch and Fairplay, to Laurette. South Park & Leadville Short Line."


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Freighting Business in the Leadville Quadrangle

There generally were two types of freight companies: those that hauled from town to town and those that hauled ore from mines to a smelter or rail yard. The long–haul companies generally charged much higher rates. Blair (1980) has an excellent discussion about freighting. Freight from Denver usually cost $50 a ton in the summer, but much more in the winter. The rates were based on both weight and distance of haulage. For certain types of merchandise, the rate could be as high as $500 per ton. Before the railroads were built into the quadrangle, the freight rates were terribly high. The rates dropped greatly when the first railroad arrived. Indeed, the rates dropped even more after more than one railroad came in and brought more competition. Some freighters owned their own rigs and they made more money than those who worked for a freighting company. Almost 600 teams were hauling ore in the quadrangle by 1878. Ore haulers were paid by the ton and most wagons hauled between 15,000 and 17,000 pounds. Wagons weighed about 3,000 pounds empty. For short hauls and lighter loads the rate of haulage was about 50 cents per ton. For a long haul and heavier load the rate would be several times as high. Griswold and Griswold (1996, p. 230) state that the weight of ore hauled was 4,000 pounds per wagon.

The number of horses and their weights varied some. Generally, four–horse teams were used. The principal team was called the wheelers. They were hitched directly ahead of the driver and on each side of the oak tongue. These horses weighed about 1,400 to 1,600 pounds apiece. It was their job to provide most of the pulling power and to do the backing if necessary. The front pair of horses were called leaders. They were smaller and more agile and they weighed less—1,000 to 1,300 pounds apiece. Their job was in maneuvering the wagon as directed by the driver. They generally were hitched to an iron rod that extended back under the wagon tongue and connected to the front axle of the wagon. If a greater weight of merchandise was to be hauled, a swing pair of horses in a six–horse hitch was used. This swing team was added between the leaders and the wheelers to add to the pulling power of the whole team.

The wagons were large and strong, being made of durable wood. The wagon beds were about 11 feet long and 3 feet wide. The sides were about 19 inches high, but had extra sideboards that would extend the height to almost 4 feet. A chain was extended across the top middle of the bed to keep the sides from spreading too much. The ore that was being hauled was very heavy because it was composed of metallic minerals that weighed much more than an equivalent volume of quartz or common sedimentary rocks. The lead–silver ores were particularly heavy, as were the gold ores. According to Ingersol (in Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 230) the ore was hauled to the smelting works by four– or six–mule teams. For the most part, the driver did not sit on the wagon, but rode the nigh (left) wheeler, guiding his team by a single very strong rein which led to the bits of the leaders, and operated the brake by another strap. The driver was in the position of a steersman in the middle of his craft, and his "bridge" was the saddle. Every load was set upon the scales, recorded, and then shoveled into its proper bin (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 230).

According to Brown (1968, p. 227), the wagon trains were the first delivery service for light materials and the mail. In Montgomery, for instance, all mail came by way of a weekly delivery from the Overland Express Company. There later was a daily express line in operation between Montgomery and Buckskin Joe. This made connection with the semiweekly service being operated in Buckskin Joe by the Green and Duncan Express Line. In July 1862, W.C. McClellan and A.B. Williamson started a four–horse service with Concord coaches. In this service from Denver, the route crossed Kenosha Pass to South Park and had stops in both Montgomery and Buckskin Joe. They took passengers, express shipments, mail, and commercial parcels. In 1879, the three main freighting companies were The Leadville Forwarding Company, Wood Brothers, and Russell and Company. Three thousand animals were used by the three companies. In January 1887, the Pacific Express Company and the Rio Grande Express Company said that business was so good that extra delivery men and teams had been hired to handle the shipments. In 1862, the Overland Express Company and later the Green & Duncan Express Line were used to deliver mail weekly to the small towns near Alma. Several companies ran freight from Leadville to Twin Lakes and Aspen: Jim McGee, Three–Finger Jack, Holbrook, Finn Davis, Lewellen Black, and John Borrel. Most of the freight originated in Granite or Leadville where it had arrived by rail.

In Aspen during 1880 and 1881, there was almost no one to haul ore or freight. Consequently in December 1881 (Wentworth, 1950, p. 127), Frank M. Thompson, Walter Seaton, and William Blodgett organized a transportation company to haul ore from the Spar mine in Aspen to Leadville, and to transport merchandise from Leadville back to Aspen. Their enterprise was very difficult because of the terribly cold winter of 1881, resulting in especially difficult conditions across Independence Pass. However, their success prompted another company, the Davis' pack train of about 50 animals, to start hauling freight over the pass. The pass was open to pedestrian traffic and to travel by pack trains. The first wagon to travel from the Arkansas River area over the pass was operated by J.B. Gerard in the summer of 1880. He started from Twin Lakes and about six weeks later his wagon finally appeared on the bank of the Roaring Fork River.

According to Griswold and Griswold (1996, p. 230), "four major routes were used by the freighters [from Leadville]: the one with the heaviest traffic was from the Denver, South Park & Pacific's end–of–track (which was still at Webster during April and early May, but by mid–May was on the western side of Kenosha Pass), then across South Park and Weston Pass, and up the Upper Arkansas River Valley and California Gulch to Leadville; the second most used route was from Colorado Springs over Ute and Trout Creek passes and northward along the Arkansas; the third was from Canon City on the Grape Creek–Texas Creek–Arkansas Valley road; and the fourth, used primarily for conveying thousands of tons of hay, oats and other grains to the Leadville market, was from the San Luis Valley over Poncha Pass, down along the South Arkansas River and northward up the Arkansas Valley road."

"From the junction of the Weston Pass road with the Arkansas Valley road, twelve miles south of Leadville, there was but one roadway over which all of the traffic had to travel, frequently resulting in a continuous line of wagons, stagecoaches, private vehicles and horseback riders, all crowding their ways into Leadville."


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Routines and Perils of Stage Travel

The first mining activity and strong settlement in Colorado took place in the late 1850s in the Central City and Idaho Springs regions. In the Leadville area, the first strong placer gold mining activity was in California Gulch from 1859 to about 1864, but the really big boom of mining didn't happen until the late 1870s. Many stage lines had been in business for nearly 20 years before Leadville really felt the need for additional transportation services. Although the need could be quickly filled by several existing lines (including the Spotswood and McClelland Stage Company, the Wall and Witter Stage Company, and the Barlow and Sanderson Line), the real problem was that a topographic barrier was formed by the Front Range. Most of the stage lines were in business east of the mountain range, so there were only two practical solutions; either go over the mountains or go around them. If the stage lines went around the high mountains, they would need to travel many extra miles. If they went over the mountains, they faced hazardous travel all year and terrible weather during the winters. Ultimately, the stage lines took both courses. Some went southwest across Kenosha Pass, South Park, and Trout Creek Pass, then traveled northward on a shelf road along the east side of the Arkansas River to Leadville. Others went southwest through South Park to Fairplay and then westward over Weston Pass, on an old Indian road called the Ute Trail, a difficult road, improved in some places by placing small logs across it (a corduroy road). The Weston Pass road reached the Arkansas River at Nine Mile House, followed the Arkansas River northward to Malta, then turned eastward into Leadville. When Weston Pass was impassable, the stagecoaches went around the mountain south over Trout Creek Pass and turned northward to Leadville.

The Spotswood and McClelland Stage Company (or McClellan and Spotswood South Park Line [South Park Stage Company]) had been running a stage line since 1865 on their Denver and South Park Stage Line. In 1877 Robert W. Spotswood and William McClelland won a contract to run mail service into Leadville, also west over Mosquito Pass in 1879. They spent part of 1877 buying supplies and making arrangements to extend their Denver and South Park Stage Line into Leadville. Spotswood and McClelland's coaches started from Denver, and their route apparently went west from Morrison and followed essentially the route of modern U.S. Highway 285 through the Front Range, across South Park to Fairplay, over Weston Pass, to Nine Mile House, then to Leadville. Spotswood and McClelland was a very successful company. They had two stages running each way daily. During their contract that started in 1877 at the start of the big mining boom in Leadville, they ordered 200 horses, 12 Concord coaches, and 50 sets of harness. In 1879 they ran a stage service over the Mosquito Pass Toll Road. Spotswood and McClelland sold out to Wall and Witter in 1879 (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 310).

Wall and Witter ran a stage line (Wall and Witter Fast Line—later South Park Stage Company) to Leadville that ran south over South Park and then west over Weston Pass. They traveled eastward to pick up passengers from the terminus of a railroad. They claimed to meet the trains more promptly to pick up or leave off passengers than the other stages would. They would leave Leadville at 8 a.m., arrive at Fairplay (by Weston Pass) at 4 p.m., leave Fairplay (the next morning) at 6:30 a.m., arrive at end of track at Webster at 4 p.m., leave the end of track at 2 p.m., arrive at Fairplay at 7 p.m., leave Fairplay at 8 a.m., and arrive at Leadville at 5 p.m. On September 18, 1881, when President James A. Garfield died, Wall and Witter provided the hearse for the local funeral procession. Mosquito Pass was an alternate route from Alma Junction into Leadville, but it was a more difficult route and seldom used until 1879 when it was smoothed out. They were the first company to offer service over the new route in 1879. The Wall and Witter Stage Company also ran a stage line from Red Hill (just north of Fairplay) to Leadville in 1879. They started a daily line to Independence in late June 1881; at first the coaches went only as far as Bromley. At its peak the Wall and Witter Stage Company kept 400 horses, 11 freight wagons, and seven stagecoaches in use. Wall and Witter was still in business in Denver in 1886.

Barlow and Sanderson's Southern Overland Mail system was extended to Leadville in 1878, when Leadville was experiencing a spectacular boom. Previously in 1878 they had been running a line from Canon City to Salida and up the Arkansas River. Sam Abbey was the agent in Leadville; his office was in the livery barn of Wall and Witter, well–known stage men in the region (Pueblo, Colorado, Chieftain, July 9, 1878). Jared L. Sanderson took a special interest in the Leadville extension. In September 1878, several new coaches and 44 horses were placed along the line, and in October Sanderson went south from Denver to Canon City, where he announced that all of his lines were prosperous. A tri–weekly in addition to daily service was added in January 1879. The next month Sanderson went to Saint Louis to buy 200 more horses for the line. It was announced also that approximately 12 new Concords and 50 sets of Concord harnesses had been acquired. On March 10, coaches and 156 horses were received. So heavy was the volume of business that the Canon City–Leadville service became three times daily. At the peak of the rush in 1878, the above three stage lines together brought in twelve fully loaded coaches a day to Leadville (Dorset, 1970, p. 260–261). In 1880, daily stage lines ran from Leadville to these many destinations: Kokomo, Breckenridge, Georgetown, Buena Vista, Fairplay, Alma, Red Cliff, Aspen City, Twin Lakes, and various smaller mining camps.

The following information illustrates the difficulties of running a stage line in the mountains and the variety of routes that were used. Six major coach lines linked Summit County to the outside world in the early 1880s (Gilliland, 1987). The best companies used Concord coaches and charged passengers 12–15 cents per mile. The worst used rough open wagons and charged much lower rates. The six main routes were: (1) Georgetown via Peru Creek Valley to Kokomo in the North Ten Mile district, daily during the summer; (2) Breckenridge to Hot Sulphur Springs in Middle Park via the Blue River, once weekly; (3) Breckenridge to Kokomo, via Frisco (26 miles, three times weekly); (4) Webster to Breckenridge, via Montezuma, then to Saints John, then next to Preston, Lincoln City, and Breckenridge (39 miles, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday); (5) Como and Hamilton to Breckenridge, 18 miles over Boreas Pass—six times weekly in Spottswood and McClelland's Concord coaches; and (6) Georgetown to Kokomo (and connecting to Leadville) via Montezuma and Frisco (daily in Concord coaches).

Griswold and Griswold (1996, p. 1589) gave an account of the trials of making a trip over Independence Pass from Leadville to Aspen:

"Once, it was during the dead of winter, and the snow had been falling until it was as much as ten feet deep, the round trip to Aspen proved to be one of my worst experiences. Although traffic was heavy, the snow drifted so badly that the road was not kept open. We were at a place, between Bromley's and the top of the range for three days and nights in a traffic jam. That may sound odd, but it was true. Someone got stuck in the snow, teams began to line up, unable to pass, until they reached in both directions for a great distance, and it was impossible for anyone to advance in either direction. We finally cleared up the jam by carrying sleds, stages and wagons and their loads out of the road and to new positions. It was mighty labor and we were all exhausted from our efforts."

"Then at other places, where the way down was steep, we traveled too fast. At this time I was driving a six horse team with wagon and trailer. It was almost impossible to hold the heavy load. At times I found it necessary to put four roughlocks on the trailer and two on the wagon to keep them under control. Even then one of my wheelers fell and was dragged at least 100 feet before we could get stopped but it didn't kill him. Of course the price of feed rocketed at the stopping places, and we paid ten cents per pound for hay and grain. The round trip required fourteen days and nights and I lost $100 on my last trip which was also my worst."

"No student of geology ever knew the varieties and species of mud in this country until they have peered at the topography of the present day road between this city [Leadville] and Aspen. From the beginning to the terminus of the trip it is a sea of fathomless mud and terra firma is encountered in every consistency, so that when the traveler alights from the coach upon his return there is no mistaking where he has been. He is coated with the article from the centre of his bald and shining pate to the tips of his shoes, and the jaunt that was made a few days since was a mountain experience that the travelers will never forget in their sojourn here on earth."


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Stage Companies that Operated in the Leadville Quadrangle

(The second and major Leadville mining boom began in 1878. Stage lines continued operating until July 1880 when the Denver & Rio Grande Railway arrived in Leadville. Then all of the stage lines into Leadville lost most of their business. However, stage lines continued business as usual in the towns that did not have railroads.)

Agnew and Fisk in 1879 started a Gunnison passenger wagon from Leadville to Gunnison every morning

Aspen and Glenwood Springs Stage Line (See Leadville, Aspen, and Glenwood Springs Stage Line)

Broncho Dave Braddock's Stage Service (Gilliland, 1987). It ran from Breckenridge to Swan City, Delaware Flats, and Galena Gulch along the Swan River. The service began on February 21, 1881, and later expanded with a route from Breckenridge to Lincoln City in French Gulch. Braddock had great difficulty in keeping his line running because of injury to his horses and the trouble of keeping his stage line running in the winter. On the road from Braddockville to Swan City in some winters his company had to shovel the snow nearly the whole distance

Colorado Springs Stage Line. Routes not stated

Cottrill, Vickroy, Barlow, Vaile, and Barnum in 1862 operated a stage line to Fairplay and Laurette

Denver, Auraria, & Colorado Wagon Road Company. Went to Fairplay (Scott, 1999, p. 6)

Denver and Leadville Express was in operation until 1879 when it quit running. The line was used by passengers bound for Leadville on the Denver South Park and Pacific Railway. They would transfer to the Denver and Leadville Express or to the Wall & Witter Line at Weston or to the Mosquito Pass Toll Road

E.H. Gaylord and Company private line. Routes not stated

Georgetown and Leadville (or Leadville & Georgetown) Stage Company. The company reduced the fare from Leadville to Kokomo to $2.75 on May 6 and 7, 1880. A snowstorm shut down the line for at least a week. Such disruptions of stage service were common on stagecoach lines in the winter

Kirk and Shaw stagecoach road from Marble to Crystal City (Brown, 1968). The stages followed the narrow road past Lizard Lake for 6 miles to Crystal City. Business in Crystal City was seriously damaged by the 1893 silver devaluation

Leadville and Aspen Toll Road Company in June 1881 asked for contributions to permit them to remove the snow and open the Independence road to Aspen. Wall and Witter; Carson's Stage and Express Line; and McDonald, McLain, and Company, a dealer in feeds, started taking passengers, but only as far as Gilmore's Stage Station (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 873). Gilmore's stage station was about 15 miles west of Twin Lakes at Bromley and 29 miles from Leadville by stage. Everett was 9 miles west of Twin Lakes

Leadville, Aspen, and Glenwood Stage Line. Their change of horses five times between Leadville and Glenwood Springs required more than 100 horses, 16 drivers, 4 blacksmiths, 20 stages, and 4 horse sleighs during the winter. John Wall of Wall and Witter said in March 10, 1885, he used 32 horses from Leadville to Aspen. Four changes of four horses each were made each way on the trip. Between Leadville and Everett, horse–drawn stages were used on the dry road, then a sleigh was used on the snow–covered road until 9 miles from Aspen. A trip equal to any in the Alps

Leadville, Aspen, and Glenwood Springs Stage Line, run by J.C. Carson starting on April 20, 1886. Carson was told that one of their stages had been swept off Independence Pass at an altitude of about 12,000 feet. Not true. Two stage sleighs were blocked by the slide, but the passengers left the sleighs and made their way down to the toll gate where there was a stove. The passengers were rescued the next morning

Leadville and Colorado Springs Stage Line. Routes not stated

Leadville and Denver Dispatch Company ran stages over the Mosquito Pass Toll Road in 1879

Leadville and Georgetown Stage Line. Routes not stated

Leadville and Gunnison Road. Routes not stated

Leadville & Red Cliff Stage Company ran sleighs over Fremont Pass on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week, leaving Van Camp's Grocery at 9:00 a.m. each day

Leadville and Soda Springs Omnibus & Toll Road Company. Routes not stated

Leadville and Ten Mile Express Company, servicing the mines in the Ten Mile District, had to change from a tri–weekly to a daily schedule

Leadville Mining Railroad Company planned to built a line from Malta up California Gulch, serving the placer, hydraulic, and free gold mining activity in that vicinity. From Leadville they would run a feeder line to the Iron Hill mines, and the main line would go across the base of Carbonate Hill, crossing Stray Horse Gulch and over Fryer Hill and to practically every other mine in the district

Leadville, Roaring Fork, and Gunnison Toll Road

Leadville, Twin Lakes, and Aspen Road finally was able to open the last stretch of the Independence to Aspen road in November 1881, but snow soon necessitated the use of sleighs

Leadville, Twin Lakes, and Gunnison Toll Road Company. The road was planned to go down along the Taylor and Gunnison Rivers to Gunnison City. Only a minimum amount of work was done on the road west and south of the Twin Lakes and none on Lake Creek Pass itself (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 237)

Leadville, Twin Lakes, and Independence Stage and Express Line established by John Christopher Carson. Passenger rates were $1.00 to Twin Lakes, $1.75 to Everett, and $3.50 to Independence. Carson opened a new line Thursday Nov. 17, 1887, with coaches drawn by 8 horses from Glenwood Springs to New Castle, and on Nov. 21, 1887, the daily line was extended from New Castle to Meeker, Colorado (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 1888). Carson sent his last stage from Leadville to Aspen on October 24, 1887. Aspen then was served by train

Leadville, Twin Lakes, and Roaring Fork Company in the spring of 1881 was unable to keep the Independence Pass road open because of heavy snow, but promised to open it when the weather would permit (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 770). The road probably was opened soon after July 15, 1881

W.C. McClelland and Ab Williamson used a four–horse service with Concord coaches from Denver and across South Park. They delivered passengers, mail, and express (Brown, 1968, p. 227)

McDonald and McLain Stage Line crossed Independence Pass in 1881. They charged $1.00 to Twin Lakes, $1.75 to Everett, and $3.50 to Independence just west of the pass

Dan McLaughlin Stage Line. McLaughlin ran four–horse stages from Red Hill to Leadville beginning in June 1880. As Buckskin Joe grew, a terminal stagecoach station was built at Breckenridge, and the Dan McLaughlin Stage Line carried passengers, freight, and gold shipments from there to Denver in 1862 (Brown, 1968)

The Missouri Stage Company, a successor to Hall & Porter, was permitted in 1861 to carry the U.S. Mail on a branch line up the Arkansas River and to Fairplay in South Park

The Pacific Express Line picked up freight and passengers from the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Ry. at Weston in 1879. In 1889 the Pacific Express Company said that their business was so good that extra delivery men and teams had been hired. The Rio Grande Express Company also expressed the same about their business in 1889

Fred S. Rockwell and George H. Bicknell started a new stage line from Leadville to Aspen on November 22, 1881. Their first trip started on Nov. 25, took two days, and was without hazard. However, later trips caused damage to both people and equipment. In January 1882 they sold their company to Wall and Witter (Griswold and Griswold, 1996)

J.L. Sanderson and Company in late winter or spring of 1884 sold its Colorado stage system to the Colorado and Wyoming Stage, Mail, and Express Company

The Silas W. Nott Stage Company. The High Line over Loveland Pass. Nott first chose the option of running a stage line over Argentine Pass, down the Snake River, and up Ten Mile Canyon to Leadville. However, because of the much lower altitude (1,500 feet) of Loveland Pass, compared to Argentine Pass, he decided to create a road over Loveland Pass, down Snake Creek, and up Ten Mile Creek. Inasmuch as the speed of completion was important, the road work was started in the winter, starting in February 1879. Although working in the winter would cost three times as much as in the summer, the road could be completed by the spring of 1879. The road crossed the pass at 11,992 feet above sea level and actually was finished in June. Stage service started immediately, and by the end of summer ran daily to Kokomo. The route from Georgetown to Leadville was 60 miles and took 12 hours. The route was 70 miles shorter than routes from Denver to Leadville. From Georgetown, the route connected at Kokomo with Leadville stages. The fare from Georgetown was $7 to Kokomo and $10 to Leadville. Nott used Concord coaches in the summer and sleighs in the winter. Actually, the Loveland Pass route proved to be safer and easier than the lower altitude Weston Pass route. The toll at Loveland Pass ranged from 5 cents a head for loose stock to $1.00 for a team and wagon. However, the Loveland Pass Toll Road was abandoned in 1883. A toll road over Argentine Pass was built in 1869 from Georgetown to Montezuma. About 1883, the counties bought the road for a public highway, but it was not kept up and soon it was impassable for teams and wagons

South Park Stage Company, owned and personally managed by Messrs. McClelland & Spotswood

Stevens and Company, owned by H.B. Gillespie, built a wagon road over Taylor Pass in 1880. Later the same company started the first stage route over this road. They called it the Express Creek Road (Helmuth and Helmuth, 1994, p. 214)

Ten Mile Express and Stage Company, owned by Ed Cooke and Perley Wason, of Leadville, serviced Howland and Tabor City in Lake County, also Robinson Camp, Ten Mile City, Carbonateville, and Kokomo in Summit County. The company later took the name Leadville and Georgetown Stage Line, and their stages were run between those two cities (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 305 and 361). One–hundred and twenty–five horses were used by Cooke and Wason. The line in 1880 brought in about 25 people a day from Buena Vista

The Tenmile Toll Road Co. built a grade from Georgetown across the Front Range to Recen and Kokomo. Stagecoaches operated over the road between 1879 and 1886 (Brown, 1968, p. 202). The fare from Denver to Georgetown was $7.00. After the stagecoaches and railroads reached Leadville, food in Leadville became much more varied than before. Vegetables, fruit, and other produce that could not be grown at Leadville became available and supplemented the local meat fare, which was in itself quite variable and included deer, elk, bear, grouse, and quail

Ten Mile Transportation Line, owned by C.B. Ayres. Route not stated

Tennessee Pass Wagon Road was an old Indian Trail that was used by trappers and traders as early as the 1830s. In 1879, a wagon toll road was opened between Leadville and Redcliff and stage service was started

Twin Lakes and Roaring Fork Toll Road. A wagon road over Independence Pass and on to Aspen was being completed in June 1881 (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 873)

Twin Lakes and Roaring Forks Company built a toll road and charged 25 cents for one pack animal (Helmuth and Helmuth, 1994). The stage stops westward from Twin Lakes were: (1) Twin Lakes, (2) Four Mile Park, (3) Red Mountain Inn one half mile below the forks of Lake Creek, (4) Myers camp, (5) Brumley (or Bromley), and, finally, (6) Independence. Stage fare from Leadville to Aspen was $8.00—the stages passed thru three toll gates. Concord stages came to Twin Lakes from Leadville. According to Eberhart (1959, p. 214), at Twin Lakes the passengers and luggage would be transferred to canvas–top stages for the steep haul over Independence Pass. Four horses were used for the gentler stretches, but six horses were required for the steep part of the pass. Many stages and freight wagons bound for Aspen used this route from Leadville until a rail route reached the boom town of Aspen

Wells Fargo Express Company opened a new office in Leadville in October 1887. Routes not stated

Weston Pass (11,921 feet). A wagon road was started in the 1860s in the Mount Sherman quadrangle on an old Indian trail called the Ute Trail. Three road companies traversed the pass: (1) The C.O.C. & P.P., (2) in 1862 the Tarryall and Arkansas River Wagon Road Co. built a road between Fairplay and California Gulch, and (3) The Park Range Co. started a route and ran it for about 3 years in the 1870s

C.T. Wheaton Eagle River Line. Routes not stated


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Leadville Street Railway

In the fall of 1879, a grand plan was proposed to build the Lake County Street and Horse Railway and to run a line along the streets of Leadville, then down California Gulch, on to Soda Springs, and possibly to Twin Lakes. Nothing came of that plan (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 398). In 1881, new plans were made to operate a Leadville street railway. The city council passed an ordnance granting Mr. L.M. Dorr the license to build a streetcar railway to be operated using horses or mules. By June 1881, Mr. Dorr, superintendent of the new City Railway Company, announced that the first installment of streetcars and iron rails had been shipped from St. Louis to Denver. The Leadville street railway was to be the highest in the world. On August 4, 1881, the first trip of the first streetcar in Leadville took place. That was a memorable occasion for Leadville. On August 6, a grand party was held and four new cars were displayed at the corner of Harrison and Seventh Street—with their resplendent mule teams ready to convey the visitors to the end of the line while a band played music. Each car carried about 40 passengers. The cars were white with lively blue tops and green ends. The stock and equipment were housed at 704 Harrison Avenue, the principal street in Leadville. The route of travel was along Harrison Avenue from Chestnut Street to the corner of Eighth and Harrison, up Eighth to Poplar, and then north to the Denver and Rio Grande station. The city railway company was completed without one dollar of debt, and yet only three years before that, Harrison Avenue had been a "wilderness" of sage brush and pinon pines. Several problems were immediately obvious about the cars and their motive power: (1) the cars were overly large and (2) the animals to pull the streetcars were small mules, and they were able to pull the streetcars only on the level and not through snow. Also, the station was in the center of the line instead of at one end. After it snowed and ice formed on the tracks, the railway could not be used, so a horse–drawn sleigh was used. When the snow melted, the sleigh could not be used, and the railway tracks remained frozen in ice, preventing the use of the railway. As a result, the first large snowfall showed that the streetcars were unable to cope with snow; therefore, the street railway never returned to business in 1882. To see a sketch of the Horse Railway and the team of mules, see Feitz (1971)

The Herdic Coach Company started business in early July 1881. The company had six Herdic coaches, each drawn by a team of horses, but not on rails. Each coach could carry eight passengers. The coaches had a regular route from the Clarendon Hotel to the D. & R.G. Depot. However, inasmuch as the coaches did not run on rails, they were free to go anywhere. The Herdic coaches were more able to go through the snow than the street railway; however, even the Herdic line also had to shut down because of the depth of the snow.


