The top school district in the state of Colorado for this year is Hinsdale County RE1. The State Board of Education members as of last Tuesday signed off on ratings for more than 1,600 schools in our state and the top school in Colorado was right here in Lake City. Lake City’s school earned 95.4% of points possible in the rating system. The second place winner was the Aspen School District with 89.4% rating.
There are 178 school districts in the state and only 18 received the top rating, “Accredited with Distinction”, by earning 80% or above points possible. Lake City was also included in the top schools last year. Our excellent school system is led by Dr. Karen Thormalen and she is supported by a staff of incrediblely talented and dedicated school teachers. With only 96 students in the system the student to teacher ratio is terrific.
A small district such as Lake City has a real challenge with an athletic program. Amazingly though they field soccer, basketball, and track teams that hold their own with towns much larger in size. Unlike larger school districts each Lake City team member gets a chance to, ”Get in the Game”.
Our new school is state of the art but is already bursting at the seams with the addition of middle school and high school students to the program. Recently middle and high school students were bused to Gunnison but when given a choice to attend school here in Lake City they all decided to stay at home.
This excellent school system was not built overnight. When we moved here our youngest son Dan attended school in the old school where the roof was so fragile the engineers told our school board, of which my wife was a member, to get the children out if we had more than four inches of snow. Our two older children rode the school bus to Gunnison each day, a 52 mile ride one way.
The struggle to build the new school was a tough one. Some members of the county had children in other districts and had no desire to pay higher taxes. Some members of the older community had no children in the school system and were also opposed to a tax increase. The business community knew that in order to progress Lake City must have an improved school system. The first tax increase was defeated and the community was divided and feelings ran very high on each side of the issue. A few years later another vote was proposed and by then Lake City was on its way to being the progressive community that it is today. The tax increase was approved with the support of the entire community and Lake City had the new school that stands at the top of Colorado schools today.
Along with our top school Lake City has a new library that will rival any community two to three times our size. We also have a brand new medical center that is more than state of the art. I really think our top school has inspired our little community to be all it can be.
The most remote county in the lower forty eight with 96% public land and five of the fifty four 14,000 foot mountains in Colorado makes Lake City and Hinsdale County one of, if not the most, incredible places in the beautiful state of Colorado. Not to mention over 20 thirteeners and only about 800 people in the entire county. We have three National Forest, four National Wilderness Areas, and two wilderness study areas all open to hikers and untold miles of trails for horses and mountain bikers.
The five 14ers in our area are Handies at 14,048 feet, Sunshine at 14,001 feet, Redcloud at 14,034 feet, Wetterhorn at 14,015 feet and the most beautiful Uncompahgre at 14,309 feet. Handies is considered the easiest climb with Uncompahgre, Redcloud and Sunshine rated moderate and Wetterhorn ranked difficult. Redcloud and Sunshine are two of the most popular peaks because they can both be conquered in one day by most climbers. Most local prefer Uncompahgre. The view from the peak is astounding. My wife and her friends in their younger days would climb Uncompahgre on a moonlight night to watch the sunrise in the morning along with the incredible view from the peak. The ashes of many locals and others alike are spread near the top of this magnificent mountain.
The fourteeners create an incredible challenge for the mountaineers and serious hiker from walking up grassy slopes to serious technical rock climbing. Scaling the peaks has become so popular that the sheer number of people, over 500,000 in the entire state annually , has created a seriously damaging environment for the delicate alpine ecosystem especially on the northern slope of the Rockies.
The fourteeners should be considered a serious outing and if not careful can be dangerous. The high peaks are above timberline and can harbor bad storms at any time of the year. The summertime can be especially dangerous with heavy thunderstorms forming almost every afternoon with serious lighting. These storms can be easily avoided by planning your climbs to be off the peaks before the severe weather begins. To be on the safe side you should always plan ahead and carry safety equipment on your outing. Waterproof raingear, food, maps, a compass or GPS device, head lamp, matches, ice axe, and sun protection are all smart things to have along. Altitude sickness and dehydration are the most common ailments for the novice climbers and especially for those from lower altitudes. Both can be avoided usually by drinking plenty of water.
