Forgotten Dreams
Mineral Creek Mine, U.S. Route 550, Million Dollar Highway, Colorado
This long-abandoned shack was once part of the Red Mountain Mining District, which experienced an historic silver boom from 1882 until 1893. The silver trade gave birth to lovely towns like Silverton, Ouray and Telluride. The pathway carved into the San Juan Mountains to enable this mining is now known as the Million Dollar Highway, and driving it in autumn is a glorious experience.
But there are many scars leftover in the mountains from this mining; debris fields where the earth never recovered, leaving minerals to oxidize with red and orange hues. Decaying buildings give a sense of lost industry, all abandoned when the silver ran out. Each is a forgotten dream, now only a remnant of past effort; a small part of our shared heritage.
Selected for FLICKR Explore November 25, 2022, # 41
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***
Forgotten Dreams
Mineral Creek Mine, U.S. Route 550, Million Dollar Highway, Colorado
This long-abandoned shack was once part of the Red Mountain Mining District, which experienced an historic silver boom from 1882 until 1893. The silver trade gave birth to lovely towns like Silverton, Ouray and Telluride. The pathway carved into the San Juan Mountains to enable this mining is now known as the Million Dollar Highway, and driving it in autumn is a glorious experience.
But there are many scars leftover in the mountains from this mining; debris fields where the earth never recovered, leaving minerals to oxidize with red and orange hues. Decaying buildings give a sense of lost industry, all abandoned when the silver ran out. Each is a forgotten dream, now only a remnant of past effort; a small part of our shared heritage.
Selected for FLICKR Explore November 25, 2022, # 41
*Press L or left click on the photo for best viewing.
Link to ~My best photos~
*** All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. ***