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Aspen Street Railway

Wentworth (1950, p. 274) quotes a newspaper clipping (probably from the Aspen Times), "September 7, [1889]. A street railway is to be constructed and put in operation in Aspen." Nothing further was reported about the supposed railway. However, in September 1889, the city council granted a charter to the Aspen City Railway to build a municipal streetcar line. Although electric streetcars had by this time been perfected and were already operating in Denver, there was no mention of building such a system in Aspen (Fletcher, 1995). "The first horse car arrived in early December 1889, and three weeks later a second car arrived and service began. The completed system eventually totaled somewhat over two miles, stretching from the fairgrounds, through neighborhoods and downtown, to the railroad stations. The horse cars started their route at the Roaring Fork River and near the Colorado Midland tracks, then went west on Durant Avenue to Original Street, then north one block, then west four blocks on Cooper Avenue to Mill Street, then three blocks north to Main Street, then west to 3rd Street and about eight blocks to Maroon Avenue, then west to 8th Street, and then ended their tour near the Fairgrounds. (See p. 13 of Fletcher (1995) for a map of the route.) Charles Hallam advertised his new subdivision with the slogan "Regular Street Car Service Guaranteed." It was not uncommon for a burgeoning community to point with pride to the fact that it had public transport. Aspen was no different. Fletcher believes that the horse–car system was abandoned during the time of the 1893 depression and the closing of most of the Aspen mines.


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Railroads Operated in the Leadville Quadrangle

Railroads were requested by the people of Leadville for a long time before they finally got one. Then, within a few years, they obtained three railroads. The Denver and Rio Grande (narrow gauge) was building along the Arkansas River near Canon City, having settled its fight with the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe concerning access to the Royal Gorge, and it made haste to reach Leadville and that newly opened area. The Denver and Rio Grande was the first to reach Leadville on July 22, 1880. In 1878, the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad (narrow gauge) had already been working up North Fork of the South Platte River. Gradually they moved toward the goal of Leadville, during which time they had several conflicts with the Denver and Rio Grande, and by 1884 were approaching the city; however, even then they had to complete the last few feet of track in the dark of the night in February 1884. The Colorado Midland Railway (standard gauge) had been incorporated since November 23, 1883, but did not run lines into Leadville until August 31, 1887. The Colorado Midland also had problems with the right–of–way and use of the trackage within Leadville and it too finished its final run in the dark of the night. The Colorado Midland had the most difficult time running their rails into the Leadville quadrangle. One problem was that the routes that were the easiest places to lay rails had already been taken by the other railroads. The second problem was that the Colorado Midland was a standard gauge train, so it needed more space to run the tracks. Curves were broader, bridges and tunnels had to be larger, and the total expense was considerably larger.

The most complicated part of the Colorado Midland Railway line was the section westward from Leadville across the Continental Divide to Aspen. To cross the high mountains of the Continental Divide, a major tunnel, the 2,061–foot Hagerman Tunnel at 11,528 feet altitude, was constructed in 1887 just south of Hagerman Pass (figure 3). In addition, a very long curved trestle, the most elaborate and spectacular in Colorado, called the Hagerman Trestle, was built along the eastern approach to Hagerman Pass and Hagerman Tunnel; it was 1,084 feet long, 84 feet high, and 200 degrees in curvature. Snowfall in 1899 was so great that the Hagerman Tunnel could not operate and was shut down. Fortunately in October 1899 Hagerman had bought the Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel which was 575 feet lower (at 10,953 feet) and almost two miles long. It saved 575 feet of climbing by the trains, as well as 13 snowsheds and 12 bridges and trestles. The Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel was called the Carlton Tunnel after 1921. It was afterward abandoned as a train route and was used by autos in alternating east–west and west–east strings of cars (Ormes, 1963, p. 133–139).

Within the mining area from Leadville to the east, there also was an extensive system of rail lines to connect the mines to each other, to the smelters, and to the regional railroads. Immediately after the railroads became available for passenger and freight service, prices on many sales items dropped, and some items formerly unavailable then became easy to obtain, travel became convenient and reasonable, and the cost of shipping freight decreased markedly. However there was one bad result, the wagon freighting business was crippled. Many long–haul freighters had to change to hauling from the railroad depots to businesses in town or to places where the railroad could not reach. Some truckers became ore haulers. Some freighting companies and truckers probably simply went out of business.


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List of Railroads in the Leadville Quadrangle

(This list of railroads was prepared in 2002 by Kenton Forrest of the Colorado Railroad Museum. Abbreviations used: R.R. = Railroad; Ry. = Railway; Co. = Company; n.g. = narrow gauge; s.g. = standard gauge. For brevity, the designations "railroad" and "railway" are omitted from many of the spelled–out titles that follow the abbreviations. This list contains only the railroads that were built and operated. Some other railroads were proposed ("paper railroads"), but were not built or operated. The "paper railroads" are not listed here, but most can be found in Ormes (1963). Not all of the railroads and railways listed below are shown on illustrations in the report.)

A. & W. Ry.—Aspen & Western Railway, 1888 to 1892. Changed to the Crystal River Railroad. (Colorado Fuel & Iron ownership), a 13–mile–long narrow gauge line. Purchased by the Crystal River Railroad in 1892.

A.S.L. Ry.—Aspen Short Line Railway, 1888–1893. Changed to the Colorado Midland Railway Company; a 6.5–mile–long line between Crystal Lake (later Snowden) and Arkansas Jct. Leased by the C.M. R.R. and later bought by the C.M. Ry. in 1893.

B.N. R.R.—Burlington Northern Railroad, 1970–1995. Became the B.N.S.F. in 1995.

B.N.S.F. Ry.—Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, 1995 to present. Railroad has trackage rights over certain U.P. R.R. lines in Colorado.

B.T. Ry.—Busk Tunnel Railway Co., 1890 to 1899. Built the Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel which was completed 1893 and used by the C.M. R.R. from 1893 to 1897. Not used by the C.M. from 1897 to 1899. The C.M. again used the tunnel from 1899 to 1921.

C. & S. Ry.—Colorado & Southern Railway, 1898–1982. Formed from several Union Pacific owned lines including the D.L. & G. in Colorado (n.g. and s.g.). Changed to the B.N. in 1982

C.M. Ry.—Colorado Midland Railway Company, 1883–1886. From Colorado Springs to Leadville, Aspen, and Grand Junction. The Colorado Midland announced plans on Mar. 21, 1884, to build a Railway from Colorado Springs to Leadville which was completed on August 31, 1887. The first train pulled into Leadville on Sept. 3, 1887.

C.M. R.R.—Colorado Midland Railroad, 1886–1922. Abandoned.

C.R. Ry.—Crystal River Railway Co., 1898–1942. Abandoned (n.g. and s.g.)

C.R. R.R.—Crystal River Railroad Co., 1892–1898. Changed to C.R. Ry. Purchased part of the A. & W. Ry. and the Elk Mountain Ry. grade

C.R. & S.J. Ry.— Crystal River & San Juan Railway, 1906–1942. Abandoned.

C–YM Co. Colorado–Yule Marble Company, 1910–1942. Abandoned Electric line to marble quarry. Sometimes referred to as the Yule Creek Railway or the Colorado–Yule Marble Electric Railroad or just Electric Tramway.

D. & R.G. Ry.—Denver & Rio Grande Railway (n.g.) 1870–1886. Changed to D. & R.G. R.R.

D. & R.G. R.R.—Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, 1886–1908; converted the main line from narrow gauge to standard gauge between 1889 and 1890. In July 1, 1889, the D. & R.G. was changed to the R.G.W. (Rio Grande Western Railway), all then standard gauge. The Aspen Branch was being converted to standard gauge on Nov. 16, 1890 (Wentworth, 1950, p. 277)

D. & R.G. R.R.—Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (consolidated), 1908–1921. Changed to D. & R.G.W. R.R. Line was in receivership from 1918 to 1920.

D. & R.G.W. R.R.—Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, 1921 to 1988. Changed to S.P. R.R. Line was in receivership from 1922 to 1924, and from 1935 to 1947. In 1947, the line was reorganized by merging the D. & S.L.W. R.R., the Denver & Salt Lake Railway, and the Rio Grande Junction Railroad. The line in turn was merged with the Southern Pacific in 1988. Finally, the Union Pacific acquired the railroad in 1995.

D. & S.L. R.R.—Denver & Salt Lake Railroad, 1913–1926. Changed to D. & S.L. Ry.

D. & S.L. Ry.—Denver & Salt Lake Railway, 1927–1947. Changed to D. & R.G.W. R.R.

D. & S.L.W. R.R.—Denver & Salt Lake Western Railroad, 1931–1947. Formed to construct the Dotsero cut–off. Acquired by the D. & R.G.W. R.R. in 1932.

D.L. & G. Ry.—Denver Leadville & Gunnison Railway (n.g.), 1889–1898. Changed to the C. & S. Ry.

D.N.W. & P. Ry.—Denver Northwestern & Pacific Railway, 1902–1913. Changed to D. & S.L. R.R.

D.S.P. & H.T. Ry.—Denver South Park & Hill Top Railway (n.g.), 1896–1898. It was changed to the Denver Leadville and Gunnison Ry. Joint construction with the H.T.M. Co.

D.S.P. & P. RR.—Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad (The High Line), 1873–1889, changed to the D.L. & G. Ry.

D.S.P. & P. Ry.—Denver South Park & Pacific Railway (n.g.), 1872–1873. Changed to the D.S.P. & P. R.R.

E.M. Ry.—Elk Mountain Railway, 1887–1898. Changed to Crystal River Railroad, grade only.

H.T.M. Co.—Hill Top Mining Company (n.g.), 1896–1898. Changed to D.L. & G.

L.C. & S. R.R.—Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad, 1987 to present (See Osterwald, 1991).

L.M. B. Ry.—Leadville Mineral Belt Railway (n.g.), 1898–1900. Changed to C. & S. Ry.

L.S.P. & L. R.R.—London South Park & Leadville Railroad (n.g.), 1882–1885. Changed to the South Park & Leadville Short Line Railroad.

L.S.P. & L.S.L. R.R.—London South Park & Leadville Shortline Railroad (n.g.), 1885–1900. Abandoned.

L.T.M. & B. Co.—Leadville Ten Mile & Breckenridge Company (n.g.), 1880. Built the Blue River Branch and later was absorbed by the D. & R.G. Ry

M.B. Ry.—Mineral Belt Railway, 1892–1897. Changed to C.R. R.R.

R.G.J. R.R.—Rio Grande Junction Railroad, 1890–1947. Changed to D. & R.G.W. R.R. Joint track and operation with the Colorado Midland between New Castle and Grand Junction.

S.C.C. Co. Ry.—South Canon Coal Company Railway, 1905–1918. Electric mine railroad.

S.P. & L.S.L. R.R.—South Park and Leadville Short Line Railroad (n.g.) 1885–1900. Changed from the L.S.P & L. R.R. Abandoned.

S.P. R.R.—Southern Pacific Railroad, 1988–1995. Changed to U.P. R.R.

T.M. R.R.—Treasury Mountain Railroad, 1910–1914. Abandoned. From Marble to the Strauss Quarry by way of two switchbacks; required a geared locomotive.

U.P. R.R.—Union Pacific Railroad, 1867 to present.


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Military and Civilian Camps, Forts, and Bases in the Leadville Quadrangle

(The purpose of the following list is to provide a quick alphabetized guide that shows dates and places of military and civilian camps, forts, and bases. This list shows many different kinds of installations. Many researchers in the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library seek just such a list of installations, because such information is otherwise scattered in hundreds of books and maps. Most of the places listed here were used at least intermittently by the military. In the 1860s, these installations were used by the Colorado Militia, the Galvanized Yankees, or the Regular Army, and during later times they were used by the Regular Army, Air Force, or Navy. The list also includes fur trade forts, forts used as protection from the Indians, stage stations temporarily occupied by the military, mining camps occupied by the military, and Indian agencies occupied by the military. An attempt was made to avoid listing settlements, recreational camps, resorts, or mining camps. The dates of the places listed range from the beginning of the Nineteenth Century to the present. Some of the dates are the beginning and ending of occupation of the installation; other dates are when occupied by the military. Many of the Colorado Militia camps were occupied only one night; others were occupied repeatedly. Until this list became available, there was no readily available source for information about the Colorado Cavalry camps, so this list should partly fill that gap.)

Fort Arnett, 1879, settler fort to protect from Ute Indians, in the NW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 6 S., R. 80 W., on Eagle River at mouth of Turkey Creek (Spurr and Spurr, 1994)

Fort Breckenridge (Fort Mary B, Fort Meribeh), 1859, a fort built by early miners 1 mile north of Breckenridge in the NW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., for protection against Ute Indians. Later became part of Breckenridge, Summit County. (Roberts, 1988, Spurr and Spurr, 1994)

Old Danford Agency, on the White River in the SE corner SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 1 S., R. 93 W., on the 1:250,000–scale map

Fort Defiance, 1879, settler post, a log stockade built by prospectors for protection from the Ute Indians, on rim of Glenwood Canyon and at head of Wagon Gulch(?) 6 miles northeast of Glenwood Springs and 13 miles southeast of Carbonate in Garfield County. In SE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 5 S., R. 88 W. (Roberts, 1988; Spurr and Spurr, 1994)

Camp Hale, Nov. 16, 1942–1965, home of the 10th Mountain Division, U.S. Army. The Division served during World War II from 1942 to 1945, and again during and after the Korean War from 1950 to 1955. It was a subsidiary camp of Fort Carson and was located near Pando, 17 miles north of Leadville in T. 7 S. and T. 8 S., R. 80 W. Lake County (Roberts, 1988), decommissioned in 1965

Fort Hooker(?), Mar. 30, 1863, suggested by Colorado Cavalry to be located in Middle Park. Location unknown (in U.S. National Archives Muster roll)

Fort Kruger, "a strong and commodious building" built by the supporters and friends of the Stettaur Placer at Kokomo to prevent the Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad from building their rail line across the private ground of the placer. Building of the railroad was delayed because one of the land owners, Mr. George Kruger, refused to accept the $20,000 compensation value offered by the railroad for such "rich placer ground." The building that barred the roadway was fortified, and until the case was settled and the building was removed, the building became known as Fort Kruger. The case finally was settled, Fort Kruger was removed, and the route of the D.S.P & P. rail line was moved to run around the outside of Kokomo

Leadville Army Air Field, 1940s(?), Lake County. Runways prepared on frozen Turquoise Lake for army helicopters(?) (Richard Over, oral communication, 1996)

Fort McHenry, a fort shown on at least eight maps of Colorado: Nell's 1880 and 1881 maps, Kistler's 1881 map, Nell's 1882 and 1883 maps, George Adams and Son's 1884 map, and on an unknown author's 1885 map (all catalogued in call number CG 4310 in Denver Public Library, Western History Department collection). According to the maps, the fort was situated just north of Dillon, probably in about NE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 5 S., R. 78 W. The Rocky Mountain News of May 25, 1882 (Thursday), page 2, column 2, reported: "L. F. McHenry, the first settler of Dillon, died Saturday in the City (Breckenridge) Hospital." The Breckenridge Daily Journal, May 22, 1882 (Monday) printed on page 4, column 2: "Died. McHenry At the county hospital Breckenridge, May 21st J. F. McHenry, aged about 55 years. Mr. McHenry, was one of the pioneers of Colorado, and a prominent citizen of Summit County, his interests were identified with Dillon which he has worked with for several years, his death is regretted by many." The United States census of Colorado, Precinct 7, page 8, shows: "McHenry, Lafelt (spelling?) race White, sex Male, living at cabin, laborer, born New York, father born P.A., (Pennsylvania?), mother born P.A." The relationship between Fort McHenry and Mr. McHenry is unknown. It seems possible that Mr. McHenry simply chose to name his home place Fort McHenry. Nothing further is known about the use of the name Fort McHenry

Camp McIntire, 1896, a temporary Colorado National Guard tent camp was set up on the baseball field just north of the Leadville city limits between West 13th Street and West 14th Street and west of Harrison Ave. in the NE ¼ sec. 23, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., Lake County (Nankivell, 1935, p. 110; Roberts 1988; Blair, 1980). Because of a strike by miners against the mine owners, soldiers were sent by train to Leadville on Sept. 21, 1896. The occupation lasted through the rest of 1896 and did not end until March 9, 1897. Eighteen–hundred and twenty–seven soldiers were involved in anti–strike duty at any one time. Most of the large gold and silver mines were closed down by the strike, and owing to a lack of maintenance, water flooded most of those mines. For that reason, some of the mines never reopened. Most of the smaller mines did not close during the strike, hence they continued to operate

Camp Number 7, Colorado Cavalry, 2d Reg., Co. I, May–June 1863, location unknown (Colorado National Archives Muster roll)

White River Military Reservation, cantonment on the White River. This army post was started on October 14, 1879, in response to orders from Headquarters Department of Dakota, October 1, 1879, on the north end of the large Ute Reservation. The military reservation occupied 64 square miles in townships 1 N. and 1 S., ranges 93 W. and 94 W. (U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, 1882). It was created by the U.S. Army on Apr. 28, 1881. The 1,500 army troops were from two battalions of the 7th, 14th, and 4th Infantry and from the 5th Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel C.C. Gilbert. The purpose of the post was to control the Ute Indians. Because of several relocations of the Ute Reservations, the post was abandoned on Aug. 7, 1883. It was placed under the control of the Department of the Interior on July 22, 1884. After the Army left the post, the log and frame buildings were adopted by the town of Meeker, in Rio Blanco County. According to Roberts (1988), the Meeker courthouse is on the former parade ground. Three log buildings north of the parade ground were originally officer's quarters. One cabin is now a museum (Andrew J. Senti, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, written communication, 2001)


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The Highest Steamer in the World

In the summer of 1881, a small steamboat named the "Idlewild" was launched on the Twin Lakes. It was equipped to carry 40–50 passengers. It was double–decked, and it had a screw propeller and a five–horsepower engine. In the pilot house with open windows stood the captain who controlled the craft. The owner and pilot was Phil Sovereign, a veteran steamboatman, who was the builder and owner of the steamboat. Many visitors to the Twin Lakes took a ride on the Idlewild. It became a profitable investment.


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Ute Reservation and Early Treaties with the Colorado Ute Indians

After a series of raids by the Ute Indians in 1849 in southern Colorado, Indian Agent James S. Calhoun hoped to forestall further depredations, so he proposed a treaty with 20 tribal chiefs of the Ute Nation. According to the treaty, the Utes agreed to stop all hostile acts and make peace with the European settlers, they agreed to accept the U.S. government agents as their legal authority, to make restitution for all property stolen or destroyed, and to let all non–Indians have free passage through Ute territory. By the treaty, the Utes were prevented from leaving their reservation. In return for their agreement to the stipulations, the Utes would be given donations, presents, and farming implements. The treaty was ratified by the U.S. Congress in 1850. Unfortunately the boundaries of the reservation were not delineated in the treaty; therefore, the Utes continued to use all the large territory that their ancestors had occupied in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

Later the Utes again began attacking settlers. In March 1855, a military and civilian force under Ceran St. Vrain, Colonel Thomas T. Fauntleroy, and Kit Carson defeated a Ute force near Cochetopa Pass. Fauntleroy, later on another trip, went north into the Upper Arkansas Valley where he attacked and killed more Utes and took many of their horses. For some time afterwards, the Utes conducted fewer raids and those they were responsible for were on the Great Plains or in the San Luis Valley. In 1863, Colorado Governor John Evans achieved a major breakthrough with the Ute Indians by establishing a satisfactory new reservation for them, but the Utes ignored the boundaries (Ubbelohde and others, 1972). At Conejos, in the southern end of the San Luis Valley, the tribe agreed on October 7, 1863, to cede the San Luis Valley to the whites while promising to move to a reserved area on the Western Slope of Colorado.

The Treaty of 1863 with the Utah–Tabeguache and other Utes established a new boundary for the Ute Tribe that restricted their reservation. Only the northeastern part of this reservation south of the Grand [Colorado] River and southwest of the Roaring Fork River was within the Leadville quadrangle. The boundaries of the 1863 reservation in the Leadville quadrangle began at the 108th meridian, then followed the Colorado River eastward and on up the Colorado River to where the Roaring Fork River flows into the Colorado at the present site of Glenwood Springs. Then the boundary turned south up the Roaring Fork to its source near Independence Pass east of Aspen. Then the boundary went southward along the summit of the Sawatch Range across the 39th parallel and out of the quadrangle (Rockwell, 1956, p. 69–70). The treaty prevented the Utes from making raids, and it stated that they should learn to farm and raise livestock. It also gave the government the right to regulate trade, to establish military posts, railroads, mail stations, and highways. In return, the Utes were promised military protection, $20,000 in provision goods annually for 10 years, along with horses, cattle, and sheep.

However, within five years, settlers were pushing for more land. As a result, a delegation of Ute leaders was escorted to Washington, D.C., to see U.S. Government officials and to consult about this new change in living arrangements for the Tribe. The Utes were asked to negotiate a new treaty, and the new treaty of November 6, 1868, again changed the tribal boundaries. "The east edge along the 37th parallel was the 107th meridian of longitude, which extended northward to 15 miles north of the 40th parallel, then due west to the west boundary of Colorado, then south to the southern boundary of Colorado and then back east to the beginning." This meant that only about the western half of the Leadville quadrangle was in the new reservation. The new treaty prevented any person, except any agent of the government, from entering the reservation. The Utes were allowed no hunting grounds outside the reservation. A new White River Agency was established on the White River near Meeker, Colorado.

The "Hunt Treaty" (also called the Treaty of 1868 or the "Kit Carson Treaty") provided that the Indians would move to a new reservation west of the 107th meridian (this meridian runs north–south down the middle of the present Leadville quadrangle). This "Consolidated Ute Reservation" comprised about 15,120,060 acres, or about one–third of the area of Colorado. The west boundary was the east boundary of present–day Utah. By signing the 1868 treaty, the Utes were also ratifying the 1863 treaty. The U.S. authorities agreed to establish two Indian agencies within this large area. The only agency that was then in the Leadville quadrangle part of the reservation was just south of Meeker, Colorado—the White River Agency. It was established for the use of the Northern Ute bands. The treaty also agreed to provide annual gifts of clothing, food, and other supplies to the Utes, much of which was never delivered.

Hardly had the treaty been signed when valuable minerals were discovered in the San Juan Mountains. Settlers immediately began infringing on the newly agreed upon reservation lands in the San Juans. The treaty was violated, tension increased, and demands were made to force changes in the newly accomplished agreement. The pressure on the Utes became so great that within 10 years, the Utes were forced out of the San Juan area. The government then pressured the Indians to give up the entire mining area. In 1873, a new treaty called the Brunot Treaty was signed. The 1873 Brunot Treaty concerned land only in the southwestern corner of Colorado, none of which was in the Leadville quadrangle. Even though the miners got what they wanted, they were slow to settle in the San Juan area, partly because of the lack of good transportation, but also because other areas, such as Leadville and Aspen, attracted more interest and more money. Nevertheless, by the 1880s, mining camps were spread over nearly all of southwestern Colorado. Roads and railroads were allowed to be built through the reservation. Toll roads were also built to most of the new towns, allowing the miners to ship their ores to mills and smelters. Short railroad lines were also built to Silverton, Durango, Rico, Ophir, Telluride, as well as a connection that was built to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad system at Ridgway.