These high peaks provide an opportunity for hikers to connect with nature and to seek spiritual renewal along with very healthy exercise. Due to our remoteness you can often spend the day and see very few, if any, other hikers on your journey. Come join us.
Wolf Creek Pass, a name that would strike terror in the hearts of many truckers not so long ago. When this was a narrow two lane road over the snowiest pass in the state it was a nightmare for truckers and passenger cars alike. The Colorado Department of Transportation has worked miracles in the past few years and it is now a pass where caution is necessary in winter time but is safely maintained and very passable most of the time.
When the first pioneers came to Colorado it would take two to three weeks to cross over the pass with covered wagons. The early travelers followed trails that the Indians and wildlife had used for centuries. It took incredible back breaking work to make these trails passable for wagons and the bad news was that the trails would have to be rebuilt every spring after the winter storms would destroy all the earlier work.
Even when automobiles were first used and the trails were vastly improved from the pioneer days it would still take two days to a week for the early automobiles to negotiate the forty two mile journey from South Fork to Pagosa Springs. The pass tops out at 10,850 feet and to this day still receives an annual snow fall of 465 inches, the most snow of any area in Colorado. This range of mountains catches the fronts from southern California and conditions are just right for all of that moisture to be released as snow over southwest Colorado.
Continuous construction work for the past years has resulted in a mostly four lane highway that is one of the most beautiful drives in all of Colorado. The infamous pass is now relatively safe for truckers but still has several run away truck facilities for truckers who lose their brakes on the steep mountain inclines. This pass has all the modern snow removal equipment possible but sometimes Mother Nature’s fury makes it impossible to remove the snow as quickly as she can deposit it and the pass has to be closed for the snow removal.
All of this wonderful snow makes an incredible place for a skier’s paradise and that is exactly what is on the very top of Wolf Creek Pass, the Wolf Creek Ski Area. The 1600 acre ski area with seven lifts is now safely accessible from South Fork or Pagosa Springs thanks to the work of Colorado Department of Transportation.
Lake City boasts more than 200 historic structures that preserve the memories of times gone by. Houses, outbuildings churches, commercial blocks and motor court cabins from the 1930’s and early 50’s are all amazingly well kept and restored to their original splendor. If only these old buildings could talk and tell the history of this beautiful little mountain community. Lake City just refused to die and held on after the mines played out and the railroad pulled out leaving the little town 50 miles from the nearest community of any size.
Grass grew in the streets and only a few of the hardiest people hung on knowing that with the beauty and unique setting Lake City would survive. With the popularity of the motor car Lake City did indeed survive and after World War II the tourist found this peaceful valley and Lake City survived in a big way. It wasn’t until the late 70’s that the old homes became popular and gradually most have been restored to their original beauty. Lake City had a number of people who realized how Lake City and many other small towns had played a very important role in the settling of the American West and worked hard to preserve the memory of that contribution.
The Historic District contains commercial and residential buildings of all sizes and styles. Most of the commercial structures were built of wood with front facing gables and false fronts. A few masonry buildings
were built to house the stronger businesses such as the bank. Lake City’s shopping district is still made up of this type building. Many of these wooden buildings have been lost over the years from fire. A very historic old building was lost this winter to fire and the heroic efforts
of our fire department saved the old structures on either side of the burned building.
Lake City is filled with beautiful new homes but the historic district and the shopping area is still very much like it was in the late 1800’s. You actually shop in the old stores much like they were in the past. Lake City is a unique experience. Come join us for a visit-like many of us you might decide to stay.
The first snowfall of winter always takes you by surprise no matter how long you have lived in the mountains. I think it is probably a case of denial. You don’t want summer to end so you just refuse to admit that winter is coming.
It is always beautiful and you really enjoy the first fire in the fireplace. You only wish you didn’t need it. The Aspens are still gold at the lower altitudes and the white snow only accentuates the light shades of green and the golden shimmering leaves. The snow capped mountains behind the deep blue fall color of Lake San Cristobal is the most beautiful time of year for the lake.
It is also the time of year to be most careful when driving. The warm roads melt the snow and the sudden drop in temperature can cause “Black Ice” on the roads. This is a situation where clear ice form on the road and many people do not realize the dangerous conditions.
