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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 07:48 Post subject: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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As I ran for high ground in Colorado, Leadville and the Great Divide seemed like a good place to go. I can't thank Bob Cook and JSW enough. Many adventures start with a map scratched on a napkin in a smokey bar. I lost the napkin, but only after it got us where we wanted to go.
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Looking west toward Leadville, just before leaving paved roads. |
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Lake County Road 38, east. |
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Looking east toward Mosquito Pass. Eventually we were delivered to the cique to the right of the sign. |
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Deer slugs? Could not resist. |
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Mines, cobbing shack and dumps of processed ore. |
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Close up of cobbing shack in the distance of the previous image. |
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I'm fairly sure that the ore entered the upper doorway via a tressle and was hand sorted, the good stuff went left, the gangue went right. The empty ore cars went out the other end. |
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A steam powered winch. The steam cylinder was attached to the flywheel to the left. |
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What has to be miles of wire rope to raise and lower ore and miners out and into the hole! |
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Hold er Newt !!! She's headed for the corn crib !!!! |
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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 08:27 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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More from The Great Divide.
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The gable end of the winch house. |
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Looking back toward the cobbing shack and a wooden head frame in the distance. We are at about 10,000 feet. |
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A steam manifold at the rear of the winch house feeds the dual cylinders that power the winch. The view is toward the east and Mosquito Pass. The divide follows the ridge line, there is rain over there. |
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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 11:41 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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Found objects
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Core samples found near the head frame. Larger one is @30 cm. x 3 cm. |
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A bit of ore, pyrite and other complex sulfides in situ. I think this was part of an old foundation. |
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Iron plate over an iron grate, for your safety. Don't ask me how I could tell, but it was deep! |
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The images with mannequins came from the full scale exhibits found inside the hall of fame. See this bit of mining history if you can. |
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Quartz, amazonite Colorado 18 cm. |
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A model of an ore separator. |
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If I got this right, the dynamite needed to be warmed to kind of activate the nitro in it. Filled with warm water and a candle placed under it, ah, just let me step back here.... |
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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 12:05 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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A few more and I'm out. Thank you for your time.
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The bane of the working stiff. The time clock. |
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I'm tellin ya Newt, we're broke! Nothin left! Kaput! |
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Except. You know what. Thanks again. |
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One more for the guys who toiled on the square set and single jack. |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 14:15 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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Hi Vic. Thank you for taking us with on your trip. I am glad that this old mine is not also under water.
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Mark Ost

Joined: 18 Mar 2013
Posts: 516
Location: Virginia Beach



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 16:20 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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Great pictures! I guess the locals are well practiced for hunting season?
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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 16:34 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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Thanks Mark. This is not a cultural statement, but on either end of town we were welcomed with "Guns, Ammo, and Liquor" stores. We need to be well stocked.
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Mark Ost

Joined: 18 Mar 2013
Posts: 516
Location: Virginia Beach



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 17:04 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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How true, how true. The signs on my street don't fare much better!
Is there a problem with mine waste there?
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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 20, 2013 17:56 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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The only problem with mine waste is there were few specimens in it. Seriously, most if not all the mines were under some stage of reclamation or mitigation. Shafts were fitted with grates or back-filled with vent stacks sticking out. Swails and berms diverted and collected run-off. It would be a shame to completely erase the sites, and probably could not be done completely, anyway. Some of the sites I saw (not the ones in this post) looked as though they could start up again, not so much closed as mothballed, depending on the price of silver and such.
Pierre, most of the really heavy rains were east of the divide, we had sun, partly cloudy, really glorious. Boulder-Denver got over a years worth of rain in several days. 17-19 inches, depending on where you stood. God help them.
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape



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Posted: Sep 21, 2013 03:07 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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vic rzonca wrote: | The only problem with mine waste is there were few specimens in it. Seriously, most if not all the mines were under some stage of reclamation or mitigation. Shafts were fitted with grates or back-filled with vent stacks sticking out. Swails and berms diverted and collected run-off. It would be a shame to completely erase the sites, and probably could not be done completely, anyway. Some of the sites I saw (not the ones in this post) looked as though they could start up again, not so much closed as mothballed, depending on the price of silver and such.
Pierre, most of the really heavy rains were east of the divide, we had sun, partly cloudy, really glorious. Boulder-Denver got over a years worth of rain in several days. 17-19 inches, depending on where you stood. God help them. |
Hi Vic. Glad your feet are dry!! I feel very sorry for those that were not so lucky. We are also having the wettest winter in many years, with the mountains white with snow. Besides being very cold, we are dry.
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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vic rzonca

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA



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Posted: Sep 21, 2013 11:23 Post subject: Re: The environs of Leadville, Colorado. |
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https://www.mininghalloffame.org/
(link normalized by FMF)
Find here the Mining Hall of Fame website.
Is there a Forum Hall of Fame?
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