Independence Pass

[tamrock]

At least once a year I try to get one trip over Independence Pass. I started yesterday at Twin Lakes around 4 in the afternoon and the weather was beautiful. I stopped at the old ghost town of Independence to have a look around. I would go up here to Independence more then 30 years ago and I recall many more complete buildings back then. There are signs informing you not to pickup anything such as glass, nails or cans. I read once in a Treasure magazine a story where a road crew was crushing rock on highway 82 someplace, in the 40's or 50's I think. The rock crusher encounter a large boulder to big to fit in the hopper. As the crew inspected the large boulder they noted a 3'' wide grey streak running through the boulder. That grey rock streak, turned out to be a mineral known as "Sylvanite" The story also said that around $1500. in those days prices, in gold was recovered from that boulder. I can't find that story anywhere now and it was from one of those "lost Treasure" publications 30 or so years ago if I recall? A great effort was made to find the source of that boulder, but the source was never found so the story goes. I myself have looked over the east side of the pass for that supposable vein of Sylvanite, but to avail.

 

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[worldtalker]

Rather hilly in your neck of the woods.

GOD Bless

Chris

 

[3xflyfisher]

I'd never heard that tale about the boulder. Similar to the Summitville boulder, but that one is now on display at the Denver natural history museum.
Nice country up there!

 

[tamrock]

I'd never heard that tale about the boulder. Similar to the Summitville boulder, but that one is now on display at the Denver natural history museum.
Nice country up there!

I've seen that Summitville boulder, boy! wouldn't that be a nice rock to stumble across?. Wished I'd kept all those old treasure publications from then. I'd buy them at the book and magazine store in Leadville. No online reading then and social networking was down at the Manhattan over 25 cent draw beer or at the pool table. That's how you'd get through the winters back then.

 

[BosnMate]

I remember reading a story about a road cut in Colorado that everybody drove by for years. Finally one guy stopped and checked it out, and it was loaded with gold. That's about
all I remember, but it had me checking road cuts for years. I found some pretty rocks, but no gold.

 

[BIGSCOTT]

My ole truck looses lots of power up there in that thin air.

 

[RGINN]

I've got that story about the sylvanite in one of my books. You've pretty much told the whole story, but I'll try to find it and see if there's any more info, like GPS coordinates, haha! We stopped at that old town one time and they had like a little office or store and I told Maria in Spanish how I sure wished I could use my metal detector here. The old gal in charge of the place perked up at that. Guess she understood a little Spanish. She followed us all through the place, kinda hidin behind buildings and peeking out at us, and followed us right up to the truck in the parkin lot. Maybe I should have told her about the 1876 dime I found a couple of miles east of there!

 

[tamrock]

I bought a new Garret detector there RG, at old man Doc Holiday's in Poncha Springs back in 1983 and one of the first places I headed to with it was Independence. I found nothing, rusty cans, square nails, bottle caps and all kinds of junk. Sure is a whole lot more of traffic over the pass these days compared to back then and Independence was just one of the many ghost towns you could scope out and nobody cared. Now they're historic archaeological sites. I'm always looking at road cuts BosnMate and I do see some that do look interesting, but never have checked any out as of yet. I saw nothing on the warning sign I was all that interested in, but if I found me a piece of high-grade ore sitting there I think I say the sign doesn't mention rocks, unless that's considered one of them ETC's.

 

[old digger]

Looks like ideal elk hunting country? Are you sure some nobody just decided to put that sign there and hope with time it stays?

 

[tamrock]

Looks like ideal elk hunting country? Are you sure some nobody just decided to put that sign there and hope with time it stays?

It is Elk country and they've all moved to lower ground that I've noticed. I did see hunters on both ends of the pass further down. The sign I'm sure was put up as instructions to honest folks. The place does look a lot less then what it was 30 years ago or so it seems. I'll say it's been picked over many times over the years and the elements of time and the weather have done a lot to reduce the town that once was. Someone looks to be maintaining it some as there are newer tin roof on a few of the old log structures. This pass doesn't stay open through the winter because there's way to much snow fall to maintain all the snow slides that would take place up here.

