In late 2019, I was inspired by John Fielder's coffee table book "Mountain Ranges of Colorado". I've lived in Colorado most of my life and always had a desire to explore our state. After several months of planning and with excitement, Greg and I set off on our adventure. This story not only chronicles our 10-day Colorado Field Trip but includes historical references for context.
come on ... let's take a drive on the Million Dollar Highway.
First on our list was Cañon City to visit the famed Royal Gorge and the Museum of Colorado Prisons
Altitude 5,331’
There is so much to do at the Park between the Viaferrata, Skycoaster, Gondola, Zipline and Carousel. This trip didn't afford us the opportunity to ride the Royal Gorge Route Railroad which traverses the Arkansas River. It was a bit windy, but Yes! we walked the Bridge! We hiked a bit around the Park admiring the mountain views with a stop to ride the Carousel which brought out the kid in us. A band played against the backdrop of the mountains, so we took in the music and the views. We were going to ride the Gondola across the Gorge, but the timing didn't work out, so we settled to watch it instead.
Interesting fact is that the Bridge is now open to vehicle traffic for social distancing purposes at a cost of $20. It is certainly worth a day trip and is very family-friendly.
Two wild and crazy kids ...
I’m a big museum fan so our next stop was to the Museum of Colorado Prisons
The Museum depicts the life of inmates and guards at the Colorado State Penitentiary. The Prison was built in 1871 and this portion originally housed women until it was converted. Today, it remains adjacent to the Prison.
There were two prison riots - one in 1929 which lasted over two days where 8 guards and 5 prisoners were killed and the other in 1947.
In the 1929 riot, the Prison Executioner was the first one killed.
101 inmates were executed - 69 by hanging and 32 by gassing.
Little Siberia - Solitary Confinement
George Witherall was sentenced from Douglas County for killing a sheepherder. He was the 29th prisoner sentenced to CSP. Witherall escaped in 1874, was caught and returned to the prison. Though he was in for murder, his sentence was commuted by the Governor and he was released.
One day he was traveling from Pueblo to Canon City with a man and his wagon. Witherall robbed, killed and stole the wagon. He made it to Denver where he was arrested and brought back to the City Jail.
On the same evening he was taken out of the jail by a lynch mob and hung on the telephone pole at First & Main Street. Note: in Witherall's haste to dress, his boots were on the wrong feet.
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Gary Lee Davis was the last person executed in Colorado. His last meal before his execution was ice cream. Shortly before his execution, Davis also requested a cigarette; as a smoking ban was in place in Colorado prisons, his request was denied. Both he and his wife were convicted of murdering their neighbor Virginia May. His wife was sentenced to life in prison where she died.
Four movies were made about / in the prison: Big House USA, Cañon City, In Cold Blood and The Women of San Quentin. Big House USA starred Lon Cheney and Charles Bronson with 7 of the original escapees appearing in the film.
Cañon City depicted the 1947 prison break of 11 inmates and was mostly shot on location. The warden, Roy Best, played himself.
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Alferd Packer, also known as "The Colorado Cannibal", was a prospector and wilderness guide who confessed to cannibalism during the winter of 1874.
He and five other men attempted to travel through the San Juan Mountains during a harsh winter. When only Packer reached civilization, he said that he had been abandoned by his party, but eventually confessed that the party had resorted to forced cannibalism of dead members when they became lost. He later confessed to having singularly lived off the flesh of his companions, after they had fallen victim to party member Shannon Bell, whom Packer said he shot in self-defense.
After his story was called into question, he escaped jail and hid from justice for nine years before being tried, convicted of premeditated murder, and sentenced to death. Packer won a retrial, and was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison, on five counts of voluntary manslaughter, but only served 18 years. His last years were spent in Littleton where he died and is buried.
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SUPERMAX
Cañon City is home to the nation's highest security prison. No one has ever escaped from Supermax. The Prison is considered to be an incubator for mental illness. Inmates have been diagnosed with insanity while incarcerated there or already existing conditions of mental illness have worsened. Inmates are in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day in 7-by-12-foot reinforced concrete cells. Massive 12-gun guard towers overlook the prison. Steel cables designed to thwart helicopter prison breakouts crisscross the yard. Drones circle the enclosure. The world's most notorious criminals have made Supermax their home - these are just a few:
- Terry Nichols, the Oklahoma City Bomber
- Ramzi Yousef & Mohammed Salameh, two of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers
- Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber
- Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon Bomber
- Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, Al-Qaida co-founder
- Richard Reid, the Shoe Bomber
- Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Park Bomber
- Robert P. Hanssen, former FBI agent, double agent/spy who sold classified documents to Russian intelligence
- Dr Michael Swango, who used his medical license to murder more than 60 patients by poisoning them.