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Commission of September 1873 for the Purchase of the San Juan Mountains Region (The Brunot Agreement)

The purchase agreement delineated the land relinquished by the Utes as being "15 miles due north of the southern boundary of Colorado, running to a point on said line 20 miles due east of the western boundary of Colorado to a point 10 miles north of the point where said line intersects the 38th parallel of north latitude, then east to the eastern boundary of the Ute reservation, then south along said boundary to the place of beginning." For selling this land, the Utes were promised $25,000 annually, were permitted to hunt in the San Juan Mountains, Ouray's salary was raised from $500 to $1,000 a year, and the government reaffirmed the prohibition that unauthorized persons should not enter the reservation.

Although the Gunnison River Country was not included in the purchased land of the Brunot Agreement, it was entered by a party of settlers after receiving permission from the Los Pinos Indian Agent Charles Adams and Chief Ouray. The ranchers and miners settled there and established Gunnison City, and apparently never were harassed by the Ute Tribe.

The Brunot Treaty designated Chief Ouray as the spokesman for the entire Ute Nation. Although Ouray was part Apache, the government wanted someone from the Ute Tribe to speak with one voice. Ouray became the most famous Indian in Colorado history, and until his death on August 20, 1880, he worked hard to maintain peace between the Utes and the swelling ranks of the European settlers. After the departure of the Indians from the San Juan area, the settlers began to question why the Indians were even allowed to remain in the area north of the San Juan mining area. Soon the feeling erupted that the "Utes Must Go." Events taking place at the White River Agency on the White River in the northwestern part of the Leadville quadrangle led to unrest by the Indians. The Indian agent, Nathan Meeker, formerly head of the Union Colony of Greeley, Colorado, was a sincere, dedicated man, but he was determined to reform the ways of the Indians. In trying to change their nomadic life style, he ordered them to adopt a settled, agricultural life. As a consequence, many northern Utes left the reservation. Some of these Utes committed depredations, burned houses, and burned some forests. After Meeker's administrative control broke down, he called for aid from the U.S. Army. In response, a contingent of cavalry was sent from Fort Garland (east of Alamosa) to round up the Indians. Also, on September 24, 1879, Major Thomas T. Thornburgh of Fort Steele, Wyoming, led another force of soldiers to protect the agency. Thornburgh's soldiers were ambushed at Milk Creek near the reservation boundary and held there under fire. The Major and 12 cavalry troopers were killed. Thornburgh's detachment also was pinned down and couldn't break free. A message finally reached Rawlins, Wyoming, about their predicament, and Colonel Wesley Merritt hurried to help the beleaguered soldiers. After he and his soldiers arrived, the Indians surrendered. After the battle, the bodies of the 12 dead soldiers were laid in a mass grave. They were not properly buried elsewhere (The Denver Post, Dec. 9, 2002, pages 1b and 8b). When Colonel Merritt reached the Agency near Meeker, he found that Meeker and 11 other men had been killed by the Utes, and five women and children had been carried away. After the women were released, they later revealed that outrages had been perpetrated on them, but later during a special commission hearing, they stated that they had been moderately well treated (Rockwell, 1998, p. 164).

Almost all people in Colorado wanted revenge against the Utes and spoke loudly, "The Utes Must Go." After the massacre near Meeker, the Colorado Militia was sent to northwestern Colorado. Federal troops were sent from Texas to Fort Garland and from New Mexico to Fort Lewis near Pagosa Springs, but by then the fighting had ended. An investigation was convened, but proved nothing because no Ute would testify. Also, Chief Ouray's demand that a trial would have to take place in Washington, D.C., was unrealistic. Only one Ute leader was condemned, and he served only a short prison sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

In early August 1887, Chief Colorow and his band at the White River Agency were accused of illegal hunting outside the reservation and of stealing stock. Pleas for help from citizens led Governor Alva Adams to send troops. On August 15, the commanders of troops in Leadville ordered company B to proceed on August 17 by rail to Gypsum, then continue on horseback to Meeker via Glenwood Springs. They camped with other detachments at Morgan's Ranch, between Glenwood Springs and Meeker. They all then advanced up to Meeker. Fighting took place on August 25. Three soldiers were killed, probably eight Indians were killed, and a number of Indian ponies were captured. The fighting lasted several hours and ended when General George Crook and Federal troops arrived. The Colorado Guardsmen were withdrawn and General Crook and Indian Agent Byrnes agreed to keep the Utes on the Uintah Reservation in Utah. Unfortunately the dissension continued until 1898 when the northern Utes were prohibited from hunting in Colorado.

Apparently, the majority opinion of Colorado officials was that punishment of the Utes was less important than removing them from Colorado. However, even the removal did not take place, because the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation were both established in remote southwestern Colorado.


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Place Names in the Leadville Quadrangle

(Because of the scale of the main map and figure 2, not all of the nearly 600 place names listed below could be shown. Approximate date of founding is shown for some place names. Some place names have older alternate names shown in parentheses. P.O. = Post Office; year following "P.O." indicates date of establishment of Post Office.)

Adelaide, P.O., 1878, formerly Park City, SE 1/4 sec.19, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., on Stray Horse Gulch, had a smelter. Lake County

Agassiz, a name given to a site where there was only 1 house, location in the SE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., later to be the site of Leadville. Agassiz was first proposed as the future site of the St. Louis Smelting and Refining Company; a corporation was formed, called "Agassiz Town Company," in the spring of 1877. They applied for a Post Office, but after some discussion the name Leadville was adopted for that area, rather than Agassiz (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 148). Lake County

Alexander, NW 1/4 SE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., on Little Evans Gulch. Lake County

Alexander, 1878–1884, SE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., along the East Fork of the Arkansas River on U.S. Highway 24 northwest of Leadville near the Red Cliff Wagon Road. Lake County

Alicante (Summit), P.O., 1881, SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 79 W. The John Reed mine near Alicante was noted for fine rhodochrosite crystals (Eberhart, 1959, p. 205–206). The D. & R.G. R.R. station was called Summit because it was high on Fremont Pass and near Climax. Had a 2,000–foot tramway and a 20–foot stamp mill, abandoned by 1888. Lake County

Allen, 1881, center sec. 15, T. 5 S., R. 87 W., a siding on the D. & R.G. R.R., near Spruce Creek and French Gulch. Garfield County

Allens, 1881, probably in the east 1/2 of sec. 27, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., a station along the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Allenton, SE 1/4 sec. 36, T. 4 S., R. 83 W., D. & R.G. R.R. name for Edwards on the Berry's Ranch, formerly Wilmore, used Post Office at Edwards. Eagle County

Alma, settled 1872, P.O., 1873, NW 1/4 sec. 12, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., a mining camp with a smelter. Park County

Alma Junction, NW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 77 W. Park County

Alma Smelter, NW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 9 S., R. 78 W. Park County

Alma Station (London Junction, London), on D.S.P & P. R.R. in the NW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 77 W. Park County

Amity, NE 1/4 sec. 1, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., a mining camp near St. Kevin's. Lake County

Antlers, P.O., 1891, NE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 6 S., R. 93 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. near Ives Station west of Silt on Colorado River. Garfield County

Anvil Points, NE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 94 W., a U.S. Bureau of Mines oil shale research plant. Garfield County

Apex, in Leadville area, later in St. Kevins Mining District, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Arbany Spur, NE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on a tributary of Roaring Fork. Pitkin County

Argentine (formerly Conger), P.O., 1881, NE 1/4 sec. 17, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., a railroad stop near Bacon on the D.S.P. & P. Ry. Summit County

Arkansas Junction, P.O., 1890, SE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., a railroad junction due west of Leadville. Lake County

Ashcroft (Castle Forks City), P.O., 1880, NW 1/4 sec. 32, T. 11 S., R. 84 W., a silver and lead mining place, Horace A.W. Tabor lived here temporarily, a busy mining town. It was once a stop for three stage lines. Originally it was accessible only by way of Taylor Pass, which was closed in the winter and always difficult to cross. To go over the pass, stages and wagons had to disassemble their vehicles and bring them down or up across cliffs as high as 40 feet. Before Independence Pass was opened, stage and wagon traffic went across Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista, but two stage lines still went over Taylor Pass and a third over Pearl Pass. When the D. & R.G. R.R. finally reached Aspen, access from the north was gained to Ashcroft. Also, Independence Pass was opened and improved access from Leadville with a shorter trip than thru Aspen. Because of the richer mines in Aspen and the arrival of the D. & R.G. R.R. in Aspen, after 1887 Ashcroft began to die out. In later years, Ashcroft had begun a comeback as a tourist attraction and now is a resort. Pitkin County

Aspen (Roaring Fork City, Ute City), 1879, P.O., 1880, sec. 7, T. 10 S., R. 84 W. During the early years, housing was hard to come by and conditions were somewhat primitive. In Frank Wentworth's book, "Aspen on the Roaring Fork" (1950), is the following quote: "The Clergymen, March 21, 1885. Aspen now has four clergymen, Catholic, Congregational, Episcopal and Methodist. A Baptist should also come. He would do an immense amount of good if he could succeed in converting many owing to the fact there are hundreds of people here who have not taken a bath in four years." In 1893, Aspen was considered to be the richest silver–producing community in the world. In 1894, the Smuggler mine produced the then largest silver nugget in the world that weighed 2,054 pounds, and it was more than 93 percent silver. Aspen was settled later than many other areas primarily because of the hazard from Indians. By 1880, the fear of Indians decreased, more miners arrived, and more mines were opened. In 1881, three stage lines came from Crested Butte; two over Taylor Pass and one over Pearl Pass. Aspen really grew when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad arrived in 1887. In February 1888, the Colorado Midland Railway came into town, and in that year Aspen became the first city in Colorado to have electric lights. The cost of shipping ore fell from $50 to $100 per ton by wagon to $10 to $15 per ton by railroad. The railroads were the most important influence in the growth of Aspen. Aspen rose rapidly in importance until the drastic collapse of silver prices in 1893. Then, as in all the big silver mining towns, business went into a serious slump. However, in addition to being one of the world's greatest metal mining towns, Aspen also was a fertile farming and ranching area. In later years, it has become one of Colorado's major ski areas and a popular cultural and recreational center. Pitkin County

Aspen Junction, P.O., 1890, SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 86 W. (See Basalt). Eagle County

Astor City (Blaine), 1880s, NW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., a temporary camp 6 miles north of Red Cliff on Kelly's Toll Road, on western slope of Battle Mountain, formerly the site of the trading post of the Astor Fur Trading Company (Eberhart, 1959, p. 180). Eagle County

Avalanche (Hot Springs), SW 1/4 sec. 33, T. 9 S., R. 88 W., a small community south of Janeway on the Crystal River Railway. Pitkin County

Avon Siding, P.O., 1900, SE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 5 S., R. 82 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Azure, NW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 1 S., R. 81 W., a stop on the Denver & Salt Lake Railroad before 1923. Grand County

Bacon Station, SE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., on the D.S.P. & P. Railway on Boreas Pass route, station below Bakers Tank. Summit County

Bakers Tank, NW 1/4 sec. 16, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., an important stop on Boreas Pass line. Has a long–standing water tank. Summit County

Balltown, center SE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 11 S., R. 80 W. (on Twin Lakes Spur of Colorado Midland Railway), mail was sent to Granite. Lake County

Balzac, P.O., 1891, SW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 6 S., R. 94 W., 1 mile southeast of Rulison. Garfield County

Bar H Park, NE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 3 S., R. 92 W. Garfield County

Barlow, P.O., 1883, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 6 S., R. 89 W. Garfield County

Bartholomew, NW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., railroad station on the D.S.P & P. R.R. Summit County

Basalt (Frying Pan City, Aspen Junction), P.O., 1895, SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 86 W. Eagle County

Bates, NW corner sec. 15, T. 9 S., R. 85 W., D. & R.G. R.R. station. Pitkin County

Battle Mountain Park, SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 6 S., R. 80 W., one–third mile north of Redcliff near Rex; named for a historic battle in 1849 between the Ute and Arapaho Tribes. Eagle County

Beaver City, 1880, SW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 12 S., R. 80 W., on Clear Creek. Chaffee County

Beckers, SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 7 S., R. 89 W., on Cardiff Gulch Branch of Colorado Midland Railway. Garfield County

Belden, 1879, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., D. & R.G. R.R. station. Eagle County

Bells Camp (Cleveland), 1880, P.O., 1883, NE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 6 S., R. 81 W. Eagle County

Bensons, NW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 7 S., R. 78 W., D. & R.G. station south of Wheeler. Summit County

Bernard, P.O., 1896, SW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 10 S., R. 95 W., a small settlement on Grand Mesa in Mesa County

Berrys Ranch (see Edwards), SE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 82 W. Eagle County

Bighorn, SE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 5 S., R. 80 W. Eagle County

Biglow (Quinns Spur), NE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., Quinns spur was a railroad spur 1 mile northwest of Norrie, later Biglow, a loading spur for lumber near Massive City. Pitkin County

Birdseye, 1879, SW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., named for the local porphyritic rock at junction of Birdseye Gulch and East Fork of Arkansas River, on the D. & R.G. Ry. and D.S.P. & P. Ry. southwest of Wortman; the Birdseye site is now on the L.C. & S. Lake County

Birdseye Station, on L.C. & S. R.R., northwest corner sec. 4, T. 9 S., R. 79 W. Lake County

Black Iron Station, NE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., D. & R.G. R.R. station just north of Red Cliff. Eagle County

Blaine, P.O., 1884, NE 1/4 sec. 2, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., formerly Astor City in the SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., 3.5 miles from Red Cliff where road from Cleveland crosses Rock Creek. Eagle County

Blake City, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., 2 miles downstream from mouth of Eagle River, had a ferry. Eagle County

Blue Hill, NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 5 S., R. 86 W. Eagle County

Blue River, 1964, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., 3.5 miles south of Breckenridge. Summit County

Boiling Springs (see Glenwood Springs). Garfield County

Bond, P.O., 1935, SE 1/4 sec. 16, or NE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 2 S., R. 83 W., D. & S.L. Ry. station (see Orestod), 1860–1870(?). Eagle County

Bond, P.O., 1886, SE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 9 S., R. 81 W. Lake County

Boston, middle sec. 30, T. 7 S., R. 78 W., in Mayflower Gulch off Upper Ten Mile Canyon. Summit County

Boughtown, 1860–1872, NW corner sec. 25, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., the unofficial name of the overall settlement scattered in a most disorderly manner for about 6 miles up and down both sides of California Gulch. Also a short–lived camp near the SE corner of future site of Leadville, in the NW 1/4 sec. 25, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., named for the boughs of all the trees that formerly grew there and for the small miner's brush shelters that were constructed of four poles covered on the tops and sides by evergreen boughs. Later called Oro City. The last miners there tore down a gambling house and panned two thousand dollars in gold dust from beneath its floor. Lake County

Braddock, P.O., 1884, (Broncho Dave Braddock's ranch), SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 6 S., R. 77 W. (see Broncho Station), formerly Preston, 1878, on Leadville Line of D.L. & G. Ry. (C. & S. Ry), 3 miles north of Breckenridge; somehow Braddock managed to grow vegetables in the Blue River's cool alpine soil (average growing season is 12 days). Summit County

Breckenridge, 1859, P.O., 1860, SW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 6 S., R. 77 W. The first prospectors in the Blue River valley built a fort (Fort Meribeh or Fort Mary B.) as protection from the Ute Indians; the area of the fort later became a part of Breckenridge. The first stagecoach entered the town in 1860. Breckenridge was one of the richest gold mining areas in Colorado. In the early years it was a gold placer mining camp. By 1863, miners had worked most of the shallow gravel deposits in the valleys, removing the placer gold using sluice boxes, rockers, and gold pans. Eventually, hard–rock lode mines were located and worked. For example, rich gold veins were discovered on Farncomb Hill. In 1907, giant dredges started operating in most of the valleys, earning as much as $20,000 worth of gold per week. The dredges could work large areas of gravel that were too deep or unprofitable to work by other methods. After the dredging was stopped, the dredges were salvaged for the World War II scrap iron drive. In the early years of the United States during the purchase of land in the western United States, a 1,300–square–mile area from Breckenridge north to Grand Lake was not officially entered as a part of the U.S.A. The omission was discovered in 1936 by a Breckenridge women's club member and was corrected by Colorado Governor Ed Johnson. Summit County

Breen, NW 1/4 sec. 24, T. 7 S., R. 79 W. Summit County

Brickyard Spur, SE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 7 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Broncho Station, 1885, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., same as Braddock and same as Sultana(?). Summit County

Brooklyn Heights, just south of Leadville, probably on the rise in the NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Brumley (Bromley) (Wolle, 1977), SW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 11 S., R. 82 W., an important stage stop on North Fork Lake Creek and Hunter Pass Road and on Lake Creek southeast of Independence Pass. Had a 3–mile–long aerial tram to take the ore for treatment. Lake County

Bryant Station (Sands), pre–1923, Colorado Midland station in the NE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 7 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Buckskin, 1860, P.O., 1866, earlier called Laurette P.O. in 1865, SE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., in 1863 named Buckskin Joe. H.A.W. Tabor moved there, started a grocery store, and also worked a claim. The Phillips Lode was the most productive mine, yielding $500,000 in 1861 and 1862. An old Spanish arrastra (a circular stone mill for grinding gold–bearing rock) is nearby along Buckskin Creek. Park County

Buckskin Joe, County Seat 1863–1866, SE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., station of the Dan McLaughlin Stage Line that took passengers and freight to Denver. Park County

Bucktown, 1879, on line between NW 1/4, sec. 34 and SW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., mining camp close to Stringtown, but east of Malta. Lake County

Buffers Spur, 1917, NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., name of railroad station was Buffehr, 1 mile north of Robinson and 4 miles south of Kokomo. Summit County

Buford, P.O., 1890, NW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 1 S., R. 91 W., on White River. Rio Blanco County

Burns Hole, P.O., 1895(?), SW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 2 S., R. 85 W., on Cabin Creek a little more than 2 miles northwest of the Colorado River. Eagle County

Burns Station, P.O., 1895, NW 1/4 sec. 23, T. 2 S., R. 85 W., station at Sunnyside Creek along the Colorado River on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Busk, P.O., 1890, SW 1/4 sec. 20, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., a settlement at the southeast mouth of Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel, a station on the Colorado Midland Railway, near Crawford Log Spur (figure 3). Lake County

Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel, sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., a 2–mile–long tunnel completed December 1893 about 500 feet below the Hagerman Pass Tunnel. After 1921 a toll gate ($1.00 fare) was built for autos to go through the tunnel, which was then called the Carlton Tunnel for the man who bought it from the railroad. Lake County

Cache Creek, 1860, P.O., 1862, SW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 12 S., R. 80 W., mining camp in 1860 that was 3 miles north of the 39th parallel. Other camps near Cache Creek were Bertschey's Gulch, Gibson Gulch, Gold Run, Lake Creek, Oregon Creek, and Ritchies Patch. Chaffee County

Cactus Valley, T. 6 S., R. 92 and 93 W., along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Calcium, P.O., 1888, SE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 8 S., R. 84 W., a limestone quarry area renamed Thomasville. Pitkin County

California Gulch (Carson), sec. 25 and 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., and sec. 30, T. 9 S., R. 79 W. The first gold placer strikes in the Leadville area were made along California Gulch. Emmons and others (1927) said that the gulch was almost abandoned in 1865; however, some activity continued through 1875 on both placers and lodes. California Gulch was divided into three districts (see Leadville and vicinity map, figure 4): (1) Arkansas Independent District at west end of the valley, 82 claims, 8,200 feet of valley bottom, (2) Sacramento District in the middle, 190 claims, 19,000 feet of valley bottom, and (3) California District, the east end of the valley, 67 claims, 6,700 feet of valley bottom; the three equaled a total of 33,900 feet of placer–rich available valley bottom. Average width of the gulch was 100 feet. In January 1867, the three parts were consolidated into the "California Mining District." Bank claims (placer pits in sloping banks) were situated along the sides of California Gulch—some claims yielded gold, others did not. Because the amount of flowing water became inadequate to extract gold after the 1860s, a large flume 12 miles long was constructed from 1870 to 1875. The gulch during that time was characterized by a row of dismantled miner's hamlets. Lake County

Camp Bryan, 1920(?), center sec. 30, T. 7 S., R. 80 W. Eagle County

Camp Fancy, 1880, SW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 7 S., R. 81 W., settlement on Fancy Creek. Apparently more money was spent on mining than was recovered from the minerals mined. Eagle County

Camp Fulford, 1887, NE 1/4 sec. 23 or NW 1/4 sec. 24, T. 6 S., R. 83 W., a gold camp, earlier known as Nolan's Creek Mining Camp. Eagle County

Camp Hale Military Reservation, sections 15, 22, and 23, T. 7 S., R. 80 W. (Active from 1942 to 1965.) In March 1942, Leadville was informed by the U.S. Army that a major military camp was going to be built along the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad at Pando, about 7 miles north of Tennessee Pass. The camp was planned to house and train more than 15,000 soldiers and support personnel of a newly established Tenth Mountain Division. They were to be trained in mountain and winter warfare. Construction of Camp Hale was completed in November 1942, and the soldiers began to move there before Christmas 1942. The camp lay at 9,300 feet altitude and was a cold place all winter. The valley trapped cold air and smog which caused a cold–air and smoke–induced cough among all residents. During WWII, German Prisoners of War were housed at the camp for some time. The Division soldiers spent most of three winters in the camp, then were shipped to Camp Swift in Texas in July 1944 for flat–land training. They were shipped to Italy in early 1945. Their bravery, their combat record in their winter warfare specialty, and their devotion to duty reveal a tradition that Colorado and all of America is proud of. During the Korean War, the camp was again used to train soldiers for duty in Korea. In the early 1960s, the CIA used the camp to train Tibetan guerillas. As a result of all the military maneuvers and the use of munitions, the camp still contains scattered shrapnel, spent shells, and undetonated explosive devices. Camp Hale was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1992. Eagle County

Camp Harrington, 1900(?), NE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., near Tennessee Pass. Miners camp, earlier called Tennessee Pass or Cooper, now is site of Cooper Hill Ski Area. Lake County

Camp McIntire, NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 9 S., R. 80 W.(?), a temporary camp just west of Harrison Avenue and north of 13th Street in the north end of Leadville established by the National Guard soldiers during the 1896–1897 miner's strike (Blair, 1980). Lake County

Carbonate, 1878, P.O., 1883, the first Post Office in Garfield County, middle of south 1/2 section 35, T. 3 S., R. 89 W., called Carbonate City, up on the Flat Tops at 11,313 feet altitude, about 13 miles north of Glenwood Springs, a camp with low–grade silver ore, the only mining camp known in the Flat Tops (see post road number 30). A stage from Red Cliff arrived 3 times a week by way of Dotsero on the Coffee Pot Road to Carbonate and Gresham (Murray and Lee, 1978, p. 72). Garfield County Seat for four months in 1883, but became a ghost town at end of 1883 (Urquhart, 1967, p. 12). Garfield County

Carbonate Camp, a popular name for Leadville in the 1870s. Lake County

Carbonateville, 1878, P.O., 1879, a mining camp south of Robinson at the mouth of McNulty Gulch and north of Fremont Pass in the NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., near Climax, abandoned by 1881. Just east was McNulty Gulch, a rich placer mining camp; the name had earlier been proposed but rejected as a name for Leadville. Summit County

Carbondale, 1883, P.O., 1887, SW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., a Colorado Midland Railway or D. & R.G. station along the Crystal River. Garfield County

Cardiff, P.O., 1889, SW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., a coal and coke camp and a station of the Colorado Midland Railway. Garfield County

Careys Camp, 1882, P.O., 1883, SW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 11 S., R. 85 W., a settlement along Conundrum Creek 7 miles south of Highland, avalanche–prone area, located at Conundrum Hot Springs. Pitkin County

Castle, P.O., 1885, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 5 S., R. 84 W., name changed to Eagle in 1891, a tent city south of Eagle River in Eagle County

Castle Forks (Chloride, P.O., 1881), SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 12 S., R. 84 W., an isolated mining camp 8 miles south of Highland City that later changed its name to Ashcroft. Pitkin County

Castles Station, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on the route of the Colorado Midland along the Frying Pan River. Eagle County

Castner, 1928, T. 8 S., R. 86 W.(?), east of Basalt on the Frying Pan River. Eagle County

Catherine, P.O., 1892, SE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., a D. & R.G. R.R. station east of Carbondale. Garfield County

Cattle Creek Station, SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., about 9 miles southeast of Glenwood Springs. Garfield County

Cerussite (a mineral name), an early proposed name for the Leadville City area; however, it was vetoed. Lake County

Chacra, center sec. 34, T. 5 S., R. 90 W., along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Chacra Siding, NE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 5 S., R. 90 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Garfield County

Chalk Creek Ranch, 1879(?), T. 8 S., R. 79 W., a ranching area near Tabor City, Halfway House, and Taylor City. Lake County

Chalk Ranch, SE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 8 S., R. 79 W. Lake County

Chapman, P.O., 1884, SW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 6 S., R. 91 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Garfield County

Charcoal, 1879(?), NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., a station on the C. & S. Ry. between Frisco and Dickey. Summit County

Chicken Hill, near California Gulch. A southwestern spur of Carbonate Hill was named for Chicken Bill (William H. Lovell). Location uncertain. Lake County

Chipeta (Chepeta), SE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., an alternate name of Independence, which had a Post Office. According to Wolle (1974), Chipeta also was called Mammoth City, Monmouth, Mount Hope, and Farwell. On the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Chloride, P.O., 1881, SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 12 S., R. 84 W. (see Coopers Camp and Castle Forks). Pitkin County