All of a sudden you realize many of the things you intended to do before the first snow are still undone. The fire wood is not all in, the hoses are not drained and are still in the yard. The timers for the watering system have not been removed. The vehicles you intended to cover have not been covered. The one remaining Hummingbird feeder that you left out for the sick and injured birds is still hanging. In our case much of the haying equipment at the ranch still needs to be cleaned from the late haying season. The ATVs need to be put away for the winter.
The first snowfall of the season is usually Mother Natures way of telling you, ”GET IT DONE”. If you are lucky the weather will warm for a week or two after the first snow and give you the opportunity to do all those things you should have already done.
We have lived in Lake City for 36 years and somehow it always happens. Thank goodness Mother Nature’s first snowfall has in most cases given me the opportunity to “GET IT DONE”.
The beautiful Aspen tree, although it grows in a number of states, seems to be very special to those of us who live in the state of Colorado. The quaking leaves of summer provide shade from the summer sun and provide protection for our state flower, the Columbine. We all rejoice in the fall when the beautiful leaves turn their vibrant shade of gold but we also have quiet reservations knowing that it signals the end of the glorious summer season.
Late September in southern Colorado is kind of guessing game as to when peak color will happen. It is always within a week one way or the other but you just never know. When it does occur it only last about a week before the inevitable cold front passes thru with the wind that takes the golden color away. We just need to enjoy it while we can.
Those of us who have lived here awhile have our special patches of Aspen that we watch each day to help us make our own guess as to when the best time will happen. There are hundreds of articles written each year about the best places to go to see the color. We have a few places here around Lake City that we feel are worth taking the time to see.
The drive up Slumgullion pass is always spectacular especially looking over Lake San Cristobal. If the tops of the mountains behind the lake have a snow covering and the Lake has its incredible blue color of fall you will never see a more beautiful sight. The drive toward Creed at least as far as North Clear Creek Falls is always beautiful. One little known drive is to take the Deer Lakes road as far as Cathedral and then take the little road to highway 114. It is seldom traveled but in the fall it is incredible. The drive to Sherman is always beautiful and continuing to American basin if the road is still open offers beautiful color. Capitol City is always splendid with fall color and the drive from Lake City is beautiful.
In our area a few of the more popular drives in the state is Dallas Divide and Lizard Head Pass leaving from the town of Ridgeway, located south of Montrose. Another popular drive is Kebler Pass leaving from the town of Crested Butte. I took the drive over Kebler several times last summer and Gunnison County has done a great job on county Rd. 12. It is a comfortable and spectacular drive.
When the color of the glorious Aspen is in full bloom it is very difficult to find a drive in Western Colorado that is not spectacular.
Carson is well known for being one of the most preserved ghost towns in Colorado. It is also known for its inaccessible location. The Federal Government has been very instrumental in the preservation of many of the buildings in Carson and the road crew of Hinsdale County has made it much more accessible. The road has been improved to the point where a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle can make the trip with no problem. It is also a great ATV road. To get to Carson you go about eleven miles out County Road 30 from Lake City and take the Wagner Gulch Road into some of the most spectacular scenery in our area.
The town of Carson was founded in 1881 at 11,600 feet by a gentlemen named Christopher Carson. The claim was named the Bonanza King and was primarily a claim looking for silver. Carson was a viable little town with a hotel, livery stable, restaurants and many other supporting establishments. This town sits near the Continental Divide and is on the Atlantic side of the divide. Carson was sometimes called Bachelor Cabins because many of the miners who lived there worked in the Bachelor mine. Much of Carson still remains and many locals feel the preservation is due to the fact it stays frozen much of the year.
The road to Carson is a typical mountain road and the first mile or so is a little narrow and you need to use caution when meeting another vehicle. Once past this narrow section it is a beautiful scenic adventure all the way to the old ghost town. The old buildings are very interesting and there is much to see in the entire area. Be sure to take plenty of bread for the Grey Jays or as we know them the “Camp Robbers”. With a little patience they will take the bread from your hands.
Carson and Old Carson sit on the Continental Divide and Carson is located on the Atlantic side of the divide and Old Carson sits just over the mountain top on the Pacific side. It is thought that Old Carson was established before Carson. Old Carson is not nearly as preserved as Carson but is still very interesting in its own way. You will find yourself wishing the old buildings could talk and tell stories of the old days and the hardships of the long cold winters at this altitude.
