A Love Affair with Mining
AN IDEAL ONE DAY ATV TRIP OR FAMILY OUTING
AN IDEAL ONE DAY ATV TRIP OR FAMILY OUTING
By H. Court Young
I have found what I consider to be the ideal one day trip from Denver to test out your ATV. It is also a great a family outing or retreat. Warden Gulch, a tributary to Peru Creek, is just two hour’s drive from Denver west along Interstate 70 (I70).
Peru Creek can be accessed by road in several ways. One is via I70 to Dillon exit #205, then east on Colorado Highway 6 to the Montezuma Road intersection. Another more scenic route from Denver is via Interstate 70 west to the Loveland Pass exit and south over Loveland Pass (Colorado Highway 6) to the Montezuma Road intersection. Drive south on Montezuma Road to the Peru Creek trailhead.
The road into Peru Creek basin is designated Forest Service Route 260, in the Arapahoe National Forest. It begins at the Peru Creek trailhead. The Peru Creek road is passable with both two wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles past the intersection of Warden Gulch and Chihuahua Gulch roads, up to the Shoe Basin Mine. Past that, the road gets worse and 4wheel drive or ATV is needed.
Both Warden Gulch and Chihuahua Gulch roads are passable only with a 4-wheel drive, ATV or mountain bike. The intersection of the Peru Creek road with the Warden Gulch road is marked by a sign. The intersection is located near the old mining town of Chihuahua which is known as Chihuahua Flat.
The Warden Gulch road crosses Peru Creek and winds up the front of a glaciated hanging valley for approximately a mile. This section of the road is very steep with grades up to 30%. Once into the Warden Gulch valley itself, the road flattens out and is much less rocky. It continues for another mile or so. The road ends at the lower dump of the Orphan Boy mine.
This mine is one of three mines located in this secluded basin, all of which were opened in the 1880s. This mineralized area is part of the Montezuma Mining District which is famous for production of lead, silver and zinc.
The Orphan Boy mine was reopened in 1948 by my dad, Herbert T. Young after he returned from World War II. My book, The Orphan Boy, A Love Affair with Mining, tells the story of this man who pursued his dream of being a miner. An educated man, a graduate geologist, he orchestrated the reopening of a mine that was first operated in the 1880s. He followed a dream pursued by few at that time and even fewer today.
In this book you can view never before published family photos, and read about his difficulties in locating and reopening the mine. As one reader notes, “there are details in this book about this mine and mining, at the time of the reopening and 60 years earlier, which make it a very interesting read.”
You will enjoy “living the experience” of the crews working to reopen the Orphan Boy at 12,000 feet elevation. There are explanations of the challenges required to extract and transport the lead-silver-zinc ore from the mine to the smelter. In the end, several unexpected events involving the Orphan Boy, makes for a very interesting twist-of-fate for the man and his dream.
As a bonus, this book includes a DVD with maps, historical documents and photographs about the mine, the area and the Montezuma Mining District. This spectacular area is four-wheelers, ATVers, hikers and bicycler’s dream, which as the author, I am happy to share.
The last few times that my family visited the Orphan Boy mine, we encountered more ATVs than four wheelers. My son, William, rode his dirt bike and my daughter, Laura, and daughter-in-law, Emily, drove the ATV to the mine. I think they have more fun on the ATV and dirt bike than in their 4-wheel drive Bronco.
Warden Gulch is a very secluded basin for being so close to a major metropolitan area. Visiting it is a way to put the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind you and enjoy the solitude and silence of a remote high mountain valley for a few hours. A trip to this magnificent area is made even more meaningful if you know some of the history behind it. So, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Orphan Boy, A Love Affair with Mining and then take an ideal one day ATV trip or family outing to this spectacular basin.
By H. Court Young
I have found what I consider to be the ideal one day trip from Denver to test out your ATV. It is also a great a family outing or retreat. Warden Gulch, a tributary to Peru Creek, is just two hour’s drive from Denver west along Interstate 70 (I70).
Peru Creek can be accessed by road in several ways. One is via I70 to Dillon exit #205, then east on Colorado Highway 6 to the Montezuma Road intersection. Another more scenic route from Denver is via Interstate 70 west to the Loveland Pass exit and south over Loveland Pass (Colorado Highway 6) to the Montezuma Road intersection. Drive south on Montezuma Road to the Peru Creek trailhead.