Chloride, 1860, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., a mining camp just south of Conger. Summit County

Cleator Moor, an early name for Finntown, on Cleator Moor Gulch in the SW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 79 W. Lake County

Cleveland (Bells Camp), 1880, P.O., 1883, NE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., a mining and lumber camp on Eagle River 2 miles northwest of Redcliff. Eagle County

Clifton (1880), SE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., a mining camp on Sugar Loaf Mountain 2.5 miles northwest of Soda Springs. Lake County

Climax, P.O., 1887, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., on summit of Fremont Pass, at one time the highest railroad station and Post Office in the United States. The valuable element molybdenum was identified here in 1900, and during WWI and WWII the mine became one of the greatest producers of molybdenum in the United States. Lake County

Cloud City, an early popular name for Leadville

Clover, 1897, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 94 W. Mesa County

Coal Basin, 1881–1882, P.O., 1901, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 10 S., R. 89 W., Colorado Fuel & Iron Company operated coal mines in the area; a company town on the Crystal River Railroad spur built 1900; mines closed 1909. Pitkin County

Coalridge, P.O., 1889, SE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 5 S., R. 90 W. Garfield County

Coffee Pot Springs NE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 4 S., R. 88 W., near French Creek, a stop on wagon road from Carbonate to Dotsero. Garfield County

Collbran, P.O., 1892, NE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 9 S., R. 95 W., along Plateau Creek. Mesa County

Colorado, NW 1/4 sec. 14, T. 8 S., R. 84 W. Pitkin County

Colorow, P.O., 1882, NW 1/4 sec. 16, T. 1 S., R. 80 W., about 7 miles southeast of Kremmling, named for White River Ute Indian Chief Colorow. Grand County

Concentrator Station, SE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 9 S., R. 85 W., railroad stop about 4 miles northwest of Aspen. Pitkin County

Conger, 1879, P.O., 1880 (later Argentine), NE 1/4 sec. 17, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., a short–lived mining and lumbering camp along Hoosier Pass road and along the Blue River 3 miles south of Breckenridge. Summit County

Cooper, P.O., 1891, NE 1/4 sec. 10, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., a mining camp (Tennessee Pass), now Cooper Hill ski area. Eagle County

Coopers Camp, 1880s (Wolle, 1977, p. 186), SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 12 S., R. 84 W., an area of iron mines near Ashcroft, sold to the C.F. & I. in 1886. The ore was shipped to Aspen, but the mining died out about 1887 (see Highland). Pitkin County

Copper Spur, P.O., 1929, SE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 2 S., R. 83 W. Eagle County

Corkscrew District, placer prospect near Breckenridge, Township 6 or 7 South, Range 77 or 78 West. Summit County

Coronado, 1880s, NW 1/4 sec. 12, T. 6 S., R. 81 W. (location?). Silver camp near Battle Mountain along the Eagle River. Eagle County

Coryell Coal Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 6 S., R. 91 W. Garfield County

Crane Park, NW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Lake County

Crater Station (Pershing), NW 1/4 sec. 16, T. 1 S., R. 83 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Routt County

Cravens, SW l/4 sec. 2, T. 8 S., R. 79 W. Summit County

Crawford Log Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 81 W. Lake County

Cruperton, NW1/4 sec. 19, T. 7 S., R. 87 W. Eagle County

Crystal City (Rock Creek District), P.O., 1882, NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 11 S., R. 87 W., a big silver camp, now accessible by four–wheel drive in the summer. On the road from Marble to Crystal City the Sheep Mountain tunnel mill west of Crystal City is a most photographic sight. Gunnison County

Crystal Lake, SE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 10 S., R. 80 W., a small resort along the railroad and the Arkansas River. Lake County

Crystal Ranch, NW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 10 S., R. 88 W., halfway between Placita and Redstone along the Crystal River. Pitkin County

Crystal River Ranch, SE 1/4 sec. 31, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., south of Sopris. Garfield County

Cunningham, NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 5 S., R. 78 W. Summit County

Curtin, NW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., a stop on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. south of Frisco. Summit County

Dana (see Hayden and Kobe), NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., at Granite along the Arkansas River. Lake County

Davies, P.O., 1894, sec. 27, T. 8 S., R. 86 W. Pitkin County

Dayton, early 1860s, P.O., 1866, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., at northwest edge of a small mining camp, near Twin Lakes, county seat from 1866 to 1868, at southeastern foot of Mount Elbert. There was a 16–mile–long toll road from Dayton to Oro City near Leadville. The Chaffee County Seat later was moved to Granite. Lake County

Deen Station, 1860, NW corner sec. 22, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., along the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Defiance, 1879, secs. 9 and 10, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., early name of Glenwood Springs. Garfield County

Defiance City, SE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 5 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Defiance Mineral Claim, SE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 5 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Delaware Flats Community, 1859, P.O., 1861 (Delaware City), NW 1/4 sec. 17, T. 6 S., R 77 W., where Gold Run Gulch joins the Swan River, now partly dredged. Summit County

Dell, sec. 18, T. 2 S., R. 84 W., a station on the Dotsero Cut–off. Eagle County

Derby Junction, middle sec. 22, T. 2 S., R. 85 W. Eagle County

Devereaux, P.O., 1883, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 6 S., R. 89 W. Garfield County

Devils Punchbowl, SE 1/4 sec. 1, T. 11 S., R. 84 W. Pitkin County

Dickey, P.O., 1892, formerly Placer Junction, NE 1/4 sec. 31, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., at the junction of the Breckenridge, Leadville, and Keystone branches of the D.S.P. & P. R.R.; had a three–stall roundhouse and a coaling station (Gilliland, 1987, p. 212), a 47,500 gallon water tank, a pump house, and a large wye with 47,383 feet of side track, now covered by Dillon Reservoir. Summit County

Dickey Station, P.O., 1892, center north 1/2 sec. 31, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., a railroad coaling and switching station on the Colorado and Southern Railway. Summit County

Dillon (Junction City), P.O., 1879, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., originally called Bonte's Hole for a French Canadian trapper. Dillon was founded in 1873 by four men at the foot of a small mesa where later stood a cemetery. Site of the New Dillon Placer. The most permanent site was established in 1879 (Junction City) on Keystone branch of D.S.P & P. R.R., and in 1882 became site of the D. & R.G. R.R. station. There was a wye on the track near the site of the original Dillon. Summit County

Dillon, 1970, SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., new site of Dillon after it was moved away from the waters of Dillon Reservoir. Summit County

Dinero, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., a station on the Colorado Midland Railway. Lake County

Dinner Station, SW corner, sec. 10, T. 4 S., R. 94 W., on the Rifle to Meeker Road 2 miles south of Rio Blanco. Garfield County

Doran, P.O., 1901 or 1902 (also called Horseshoe), NW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 10 S., R. 78 W. Park County

Dos Siding, SW 1/4 sec. 35, T. 6 S., R. 95 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Garfield County

Dotsero (Sulphur Spring), 1880, P.O., 1883, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 86 W., at junction of the Eagle and Grand (Colorado) Rivers. The stage from Red Cliff stopped here three times a week. Two miles east of Dotsero is the 4,150–year–old Dotsero crater and its associated flow, the youngest volcanic flow in Colorado (Giegengack, 1962; Tweto and others, 1978). Eagle County

Dotsero Station, NW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 5 S., R. 86 W. Eagle County

Douglass City (Tunneltown), center sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 81 W. Under the trestle approach to the Hagerman Tunnel was the short–lived construction camp of the Colorado Midland Railway, southeast of the east portal of the Hagerman Tunnel. Lake County

Dowds Spur, 1870, NW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 5 S., R. 81 W., spur along the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Dudley (Dudleyville), P.O., 1872, NW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., camp and a smelter for the miners at the Moose mine, about 2 miles north of Alma and 3 miles south of Quartzville, on Hoosier Pass wagon road from Fairplay to Breckenridge. The Moose mine is still active and produces large beautiful crystals of rhodochrosite, now the official Colorado State mineral. Park County

Eagalite (Eaglite), P.O., 1885, SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 10 S., R. 95 W., 2 miles south of Plateau City. Mesa County

Eagle (Castle, Rio Aquilla, McDonald), NW 1/4 sec. 4, T. 5 S., R. 84 W., a ranching and agricultural town and county seat on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Eagle City (Mitchell, Roudebush), 1878, P.O., 1880, SW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S, R. 80 W., a mining camp in 1879. Summit County

Eagle County Airport, SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 5 S., R. 85 W., just east of Gypsum. Eagle County

Eagle Park, 1887, SE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., wood–burning kilns on Eagle River branch of D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

East Leadville, SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., a town on the D. & R.G. R.R. Park County

East Mitchell, SE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 8 S., R. 80 W. Eagle County

Edsum, SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 5 S., R. 85 W., a railroad town along the Eagle River. Eagle County

Edwards (Berry's Ranch), P.O., 1883, SE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 82 W., 21 miles northwest from Redcliff. Eagle County

Edwards Siding, P.O., 1883, NW 1/4 sec. 4, T. 5 S., R. 82 W. Eagle County

Eilers, NE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Eldorado West, NW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 6 S., R. 77 W. Eagle County

El Jebel (see Sherman), P.O., 1923, NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 8 S., R. 87 W. Eagle County

Elk Mountain, SE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 9 S., R. 88 W., on the C.R. & S.J. Ry. Pitkin County

Emma, P.O., 1881, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 8 S., R. 87 W., a station on the D. & R.G. R.R. and on the C.M. Ry. in Pitkin County

English Gulch, SE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., on the northern slope of Mt. Tweto, named for Dr. Ogden Tweto, U.S. Geological Survey, one of Colorado's preeminent geologists and an expert on the geology of the Leadville area and Colorado. Lake County

Evans (Lida Junction), NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R 79 W., on railroad line. Lake County

Evansville (Henry, Big Evans), 1879, NW 1/4 sec. 20, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., a mining community 3 miles east of Leadville near the head of Big Evans Gulch. Lake County

Everett (Halfway House, Seiden's Ranch, Lorimer), P.O., 1881, NE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 11 S., R. 82 W., a mining camp that had a two–story stage station on the Independence Pass stage toll road between Leadville and Aspen. Along the Everett road passed strings of burros a quarter–mile long carrying supplies from Leadville. When the railroads reached Aspen, the town of Everett went out of business. Lake County

Evergreen Lakes, 1889, SE 1/4 sec. 36, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., a resort near small lakes southwest of Leadville. Had lodgings and was near a large fish hatchery. Lake County

Excelsior, 1899, SE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., same location as Hathaway, a town on the C. & S. Ry. Summit County

Fairplay, 1859, P.O., 1861 (Fairplay Diggings, 1860–1861, Platte City, 1861), NE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 9 S., R. 77 W. In Fairplay is the museum of "South Park City," which is a new town composed mostly of restored old buildings moved from Buckskin Joe, Leavick, Horseshoe, and other sites. The buildings have been authentically refurnished (Eberhart, 1959). The Middle Fork South Platte River runs through the town, and the ice–age gravel deposited by the river was excavated by a giant dredge to recover gold. On the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Park County

Fairview, SE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 7 S., R. 92 W. Garfield County

Farwell, P.O., 1881, Farwell City, SE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 10 S., R. 82 W., a mine name. Also used as an alternate name of Independence, near border of Pitkin County, but in Lake County

Farwell, SE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 4 S., R. 94 W., at south edge of Book Cliffs. Garfield County

Ferguson, P.O., 1883, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 6 S., R. 92 W., a town just east of Silt on the D. & R.G. R.R. on the Colorado River. Garfield County

Finntown, NW 1/4 SW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., originally named Cleator Moor Gulch from a mining district near Cumberland, England. On Stray Horse Gulch, had a sauna (a steam bath and a dunk in an icy snowbank). Lake County

Flour Mill, NE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., just south of Glenwood Springs on the Roaring Fork River. Garfield County

Ford Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 84 W., a spur on the Colorado Midland Railway, just west of Ruedi. Eagle County

Fort Defiance, 1879, SE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 5 S., R. 88 W., or in the middle of sec. 15, T. 5 S., R. 88 W., a settler post. This was a log stockade built by prospectors for protection from Ute Indians; on the north rim of Glenwood Canyon at head of Wagon Gulch, 6 miles northeast of Glenwood Springs and 13 miles southeast of Carbonate (Roberts, 1988; Spurr and Spurr, 1994). There also was a Defiance Mineral Claim in the SE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 5 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Fort Mary B. or Fort Meribeh, one mile north of Breckenridge in the NW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 6 S., R. 77 W. Summit County

Fort McHenry, sec. 13, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., shown just north of Dillon on maps dated 1879–1885. Summit County. See information about Fort McHenry under military camps

Four Mile Park, SE 1/4 sec. 17, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., on north shore of Twin Lakes Reservoir, a roadhouse on the Twin Lakes toll road. Lake County

4–Mile Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 7 S., R. 89 W., 4 miles south of Cardiff where the railroad branches west to Sunlight and south to Marion railroad station, on the Colorado Midland Railway. Garfield County

Frawley, P.O., 1916, (near Robinson), SE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., along Ten Mile Creek on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

French Gulch, in 1880–1881, occupied by miners waiting for warm weather before moving north to the mining prospect at Carbonate, NE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 5 S., R. 87 W., near Allen and Spruce Creek. Garfield County

French Gulch, SE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., site of a water tank on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Lake County

Frisco, P.O., 1879. NW 1/4 sec. 35, T. 5 S., R. 78 W. Both the D. & R.G. R.R. and the D. & S.P. & P. R.R. had stations in Frisco. An old mining camp, now a tourist stop on highway I–70. Summit County

Frying Pan City, SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., at the junction of the Frying Pan Creek and the Roaring Fork River, was renamed Basalt in 1895. Eagle County

Frying Pan Gulch (now Rock Creek Gulch), on eastern flank of Mt. Massive, SW 1/4 sec. 36, T. 9 S., R. 81 W. Named because prospectors panned gold with a frying pan. Lake County

Fulford, 1887 (Nolan Camp), a silver mining camp for about 30 years, NW 1/4 sec. 24, T. 6 S., R. 83 W. Eagle County

Funston, NW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., a D. & R.G. R.R. station. Garfield County

Garfield County Airport, SW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 6 S., R. 93 W., an airport south of Cactus Valley, 4 miles southwest of Silt. Garfield County

Georgia Bar, 1860, SW corner sec. 5, T. 12 S., R. 79 W., at the mouth of Clear Creek near U.S. Highway 24. Chaffee County

Gerbazdale, P.O., 1918 (see Watson), NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R 85 W., northwest of Rathbone. Pitkin County

Gilman (Clinton, Battle Mountain, Rex, Rock Creek), 1879, P.O., 1886, NE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., a very successful silver mining town perched on the steep sides of the cliffs of Battle Mountain. The mill is far below beside the Eagle River along the D. & R.G. R.R. tracks. Eagle County

Gleason Gulch, NE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., a silver camp; a large mill was built in 1895, but burned down the same year. Lake County

Glen, SW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 2 S., R. 84 W., a D. & R.G. station along the Colorado River. Eagle County

Glenwood Springs (Boiling Springs, Fort Defiance, Defiance, Grand Springs, Grand River Hot Springs), 1883, P.O., 1884, secs. 9 and 10, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., became county seat (formerly Barlow was the county seat), reached by stage from Leadville or from Crested Butte via Aspen or by D. & R.G. R.R.; an early settlement in Ute Territory; a famous resort, the chief attraction is its wonderful hot springs. Before a bridge was built across the Colorado River, there was a ferry. Before the railroad arrived, Glenwood Springs was reached by stage from Leadville and Aspen. Garfield County

Gold Basin, NE 1/4 sec., 14, T. 10 S., R. 79 W., at head of Big Union Creek. Lake County

Gold Pan Station, center of north 1/2 sec. 6, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., on D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

Gold Park, 1880, P.O., 1881, SE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 7 S., R. 81 W., larger than Holy Cross City, but a short–lived mining camp with two mills. Eagle County

Gold Run Gulch, near Breckenridge, NE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 6 S., R. 77 W. Summit County

Goldstone Camp, NW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 4 S., R. 90 W., on East Fork Elk Creek. Garfield County

Gordon, SE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 10 S., R. 80 W., about 4 miles south of Malta on the D. & R.G. R.R. Lake County

Governor, SW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 7 S., R. 78 W. Summit County

Graham Park, in the SW1/4 sec. 19 and the NW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., east of Leadville between Carbonate Hill and Iron Hill. Had hotels, saloons, and a school. Buildings were still occupied in the 1920s. Lake County

Graham Station, in the SW 1/4 sec. 19 and NW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R., 1.5 miles northeast of Leadville between Big and Little Evans Gulches. Lake County

Gramid, NE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 6 S., R. 91 W., a D. & R.G. R.R. station. Garfield County

Grand Mesa, P.O., 1927, NE 1/4 sec. 1, T. 12 S., R. 95 W., a community on Grand Mesa. Delta County

Grand River Hot Springs (Grand Springs, 1883), name later changed to Glenwood Springs. Garfield County

Granite, P.O., 1868, SW 1/4 sec. 11, T. 12 S., R. 79 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R., formerly county seat of Lake County, a placer mining camp that extracted gold from the gravel terraces bordering the Arkansas River, now in Chaffee County

Grass Mesa, in south 1/2 T. 6 S., T. 93 W. Garfield County

Graveline, NW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 7 S., R. 78 W., a stop on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

Green Mountain, SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 2 S., R. 80 W. Summit County

Green Mountain Camp, SW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 2 S., R. 80 W., on shore of Green Mountain Reservoir. Summit County

Greens Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 35, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., a stop on Colorado Midland Railway. Garfield County

Gresham (location?), P.O., 1883, probably about 1.5 miles south of Carbonate between SW 1/4 sec. 3 and SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 4 S., R. 89 W., at head of Grizzly Creek and near Canyon Creek. Garfield County

Grizzly Station, NE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 6 S., R. 88 W., on the D. & R.G. 4 miles east of Glenwood Springs. Garfield County

Grubbs, NE 1/4 sec. 10, T. 8 S., R. 88 W., a station on the Crystal River and San Juan Railroad, where potatoes were grown. Garfield County

Gulch (earlier Spring Gulch, later named Jerome Park), P.O., 1895, SE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 8 S., R. 89 W., Spring Gulch Station on Colorado Midland Railway, along Thompson Creek. Pitkin County

Gutchell's, 1881, a small railroad station in the NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 8 S., R. 80 W. Eagle County

Gypsum, P.O., 1883, SW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 85 W., a major station on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Eagle River. Eagle County

Hagerman, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., at the Hagerman Tunnel and the Hagerman Trestle on the C.M. Ry. (see figure 3). Pitkin County

Halfway House (see Tabor City), SE 1/4 sec.16, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., a rest station for travelers on their journey over Fremont Pass. Lake County

Hanging Lake, sec. 19, T. 5 S., R. 87 W. Garfield County

Hangtown, near Leadville, 1860s. This town was mentioned in two reports. In Blair (1980, p. 61): "Different sections of the city have picturesque names—Tin Town in Poverty Flats and Hangtown." The report of Boyd and Carson (1985) on page 4 states that Hangtown is a "Section of Leadville," but then their map shows Hangtown grouped with Shanty Town, Chicken Hill, and Ten–Mile Gulch about 3 miles east of Leadville. I can't believe that Hangtown would have been far from Leadville. Therefore, with no better information than is available in those two references, the location of Hangtown remains unknown. In fact, Sam McGeorge (written communication, 2003) of the Natonal Mining Hall of Fame and Museum said that a network of his older friends, history buffs, and lifelong residents never had heard of Hangtown. Consequently, they also did not know where it had been. Lake County

Harrison, a name proposed but vetoed as a name for Leadville area; named for Edwin Harrison, an early settler. Lake County

Harris Spur, NE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 7 S., R. 87 W., a station on the C.M. Ry. Eagle County

Harvard, SW 1/4 sec. 24, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., a station on the D. & R.G. R.R. at the mouth of Lake Creek. Lake County

Hathaway, SE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., on D.S.P. & P. R.R., same location as Excelsior. Summit County

Hawxhurst, P.O., 1882, NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 94 W. (see post road 107), a stock–raising community south of Plateau Creek near its junction with Park Creek. Mesa County

Hayden, 1875 (Dana, Kobe), NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., a station on D. & R.G. R.R. Lake County

Hayden Ranch, NW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 11 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Heeney, P.O., 1939, NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 2 S., R. 80 W. Summit County

Heiberger, P.O., 1908, middle of south edge, sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 93 W., on Buzzard Creek. Mesa County

Hell Gate, SW 1/4 sec. 3, T. 9 S., R. 82 W., a lookout point above Nast on the Colorado Midland Railway. Pitkin County

Henry, 1880, 3.5 miles northeast of Leadville, probably in the center sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., along the East Fork, Arkansas River (Eberhart, 1959, p. 210; Kernochan, 1956, p. 196). Lake County

Higby, SW 1/4 sec. 35, T. 5 S., R. 88 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. just southwest of old Fort Defiance. Garfield County

Highland, now Aspen Highlands, 1879, SE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., mining camp and later ski area at the confluence of Castle Creek and Conundrum Creek. Pitkin County

Holden Works, SW 1/4 sec. 12, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., in Aspen. Pitkin County

Holland, P.O., 1874, SW 1/4 sec. 23, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., on L.S.P. & L.S.L. R.R., site of Holland Reduction Works (1874–1875?). Park County

Holy Cross City, 1880, P.O., 1882, NW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 7 S., R. 81 W., mining camp, nearby Mount of the Holy Cross was made a U.S. National Monument in 1929; the arms of the cross are 450 feet across and the cross is 1,400 feet long. Eagle County

Homer, 1881, probably in sec. 29, T. 6 S., R. 80 W., a small station on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Homestake, 1871, a mining camp in the center W 1/2 sec. 12, T. 8 S., R. 81 W. Garfield County

Homestake, 1882, SW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., a small station on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Hooks, NE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 88 W., approximately located. Garfield County

Hopkins Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 85 W. Eagle County

Horseshoe, P.O., 1880, SW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., a mining and lumbering center on D.S.P. & P. R.R., first silver strike in valley before 1879, had a smelter, abandoned in 1893, name also was used at Doran. Horseshoe also was called East Leadville (Eberhart, 1959, p. 133). Park County

Hot Springs, NW 1/4 sec. 4, T. 10 S., R. 88 W., stage and postal(?) station 1877–1895, on Crystal River, south of Avalanche Creek. Pitkin County

Howland, P.O., 1879, center sec. 32, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., named for Colonel Henry Howland, manager of the Birdseye Lumber Co. The town was north of Birdseye on Blue River Branch of D. & R.G. R.R., and in 2001 it was on the L.C. & S. Ry. Lake County

Humphrey, NW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 8 S., R. 82 W., a stop on the C.M. Ry. about 2 miles northwest of Mallon Tunnel. Pitkin County

Ibex, P.O., 1896, NE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., between Breece Hill and south Evans Gulch; the principal mine was the Little Jonny (later the Ibex). It produced 13 million dollars worth of gold from 1893 to 1923. By 1897 the output was as much as $250,000 per month (Eberhart, 1959). Lake County

Independence, P.O., 1882 (Chipeta, Mammoth City, Mount Hope, and Farwell), SE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., one of the first camps near Aspen. Its most productive period was in the 1880s, but activity continued beyond 1900. Vestiges of the camp are a short distance west of and below Independence Pass. Travelers over the pass, which opened in 1881, can view several 14,000–foot peaks, including Mount Elbert at 14,431 feet, Colorado's highest. Independence pass also is one of the highest passes in Colorado at an altitude of 12,095 feet. Access to the pass was on a toll road. One community on the road to Aspen was Everett, which had a two story stage station (Halfway house or Seiden's Ranch) in 1881. The pass was first called Hunters Pass and was used as an extension of the old Lake Creek Trail or Twin Lake and Roaring Fork Toll Road. Despite its ruggedness, it was traveled by a steady stream of wagons and stagecoaches during the mining boom at Aspen and was a station on the Twin Lakes toll road. Independence Pass now is paved but is closed from November through May because of the certainty of deep snow. Pitkin County

Interlaken, P.O., 1887, SW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., between the two Twin Lakes, called the Lake Side Resort in 1880. Lake County

Iron Hill, P.O., 1883, SW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 79 W. Lake County

Irwins Brick Yard Spur, NE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. line. Pitkin County

Ivanhoe, P.O., 1888, SE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 9 S., R. 82 W., at northwest end of Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel. Ivanhoe was a railroad stop and a residence of construction workers during construction of the tunnel (figure 3). Pitkin County

Ives Station (Nada), NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 6 S., R. 93 W. Garfield County

Jacktown, 1880, NE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., southwest of Leadville on the D. & R.G. Ry. line to Malta in "Smelter Valley." Lake County

Janeway, 1880 (Mobleys Camp), P.O., 1887, SE 1/4 sec. 20 or NE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 9 S., R. 88 W., near mouth of Avalanche Creek. A gold camp and a railroad station town were re–established in 1890 at the mouth of Avalanche Creek. Pitkin County

Jerome Park (Spring Gulch), 1888(?), SE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 8 S., R. 89 W., coal town operated by C.F. & I. until about 1914. Pitkin County

Josie, P.O., 1882, also shown on maps of 1884, 1885, and 1889, NW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 4 S., R. 78 W. Summit County

Junction Cabin, early 1880s, NE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 10 S., R. 84 W., at the confluence of Independence (Roaring Fork) and Difficult Creeks. Pitkin County