 

[tamrock]

I've got that story about the sylvanite in one of my books. You've pretty much told the whole story, but I'll try to find it and see if there's any more info, like GPS coordinates, haha! We stopped at that old town one time and they had like a little office or store and I told Maria in Spanish how I sure wished I could use my metal detector here. The old gal in charge of the place perked up at that. Guess she understood a little Spanish. She followed us all through the place, kinda hidin behind buildings and peeking out at us, and followed us right up to the truck in the parkin lot. Maybe I should have told her about the 1876 dime I found a couple of miles east of there!

I found a seated liberty ten center at Balfour long time ago, but the place looks like a few private homes has been put up since then. Maybe those homes aren't occupied year round? Found a lot of black sand in Buffalo Slough. Always wondered about the source of the gold that was said to be found in the area? I found the old town site by the photos in this old book. I stood on the very spot from where the 2nd pic had to be taken long ago and there around me was all debris from a town that once was.
https://books.google.com/books?id=X...r#v=onepage&q=buffalo slough colorado&f=false

 

[NEPADIGGER7]

thats beautiful out there man...good story too!

 

[3xflyfisher]

A geology prof I had back in the 80's told a story that when I-70 was being built going up the Georgetown hill between Georgetown and Silver Plume an excavator uncovered a vein of galena that measured 2-5 ft thick and assayed at several thousand ounces/ton silver. I always look for it as I speed by but have never spotted it.

I was working in Summitville during the early 80's, several years after the boulder was discovered. I had the opportunity to meet the man who found the boulder - neat guy whose father used to work at Summitville many years prior. During our down time we would hike up and down South Mountain looking for more "boulders", good times!

 

[RGINN]

During the heavy tourist season they have somebody on site at the town of Independence to keep an eye on things, as I noted in my experience there. Lots of hunters out, old digger. Looked like a gypsy circus set up south of Williams Fork Res. yesterday. Amazing the amount of stuff those folks drag along to a campsite, in addition to the RV's with three or four pull-outs. I stay out of the woods this time of year so I don't mess up anybody's hunt or get shot. Lots of Texans up here now, but a way more normal group of folks than that bunch of rich Houstonites that invade us in ski season.

 

[tamrock]

During the heavy tourist season they have somebody on site at the town of Independence to keep an eye on things, as I noted in my experience there. Lots of hunters out, old digger. Looked like a gypsy circus set up south of Williams Fork Res. yesterday. Amazing the amount of stuff those folks drag along to a campsite, in addition to the RV's with three or four pull-outs. I stay out of the woods this time of year so I don't mess up anybody's hunt or get shot. Lots of Texans up here now, but a way more normal group of folks than that bunch of rich Houstonites that invade us in ski season.

All good revenue for the state I'm thinking. Boy! I couldn't even guess what the dollar figures would be now on whats being generated from hunting, fishing, hiking, tree watching, mountain biking, river rafting and all the other activities folks come here for. Cabela's sure saw the need. I think they've got 4 store in the state now. I need to stop chasing these mines around that are all cutting back.. All I hear is we ain't buying nothing now out of these mines.

 

[tamrock]

A geology prof I had back in the 80's told a story that when I-70 was being built going up the Georgetown hill between Georgetown and Silver Plume an excavator uncovered a vein of galena that measured 2-5 ft thick and assayed at several thousand ounces/ton silver. I always look for it as I speed by but have never spotted it.

I was working in Summitville during the early 80's, several years after the boulder was discovered. I had the opportunity to meet the man who found the boulder - neat guy whose father used to work at Summitville many years prior. During our down time we would hike up and down South Mountain looking for more "boulders", good times!

There's a lot of interesting mineralzation along that stretch of I-70 from Idaho Springs to Silver Plume. Cuts through the heart of the Colorado mineral belt. My neighbor in BV worked at the mine in Summitville.