Many years ago when we came to Lake City on vacation we always wanted to see Carson but the road was impassable. We finally decided to walk all the way. It was an all day adventure but the memories were well worth the effort. Carson in those days had not been preserved in any way and some of the buildings gone today were still standing. The one I remember the most was the old livery stable. It was leaning to the point you were a little reluctant to go inside. Your imagination kicked in and I swear you could hear and smell the old animals of yesteryear.
If in Lake City a visit to Carson and Old Carson would be well worth your time. Plan to spend the day and take a sack lunch and explore the old building in Carson as well as on the road up there.
A 125 mile drive from South Fork on Highway 160 down Highway 149 ending at Blue Mesa Reservoir on Highway 50. The Silver Thread Scenic Byway offers not only scenic beauty and natural wonders, but also Colorado history through abandoned gold and silver mines and boomtowns. At the height of the mineral rush this road was a major thoroughfare for prospectors and entrepreneurs, boasting towns of thousands of people seeking their fortunes. Now only a shadow of its crowning glory, this stretch of highway attracts visitors with beauty, history, wildlife and alluring vistas.
As you travel along you’ll come to Wagon Wheel Gap a narrow passage along the Rio Grande River said to be a favorite place for Indians to ambush wagons filled with supplies for the mining camps. In this area also is the road to the Wheeler Geological Area, an unbelievable area of volcanic remains, very difficult to get to but well worth the trouble. Plan a full day for this adventure.
As you drive along toward Creede watch along the fence line for birdhouses usually occupied by the beautiful Rocky Mountain Bluebird, you are also on the Bluebird Trail. Creede is a quaint little mining town that was not so long ago a silver mining area producing vast amounts of that precious metal. Spend some time in Creede with its shops, mining museum and home of the famous Creede Repertoty Theatre.
Along the route you will usually encounter a herd or two of bighorn sheep, elk crossing the road, mule deer on the mountainside and moose in the distant willow breaks. Clear Creek Falls is a little known magnificent site that is visited by very few people. Watch carefully for the signs because in your wildness dreams you would never expect a beautiful waterfall in this area. Shortly after leaving the falls you will begin to climb toward Slumgullion Pass where the famous earthslide formed Lake San Cristobal, Colorado’s most beautiful and second largest natural lake. Always stop at the “Overlook” and take in the view of the lake and the surrounding mountains that were the sides of an ancient volcano.
Dropping down into Lake City is an experience that most people will never forget. This little town sits in the valley floor surrounded by thirteen and fourteen thousand foot mountain peaks. Lake City is a special place and time should be spent here. Be careful you may never leave, I can almost guarantee your heart will remain.
Leaving Lake City you will pass many beautiful ranches and mountain homes and come to Powderhorn, a ranching community that supplied the beef, hay and many vegetables for the mining towns in the area. Powderhorn is still a cattle producing area but fishing cabins and summer homes are more important now.
Seventeen miles down the road you will come to Blue Mesa Reservoir and Highway 50 and the end of The Silver Thread Byway, a drive worth taking.
The cemeteries of Lake City and the surrounding area tell many stories of life and death in the early days of these mining and ranching communities. It seems that few people of the era died of old age and the number of infant deaths is amazing. The first recorded death in Lake City was in 1876 and the burial site is unknown. The City Fathers at that point decided a suitable area for a cemetery should be located. A committee was chosen and they located a site north of town. The City Cemetery was started on several acres of a hilly pine covered mountain side close to town. The land was never publicly owned and passed thru several private owners until 1985 when it was officially acquired from the Carl White estate by Hinsdale County.
There was never any formal organization or records for the City Cemetery and burials took place on a haphazard basis. The vast majority of the graves are unmarked although it seems a pattern emerged where people of like life styles were placed together. For example in the area where Betts and Browning, the killers of Sheriff Campbell, were buried a section emerged where Bluff Street prostitutes and gamblers were laid to rest. “Paupers Row” was a long line of unmarked side by side graves established along the entire fence row to the left of the main entrance. Black residents had their own small area near “Paupers Row”. Immigrants made up a large portion of the City Cemetery internments and along with Catholics and Italians they all had their identifiable sections.
