July 14: Vicksburg and Winfield, CO
This morning, Chase was like a new man--rested, refreshed, willing to eat and drink, barking at everyone and everything, and catching balls and toys as Ann hurled them down the hall. Such good news, and of course Ann was euphoric. For a little extra chance at wellness and to keep him off the rough road we were going to take to see the towns of Vicksburg and Winfield, in Clear Creek Canyon, we left Chase at home while we explored.
Vicksburg is a town and former mining camp in Chaffee County, Colorado. It is essentially a ghost town, although some of the buildings are seasonally occupied by their current owners. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. A part of the town is maintained by the Chaffee County Historical Society as a museum.
Vicksburg was founded in 1867 after prospectors from Leadville, camping out in the Clear Creek Canyon, lost their donkeys. They had wandered down the creek, and when the miners found them, they discovered gold in the creek bed as well. In its heyday, Vicksburg had a post office, school, blacksmith, two hotels, two billiard halls, several saloons, a general store, an assay office, and a livery stable. Early miners packed in balsam poplar trees on the banks of donkeys, and planted them to line the main street of the town. The trees still stand today and are watered by ditches leading from Vicksburg Creek into the town. The ditches were on either side of the street to provide a water system. Wooden boxes were built in the ditches to keep food cold and provide water to fight fires.
After Vicksburg, Ann and I traveled 4 more miles to the town of Winfield. It was initially called Florence and then Lucknow, and was founded in 1881. Two prospectors looking for a shortcut to Gunnison County camped one night at the confluence of the north and south forks of Clear Creek. During the night, their donkeys strayed from camp (wouldn't that animal figure prominently once more?). The next morning the men found the donkeys beside the creek. They looked down and saw gold flecks in the stream bed. Winfield was founded at the spot of the discovery. However, copper and silver, not gold, were the primary ores removed from the area. The last ore was hauled out by stage in 1918. In its heyday in 1890, the estimated population was 1500. The post office existed from 1881-1912. Today, there are 10-12 private summer cabins. The old schoolhouse and Ball cabin are maintained as museums by the Clear Creek Historical Society.
We returned to Leadville and shopped for dinner, which included barbecue chicken, and for our foray to Ouray on July 15. We returned home to a steadily improving Chase. Ann readied the camper van while I wrote this blog, and then we had dinner and looked at photos from my recent trip to Greece, Turkey, and Ireland. Off to Ouray and a jeep trip on Thursday, July 16 from Ouray to Telluride via the Black Bear Pass, which is not going to be for the fainthearted. Thank God Ann and I are not doing the driving!!!!!!
Vicksburg is a town and former mining camp in Chaffee County, Colorado. It is essentially a ghost town, although some of the buildings are seasonally occupied by their current owners. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. A part of the town is maintained by the Chaffee County Historical Society as a museum.
Vicksburg was founded in 1867 after prospectors from Leadville, camping out in the Clear Creek Canyon, lost their donkeys. They had wandered down the creek, and when the miners found them, they discovered gold in the creek bed as well. In its heyday, Vicksburg had a post office, school, blacksmith, two hotels, two billiard halls, several saloons, a general store, an assay office, and a livery stable. Early miners packed in balsam poplar trees on the banks of donkeys, and planted them to line the main street of the town. The trees still stand today and are watered by ditches leading from Vicksburg Creek into the town. The ditches were on either side of the street to provide a water system. Wooden boxes were built in the ditches to keep food cold and provide water to fight fires.
After Vicksburg, Ann and I traveled 4 more miles to the town of Winfield. It was initially called Florence and then Lucknow, and was founded in 1881. Two prospectors looking for a shortcut to Gunnison County camped one night at the confluence of the north and south forks of Clear Creek. During the night, their donkeys strayed from camp (wouldn't that animal figure prominently once more?). The next morning the men found the donkeys beside the creek. They looked down and saw gold flecks in the stream bed. Winfield was founded at the spot of the discovery. However, copper and silver, not gold, were the primary ores removed from the area. The last ore was hauled out by stage in 1918. In its heyday in 1890, the estimated population was 1500. The post office existed from 1881-1912. Today, there are 10-12 private summer cabins. The old schoolhouse and Ball cabin are maintained as museums by the Clear Creek Historical Society.
We returned to Leadville and shopped for dinner, which included barbecue chicken, and for our foray to Ouray on July 15. We returned home to a steadily improving Chase. Ann readied the camper van while I wrote this blog, and then we had dinner and looked at photos from my recent trip to Greece, Turkey, and Ireland. Off to Ouray and a jeep trip on Thursday, July 16 from Ouray to Telluride via the Black Bear Pass, which is not going to be for the fainthearted. Thank God Ann and I are not doing the driving!!!!!!
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