Junction City, 1879, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., on Keystone branch of the D.S.P. & P. R.R.; the original name for Dillon. Summit County

Junction City, 1879, NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., a tent city that became a northern part of Kokomo, on flat just north of Kokomo, absorbed by Kokomo. Summit County

Junction City, early 1880s, NE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 10 S., R. 80 W., at junction of Lake Fork and Rock Creek (Rock Creek formerly called Frying Pan Gulch?). Lake County

Junction House, SE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., a stage station stop where road turns south along Lincoln Creek to Ruby. Pitkin County

Keay, SE 1/4 sec, 18, T. 4 S., R. 83 W. Eagle County

Keck, SE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 7 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Keefer Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., (see figure 3) on the Colorado Midland Railway. Pitkin County

Keeldar Station, NE 1/4 sec. 33, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., mining and lumbering center south of Crane Park, 3 miles north of Leadville Junction. Lake County

Kelleys Diggings (Kelleys Bar), SE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 12 S., R. 79 W., A.G. Kelley in the fall of 1859 discovered a promising placer gold deposit on the Arkansas River near junction with Pine Creek just south of Granite. Chaffee County

Kellogg, T. 12 S., R. 84 or 85 W. Pitkin County

Keystone, NW 1/4 sec. 4, T. 6 S., R. 91 W. Garfield County

Kiggin, NW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 7 S., R. 88 W. Garfield County

Kile, NE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Knights Station, NW 1/4 sec. 24, T. 6 S., R. 81 W. Eagle County

Kobe, NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., 3 miles north of Balltown on the D. & R.G. R.R. Lake County

Kokomo, P.O., 1879, NW 1/4 sec. 23, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., 2 miles north of Robinson, on the eastern slope of Sheep Mountain just south of Kokomo Gulch. The Leadville line of the D.S.P. & P. R.R. actually skirted Kokomo because of the problem of avoiding the Stettaur Placer and the Fort Kruger problem (see Fort Kruger in the list of military posts). The Blue River Branch of the D. & R.G. R.R. ran through Kokomo. Kokomo is now threatened from tailings of the Climax settling pond. Post Office closed 1965. Summit County

LaBontes Hole, 1847(?), center S 1/2 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., at confluence of Snake River, Tenmile Creek, and the Blue River, an old rendezvous site (the site of early Dillon). LaBonte was a French Canadian trapper. Summit County

Lacy, center east edge of sec. 22, T. 6 S., R. 94 W. Garfield County

Lake City, SE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 8 S., R. 81 W., on West Tennessee Creek above 11,000 feet in a hazardous snow–slide area below a major glacial cirque. Lake County

Lake County Airport, E 1/2 sec. 34, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Lakeside, P.O., 1882, NE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 2 S., R. 79 W., at or near Plain at south end of Green Mountain Reservoir, stock–raising community. Summit County

Laurette, founded 1859, P.O. in 1861, SE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., called Buckskin in 1860, Buckskin Joe in 1862, SE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 9 S., R. 78 W. The Phillips Lode was discovered in 1861, a gold–bearing vein 25–60 feet wide that produced $500,000 worth of ore in two years. Park County

Lead City, name proposed, but vetoed as one of the names for Leadville. Lake County

Leadville, P.O., 1877, secs. 23, 24, 25, 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. (Other associated towns were Agassiz, Boughtown, California Gulch, Carbonate Camp, Cleator Moor, Finntown, Graham Park, new and old Oro Cities, Poverty Flat, Sacramento City, Slabtown, Tintown, and others. See figure 4.) Leadville had several successful boom times over the years. The first was in 1860 with the discovery and exploitation of very rich placer–gold deposits along California Gulch just southwest and southeast of the present Leadville. About 10,000 prospectors and others arrived in the gulch and recovered a great amount of gold. Within about two years the recovery rate decreased markedly partly because of a heavy black sand that made it hard to recover the gold particles and partly because there was too little water flowing in California Gulch to do the panning. Tests in about 1875 of the black sand showed that it was carbonate of lead that contained about 40 ounces of silver per ton. In 1878, the word spread about the high concentration of silver, and prospectors flooded into the Leadville area. The silver was coming from veins that contained lead and silver, but most veins were covered by surficial deposits and were not visible at the ground surface. Excavation was necessary. Successful miners found rich silver claims in the hilly areas north of California Gulch and east of Leadville. Millions of dollars were made from many of the claims (Eberhart, 1959; Dorset, 1970). However, Leadville soon became overcrowded. Exorbitant prices were charged for sleeping places. Many people died of exposure and starvation. Crime became very common, and lawmen were unable to cope with the problems. The occupied area grew and many small communities were started, including Oro City, Poverty Flats, Agassiz, Slabtown, and Boughtown. The name Boughtown referred to the dense grove of coniferous trees that were growing in the Leadville area when miners first arrived. The name Boughtown also referred to the summer lodgings composed of four posts and a covering of evergreen boughs that were used to thatch the outsides of the structure. However, very soon most of the trees were cut for buildings and mine timbers. The name Leadville probably was chosen for the town because lead was the major mineral in both the placers and in the lode mines. In the late 1880s, the population rose to 25,000–30,000. In Colorado in the 1880s, Leadville was second only to Denver in population. Many kinds of businesses lined the streets. One street had banks, hotels, and restaurants, and another street had saloons, gambling halls, and parlor houses. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the world (10,000 feet, Eberhart, 1959), and so high that the ground is frozen most of the year. In 1893, the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act caused a panic in Leadville and in all of Colorado's silver camps. The price of silver fell rapidly and eventually many of the silver mines closed. Lake County.

The Sherman Silver Purchase Act will be explained here, including why it was needed and why it was discontinued. In 1885, Colorado Congressmen championed a return to a silver coinage. Congressmen of other States and also mining men encouraged the support of silver. On July 14, 1890, during President Benjamin Harrison's administration, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was passed. It nearly doubled the amount of silver that would be purchased by the United States Treasury, an amount that had been guaranteed by the earlier Bland–Allison legislation, which was 4,500,000 ounces of silver a month, apparently enough to absorb most of the then current silver production in the United States. Because of increased buying of silver by the government, the silver price began to rise. However after reaching $1.00 per ounce in 1890, it began to fall and by 1894 it fell to 63 cents per ounce. Because of the continued decline in the price of silver and because of a sharp decrease in the nation's stock of gold, the Sherman Silver act was repealed. As a means of improving the financial condition of the country, the repeal really was an anticlimax, because Colorado and the country already were in a serious depression caused partly by the sudden drop in value of silver, but mostly as a result of world–wide economic problems. The drop in the price of silver and the country's serious economic depression was disastrous for the owners of silver mines and for those whose assets were based on the value of silver.

The miners in Leadville went on strike for better working conditions and for a raise in pay on two different occasions. On May 26, 1880 the first general strike was called by the Leadville miners. Martial law was declared and on June 13, 1880, the Colorado National Guard was brought in and served until June 22, 1880. The use of the soldiers during this short strike cost Colorado tax payers more than $24,000.

Information about the election of October 7, 1879, in Lake County, Colorado—The votes cast in each of Leadville's 12 precincts were tabulated by the October 13, 1879, issue of the Chronicle Newspaper. The information showed the population of each precinct and also of the existing communities in Lake County in and near Leadville (Griswold and Griswold, 1996, p. 378).

Precinct 1, Oro City and upper California Gulch, 216

Precinct 2, Adelaide and Stray Horse Gulch, 99

Precinct 3, Evansville, Big, Little, and South Evans Gulches, 140

Precinct 4, northeast section of Leadville, 814

Precinct 5, southeast section of Leadville, 752

Precinct 6, southwest section of Leadville, 813

Precinct 7, northwest section of Leadville, 866

Precinct 8, Malta and the upper part of the Arkansas Valley, 169

Precinct 9, Tabor City, East Arkansas and Birdseye Gulches, 50

Precinct 10, Lake Creek and area near its junction with the Arkansas River, 14

Precinct 11, Twin Lakes and upper parts of Lake Creek, 25

Precinct 12, Colorado Gulch and Soda Springs, 50

In June 1896, the miners in the Leadville mines were receiving wages of only $3.00 per day or even as low as $2.50 per day. The miners held that they could not support their families or buy food on only $2.50 per day, and that even $3.00 was too meager to be a living wage. Many of the miners then joined the Cloud City Miners Union. A union request to the mine owners for a uniform $3.00 wage was refused because the owners said that they were already losing money on the mines in Leadville. During a union meeting on June 19, 1896, by an almost unanimous vote the miners chose to stop the work of all employees receiving less than $3.00 per day. Negotiations became impossible and by June 23 almost 2,300 miners were unemployed. The second general strike started on the 26th of June, when 968 miners went on strike. Pumpmen, firemen, and engineers were hired and became the only ones working in some mines. However, despite the strike, the mine owners decided to reopen the mines. First to open were the mines paying less than $3 a day, followed by those paying $3. The miners objected to the reopening of the mines. To counteract this, the mine owners called in non–union strikebreakers. Trouble erupted, so the mine owners asked the Colorado Governor to intervene.

The Colorado State militia was alerted to the tension, and on September 21, 1896, soldiers of the militia from the Denver area began to arrive by train in Leadville. There was no place available to lodge the soldiers, so they began to set up a tent camp on a baseball field on the north side of Leadville, then called Camp McIntire. The soldiers in the militia had come to town without adequate clothing or tents, and it took quite a while to get them clothing and tents to survive in snowy Leadville. On September 25, 1896, 65 nonmilitary miners arrived from Missouri to become strike breakers. They were marched toward the Emmet and Coronado mines surrounded by the militia, who were protectors of the mines and the miners. The arrival of the Missouri miners made the operation of some mines possible and partly negated the effect of the strike on the mine owners. The strike continued until the first week of March 1897. A meeting of the union was then held where the miners discussed the strike, and 900 miners voted to end it. The militia campaign had lasted 172 days; the number of militia in camp ranged from 827 to only 57 at the end of the encampment. The strike cost the Colorado taxpayers a total of $194,010.43. The flooding of the mines was so bad that some mines took two years to reopen; however, some mines never reopened. The striking miners never did receive a uniform wage of $3.00 a day. The cost of the strike in lives, property, and human suffering could never be measured.

Leadville Junction, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., a major railroad junction of the D. & R.G. R.R. 2 miles northwest of Leadville. Lake County

Leadville Landing Field, secs. 9 and 10, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Leal, P.O., 1914, NW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 3 S., R. 77 W., on the Williams Fork River. Grand County

Leavick, 1873, P.O., 1896, SW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., mining camp; ore was carried down from the Hilltop mine at an altitude of 13,150 feet on a long aerial cable to the mills. The mine closed in 1893; however, it was re–opened in 1901 and continued to operate until 1930 to mine zinc carbonate (Wolle, 1974, p. 98). Later, the buildings at the mine were taken to the South Park City ghost town at Fairplay. Park County

Lenado, P.O., 1891 (Woody), NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 84 W., a busy lead–zinc camp and sawmill. Pitkin County

Leon, P.O., 1883, SE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 11 S., R. 94 W., plotted from maps by Adams and Son (1884) and Kistler (1881); at Leon Park 3.5 miles south of Plateau Creek. Mesa County

Leon, SW 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 87 W. Eagle County

Lida Junction (see Evans), NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., just east of Leadville, on Chrysolite Extension of D. & R.G. R.R. about 3.5 miles east of east edge of Leadville. Lake County

Lime Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 8 S., R. 83 W. Pitkin County

Linderman, NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 8 S., R. 79 W. Lake County

Little Chicago, NE 1/4 SW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., just north of Stringtown, workers at the Arkansas Valley Smelter lived there. Lake County

Little Giant (Bennet's Mill), 1881, about in the NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., a small station on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Log Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 84 W., on the Colorado Midland Railway. Eagle County

London, 1884, NE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 9 S., R. 77 W., mining and stock–raising community. Park County

London, P.O., 1883 (Alma Station, Alma Junction, London Junction), NW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 77 W., terminal for the London, South Park, & Leadville Railroad, a 6–mile–long spur up to the London mines. These mines were in operation for more than 50 years (Boyd and Carson, 1985). Park County

London Mill, SW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 78 W. Park County

Maid of Erin mine, sec. 24, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Mallon Tunnel, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 9 S., R. 82 W., station on the Colorado Midland Railway. Pitkin County

Malta (Swilltown), P.O., 1875, NE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. This was the first smelter near Leadville. Lake County. (See figure 4.)

Mammoth City, alternate name of Independence. Pitkin County

Marble City (Clarence, Yule Creek), P.O., 1890, NE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 11 S., R. 88 W. Marble City had a railroad station and was the terminus of the Crystal River and San Juan Railroad. Marble, the building material, was discovered here in 1882, and quarries were opened in 1890. The Treasury Mountain Railroad started from the city in 1907 (see figure 5). Several companies developed the quarries. The first two camps were Clarence and Yule Creek. Later they were combined to form the present town of Marble. In 1926, fire destroyed the marble cutting–shed and the finishing mill and damaged part of the town. The marble quarries closed in November 1941, and the railroad into the town and into the quarries was removed. Since then, the marble quarry has been reopened to extract more marble. The marble is now transported by truck and is finished elsewhere. Marble from the quarries has been used extensively in Colorado, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in the Nation. Muddy landslides and debris flows have periodically swept across and destroyed houses and buried roads in the northern part of Marble. Gunnison County

Marion, P.O., 1889, NE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 89 W., C.F. & I. coal camp in 1887 southwest of Cardiff on the C.M. Ry., camp was active until about 1918(?). Garfield County

Markell, location(?), on the stage line from Leadville(?), county unknown

Maroon, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., on the C.M. Ry. near Aspen. Pitkin County

Maroon Bells, secs. 15 and 22, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., a group of very scenic peaks. Pitkin County

Masontown (see Mt. Royal), SE 1/4 sec. 34, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

Massive City, SW 1/4 sec. 36, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., a carbonate camp that boomed in 1874, on the C.M. Ry. near Frying Pan Creek. Pitkin County

Mayo Station (or Mayo Gulch or Mayo Spur Station), SE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., on C. & S. Ry. 2 miles east of Breckenridge and 1 mile southeast of Puzzle on Illinois Gulch. Summit County

McAllisters Station, SW 1/4 sec. 4, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., station on D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

McClure House (McClure Pass), SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 11 S., R. 89 W., a stage stop. Pitkin County

McCoy, P.O., 1891, NE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 2 S., R. 83 W., on D. & S.L. Ry. Eagle County

McCoy Stage Station, 1891, SE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 1 S., R. 83 W. Routt County

Meadows (Sellar), P.O., 1888, SE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., on C.M. Ry. Pitkin County

Medio, SW 1/4 sec. 11, T. 10 S., R. 89 W., a railroad and coal village halfway between Redstone and Coal Basin. Pitkin County

Meilly, P.O., 1882, NE 1/4 sec. 35, T. 11 S., R. 82 W., a small mining camp east of the Continental Divide on South Fork Lake Creek southwest of Everett. Chaffee County

Mellor, NW corner sec. 15, T. 9 S., R. 85 W., location uncertain. Pitkin County

Meredith, P.O., 1893, NW 1/4 sec. 14, T. 8 S., R. 84 W., Colorado Midland Railway station, 1889. A limestone quarry and lumber camp, now a resort area. Pitkin County

Meyer, this name of a Swiss educator was proposed in 1877 but vetoed as a name for the town of Leadville. Lake County

Miller Creek Station, NW 1/4 sec. 14, T. 8 S., R. 84 W., railroad station. Pitkin County

Mineral Park, SW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 8 S., R. 78 W. Park County

Minturn, P.O., 1889, SW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 5 S., R. 81 W., D. & R.G. R.R. station, a railroad and lumber town. Eagle County

Missouri Camp, 1880, SE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 7 S., R. 81 W., 2 miles southeast of Holy Cross City and 1.5 miles southeast of Camp Fancy. Eagle County

Mitchell, P.O., 1883, SE 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., formerly Roudebush, D. & R.G. R.R. station in 1878, renamed Mitchell, placers nearby called Eagle City. Eagle County

Mitchell Station, 1878, NE 1/4 sec. 34 , T. 7 S., R. 80 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Monte, SE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., railroad station, on East Fork Arkansas River. Lake County

Monte Cristo (Quandary City), SE 1/4 sec. 2, T. 8 S., R. 78 W., north of Hoosier Pass. Summit County

Montezuma, SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 12 S., R. 85 W., camp at Montezuma mine. Pitkin County

Montgomery, 1859, P.O., 1862, NE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 8 S., R. 78 W., a fast–growing mining camp until 1870, when it had a couple of revivals, now covered by Montgomery Reservoir, Post Office moved to Dudley before reservoir was built. Park County

Morris, P.O., 1902, NE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 6 S., R. 94 W., D. & R.G. R.R. station. Garfield County

Mosquito (Sterling City), 1861, center E 1/2, sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., located 3.3 miles west of Buckskin Joe, first a placer camp, later became a stage and wagon stop soon after Mosquito Pass was opened. Father Dyer, a Methodist preacher used the pass during the winter of 1864 (Murray and Lee, 1978, p. 39). Before the pass was improved, some people died during attempts to cross this dangerous pass in the winter. The toll station was on the east side of the pass. A hotel, eating places, saloons, and stores were open for travelers. Mosquito camp was closed by 1910 (Boyd and Carson, 1985). The annual burro race now crosses this pass. Park County

Mount Hope, SE 1/4, sec. 12, T. 11 S., R. 82 W., an alternate name of Independence. Pitkin County

Mount Royal (see Masontown), SE 1/4 sec. 34, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., just southwest of Frisco. Summit County

Moyer (Oro Junction), 1862, NE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., less than 1 mile west of Leadville. Lake County

Moyer, 1880s, SW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., a mining community just north of new Oro City (Rogers, 1967). Lake County

Muckawanago (Muckawango), SW 1/4 sec. 17, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., Indian word meaning place where bear walks, first a timber loading spur, then a resort 2 miles southeast of Thomasville. Pitkin County

Mudsill, NE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 8 S., R. 88 W., station on Hilltop Junction and Leavick Branch of the D.S.P. & P. R.R., a small short–lived mining camp during the 1870s. Park County

Mulford, SW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 7 S., R. 87 W., approximately located. Garfield County

Mullenville, P.O., 1880, SE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., a ranching community west of Pearts on Fourmile Creek. Park County

Myers Camp, SW corner sec. 23, T. 11 S., R. 82 W., a station and road house on the Twin Lakes Toll Road. Lake County

Nada (see Ives Station and Antlers) NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 6 S., R. 93 W., D. & R.G. R.R. station. Garfield County

Naomi, P.O., 1883–1907, NE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 4 S., R. 78 W., stock–raising community, on the Blue River 10 miles northwest of Dillon. Summit County

Nast, 1900, P.O., 1909–1963, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 82 W., resort on Colorado Midland Railway. Pitkin County

Nast Loop, 1893, NW 1/4 sec. 5, and center north half sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 82 W. Pitkin County

Negro Gulch (Barney Ford Gulch) 1859, in French Gulch, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., placer mining area. Summit County

New Castle, P.O., 1888 (Chapman, 1867, 1884; Grand Butte, 1886; New Castle, 1888; and Elk Creek), NE 1/4 sec. 31, T. 5 S., R. 90 W., coal mining center along D. & R.G. R.R. and the Colorado Midland Railway. Garfield County

New Leavick, SW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., about 1 mile above Leavick, some newer buildings, mining of lead and zinc ores. Park County

New York Cabins, SE 1/4 sec. 17, T. 6 S., R. 82 W., mining camp northeast of New York Mountains. Eagle County

Niche Station, SW corner sec. 20, T. 4 S., R. 86 W., D. & R.G. R.R., 2–3 miles north of Dotsero. Eagle County

Nichols Spur (Oro Grande), SE 1/4 sec, 18, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., just east of Dillon. Summit County

Nine Mile House, NW 1/4, sec. 22, T. 10 S., R. 80 W., on the Arkansas River at the west end of the Weston Pass road, on D. & R.G. R.R. Lake County

Norrie, P.O., 1894, SE 1/4 sec. 28, T. 8 S., R 83 W., lumber camp, Colorado Midland Railway. Station on Frying Pan Creek. Pitkin County

North Fork, NE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., on Colorado Midland Railway southeast of Muckawanago. Pitkin County

Nugget Gulch, NE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., between Evans Gulch and Little Evans Gulch. Lake County

Officers, SW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., on D.S.P. & P. Ry. along Tenmile Creek. Summit County

Old Danford Indian Agency (see White River Agency), T. 1 S., R. 93 W. Rio Blanco County

Orestod, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 2 S., R. 83 W., across from Bond on D. & S.L. Ry. along the Colorado River. Eagle County

Oro City (old), 1859, P.O., 1861, at southern edge of Leadville (see Slabtown), NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., placer miners in California Gulch said that they were living in Oro City regardless of the locations of their placer claims. One author said that Oro City had one long main street that ran the length of California Gulch. An unofficial post office also moved around within the gulch, but probably finally was at the south–central edge of present Leadville in the NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. In 1861, Augusta Tabor wrote that William Van Brooklyn brought the mail from Fairplay to her unofficial post office and that she paid him 75 cents for each letter. The post office then was in the Tabor's house in California Gulch at the southwest corner of Harrison Avenue and Chestnut Street. Streets and houses lined California Gulch, which was a placer gold camp (along with Oro City) that lasted only about 4 years. Thousands of prospectors crowded in to share in the abundant placer gold. In 1869, an estimated $5,412,000 in gold had been panned. According to Emmons and others (1927, p. 135) old Oro City was abandoned in 1864. Lake County

Oro City (new) had a Post Office in 1868–1870, SW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., in California Gulch above the mouth of Whites Gulch 3 miles southeast of Leadville. The mining community of Moyer was just north of new Oro City (Rogers, 1967). [New] Oro City survived until 1895, then became part of Leadville. Lake County

Oro Grande, SE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 77 W., southeast of Dillon. Summit County

Oro Junction (same as Moyer), NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Ortega, sec. 24, T. 4 S., R. 84 W., a community along the Eagle River on the D. & R.G. R.R. Eagle County

Overland, NW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 7 S., R. 89 W., just west of Fourmile Creek. Garfield County

Pacific Spur, SW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 80 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along Eagle River. Eagle County

Pando, P.O., 1891, NE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., along the D. & R.G. R.R., first a mining town, but then became a construction camp during the building of Camp Hale; later it served as a railroad station for Camp Hale, home of 10th Mountain Division, U.S. Army. Eagle County

Park City, P.O., 1879, SE 1/4 sec. 10, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., a mining camp about 2 miles west of Alma on the wagon road to Leadville and along the London South Park & Leadville Shortline Railroad, along Mosquito Creek. Park County

Pat, SW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 9 S., R. 78 W., 0.5 mile southwest of Alma. Park County

Peachblow, P.O., 1890, NW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 8 S., R. 85 W., at red sandstone quarries of the C.M. Ry along Frying Pan Creek. Eagle County

Pearts, SW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 10 S., R. 77 W., on the D.S.P. & P. Ry. on Fourmile Creek near Horseshoe Mountain. Park County

Penn Junction, SW 1/4 sec. 17, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., along the East Fork Arkansas River and on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Lake County

Pershing, P.O., 1918, NW 1/4 sec. 16, T. 1 S., R. 83 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along Rock Creek, 4 miles north of McCoy. Routt County

Pigtail Gulch, SE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 9 S., R. 79 W. Lake County

Pine Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 12 S., R. 79 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Arkansas River. Chaffee County

Placer (later Dickey), 7 miles north of Breckenridge. Summit County

Placita, P.O., 1899, SE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 11 S., R. 88 W., a railroad center and a C.F. & I. coal mine along the Crystal River and on the Crystal River & San Juan Railroad and the Crystal River Railroad. For some time, it was a shipping place for the marble quarries. At first, the access to Placita was from the south through the Gunnison country and over Schofield Pass. Later the Crystal River & San Juan Railroad and the Elk Mountain Railroad provided access along the Crystal River valley with service to Marble. The Crystal River valley finally was connected to a road from Carbondale to Marble. Divides in the terrain at the southern edge of the quadrangle near Marble were traveled over by thousands of wagons, coaches, and prospectors on their way into the Crystal River country. Now the divide area offers only some poorly maintained rough roads and many hiker trails. The segment of the Crystal River & San Juan Railroad from Placita to Marble was abandoned in 1941. Also in 1941 the Crystal River Railroad was abandoned from Carbondale to Placita. Pitkin County

Plain, P.O., 1898, SW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 2 S., R. 79 W., on the road from Dillon to Kremmling. Summit County

Plateau, P.O., 1883, middle of sec. 20, T. 10 S., R. 94 W., on the slope north of Grand Mesa. Mesa County

Plateau City, P.O., 1901, NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 9 S., R. 95 W., along Buzzard Creek and Plateau Valley. Mesa County

Platte Station, P.O., 1878, SW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 11 S., R. 78 W., stock–raising area and a stage station on Weston Pass road along the South Fork South Platte River. Park County

Pocahontas Spur, SE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 7 S., R. 89 W., on the C.M. Ry. along Four Mile Creek. Garfield County

Poverty Flat, SE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., just northeast of Leadville on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. south of Evans Gulch. Tintown is in Poverty Flat. Lake County

Powder Station, NW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., on the C.M. Ry. along the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Preston, 1875, NW 1/4 sec. 29, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., gold camp 0.5 mile west of Gold Run Gulch. The occupants of the camp mined placers and lodes rich in gold, silver, copper, and lead. Summit County