The road into Peru Creek basin is designated Forest Service Route 260, in the Arapahoe National Forest. It begins at the Peru Creek trailhead. The Peru Creek road is passable with both two wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles past the intersection of Warden Gulch and Chihuahua Gulch roads, up to the Shoe Basin Mine. Past that, the road gets worse and 4wheel drive or ATV is needed.
Both Warden Gulch and Chihuahua Gulch roads are passable only with a 4-wheel drive, ATV or mountain bike. The intersection of the Peru Creek road with the Warden Gulch road is marked by a sign. The intersection is located near the old mining town of Chihuahua which is known as Chihuahua Flat.
The Warden Gulch road crosses Peru Creek and winds up the front of a glaciated hanging valley for approximately a mile. This section of the road is very steep with grades up to 30%. Once into the Warden Gulch valley itself, the road flattens out and is much less rocky. It continues for another mile or so. The road ends at the lower dump of the Orphan Boy mine.
This mine is one of three mines located in this secluded basin, all of which were opened in the 1880s. This mineralized area is part of the Montezuma Mining District which is famous for production of lead, silver and zinc.
The Orphan Boy mine was reopened in 1948 by my dad, Herbert T. Young after he returned from World War II. My book, The Orphan Boy, A Love Affair with Mining, tells the story of this man who pursued his dream of being a miner. An educated man, a graduate geologist, he orchestrated the reopening of a mine that was first operated in the 1880s. He followed a dream pursued by few at that time and even fewer today.
In this book you can view never before published family photos, and read about his difficulties in locating and reopening the mine. As one reader notes, “there are details in this book about this mine and mining, at the time of the reopening and 60 years earlier, which make it a very interesting read.”
You will enjoy “living the experience” of the crews working to reopen the Orphan Boy at 12,000 feet elevation. There are explanations of the challenges required to extract and transport the lead-silver-zinc ore from the mine to the smelter. In the end, several unexpected events involving the Orphan Boy, makes for a very interesting twist-of-fate for the man and his dream.
As a bonus, this book includes a DVD with maps, historical documents and photographs about the mine, the area and the Montezuma Mining District. This spectacular area is four-wheelers, ATVers, hikers and bicycler’s dream, which as the author, I am happy to share.
The last few times that my family visited the Orphan Boy mine, we encountered more ATVs than four wheelers. My son, William, rode his dirt bike and my daughter, Laura, and daughter-in-law, Emily, drove the ATV to the mine. I think they have more fun on the ATV and dirt bike than in their 4-wheel drive Bronco.
Warden Gulch is a very secluded basin for being so close to a major metropolitan area. Visiting it is a way to put the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind you and enjoy the solitude and silence of a remote high mountain valley for a few hours. A trip to this magnificent area is made even more meaningful if you know some of the history behind it. So, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Orphan Boy, A Love Affair with Mining and then take an ideal one day ATV trip or family outing to this spectacular basin.
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What Readers are Saying about Orphan Boy, A Love Affair with Mining
"The Orphan Boy is a wonderful story that provides a glimpse at early mining and the contempory experiences of a family as they reopened a old mine. It's a fresh look at Colorado History and an intriging tale on modern day mining."
Chuck Digby
"Hi Mr. Young
Just finished reading your book and would like to tell you how much I enjoyed it. It is great to have such wonderful memories of your Dad and the times you shared at the mine. My background is in geology also and I did some mining in the San Juans about 35 years ago. I must admit it has always been a dream of mine to own a small mine such as the Orphan Boy where I could go play in the summer and relive my first love of mining and being underground. Maybe we could come out next summer and visit the Orphan Boy and possibly scrounge in the tailings for a day or two. It would be great to see the subject of the book. Are there still any small mines for sale around there?
Thanks again for the great reading. Hope to hear from you about a possible visit to the mine area.
Jeff Carnes
Chuck Digby
"Hi Mr. Young
Just finished reading your book and would like to tell you how much I enjoyed it. It is great to have such wonderful memories of your Dad and the times you shared at the mine. My background is in geology also and I did some mining in the San Juans about 35 years ago. I must admit it has always been a dream of mine to own a small mine such as the Orphan Boy where I could go play in the summer and relive my first love of mining and being underground. Maybe we could come out next summer and visit the Orphan Boy and possibly scrounge in the tailings for a day or two. It would be great to see the subject of the book. Are there still any small mines for sale around there?
Thanks again for the great reading. Hope to hear from you about a possible visit to the mine area.
Jeff Carnes
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