City Cemetery over the years became overgrown and not well cared for until a Cemetery Board was formed in recent times. They have done a remarkable job of restoration with a beautiful new fence and new markers installed on the graves where possible.
In 1877 the Silver Star Lodge No. 27, International Order of Odd Fellows {IOOF} decided to create their own cemetery for their members and their families. In the early years burial in the IOOF cemetery was quiet restrictive. In 1900 rules were loosened to allow other fraternities and sororities to purchase burial plots. In later years when the Odd Fellows Lodge was dissolved Hinsdale County took over the IOOF cemetery and it is open to the public and now is the primary cemetery for Lake City residents.
Unlike City Cemetery the IOOF is extremely well laid out and recent record are very well kept and protected. Most markers in IOOF are costly and permanent where City Cemetery’s markers are wooden. Although some markers in IOOF are of lesser quality such as one that is a painted rock. The cemetery board is presently buying and installing markers wherever it is possible to determine the occupants of each grave site.
Packer Victims Cemetery is located on the old Vickers ranch on property owned by the Jarmon family of Oklahoma. This cemetery contains the remains of the five victims of the “Packer Massacre” in 1874. These bodies were buried in a shallow mass grave in 1874. In 1989 the bodies were removed from the shallow grave to be examined to determine the exact cause of death. After the examination they were placed in a single coffin with each body having its own compartment. They were reburied at the same site 10 feet deep with a steel plate over the coffin to insure they will never be disturbed again.
Capitol City Cemetery is located 10 miles up Henson Creek road in the old ghost town of Capitol City. The cemetery sits on a hillside in what has to be the most beautiful setting for a final resting place you will ever find. All the grave markers had been remove by vandals many years ago and this grave yard sat totally abandoned until the Forest Service and a service group did all they possibly could to restore and remark the grave sites about 10 years ago. Very few records exist concerning the folks buried here and most of our local historians feel there are many more graves here than we are aware of.
There are many burial places in Hinsdale County with one or two sometimes five or six graves. Many people are buried in unmarked graves and totally forgotten. Life was hard in the early settlement of these mountains
One of the most interesting books you can read is CEMETERIES OF HINSDALE COUNTY, COLORADO by Grant Houston, our most knowledgeable historian.
American Basin is one of the most photographed places in Colorado in late July and early August. It is an extremely beautiful vast expanse of wildflowers as far as the eye can see.
To reach American Basin from Lake City you take County Road 30 about 3 or 4 miles south of town toward Lake San Cristobal. The drive itself is absolutely breath taking and is rather easy as far as mountain roads go. I would certainly recommend a four wheel drive vehicle with good clearance. You will pass Lake San Cristobal and several miles down the road you will pass close to the old ghost town of Sherman. I would think the short drive to Sherman would be worth your time. Sherman was a small mining community that was often washed away by spring runoff but was always quickly rebuilt to continue mining in the area.
When leaving Sherman you will be going up the infamous “Shelf Road”, you will quickly understand how the road got its name. The view from here is spectacular for the passengers but make sure the driver keeps his eye on the road. Once passed the shelf road the way smoothes out and is a real pleasure all the way to the creek crossing going into the basin. This is the point where I suggested you have four wheel drive with good clearance. Going into the basin is not bad but coming out needs careful tire placement.
This is also the jumping off point for hikers going to Sloan Lake and the trail to Handies Peak. In the basin you will see hundred of different wildflowers in an array of color that is hard to believe. There will be artist set up all over the basin and photographers taking pictures everywhere. The splendid color will only last a few weeks but will remain very pretty even as the flowers lose their full blooms.
In the past the sheep grazing on public lands have been a problem moving into the basin about the same time the flowers were in full bloom. In recent times the sheep seem to be in other parts of the mountains when the flowers are at their magnificent best. I personally think the Forest Service has done a very delicate diplomatic job in persuading the sheep herders to steer clear of American Basin this time of year.
There are very few places in the mountains as impressive as American Basin this time of year. If you are in the area of Lake City about then, don’t miss it.