Prospect, P.O., 1886, SE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 11 S., R. 88 W., coal camp. Gunnison County

Pullman Camp, SE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 10 S., R. 81 W., on northeast side of Mount Massive. Lake County

Puzzle Station, SE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., 1 mile southeast of Breckenridge on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

Quandary City (Monte Cristo), SE 1/4 sec. 2, T. 8 S., R. 78 W. Summit County

Quartzville, 1871, NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 8 S., R. 78 W., on Quartzville Creek in a "cup" in the mountains at timberline. Eberhart (1959, p. 127) said that the site had an informal Post Office. Nearby Sweet Home mine is a source of large beautiful rhodochrosite crystals. Park County

Quinns Spur (see Biglow). Pitkin County

Radium, P.O., 1906, NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 1 S., R. 82 W., formerly on the D. & S.L. Ry., later in 1947 on the D. & R.G. R.R, along the Colorado River. Grand County

Ragged Mountain, P.O., 1919, NW 1/4 sec. 12, T. 11 S., R. 90 W., 0.5 mile east of Muddy Creek. Gunnison County

Range Station, SE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 3 S., R. 86 W. Eagle County

Rathbone, P.O., 1891, NE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 85 W., on the C.M. Ry. near Woody Creek along the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Raven, P.O., 1898, middle sec. 24, T. 7 S., R. 92 W., on West Divide Creek. Garfield County

Recen (Kokomo, P.O., 1879), NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. along Tenmile Creek. An important placer mining and lumber camp that adjoined Kokomo. Summit County

Red Canon, before 1964, NW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., about 5 miles southeast of Glenwood Springs along the D. & R.G. R.R. Garfield County

Red Cliff, 1870, P.O., 1880, SE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 80 W., a regal settlement with silver miners, had an opera house and a brass band, at the junction of Turkey Creek and the Eagle River. First county seat of Eagle County; later on, the D. & R.G. R.R. built along Eagle River. In 1893, because of the fall in silver prices, Red Cliff had a serious slump in business. In September 1879, when news of the Meeker Massacre reached Red Cliff, the miners built a log fort for protection from any harassment by the Ute Indians. A scouting party found no Indians, so the camp resumed normal activities. Eagle County

Red Mountain Inn, NW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 11 S., R. 81 W., near Everett on the stage road over Independence Pass, a road house on the Twin Lakes toll road. Lake County

Redstone, P.O., 1898, NE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 10 S., R. 88 W., on the Crystal River Railway along the Crystal River. Redstone was where coke was made from the coal that was mined at Coal basin. The town was started by J.G. Osgood, who was the organizer of the Colorado Fuel Company, later the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Osgood built Cleveholm, a 42–room manor house, a 40–room inn, and a model village for his coke workers. Pitkin County

Resurrection mines, NE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., in Evans Gulch at the ends of D. & R.G. rail lines as shown on 1913 USGS topographic map, a few miles east of Leadville in the California Gulch Mining District. Lake County

Resurrection Town, sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., railroad station on the Leadville to Ibex Line. Lake County

Rex, 1886, SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., just north of Gilman; the town was built on and in a cliff along the Eagle River. Eagle County

Rex Station, SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., a D. & R.G.W. R.R. station in the Eagle Valley, connected to Gilman by an aerial tram and stairs. Eagle County

Rifle, P.O., 1884, secs. 9 and 16, T. 6 S., R. 93 W., a stock–raising area along D. & R.G. R.R. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Rifle Cow Camp, NE 1/4 sec. 36, T. 3 S., R. 93 W., on Butler Creek. Garfield County

Rifle Falls State Recreation Area, SE l/4 sec. 27, T. 4 S., R. 92 W., 9 miles north of the Colorado River. Garfield County

Riland, P.O., 1913, NE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 3 S., R. 87 W., 10 miles northeast of Carbonate City on Sweetwater Creek. There were several locations of the P.O. along Sweetwater Creek for about 2.5 miles northwest of the Garfield and Eagle Counties line. Garfield County

Rio Blanco, P.O., 1950, NE 1/4 sec. 4, T. 4 S., R. 94 W., just north of Piceance Creek, Rio Blanco is on the west flank of the Grand Hogback monocline. Rio Blanco County

Riverside, 1881, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 6 S., R. 93 W., just south of Rifle, now has an airport. Garfield County

Roaring Fork City, 1879, P.O., 1889, center of sec. 12, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., one cabin was used as the Post Office (Wentworth, 1950, p. 26), one mile west of Aspen, a building promotion, but no city was built. Pitkin County

Robinson (Ten Mile, Ten Mile City, Robinson's Camp, Summit City), 1880, P.O., 1887, SE 1/4 sec. 27 or NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., a tent and cabin settlement that became Robinson's Camp, served by D. & R.G. and D.S.P. & P. railroads by 1881, a flourishing silver mining camp in the 1880s but faded by 1890, the town is now buried under the tailings from the Climax Molybdenum mine. Summit County

Rock, 1883–1884, SE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 4 S., R. 78 W., on the Blue River south of Naomi. Summit County

Rock Creek Station, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 6 S., R. 81 W., across the Eagle River from Gilman. Eagle County

Rocky Point, NW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., on D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

Rogers Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 20, T. 9 S, R. 81 W., the Colorado Midland Railway, near crossing of the Continental Divide (see figure 3). Lake County

Rose Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 25, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. Pitkin County

Roudebush, P.O., 1880, SE 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 80 W., a gold camp during the early 1880s. Eagle County

Ruby (pre–1880 to 1890s), NE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 12 S., R. 83 W., a ruby silver and gold camp in Lincoln Gulch with somewhat difficult access to a railroad or to a smelter. Pitkin County

Ruedi, P.O., 1889, SW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 8 S., R. 84 W., on the C.M. Ry. along Frying Pan Creek. Eagle County

Rulison, SE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 6 S., R. 95 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Russell, SW 1/4 sec. 14, T. 4 S., R. 83 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. along the Eagle River. Eagle County

Ryan, SE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 9 S., R. 80 W, a small station on the Eagle River Branch of the D. & R.G. R.R. almost 1 mile north of Malta. Lake County

Ryan Station, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., nearly same locality as St. Kevins on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Arkansas River. Lake County

Saco Ranch, NW 1/4 sec. 24, T. 8 S., R. 87 W., on East Sopris Creek. Pitkin County

Sacramento, NW 1/4 sec. 4, T. 10 S., R. 78 W., on Sacramento Gulch west of Fairplay. Park County

Sacramento City, one of the first settlements in the middle part of California Gulch, about 3 miles from the Arkansas River. Sacramento City later was consolidated with Oro City. Correct location probably was in the NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., on the south side of Front Street between Spruce and Pine. Lake County

St. Kevin, P.O., 1886, SW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., north of Turquoise Lake near Amity, originally Sowbelly Gulch (Blair, 1980, p. 63). Lake County

St. Kevins, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., miners camp 2 miles northeast of Turquoise Lake, same location as Ryans Station. Lake County

Satank, P.O., 1882, SE 1/4 sec. 29, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., along C.M. Ry. on Crystal River. Garfield County

Sayres Gulch, 1865, NE 1/4 sec. 10, T. 12 S., R. 82 W., a rich placer strike. Chaffee County

Schofield, 1879, P.O., 1880, SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 12 S., R. 86 W., a mining camp in an area with poor access and low–grade ore. Gunnison County

Scholl, P.O., 1901, SE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 1 S., R. 79 W., on the east flank of the Williams Fork Mountains on Battle Creek. Grand County

Seaton's Ranch, on east side of Independence Pass, location unknown. Lake(?) County

Sellar (Meadows), P.O., 1888, a station and logging camp, SE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., on C.M. Ry. Pitkin County

Seven Castles, P.O., 1913, NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on C.M. Ry. at Castles Station on Frying Pan Creek. Eagle County

Sewell (Cervera, Manalta, Thompson), NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 8 S., R. 88 W., a railroad town on Crystal River & San Juan Railroad, along the Crystal River. Pitkin County

Shanty Town. According to Sam McGeorge of the Railroad Museum in Leadville, this place was in California Gulch, just west of McWethy Drive in the SW1/4 NW1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Sheephorn, P.O., 1895, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 2 S., R. 81 W., east of State Bridge on Sheephorn Creek. Sheephorn Post Office had several locations in the same township. Eagle County

Sheephorn, P.O., 1916, SW 1/4 NW 1/4 sec. 16, T. 2 S., R. 81 W., on Sheephorn Creek. Eagle County

Sherman, P.O., 1890, NW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 4 S., R. 84 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R., on the Eagle River. Eagle County

Sherman (see El Jebel), NE 1/4 sec. 3, T. 8 S., R. 87 W., on C.M. Ry. along Roaring Fork River. Eagle County

Sherwood, SE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 4 S., R. 83 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R at the confluence of the Eagle River and Milk Creek. Eagle County

Shoshone Station, P.O., 1907, NW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 5 S., R. 87 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. in Glenwood Canyon along Colorado River. Garfield County

Siloam Springs, 1889(?), SW 1/4 sec. 12, T. 5 S., R. 87 W., consisted of a bath house, log hotel with dining room, a D. & R.G. R.R. depot, and some log dwellings (Urquhart, 1967, p. 16), at east end of Glenwood Canyon. Eagle County

Silt, P.O., 1898 (originally Ferguson, 1887), NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 6 S., R. 92 W., a cattle and potato shipping station on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Silverthorne, P.O., 1962, NE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., on the Blue River. Summit County

Silverthorne Flats, SW 1/4 sec. 12, T. 5 S., R. 78 W., this place and the town of Silverthorne both were on the Blue River Extension that extended north from Dillon down the Blue River about 6 miles to the end of track (Denver & Rio Grande Railroad). The track was removed in 1923. Summit County

Sixty One Camp, probably a mining camp during the 1870s(?), location unknown, but probably near Leadville

Slabtown, probably 1860(?), NE 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. (was part of early Leadville's Carbonate Camp). Apparently Slabtown was at essentially the same place as old Oro City and Sacramento City, just north of California Gulch, apparently a short distance west of Harrison Avenue and just east of Spruce Street where the C.M. Ry. entered the south edge of Leadville. Griswold and Griswold (1996, p. 214) stated that "Slabtown was the future Babylon, founded by Major James, situated about 3/4 mile west of Harrison Avenue, was the city in 1877, and old Oro was the Pilgrim's Mecca." Slabtown probably was named for shacks built of wooden slabs. A mercantile house was started there by Charles Mater in 1877. "The site later became part of Chestnut Street, the first and busiest street in Leadville" (Griswold and Griswold, 1996). Lake County

Slate Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 3 S., R. 78 W., on Slate Creek west of the junction with Blue River. Summit County

Sloane (Sloss), NW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 8 S., R. 85 W., on C.M. Ry. along Frying Pan Creek. Eagle County

Sloss (Sloane), P.O., 1909, NE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 8 S., R. 85 W., a cattle camp. Eagle County

Smith Spur, center sec. 6, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., on D.S.P. & P. Ry. along Illinois Gulch. Summit County

Snider Quarry Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 13, T. 8 S., R. 85 W., on the C.M. Ry. along the Frying Pan Creek. Pitkin County

Snowden, P.O., 1890, NE 1/4 sec. 21, T. 10 S., R. 80 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Arkansas River. Lake County

Snowmass, 1889, P.O., 1901, NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on the C.M. Ry. where Snowmass Creek joins the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Snowmass, SE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 9 S., R. 86 W. Pitkin County

Snowmass Village, pre–1983, SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 10 S., R. 86 W., along Brush Creek. Pitkin County

Soda Springs, 1876, SW 1/4 sec. 25, T. 3 S., R. 81 W., on a southeast tributary of Soda Creek. Eagle County

Soda Springs, P.O., 1879, NE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., was the most popular resort near Leadville. (Popular for sulfur, iron, and soda springs.) A horse railroad was chartered in 1881 to run from Leadville to the Soda Springs (Crofutt, 1885, p. 143). Mount Massive Hotel provided comfortable accommodations and diversions for the guests. Lake County

Solitude, SE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., at D.S.P. & P. R.R. station at old Wheeler. Summit County

Sopris, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., on C.M. Ry. west of the Roaring Fork River. Garfield County

South Canon Coal Company, P.O., 1905, SW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 6 S., R. 90 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

South Evans (Tollhouse), SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., a community 6 miles east of Leadville in Evans Gulch south of Mosquito Pass in the Mosquito Range. Lake County

Sowbelly Gulch (Sowbelly or St. Kevin Mining District), on east flank of Mt. Massive. Lake County

Sparkhill, P.O., Feb. 18, 1882, NE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., on the Roaring Fork River. Rogers (1967) recorded "Sparkill" (Sparkhill) as 2 miles east of Independence mining camp at Independence Pass on the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Spring Gulch (Jerome Park), P.O., 1891, SE 1/4 sec. 22, T. 8 S., R. 89 W., at south end of Colorado Midland Railway line. Pitkin County

Spruce Creek, SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 5 S., R. 87 W., on the D. & R.G.W. R.R. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Squaw Creek, P.O., 1884, SE 1/4 sec. 36, T. 4 S., R. 83 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Eagle River near Allen and French Gulch. Eagle County

Stapleton Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., on C.M. Ry. Pitkin County

Starr Placer, NW corner sec. 25, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., in California Gulch near Boughtown, operated during the 1860s and 1870s by Tom Starr. Lake County

State Bridge, P.O., 1909, NW corner sec. 25, T. 2 S., R. 83 W., at a large three–span bridge across the Colorado River, an important stage stop on the D. & S.L. Ry., mail went to the town of Bond. Eagle County

Sterling City (see Mosquito). Sterling applied unsuccessfully in 1862 for a permit for a Post Office. Park County

Stiles, SW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 11 S., R. 78 W., on east side of Weston Pass. Park County

St. Kevin, P.O., 1886, SW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., north of Turquoise Lake near Amity, originally Sowbelly Gulch (Blair, 1980, p. 63). Lake County

St. Kevins, NW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., miners camp 2 miles northeast of Turquoise Lake, same location as Ryans Station. Lake County

Strauss quarry, center sec. 36, T. 11 S., R. 88 W., slightly northeast of Yule quarry. Gunnison County

Stringtown, SE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., in California Gulch between Shantytown and Bucktown near the giant Arkansas Valley plant and the Great Northern Hotel. Lake County

Stumptown (Stumpftown), 1879, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., 0.5 mile east of Evansville along Big Evans Gulch. Lake County

Sulphur Spring (see Dotsero), 1880, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 86 W., or NE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 5 S., R. 86 W., at junction of the Colorado and Eagle Rivers. Eagle County

Sulphur Springs, NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., on the D. & R.G.W. R.R. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Sultana, SW 1/4 sec. 30, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., 1 mile north of Breckenridge (Cram, 1909). Summit County

Summit, 1880s, a D. & R.G. R.R. station near Alicante just south of Fremont Pass. Park County

Sunlight, 1887, P.O., 1897, center sec. 33, T. 7 S., R. 89 W., a former large coal town. Garfield County

Sunlight Junction and Sunlight Coal mine, P.O., 1897, NW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 7 S., R. 89 W., along Fourmile Creek on the C.M. Ry. Garfield County

Swansons, SW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along the Blue River. Summit County

Swedes Gulch mining camp, 1890s (location?), NE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., 2 miles north of Colorado Gulch and west of Tennessee Park. Lake County

Sweets Spur, NE 1/4 sec. 30, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., on the C.M. Ry. and along the Roaring Fork River. Garfield County

Swilltown (Schwilltown), P.O., 1875, NE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., an early name for Malta, nickname for Ferdinand A. Schwill, the first Leadville postmaster. Lake County

Sylvan Station, SW 1/4 sec. 32, T. 2 S., R. 85 W., on the D. & S.L.W. R.R. along the Colorado River. Eagle County

Tabor City (Taylor City, Halfway House, or Chalk Creek Ranch), P.O., 1879, SE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., named for Lieutenant Governor H.A.W. Tabor, a mining camp on Chalk Creek at the base of Buckskin Mountain, 8 miles northeast of Leadville. Lake County

Tacoma, P.O., 1883, NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., 10 miles south of Malta. Lake County

Taylor, P.O., 1882, SW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 81 W., on Homestake Creek west of Mitchell (Boyd and Carson, 1985). Eagle County

Taylor Creek (Cooper), NW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 85 W. Eagle County

Tender–Foot Town, probably in the SW 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., at Chicken Hill on the southwest slope of Carbonate Hill. Lake County

Ten Mile (Ten Mile City, Robinson, Robinson's Camp, Summit City), P.O., 1879, NW 1/4 sec. 34, T. 7 S., R. 79 W. Summit County

Ten Mile City (Ten Mile Gulch), 1879, SE 1/4 sec. 27, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., a mining and sawmill camp with a smelter, just north of Robinson, along Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, probably was absorbed by Robinson (see previous entry and Robinson). Summit County

Ten Mile Railroad Station, P.O., 1880, possibly same location as either of the previous two entries. Summit County

Tennessee Park, secs. 4 and 5, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., a small mining camp on southern side of Tennessee Pass. Lake County

Tennessee Pass, P.O., 1912, NE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., 11 miles south of Red Cliff, a mining camp, south of present–day Cooper Hill ski area. Lake and Eagle Counties

Theisen, P.O., 1909, SE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 1 S., R. 83 W., on Rock Creek along the D. & S.L. Ry. Routt County

Thomas, NE 1/4 sec. 9, T. 9 S., R. 88 W., along the Crystal River north of Janeway. Pitkin County

Thomasville, P.O., 1890, NW 1/4 sec. 18, T. 8 S., R. 83 W., a mine and smelter, now a farming community on C.M. Ry. along Frying Pan Creek. Pitkin County

Thompson (see Sewell), NW 1/4 sec. 27, T. 8 S., R. 88 W., on C.R. & S.J. R.R. along the Crystal River. Garfield County

Three Mile Tank, SE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., on the D.S.P. & P. Ry. and L.C. & S. Ry., along East Fork Arkansas River. Lake County

Tigiwon, P.O., 1929, SW 1/4 sec. 22, T. 6 S., R. 81 W. Eagle County

Timberline Town, NE 1/4 sec. 32, T. 8 S., R. 78 W., along Buckskin Creek. Park County

Tintown, 1878, NE 1/4 sec. 23, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., in the north edge of Leadville, had several mills and a large railroad yard. According to Sam McGeorge of the Leadville Railroad Museum, a second community of Tintown was in the eastern part of Poverty Flat in the NE1/4 NW1/4 sec. 24, T. 9 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

Toll Bridges, NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 11 S., R. 84 W., along Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Tollhouse, P.O., 1893, SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 9 S., R. 79 W., on north side of Bald Mountain, same site as South Evans. Lake County

Tourtelotte, P.O., 1899, NE 1/4 sec. 25, T. 10 S., R. 85 W. Pitkin County

Tourtelotte Park, 1889, SW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 10 S., R. 84 W., a mining camp south of Aspen, reached by an electric tramway, now on a ski run. Pitkin County

Town Pass Siding, SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 80 W., on Tennessee Creek south of Tennessee Pass. Lake County

Trappers Lake, pre–1900, secs. 11 and 12, T. 1 S., R. 88 W., a summer resort and sportsman's rendezvous on the shore of the large lake of the same name. Garfield County

Troutville, P.O., 1909, SW 1/4 sec. 23, T. 7 S., R. 83 W., in the headwaters of Lime Creek. Eagle County

Twin Lakes (Dayton), P.O., 1879, NW 1/4 sec. 19, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., a famous resort and summer vacation destination, a major stage and freighter station and mining center. In 1873, Professor John J. Stephenson of the Wheeler military mapping expedition visited here (Kernochan, 1956, p. 183). The town is on the Independence Pass Road, and many other trails led from Twin Lakes into the Sawatch Range. Lake County

Twin Lakes Ranch, NE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., on the north side of Twin Lakes. Lake County

Twin Lakes Spur (Twin Lakes Station), Post Office(?), center south 1/2 sec. 24, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., station on C.M. Ry. along the Arkansas River at Waco or Harvard, now Balltown. Lake County

Uneva Lake, NW 1/4 sec. 8, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., along Ten Mile Creek and the D.S.P. & P. R.R. Summit County

Union , SE 1/4 sec. 15, T. 8 S., R. 89 W., on C.M. Ry. along Fourmile Creek. Pitkin County

Ute City, 1879, NE 1/4 sec. 12, T. 10 S., R. 85 W., later called Aspen. Pitkin County

Vail Village, P.O., 1962, SW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 80 W., named for Vail Pass on highway I–70 along Gore Creek. Now a major ski area and year–round recreational community. Eagle County

Valdoro, SE 1/4 sec. 7, T. 6 S., R. 77 W. (Valdoro is Spanish for valley of gold), along the Swan River north of Breckenridge, Valdoro had a 13–car railroad spur. Summit County

Valdoro Station, NW 1/4 sec. 7, T. 6 S., R. 77 W., a D.S.P. & P. R.R. narrow gauge railroad town on the Blue River. Summit County

Valley Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 26, T. 7 S., R. 88 W., on the C.M. Ry. along the Roaring Fork River. Garfield County

Vega, P.O., 1891, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 10 S., R. 93 W., on The Meadows near junction of Park Creek and Plateau Creek. Mesa County

Vicksburg, P.O., 1881, SE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 12 S., R. 80 W., formerly a mining camp, but now a summer resort. Chaffee County

Volcano Station, SW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 1 S., R. 83 W., stop on the D. & S.L. Ry. along Egeria Creek about 2 miles north of Pershing. Routt County

Vulcan Coal Spur, P.O., 1892, NW 1/4 sec. 1, T. 6 S., R. 91 W., on the C.M. Ry. along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Waco, SE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 11 S., R. 80 W., formerly Twin Lakes Station on the Arkansas River. Lake County

Walkers Spur, NW 1/4 sec. 32, T. 9 S., R. 80 W., on the C.M. Ry. along the Arkansas River. Lake County

Washington Spur, NE 1/4 sec. 6, T. 7 S., R. 77 W., on the D.S.P. & P. R.R. near Illinois Gulch. Summit County

Watson, P.O., 1889, NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 9 S., R. 85 W., on the C.M. Ry. along Roaring Fork River, called Gerbazdale in 1918. Pitkin County

Watts Station, SE 1/4 sec. 16, T. 5 S., R. 81 W., on D. & R.G. line along Eagle River. Eagle County

Weller, NW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 11 S., R. 83 W., on the Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

West, SW 1/4 sec. 5, T. 5 S., R. 84 W., on D. & R.G. line and highway I–70. Eagle County

West Glenwood, NE 1/4 sec. 5, T. 6 S., R. 89 W., on D. & R.G. line along the Colorado River. Garfield County

Westons Ranch, 1878, NW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 10 S., R. 80 W. Lake County

West Vail, SE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 5 S., R. 81 W., on U.S. Highway 6 along Gore Creek. Eagle County

Wheeler (Solitude), pre–1885, P.O., 1880, SE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., a farm, lumber, and ranch center on D.S.P. & P. R.R. at mouth of West Ten Mile Creek. Summit County

Wheeler, SE 1/4 sec. 30, T. 7 S., R. 87 W., on C.M. Ry. along Roaring Fork River. Garfield County

Wheeler Ranger Station, SE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 6 S., R. 78 W., on C. & S. Ry. just north of Copper Mountain. Eagle County

Whiskey Springs, center sec. 1, T. 3 S., R. 83 W., about 9 miles north of Wolcott, stage station and hunters camp. Eagle County

White River Agency, P.O., 1888, NE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 1 S., R. 93 W., this is a few miles southeast of the Old Danford Indian Agency (see main trail map). On White River south of Veatch Gulch. Rio Blanco County

Wilders, NE 1/4 sec. 13, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., on the D. & R.G. line along Tenmile Creek. Summit County

Wilfley Mill, NE 1/4 sec. 26, T. 7 S., R. 79 W., near old Kokomo. Summit County

Willow, SW 1/4 sec. 2, T. 9 S., R. 89 W., on the Aspen & Western Railway on Middle Thompson Creek. Pitkin County

Willowpark, 1913, SW 1/4 sec. 10, T. 11 S., R. 86 W., on the headwaters of Willow Creek, northeast of Maroon Bells. Pitkin County

Winchester, SE 1/4 sec. 19, T. 9 S., R. 77 W., on S.P. & L.S.L. R.R. along Middle Fork South Platte River. Park County

Windy Point, NW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 9 S., R. 81 W., on C.M. Ry. along Lake Fork Creek. Lake County

Wingo, NW 1/4 sec. 21, T. 8 S., R. 86 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. along Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Wolcott, P.O., 1889, SW 1/4 sec. 15, T. 4 S., R. 83 W., on the D. & R.G. R.R. along Eagle River. Eagle County

Woody Creek Station, 1890, P.O., 1920, NW 1/4 sec. 9, T. 9 S., R. 85 W., on D. & R.G. R.R. along Roaring Fork River. Pitkin County

Wortman, P.O., 1900, NE 1/4 sec. 14, T. 8 S., R. 79 W., mining camp near Alicante, Post Office was 55 feet north of the railroad tracks. Lake County

Yale Station, 1868, SW 1/4 sec. 31, T. 11 S., R. 79 W. Chaffee County

Yarmony, P.O., 1908, NE 1/4 sec. 18, T. 2 S., R. 82 W., on D. & S.L. Ry. along the Colorado River. Eagle County

Yeoman Park, NW 1/4 sec. 35, T. 6 S., R. 83 W., in headwaters of East Brush Creek. Eagle County

Yule Quarry, SW 1/4 sec. 36, T. 11 S., R. 88 W., on Colorado–Yule Marble Company Electric Line along Yule Creek. Gunnison County


Back to TOC

Sources of Information

(Library call numbers shown at the end of some references are those of maps and reports in the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department.)

Adams, G.H., and Son, 1884, Map of Colorado: New York, George H. Adams & Son, scale 1 inch equals 20 miles, call number CG 4310 1884 .A3. [Shows Fort McHenry north of Dillon, also shows Camp White River near Meeker.]

Aldrich, J.K., 1984, Ghosts of Park County: Lakewood, Colorado, Centennial Graphics, 38 p.

———1986, Ghosts of Summit County: Lakewood, Colorado, Centennial Graphics, 44 p.

American Bank Note Company, New York, 1883, The Scenic Line of America, the Denver & Rio Grande Railway System: Grand Junction, Colorado, The Grande Junction Town and Improvement Company, scale 1 inch equals 7 miles, call number CG 4311 .P3 1883 D4.

American Guide Series, 1941, Colorado, a guide to the highest state: New York, Hastings House Publishers, 511 p.

Athearn, R.G., 1962, Rebel of the Rockies; a history of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad: New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 395 p. [Contains 8 maps showing the evolution of the D. & R.G. trackage.]

Baldwin & Company, 1879, Baldwin's mining claims near Leadville, California Mining District, Lake Co., Colorado: Cleveland, Ohio, W.J. Morgan & Co., scale one inch equals 800 feet, call number CG4313 .L2 .H2 1879 .B3.

Bancroft, Caroline, 1961, Unique ghost towns and mountain spots: Boulder, Colorado, Johnson Books, 96 p.

Bannon Mining Company, 1886(?), Map of Leadville Mining District in Lake and Park Counties, Colorado: Bannon Mining Company, scale 0.8 inch equals 1 mile, call number CG 4313 .L2 .H2.

Bauer, W.H., Ozment, J.L., and Willard, J.H., 1971, Colorado postal history; the Post Offices: J.B. Publishing Co., The Crete News, Inc., 248 p.

———1990, Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, 280 p.

Behre, C.H., Jr., 1953, Geology and ore deposits of the west slope of the Mosquito Range [Colorado]: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 235, 176 p.

Blair, Edward, 1980, Leadville: Colorado's magic city: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, 261 p.

Boehmer, Max, 1879, Boehmer's topographical map of the Carbonate Regions in the vicinity of Leadville, Colorado, showing location of mines and prominent prospects from actual surveys made in October 1879 by Max Boehmer, U.S. Department Mineral Surveyor: Washington, D.C., (Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1879 by Max Boehmer in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D.C.), scale l inch equals 1,000 feet, call number CG 4313 .L2 .H2 1879 .B6.

———1880, Boehmer's map of Lake County, Colorado, compiled from U.S. Government surveys and from surveys made in October 1879 and in September 1880 by Max Boehmer, civil engineer and U.S. Dep. Surveyor, Leadville, Col.: Copyright 1880 by Max Boehmer, scale 1 inch equals 1 mile, call number CG 4313 .L2 .1880 .B6.

Bohn, C.A., 1900, Mining claims of Leadville: publisher unknown, scale 1 inch equals 1,600 feet, DPL call number CG 4313 .L2 H2 1900. [Bohn's map is nearly a perfect copy of the C.H. Morse map of 1894.]

Bollinger, E.T., 1950, Rails that climb: Santa Fe, New Mexico, The Rydal Press, 402 p.

Bollinger, E.T., and Jones, W.C., 1994, Rails that climb, a narrative history of the Moffat Road: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, 280 p.

Bollinger, Rev. E., 1951, Middle Park stage driving: The Colorado Magazine, v. 28, no. 3, p. 269–280.

Bonsall and Kellogg, 1872, Map of Colorado (part of Colorado): Denver, Bonsall & Kellogg, scale 1 inch equals 8 miles, call number CG 4310 1872 .R6.

Boyd, L.C., and Carson, H.G., 1984, Atlas of Colorado ghost towns: Deming, New Mexico, Carson Enterprises, Ltd., Inc., v. 1, 185 p. [Contains information for Chaffee through Gunnison Counties.]

———1985, Atlas of Colorado ghost towns: Deming, New Mexico, Carson Enterprises, Ltd., Inc., v. 2, 183 p. [Contains information for Lake through Summit Counties.]

Brown, R.H., 1930, The mountain passes of Colorado: Boulder, Colorado, University of Colorado Studies, v. 18, no. 1, p. 29–42.

Brown, R.L., 1968, Ghost towns of the Colorado Rockies: Caldwell, Idaho, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 401 p.

———1972, Colorado ghost towns—past and present: Caldwell, Idaho, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 322 p.

———1978, Jeep trails to Colorado ghost towns: Caldwell, Idaho, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 245 p.

Burkey, E.R., 1937, The Georgetown–Leadville stage: The Colorado Magazine, v. 14, no. 5, p. 177–186.

Cafky, Morris, 1965, Colorado Midland: Denver, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, 467 p., map scale 1 inch equals 160 miles. [Page 4 is a map called "The Colorado railroad picture in 1883" compiled by E.J. Haley, showing the future route of the Colorado Midland.]

Calhoun, W.C., 1969, Colorado gold mines and ghost camps: Fort Davis, Texas, Frontier Book Company, 112 p.

Caxton Company, 1894, Map of Colorado: Caxton Company, scale indeterminable, call number CG4311 .R3 1894 .M13. [This map was republished by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2002 and is available for purchase from U.S. Geological Survey Information Services, Bldg. 810, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado.]

Chappell, Gordon, Richardson, R.W., and Hauck, C.W., 1974, The South Park line, a concise history: 12th Railroad Annual, Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, 280 p.

Clark, W.H., Monroe, F.P., and Trumbor, W.H., 1888, Survey of the Colorado River Valley, Colorado: Meeker and Glenwood Springs, Colorado: Clark & others, compiled from official surveys and public records by Clark & others, civil engineers and surveyors, scale 1 inch equals 2.5 miles, call number CG4313 .G3. 1888 C56.

Clason Map Company, 1915, Glenwood Land District; Holy Cross National Forest, Sopris National Forest, and Battlement National Forest: Clason Map Co., scale 1 inch equals 6 miles, call number CG 4310 .C56.

———1917, Clason's map of Colorado: Denver, Colorado, Clason Map Co., scale 1 inch equals about 3 miles, call number CG 4311 .P2 1917 .C5.

Collins, D.B., and Collins, D.S., 1986, Scenic trips into Colorado Geology: published by authors(?), scale 1:100, 000.

Colorado & Southern Railway Company, January 1, 1918, List of Officers, Agents, Stations: Colorado & Southern Railway Co., 66 p.

Colorado Railroad Museum, 1923 [1998], Official roster No. 11 of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad System and the Rio Grande Southern Railroad Company: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, 162 p.

———1961, A booklet to do with Colorado railroad history and narrow gauge railroads: Golden, Colorado, The Colorado Railroad Museum, 32 p.

———1975, A detailed map of Railroads in the State of Colorado: Golden, Colorado, The Colorado Railroad Museum, map research and art production by Intermountain Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc., a map, scale 1 inch equals 13 miles, call number CG 4311 .P3 1963 .N3.

———1996, Colorado Railroad Map: prepared by the Intermountain Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc., scale about 13 miles to the inch.

———1997, A booklet to do with Colorado railroad history and narrow gauge railroads: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, 64 p.

Colorado Railways, 1896, The Denver Leadville and Gunnison Railway formerly the Denver South Park and Pacific Railway: publisher unknown, scale 1 inch equals 7 miles, call number CG 4312 .P3 1896 .D4.

Colorado State Geological Survey, 1913, Topographic map of Colorado: Colorado State Geological Survey, scale 1 inch equals 8 miles, call number CG 4310 1913 .G4.

Colorado State Highway Department, 1924, Map of Colorado: Colorado State Highway Department, scale 1 inch equals 14(?) miles, call number CG 4311 .P2 1924 .C6 .H5.

Colton, G.W., and Colton, C.B., 1874, Colton's Sectional and Topographical map of Colorado: New York, G.W. Colton & Co, 1874, scale 1 inch equals 10 miles, call number CG 4310 1874 .C6.

Colton, G.W. and Colton, C.B., & Company, 1879, Colton's new sectional map of the State of Colorado: New York, G.W. and C.B. Colton & Company, scale 1 inch equals 10 miles, call number CG 4310 1879.

Cram, G.F., 1909, Map of Colorado: Chicago, George R. Cram, scale 1 inch equals 8 miles, call number CG 4310 1909 .C7 [oversize].

Crofutt, G.A., 1881, Crofutt's grip–sack guide to Colorado: Omaha, Nebraska, The Overland Publishing Co., Denver, 183 p. [Map shows Fort McHenry just north of Dillon.]

———1885, Crofutt's grip–sack guide of Colorado: Omaha, Nebraska, The Overland Publishing Company, 264 p., includes New Sectional Map of Colorado, scale 1 inch equals 12 miles. [Also reprinted by Cubar Associates, Inc., Golden, Colorado.]

Dallas, Sandra, 1985, Colorado ghost towns and mining camps: Norman, Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, 254 p.

Danielson, C.L., 1965, Routes of the Colorado Midland and Rio Grande railroads in the Basalt area: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Press, map not drawn to scale, but scale is about 1 inch equals 6 miles, call number CG4312 .P3 1965 .D3.

Davis, E.O., 1948, The first five years of the railroad era in Colorado: Golden, Colorado, Sage Books, Inc., 214 p.

Denver and Rio Grande Railway System, 1883, The scenic line of America: Grand Junction, Colorado, The Grand Junction Town and Improvement Company, scale 1 inch equals 7 miles, call number CG4311 .P3 1883 .D4.

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway Company, 1885, Preliminary location up Grand River from Dotsero, from Dotsero east, plats 1 to 39, 80.79 miles: Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway Company, scale 1:4,800 or 1 inch equals 400 feet, one manuscript atlas (41 leaves), 44 x 61 centimeters, relief shown by contour lines, shows route from station 0 (plat no. 1) to connection with "Blounts Canon Line," sta. 4230+32.5 (plat no. 39), each leaf dated, dates run from May 1 to August 31, 1885. Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.

Dorset, P.F., 1970, The new Eldorado; the story of Colorado's gold and silver rushes: London, The Macmillan Company, 434 p.

Eberhart, Perry, 1959, Guide to the Colorado ghost towns and mining camps: Denver, Colorado, Sage Books, Inc., 479 p.

Eichler, G.R., 1977, Colorado place names: Boulder, Colorado, Johnson Publishing Company, 109 p.

Ellis, E.H., 1983, Colorado mapology: Frederick, Colorado, Jende–Hagan Book Corporation, 256 p.

Emmons, S.F., 1886, The geology and mining industry of Leadville, Colorado, with atlas: U.S. Geological Survey Monograph 12, 770 p. and atlas of 35 sheets.

Emmons, S.F., Irving, J.D., and Loughlin, G.F., 1927, Geology and ore deposits of the Leadville Mining District: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 148, 368 p.

Ewan, Joseph, 1950, Rocky Mountain Naturalists: Denver, Colorado, The University of Denver Press, 358 p.

Feitz, Leland, 1971, Colorado trolleys: Colorado Springs, Colorado, Little London Press, 60 p. [Contains a drawing and description of a Leadville horse–drawn trolley on page 55.]

Fiester, Mark, 1973, Blasted beloved Breckenridge: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, 348 p. [Includes a planimetric map of Breckenridge by Continental Engineers, Denver, Colorado.]

Fletcher, Ken, 1995, Centennial State Trolleys: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, 60 p.

Flynn, N.L., 1951, Early mining camps of South Park: Denver, Colorado, The Westerners, Denver Posse, Brand Book, v. 7, p. 123–176.

General Superintendent's Office, Colorado Springs, Jan. 24, 1901, Colorado Midland Railway map of Aspen and vicinity: Colorado Springs, General Superintendent's Office, scale 12.5 inches equals 1 mile.

George, R.D., 1913, Colorado Topographic map: Boulder, Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey, scale 1 inch equals 8 miles, call number CG 4310 1913 .G4.

Giegengack, R.F., Jr., 1962, Recent volcanism near Dotsero, Colorado: Boulder, Colorado University M.S. thesis, 43 p.

Gilliland, M.E., 1987, Summit, a gold–rush history of Summit County, Colorado: Silverthorne, Colorado, Alpenrose Press, 336 p. [Especially p. 190–192.]

Greater Leadville Chamber of Commerce, 1994, Map Guide Leadville, Twin Lakes, Colorado, Part of the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway, The Rush is on to Leadville: Greater Leadville Chamber of Commerce, scale 1 inch equals 2 miles, call number CG 4313 .L2 1994.

Green, Mel, 1962, Map of the state of Colorado showing towns and railroads: Littleton, Colorado, published by author(?), scale 1 inch equals 11 miles.

Gregory, Lee, 1990, Colorado scenic guide—northern region: Boulder, Colorado, Johnson Books, 239 p. [A guide to many natural wonders in the Leadville quadrangle.]

Griswold, D.L., and Griswold, J.H., 1951, The Carbonate Camp called Leadville: Denver, Colorado, The University of Denver Press, 282 p.

———1958, Colorado's century of cities: Published by the authors [or Smith–Brooks Printing Company], 307 p.

———1959, Independence Pass and the Twin Lakes Toll Road, in The fifteenth annual Brand Book of the Denver Posse of the Westerners: Boulder, Colorado, Johnson Publishing Co., p. 73–105, contains a map, scale 1 inch equals 4.5 miles.

———1960, Names in the Leadville District: Carbonate Chronicle, Monday January 2, 1961, p. 7–10.

———1968 [1996], The Denver South Park & Pacific builds the High Line: Denver, Colorado, Denver Posse of Westerners Brand Book, p. 296–322.

———1996, From mountain solitude to metropolis: Leadville, Colorado: Colorado Historical Society in cooperation with the University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, Johnson Printing Company, v. 1, 1303 p., v. 2, p. 1305–2374, with a complete index.

Haley, E.J., 1905, The Hotchkiss Mapping Company's map of the Colorado Midland in the Leadville Mining District: Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, scale 1 inch equals 1/3 mile, call number CG 4313 L2 .P3 1905 .H3 1965.

———1913, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, Hotchkiss Historical Railroad Map of Colorado: Clason Map Co., Map No. 1178 [reprinted Denver, Colorado, The Company 1963], scale l inch equals approximately 9.5 miles, call number CG 4311 .P3 1913 .H3 1963. [Back of map also shows many small maps of other Colorado railroads.]

———1949, [originally published in 1886], 1886 Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad from Boreas Summit to Breckenridge: publisher unknown, scale 1 inch equals 0.25 mile, call number CG4312 .P3 1886 .H3 1949.

———1956, The Settlements of the Upper Arkansas Valley, Colorado: A.L. Kernochan, Denver Westerners Brand Book 1956, a map, scale 1 inch equals 2 miles. [An excellent portrayal of the small settlements around Leadville.]

———1956, Map of west–central Colorado: A.L. Kernochan, Denver Westerners Brand Book 1956, a map, scale 1 inch equals 4.5 miles, call number CG4312 .W4 1956 .H3.

———1963a, The east and west approaches of Hagerman Pass on the Colorado Midland showing Hagerman and Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnels: Rocky Mountain Railroad Club 1965, scale one inch equals 5/8 mile, call number CG 4312 .P3 1965a .H3.

——— compiler, 1963b, Hotchkiss historical railroad map of the Denver area, map no. 902: Denver, Colorado, The Company, scale 1 inch equals 2.3 miles, call number CG 4313 .L2 .P3 1905. [Reprint of a map of the same title published in 1913 by the Clason Map Company.]

———1963c, London Mine District, the South Park and Leadville Short Line R.R., formerly London, South Park and Leadville R.R. in M.C Poor, 1976, Denver South Park & Pacific [Memorial Edition]: Denver, Colorado, The Company, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, 495 p., scale 1 inch equals 5/8 mile, call number CG 4311 .P3 1913 .H3 1963.

———1963d, Horse Shoe Mining District, Denver South Park & Hill Top Ry., Park County, Colorado: Denver, Colorado, The Company, call number CG4311 .P3 1913 .H3 1963.

———1963e, Kokomo District, Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad: Denver, Colorado, The Company, scale 1 inch equals 0.4 mile, call number CG4313 .L2 .P3 1905 .H3 1965.

———1963f, Railroads of the Leadville District: Denver, Colorado, The Company, scale 1 inch equals 0.68 mile, call number CG 4311 .P3 1913 .H3 1963.

———1963g, System Map of the Colorado Midland Railway: Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, scale 1 inch equals 4.5 miles, call number CG4312 .P3 1965 .H3.

———1963h, Map of the Rio Grande Junction Railway jointly owned and operated by the Denver & Rio Grande and the Colorado Midland Ry.: Denver, Colorado, The Company, scale 1 inch equals 6 miles, call number CG4312 .P3 1965 .H3.

———1963i, Colorado Midland Ry: Map of Aspen and vicinity, General Superintendent's Office, Colorado Springs, Colorado: Hotchkiss Reprint, scale 1 inch equals 380 feet, call number CG4314 .A72 1901 .C6.

———1963j, Map of the Rio Grande Railway jointly owned and operated by the Denver and Rio Grande and the Colorado Midland Railway: Denver, Colorado, The Company, scale 1 inch equals 4.75 miles.

———1963k, Railroads of the Crystal River Country: Denver, Colorado, The Company, scale 1 inch equals 5 miles, call number CG 4311 .P3 1913 .H3 1963.

———1965, The Colorado railroad picture in 1883, showing the narrow gauge area versus the standard gauge area: publisher Morris Cafky, scale 1 inch equals 160 miles.

———1973, The Denver Leadville and Gunnison Railway, formerly the Denver South Park and Pacific Railway, 1896: publisher unknown, scale 1 inch equals about 7 miles, call number CG 4312 .P3 1896 .D4 1973.

———1976, The Denver South Park and Pacific Railway, predecessor of the Denver Leadville and Gunnison Railway and the Colorado and Southern Railway, in Poor, M.C., Denver South Park and Pacific: Denver, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, scale 1 inch equals 8 miles, call number CG4312 .P3 H3.

Harrison, P.D., 1963, Toll roads in Colorado: Boulder, Colorado, Johnson Publishing Company, p. 309–330.

———Unpublished report, not dated, Wagon and toll roads and mountain passes of Colorado: from Harrison's voluminous research file loaned to me by Richard Frajola, Redman Hall, Empire, Colorado; Richard now lives in Taos, New Mexico.

Hauck, Cornelius, 1972, A journal of railroad history in the Rocky Mountain west: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, Colorado Rail Annual, issue no. 10–1972, 223 p.

Hayden, F.V., 1877, Drainage map of Colorado: U.S. Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and portions of adjacent territory: Department of the Interior, United States Geological and Geographical Surveys of the Territories, scale 1 inch equals 12 miles. [Shows trails.]

Helmuth, Ed, and Helmuth, Gloria, 1994, The passes of Colorado: An encyclopedia of watershed divides: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, 317 p.

Hill, C.C., 1949, Wagon roads in Colorado, 1858–1876: Boulder, Colorado, University of Colorado, Master of Arts thesis, 164 p.

Hotchkiss Company, about 1900, Map of Park County, Colorado: Denver, Colorado, The Chas. J. Hotchkiss Company, scale 1 inch equals 4 miles, call number CG 4313 .P3 .H6.

Hotchkiss, Inc., 1913, Hotchkiss Historic Railroad Map of Colorado: Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, Map No. 1178, [reprinted 1963, Denver, Colorado, The Company], scale 1 inch equals 10 miles, call number CG 4311 .P3 1913 .H3 1963.

Howell, J.V., 1919, Twin Lakes District of Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 17, 106 p., two maps, including geologic map of the Twin Lakes District, Colorado, at a scale of 1:62,500, dated 1915–1916.

Intermountain Chapter National Railway Historical Society, Inc., 1975, A detailed map of railroads in the State of Colorado: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, scale 1 inch equals 13 miles.

Jessen, Kenneth, 1982, Railroads of northern Colorado: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Co., 287 p., scale 1 inch equals 11 miles.

———1998, Ghost towns, Colorado style: Loveland, Colorado, J.V. Publications, 3 volumes, v. 1, northern region, 508 p., v. 2, central region, 616 p., v. 3, southern region, 631 p.

Kernochan, A.L., 1956, These were thy charms: Denver, Colorado, The Posse, Denver Westerners Brand Book, 1957, no. 12, p. 175–214, call number CG 4312 .U6 1956 .H3. [Includes a map called "The settlements of the Upper Arkansas Valley, Colorado" compiled by A.L.Kernochan and drawn by E. J. Haley, scale 1 inch equals 2 miles. An excellent display of place names in the Leadville city area, although lacking Agassiz, Amity, Boughtown, Brooklyn Heights, Cleator Moor, Graham Park, Hangtown, Park City, Poverty Flat, Ryan, Sacramento City, Shantytown, and Slabtown.]

Key, Jim, 1992, Crystal River and San Juan Railway: Marble to Carbondale: publisher unknown, map scale 1 inch equals almost 3 miles.

Kistler, W.H., 1881, Historical map of Colorado, compiled from U.S. Government Surveys and other authentic sources: Denver, Colorado, W. H. Kistler Stationery Company, scale 1 inch equals 16 miles, call number CG 4310 1881r .N4 1958 map. [Map shows Fort McHenry on the Blue River just north of Dillon.]

Klemme, G.W., 1923, White River National Forest: Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, scale 1 inch equals 4 miles, call number CG 4312 .W5 1923 .U5.

Koch, Don, 2000, The Colorado Pass Book; a guide to Colorado's backroad mountain passes: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, 225 p.

Langer, N.L., 1952, An encyclopedia of world history: Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1,243 p.

Leadville Area Chamber of Commerce, 1994, Map Guide Leadville, Twin Lakes, Colorado: Leadville Area Chamber of Commerce, scale 1 inch equals almost 2 miles, call number CG 4313 .L2 1994.

Le Massena, R.A., 1987, Tennessee Pass: Colorado Rail Annual No 17, a journal of railroad history in the Rocky Mountain West: Golden, Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, p. 125–229.

Lloyd, G.W., 1884, Map of Pitkin County, Colorado: Aspen, Colorado, The Aspen Times.

McCollum, O.D., Jr., 1992, Marble, a town built on dreams: Denver, Colorado, Sundance, two volumes, v. 1, 352 pages; v. 2, 352 pages.

McCullough, Frances, 1998, The Barlow and Sanderson Stage Line in the San Luis Valley: The San Luis Valley Historian, v. 30, no. 3, p. 5–66.

McQueary, Lela, 1962, Widening trails, narratives of pioneer days in Middle Park on the western slope of Colorado's Rocky Mountains: Denver, Colorado, The World Press, Inc., 136 p.

Meekham, H.S., compiler, 1908, Map of Leadville [National Forest, Colorado], 6th Principal meridian: publisher unknown, 19 sheets, scale 1:63,360 with topographic contours.

Morse, C.H., 1894, Map of the mining claims of Leadville, Colorado: C.H. Morse, Hotel Vendome, Leadville, Poole Bros., engravers, Chicago, scale 1 inch equals 1,600 feet, call number CG 4313 .L2 .H2 1894.B5.

Morse, R.A., Jr., 1971, Rusty's historical map of Park County, Colorado: privately published by R.A. Morse, Arvada, Colorado, scale 1 inch equals 3 miles.

Murray, R.B., and Lee, R.D., 1978, Colorado ghost town and mining camp guide: Commerce City, Colorado, Colorado Recreation Guides, Inc., 112 p.

Nankivell, Maj. J.H., 1935, History of the military organizations of the state of Colorado, 1860–1935: Denver, Colorado, W.H. Kistler Stationery Company, 533 p.

Nell, Louis, 1880a, Topographical & Township map of part of the state of Colorado exhibiting the San Juan, Gunnison & California Mining Regions, compiled from U.S. Government Surveys and other sources: Washington, D.C., Louis Nell, scale 1 inch equals 9 miles, call number CG 4310 1880 .N4a.

———1880b, Nell's new Topographical & Township map of Colorado compiled from U.S. Government Surveys and other authentic sources: Washington, D.C., Chain & Hardy, general agents, scale 1 inch equals 10.5 miles, call number CG 4310 1880 .N4. [Shows Fort McHenry just north of Dillon.]

———1880c, White River Indian Reservation, Colorado: published by Louis Nell, published as supplement to Nell's Map of Central and Southwestern Colorado, to represent the whole area of the Ute Indian Reservation, scale 1:443,520, call number CG 4311 .G6 1880.

———1881a, Historical map of Colorado: Denver, Colorado, W.H. Kistler Stationary Co., scale 1 inch equals 16 miles, call number CG 4310 1881r. .N4 1958.

———1881b, Nells new Topographical & Township map prepared expressly for Crofutt's Grip–Sack Guide of Colorado: Omaha, Nebraska, The Overland Publishing Co., scale 1 inch equals 16 miles, call number CG 4310 1881 .N4. [Shows Fort McHenry on the Blue River just north of Dillon.]

———1882, Nell's Topographical & Township map of the state of Colorado, compiled from U.S. Government Surveys and other authoritative sources: Washington, D.C., Chain & Hardy, General Agents for Colorado, copyright 1881, scale 1 inch equals 11 miles, call number CG 4310 1882 .N4. [Shows Fort McHenry just north of Dillon.]

———1883, Nell's Topographical & Township map of Colorado, compiled from U.S. Government Surveys and other authentic sources: Washington, D.C., produced by the Am. Photo. Litho. Co. of New York, scale 1 inch equals 10.5 miles, call number CG 4310 1883 .N4. [Shows Fort McHenry just north of Dillon.]

———1884, Nells Topographical map of the state of Colorado, compiled from U.S. Government Surveys and other authoritative sources: Washington, D.C., Stone and Company, agents, Denver, scale 1 inch equals 10.5 miles, call number CG 4310 1884 .N4. [Shows Fort McHenry just north of Dillon.]

———1885, Nell's Topographical and Township map of the state of Colorado: Washington, D.C., Chain and Hardy, General agents for Colorado, scale 1 inch equals 10.5 miles, call number CG 4310, 1885 .N4. [Shows Fort McHenry just north of Dillon.]

———1887, Nell's Topographical map of the state of Colorado: Denver, Colorado, E. Besley & Co., scale 1 inch equals 10 miles, call number CG 4310 1887 .N4. [Shows trails from General Land Office survey plats.]

———1889, Nell's Topographical map of the state of Colorado: Denver, Colorado, E. Besley & Co., scale 1 inch equals 10.5 miles, copyright by Louis Nell, Washington, D.C., 1887, call number CG 4310 1889 .N4.

———1907, Nell's topographic map of the state of Colorado: Denver, Colorado, The Kendrick Book and Stationary Co., copyright by Louis Nell, Denver, Colorado, scale 1 inch equals 10 miles, call number CG 4310 1907 .N4.

Norwood, J.B., 1986, Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Recollections: River Forest, Illinois, Heimburger House Publishing Company, 272 p.

Ormes, R.M., 1963, Railroads and the Rockies, a record of lines in and near Colorado: Denver, Colorado, Sage Books, 406 p.

———1975, Tracking ghost railroads in Colorado: Colorado Springs, Colorado, Century One Press, 148 p., contains many small maps.

Ormes, R.M., and Houdek, Robert, 1988, Supplemental trails and other physical features on thirteen U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute quadrangles in the south central part of the Leadville quadrangle, Colorado: Colorado Springs, Colorado College, scale 1 inch equals 1 mile, call number CG 4312 .E5 1988 .07.

Osterwald, D.B., 1991, High Line to Leadville; mile by mile guide for the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad: Lakewood, Colorado, Western Guideways, Ltd., 160 p., contains many additional small maps.

Pearson, Mark, and Fielder, John, 1992, Colorado BLM Wildlands: A guide to hiking and floating Colorado's Canyon Country: Englewood, Colorado, Westcliffe Publishers, Inc., 208 p.

Pierce, John, 1863, Map of public surveys in Colorado Territory to accompany a report of the Surveyor General: publisher unknown, scale 1 inch equals 18 miles. [Map shows an east–west trail from Swan River to Piney Creek and Hot Springs then along the Colorado River. Also shows a trail up the Arkansas River to First Oro and a trail from Fairplay to Montgomery.]

———1868, U.S. forts and camps in Colorado: Surveyor General of Colorado and Utah, scale 1 inch equals 45 miles, call number CG 4310 1868 .P5.

Poor, M.C., 1976, Denver South Park and Pacific: Denver, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, 493 p.

Pritchard, S.F., 1992, Roadside Summit, part II, The human landscape, four townsites of Dillon: A Summit Historical Society Publication, 170 p., scale 1 inch equals 220 feet.

Quillen, Ed, 2001, RS–2477, Old roads and new controversies: Colorado Central Magazine, no. 85, March 2001, p. 21–29, scale one inch equals 12 miles.

Rand McNally & Co., 1881, Rand McNally & Company's New Sectional Map of Colorado: Chicago, Rand McNally & Co., scale one inch equals 12 miles, call number CG 4310 1881 .R3.

———1882, Rand McNally & Company's; Indexed atlas of the World [Colorado]: Chicago, Rand McNally & Co., scale 1 inch equals 24 miles.

———1883, Colorado, Rand McNally & Co.: Chicago, Rand McNally & Co., scale 1 inch equals 4 miles, call number CG 4310 1883 .R3.

———1891, Map of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, showing stage lines, all principal mining camps, and San Luis Valley, Colorado: Chicago, Rand McNally & Co., scale 1 inch equals 25 miles.

———1913, Pocket Parcel Post Map, Colorado: Chicago, Rand McNally & Co., scale 3/8 inch equals 6 miles.

Ransome, F.L., 1911, Geology and ore deposits of the Breckenridge District, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 75, 187 p.

Ridgeway, Arthur, 1932, The mission of Colorado toll roads: The Colorado Magazine, v. 9, no. 5, p. 161–169.

Roberts, R.B., 1988, Encyclopedia of historic forts: New York, MacMillan Publishing Company, 894 p.

Rockwell, Wilson, 1956, [reprinted 1998], The Utes; a forgotten people: Ouray, Colorado, Western Reflections, Inc., 307 p.

Roeser, C., 1879, State of Colorado: General Land Office, Department of the Interior, scale 1 inch equals 15 miles, call number CG 4310 1879 U5.

Rogers, J.G., 1967, Colorado place names: Denver, Colorado, Colorado Historical Society, 6 rolls of positive 35 mm microfilm in Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library.

Ronzio, Dick, April 1966, Colorado smelting and reduction works: The Denver Westerners Monthly Roundup, v. 22, no. 4, p. 1–42. [A complete description of the treatment of ores in Colorado including the smelters in the counties of Chaffee, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Lake, Mesa, Park, Pitkin, and Summit in the Leadville quadrangle.]

Rose, Ernie, 1968, Utahs of the Rocky Mountains, 1833–1935: Montrose, Colorado, printed by the Montrose Daily Press, 136 p.

Sanders, C.S., 1901, Map of Leadville Mining District, in Lake and Park Counties: publisher unknown, scale unknown, call number CG 4313 .L2 .H2.

Sanford, A.B., 1932, Mountain staging in Colorado: The Colorado Magazine, v. 9, no. 2, p. 66–71.

Schreiber, Craig, 1994, Historic city of Leadville—Scenic Lake County, Colorado: published by Edith M. Seppi, Sugar Loafin' Campground, a map, scale 1 inch equals 1/5 mile, call number CG 4314 .L4 1994 .S3.

Scott, G.R., 1999, Historic Trail Map of the Denver 1° × 2° quadrangle, central Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I–2639, a pamphlet and two maps, scales 1:250,000 and 1:100,000, call number CG 4312 .P25 1999 .S3.

Sharp, Verna, 1956, Montezuma and her neighbors: The Colorado Magazine, v. 33, no. 1, p. 17–41.

———1971, A history of Montezuma, Saints John, and Argentine, early mining camps of Summit County: Dillon, Colorado, D. & L. Printing, Inc., 36 p.

Simmons, V.M., 2000, The Ute Indians of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico: Boulder, Colorado, The University Press of Colorado, 323 p.

Smith, John R., 1965, Routes of Colorado Midland and Denver & Rio Grande Railroads in Boesht [Danielson] area: publisher unknown, not drawn to scale, call number CG4312 .P3 1965 .D3.

Spurr, Dick, and Spurr, Wendy, 1994, Historic forts of Colorado: Grand Junction, Colorado, Centennial Publications, 80 p.

Taylor, M.F., 1973, The Barlow and Sanderson stage lines in Colorado, 1872–1884: The Colorado Magazine, v. 50, no. 2, p. 142–162.

Thayer, H.L. & Co., 1877, Thayer's map of Colorado: Denver, Colorado, H.L. Thayer & Co. [eighth edition], scale 1 inch equals 27 miles, call number CG4310 1877 .T5.

———1880, Thayer's map of the Leadville mines, California mining district, Lake County, Colorado, Township 9 south and Ranges 79 and 80 west: Denver, Colorado, H.L. Thayer & Co., scale 1 inch equals 800 feet, call number CG 4313 .L2 .H2 1880 .T4.

Thayer, W.M., 1892, Marvels of the new west, reprinted 1977 in W.R. Jones, editor, Rocky Mountain railroads of Colorado; A marvel of the new west: Olympic Valley, California, Outbooks, 56 p.

Tweto, Ogden, Moench, R.H., and Reed, J.C., Jr., 1978, Geologic map of the Leadville 1° × 2° quadrangle, northeastern Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series I–999, scale 1:250,000.

Ubbelohde, Carl, Benson, Maxine, and Smith, D.A., 1972, A Colorado History: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Co., 380 p.

Urquhart, L.M., 1967, Cold Snows of Carbonate: Denver, Colorado, Golden Bell Press, 19 p.

———1970, Glenwood Springs: Spa in the mountains: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, 181 p.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sept. 1882, Maps of the Post, Military Reservation, and proposed timber reservation at Camp of White River, Colorado: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; consists of three maps: camp on White River map, scale 1 inch equals 0.75 mile; Proposed Timber Reservation map, scale 1 inch equals 0.5 mile; U.S. Military Reservation map, scale 1 inch equals 0.75 mile.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1912, Forest Service, Sopris National Forest, Colorado: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, a map, scale 1 inch equals 6 miles.

———1922, U.S. Forest Service, Grand Mesa National Forest, Colorado: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, scale 1 inch equals 4 miles, call number CG4312 .G7 1922 .U5.

———1937, U.S. Forest Service, Holy Cross National Forest, Colorado: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, scale 1 inch equals 5.4 miles, call number CG 4312 .H6 1936 .U5.

———1941, U.S. Forest Service, White River National Forest: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Regional Office, Denver, Colorado, scale 1:316,800, 1 inch equals 5 miles, call number CG 4312 .W5 1941 .U5.

———1955, U.S. Forest Service, White River National Forest, Carbondale to Marble, Colorado: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, scale one inch equals 4 miles.

———1959, U.S. Forest Service, White River National Forest, Colorado: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, scale 1 inch equals 5 miles, call number CG 4312 .W5 1959 .U5.

U.S. Department of the Interior, 1905, State of Colorado: General Land Office, compiled from the official records of the GLO and other sources, scale 1 inch equals 12 miles, call number CG4310 1905 .U5 .L3.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1913, Map of Leadville Mining District, Lake County: U.S. Geological Survey, scale 1 inch equals 800 feet.

———various years, various topographic quadrangle and county maps (within the Leadville 1° × 2° quadrangle) at scales of 1:100,000, 1:62,500, 1: 50,000 (county series), 1:48,000, and 1:24,000, all published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

U.S. National Archives, date of microfilm unknown, Colorado, First Cavalry through Denver City Home Guards (6 months, 1861–1862): U.S. National Archives microfilm (muster roll), Microfilm Publications, Microcopy no. 594, 16 mm roll 4. [Compiled records showing service of military units in Volunteer Union Organizations. A printed copy is in Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.]

Vickery, G.C., 1884, Map of Pitkin County, Colorado: Aspen, Colorado, published by the Aspen Times from official records and actual surveys in the office of Geo. W. Lloyd, U.S. Department of Mineral Surveys, scale 1 inch equals 1.5 miles.

Voynick, S.M., 1984, Leadville, a miner's epic: Missoula, Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 165 p.

Wagner, V.B., April 1913, Colorado Midland Railway map condensed profile rail chart: Colorado City, Colorado, Chief Engineer's Office, scale 1 inch equals 7 miles, call number CG4312 .P3 1920 .W3.

Wentworth, F.L., 1950, Aspen on the Roaring Fork: Lakewood, Colorado, edited and published by Francis B. Rizzari, 350 p.

Westcott, L.H., 1943, Colorado Railroads: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kalmbach Publishing Co., prepared by Trains Magazine, a map, scale 1 inch equals 16 miles, call number CG 4311 .P3 1943 .T7.

Wheeler, G.M., 1876, Map of part of Central Colorado, Atlas sheet no. 53 (C.): U.S. Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian, scale 1 inch equals 4 miles.

Wilkins, T.E., 1974, Colorado railroads; chronological development: Boulder, Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, 309 p.

Williams, Henry T., March 1877, Williams' Tourists' guide and map of the San Juan Mines of Colorado, engraved from surveys by the Hayden U.S. Geological Expedition: New York, copyright 1877 by Henry T. Williams, call number CG4310 .W5 1976 [reprinted in 1965 by Cubar Associates, Golden, Colorado, 47 p., see call number C978. 83 S195wi], map scale 1 inch equals 12 miles.

Wolle, M.S., 1955, The Bonanza Trail; ghost towns and mining camps of the west: Bloomington, Indiana, Indiana University Press, 510 p.

———1974, Stampede to Timberline, the ghost towns and mining camps of Colorado: Chicago, Sage Books, The Swallow Press, Inc., 583 p.

———1977, Timberline Tailings, Tales of Colorado's ghost towns and mining camps: Chicago, Sage Books, the Swallow Press, Inc., 337 p.


Back to TOC

Photo and Figure Captions

Engraving of the head of a bison. From the 1873 book, "Buffalo Land," by William E. Webb.


Figure 1.Index map of the Leadville 1° × 2° quadrangle. The map shows the principal geologic, cultural, and hydrologic features of the area, including mountain ranges, mesas, plateaus, important communities, as well as the largest streams. It also shows the area of figure 2. (From Tweto and others, 1978.)


A brand new Concord stagecoach photographed at the factory of Abbot, Downing, and Company in Concord, New Hampshire. Most of the Concord coaches that were built saw service on the dusty trails throughout the plains and mountains in the western United States. The new stagecoach came with adjustable leather side curtains, leather boot attached to the back of the stage, top deck seat, hand–operated brakes, lamps, and fancy hand–painted ornamental sides. In this view, the shiny leather side curtains are rolled down over the front and back side windows. The "strong box," which contained valuables, was kept under the driver's seat. Passenger's luggage and mail sacks were stowed in the leather boot at the back of the stage. Inside, nine passengers shared three leather–covered seats, and for short distances as many as 10–12 people could ride perched on top of the stage. The coach was beautiful to look at—two hand–rubbed coats of paint were applied, followed by two coats of spar varnish. Photographer unknown. Between 1880 and 1900. (X–21797)


Chipeta in 1907, probably in western Colorado. She was born in 1843, and grew up in western Colorado. At the age of 16, she married Ute Chief Ouray. Together, they worked tirelessly to befriend the European settlers and to help negotiate treaties between the Utes and the U.S. Government. She is wearing a flowered shawl with fringe and a flowered dress, and she is sitting beside woven baskets and blankets. She died in 1924, and her grave is in Montrose, Colorado. Photographer T.M. McKee. (Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department. Z–1466.)


View from the summit of Mount Lincoln (14,286 feet) in 1873. Just visible at the center right, at an altitude above 14,000 feet, is a building of the Montezuma mine, the highest mine in the United States. Visible at the lower left and elsewhere are trails that were used by pack trains of mules and burros that carried supplies up the mountain and gold and silver ore down the mountain. (U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library. W.H. Jackson 1237.)


Pack burros carrying supplies on Hagerman Pass. Photographer unknown, about 1880. (X–21781)


Interior of a mine assay office in Leadville, about 1880(?). Two assay furnaces and a balance scale are visible. The man is pouring molten metal from a vessel he is holding with tongs. Photographer unknown. (X–60021)


Gold bars smelted from ore from mines at Leadville and Breckenridge. Value of the gold is about $120,000 at the prevailing gold prices between 1880 and 1900. Photographer O'Keefe and Stockdorf. (X–60040)


Figure 2 (facing page and following four pages).Map showing details of the historic features in the eastern part of the Leadville 1° × 2° quadrangle. In order to prevent crowding, enhance readability, and show as many historic features as possible, many features shown on this map are not shown on the main 1:250,000–scale map, and some of the features shown on the 1:250,000–scale map are not shown on this map. The area of this figure is shown on figure 1.


A large freight wagon filled with ore on its way from mine to mill. Engraving by I.P. Pranishnikoff of a sketch by H.R. Poore. Engraving originally published in "Harper's Weekly," September 1878. (Z–3269)


Concord stagecoach "No 7 US Mail," the "Cripple Creek stage," drawn by a team of six horses in the high country of Teller County, Colorado. Many of the stage lines in the Leadville quadrangle used Concord coaches similar to this one. Between 1890 and 1910. (L.C. McClure, MCC–3157)


Loaded stagecoaches headed for the gold fields in 1892 or 1893. This view of Dolores, in southwestern Colorado, is typical of the mountain towns in Colorado at that time. Original photograph by W.H. Jackson, reproduced by L.C. McClure in 1920–1928. (L.C. McClure, MCC–2869)


Horse cars of the Aspen City Railway, sometime between 1889 and 1893. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Colorado Railroad Museum collection.


Figure 3. Route of the Colorado Midland Railway across Hagerman Pass via the Hagerman Tunnel (adapted from Haley, 1963a).


(LEFT) Denver Leadville and Gunnison Railway engine number 197 near Pitkin. Photographer unknown, between 1895 and 1900. (Z–54)


(BELOW) View of Hagerman Pass showing switchbacks of the Colorado Midland Railway near the Busk–Ivanhoe Tunnel. The long dark buildings are snowsheds that protect the railroad tracks from heavy snowfall and avalanches. Photographer W.H. Jackson, between 1880 and 1890. (WHJ–1565)


(LEFT) Denver Leadville and Gunnison Railway engine number 199 emerges from Alpine tunnel, which is about 40 miles southeast of Aspen. The locomotive has a balloon stack and a cowcatcher. The 1,805–foot–long tunnel was completed in 1881. Photographer unknown, between 1900 and 1920. (Z–52)


(BELOW) Snowshed and Colorado Midland Railway rotary snowplow locomotive and pusher locomotive on the approach to Hagerman Pass. Photographer W.H. Jackson, between 1880 and 1890. (WHJ–1613).


A two–level touring boat tied to a dock at Twin Lakes, sometime before 1900. This is possibly the small steamboat "Idlewild," which was launched in 1881 and operated profitably by Phil Sovereign. Photographer Joseph Collier. (C–150)


Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta, probably between 1870 and 1880. He is believed to have been born in 1833 in Taos, New Mexico, where he was raised. At age 18, he moved to Colorado. He became Chief of the Ute Tribe in 1860. Ouray is forever known as a peacemaker, great leader, and for his unwavering friendship with the European settlers. His leadership was credited with saving the lives of many Indians and settlers. He died in 1880 and is buried in Colorado. In 1880, he met with President Rutherford B. Hayes in Washington, D.C., who later called him "the most intellectual man I've ever conversed with." Chief Ouray and Chipeta's enduring legacy is reflected in the schools, towns, and geographic features that bear their names. Photographer J.N. Choate. (Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department. Z–2726.)


(ABOVE) Reproduction of a sketch of the Meeker tragedy at the White River Ute Indian Agency, September 29, 1879. Members of the Ute Tribe at the agency were antagonized by the ardent efforts of Nathan Meeker to radically change the way of life that the Utes had known for many centuries. Additionally, the Indians claimed that Meeker threatened to subdue and hang some of them. As a result, many of the Utes left the reservation, but some stayed and attacked and killed Meeker and 11 other men at the agency, and then abducted and later released three women and two children. The scene shows soldiers surveying the destruction from the fire and battle between the Utes and Nathan Meeker and others. Reproduction of an etching of a sketch by Lt. C.A.H. McCauley. (X–30699)


(RIGHT) Josie Meeker (woman on the right) and Mrs. Flora Price and her two children were four of the five people abducted for 23 days by the northern Utes during the Meeker tragedy. All five were later released. Josie was the daughter of Nathan Meeker, and she was a teacher at the White River Ute Indian Agency. She was well liked by members of the Ute Tribe, and it is said that her knowledge of the Ute language and her quick wit helped win her release from captivity. Date of photograph probably 1879. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History


Engraving of Josie Meeker, one of the five people abducted by the northern Utes during the Meeker tragedy. Note how the image of Josie Meeker seems to have been copied (as a mirror image) from the photograph on the previous page. Reproduction of an engraving published by Tribune Publishing House in 1879.


Alma from the east, with the Mosquito Range in the background. Originally a gold–placer camp, it later evolved into a silver–mining camp. Photographer T.C. Miller, 1882. (X–6477)


A miner, his son, and dog pose on a wagon near the office of the Mollie Gibson shaft in Aspen with a silver nugget from the Smuggler mine broken into three pieces to get it out of the mine shaft. Photographer unknown, about 1894. (X–62149)


Miners pose near the shafthouse of the Smuggler mine near Aspen. In 1894, the Smuggler mine produced a silver nugget that weighed 2,054 pounds. Photographer unknown, about 1900–1908. (X–62147)


Gold–mining dredge on Box Creek, near Leadville, 1920. The huge dredge floated along on the water as the rotating buckets excavated hundreds of tons of gravel each hour. It is said that while the dredge was in operation, the noise was deafening, due to the tumbling gravel and boulders and the squeal of the moving steel and iron machinery. Such dredges could produce almost 50 pounds of gold each 3–4 days. Photographer unknown. (X–60130)


A miner using a wood sluice to wash gravel for placer gold near Leadville. Photographer unknown, probably between 1890 and 1920. (X–60233)


Hydraulic placer gold mining using water under high pressure squirted through large monitor nozzles. Miners are working in California Gulch near Leadville, sometime between 1882 and 1900. Once a common placer–gold–mining method, hydraulic mining is outlawed throughout most of the United States, due to its destructiveness. Photographer W.H. Jackson. (WHJ–10083)


An early view of Fairplay (Fair Play) between 1860 and 1870. Photographer unknown. (X–8325)


Silver mines below Gilman, on the slopes of Battle Mountain. Photographer E.W. Milligan, about 1920. (X–8899


Swimmers in the Yampah (Yampa) Hot Springs swimming pool in Glenwood Springs. Photographer W.H. Jackson, between 1882 and 1900. (WHJ–1074)


The Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon near Glenwood Springs. Rails of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad are on the left and a wagon road is on the right. Photographer W.H. Jackson, between 1882 and 1890. (WHJ–399)


Colorado Midland Railway passenger special composed of engine No. 49, engine No. 1, a baggage car, chair car, and five Pullman cars. The train has stopped at "Hell Gate" to allow passengers to look over the rocky cliffs. Photograph by H.H. Buckwalter, about 1900. Courtesy of the Colorado Railroad Museum collection.


View of the Mount of the Holy Cross, before 1900. Photographer W.H. Jackson. (WHJ–10013)


Businesses on Harrison Avenue in Leadville in 1882. Photographer unknown. (X–379)


Figure 4 (this page and following three pages).Map of Leadville and vicinity, showing communities, railroads, gulches, and other features in and around Leadville. Locations of some communities and features are approximately located. Railroads are simplified in some areas and approximately located. Base map is from the following U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000–scale topographic maps: Leadville North (1970), Leadville South (1969), Climax (1979), and Mount Sherman (1961). Contour interval in Leadville South quadrangle is 20 feet; contour interval is 40 feet in the other three quadrangles.


The following three pages make up a single map area; the first page makes up the western third of the map, and the last two pages make up the eastern two–thirds.


Passenger coach, drawn by two white horses, in front of the Hotel Vendome on Harrison Avenue in Leadville. Photographer unknown, between 1893 and 1900. (X–6349)


Guarding the Emmett mine near Leadville during a mining labor dispute. The soldier has a U.S. Springfield rifle with bayonet. Photographer O'Keefe and Stockdorf, 1896 or 1897. (X–60249)


Colorado National Guard soldiers (the Colorado State militia) in front of canvas tents in Leadville during a mining labor strike. The soldiers have U.S. Springfield rifles with bayonets. Photographer unknown, 1896 or 1897. (X–60308)


Mine buildings, adits, and quarries of the Colorado Yule Marble Company, near Marble. Photographer L.C. McClure, about 1913. (MCC–1995)


Yule Marble quarry, about 1910. Photographer G.L. Beam. (GB–8395)


Red Cliff (Redcliff) between 1882 and 1892. Red Cliff was the first county seat of Eagle County; it had an opera house and a brass band. Photographer W.O. Luke. (X–13111)


Miners pose near wood buildings at a mine near Redcliff. Photographer unknown, about 1887. (X–60876)


"Natural Bridge" over Lake Creek, 3 miles upstream from Twin Lakes, 1873. It is formed by a large boulder suspended between bedrock outcrops. (U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library. W.H. Jackson 388.)


View southeast toward Twin Lakes in 1873, as photographed from the lower slopes of Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado. Since the 1860s, the lakes have been a famous landmark and vacation destination. Settlements near the shores of the lakes were major hubs for stagecoach and freight–wagon traffic bound for the mining centers of Leadville, Aspen, and elsewhere. The lakes were formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age. (U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library. W.H. Jackson 1364.)


View west from the top of Hoosier Pass (11,539 feet) to the head of Montgomery Gulch and the high peaks of the Continental Divide, in 1873. The peaks in the photograph exceed 13,000 feet and are part of the Mosquito Range. The lower part of Montgomery Gulch was the site of the early gold camp of Montgomery, which was founded in 1861. Just out of view, to the left and right respectively are Mount Lincoln (14,286 feet) and Quandary Peak (14,265 feet). U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library. W.H. Jackson 372.


Edited by F. Craig Brunstein

Figures by Springfield & Springfield and Gayle Dumonceaux

Original drawings, publication design, and layout by Carol Quesenberry


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