- and most recently... Drug Kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán
An Amnesty International report said the cells have an interior barred door as well as a solid outer door, compounding the sense of isolation. Prisoners eat all meals in their cells, and most cells have a shower and a toilet. Cell furniture includes a small desk, stool and bed made from concrete. Beds have thin mattresses. Each cell has a window that is 42 inches tall and 4 inches wide — without mountain views. Many cells have a radio and black and white television that offers religious and educational programming.
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Keeping with the prison theme ...
Skyline Drive was built in 1905 by a convict work gang. As we drove it's 2.6 miles, I imagined the grueling back-breaking work it took to build the road. With spectacular 360° views of Cañon City and the Arkansas River Valley, it did not disappoint. The road was built by 60 inmates who got 10 days off their sentence for every 30 days worked. This one-way, narrow road follows the top of a high razorback ridge, with 450-foot drops on both sides in some places. It is not a drive for the faint of heart and lucky for me, Greg drove as I took in the views.
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Durango
Altitude 9,522’
Our plans to ride the the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and a visit to Mesa Verde National Park, had to be canceled. Part of the railroad was washed out and the Park was closed due to covid. Just means we have to return!
We rented bikes for a late morning ride along the Animas River. Being a somewhat of a novice, it wasn’t a pretty sight as I crossed a narrow bridge. After dusting myself off and nursing my ankle, I was a real trooper and got back up on the horse and onward we went. Lunch was spent at a quaint corner deli where we shared a sandwich.
Strater Hotel
The Strater is a historic hotel built in 1887 by a Cleveland pharmacist. He housed his pharmacy in the building which he eventually sold. It was then transformed into a destination hotel, with 3 restaurants including the Diamond Belle Saloon, and the world's largest collection of American Victorian-era walnut furniture. As much as we wanted to stay at the hotel, we settled for a stay at La Quinta instead.
Western author Louis L' Amour and his wife spent a number of summers at the hotel while he was writing several of his novels. Those novels often have references to the scenery and people of the area. In fact, a room is named after him and was designated a National Literary Landmark.
Reminiscent of days of old, we were delightfully surprised to find a ragtime piano player. He was a real pro with no need for sheet music.
... and a bit of nostalgia for me...
My Mom would sing “I'm Just Wild About Harry” when I was a child. I asked if he could play it and to my surprise, he knew the song off the top of his head! This was such a real treat!
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Silverton
Altitude 9,318’
We like to picnic on our travels, so Greg found an awesome picnic spot among the pines and next to a creek (he's good like that!) before we ventured into town.
Silverton Town Hall was built in 1908 and was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1991. It was restored and won the National Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1996. The bell is made of silver.
Silverton is such a cool town. It was fun to see all the ATVs on the main drag.
As we ventured down the wooden walkways, what's that we heard? Is it a piano? Why yes it was, so of course, we had to stop in. The song ended with two smiles - mine and his!
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Ouray - the highlight of our adventure
Altitude 7,792’
Originally established by miners looking for gold and silver, Ouray had more than 30 active mines in 1875 and produced over 1,000,000 ounces of gold. One of the richest discoveries in the area was made in 1882 and that claim was developed into the Yankee Girl Mine. One of only three vertical-shaft mines in the area, the Yankee Girl ore was so rich that it was shipped directly to the smelter, bypassing preliminary processing. To extract the gold, the ore is crushed, then the gold is separated from the ore by various methods.
The town was named after Chief Ouray of the Ute Indian Tribe. He was known for his leadership, diplomacy and negotiating skills, and was acknowledged by the U.S. government as a chief of the Ute. He traveled to Washington D.C. and met with President Lincoln to negotiate the welfare of the Utes. There is so much more to Chief Ouray’s legacy,
Ouray is nestled in the San Juan Mountains and is surrounded on 3 1/2 sides by the mountains. Because of this, it is known as the “Switzerland of America”. Ice climbers come from all over the world to compete at the Ouray Ice Park.
Ouray also has hot springs and there was one nearby. With the snow, it would've been fun to indulge ourselves.
Again we had cancellations. This time it was our horseback ride and ATV excursion. This video was taken from the back deck of our Airbnb. It couldn’t have been any prettier ... and mind you! this is still summertime!
The Uncompahgre River was right across the street. It was chilly day for a walk along the River, so we just took in the beauty.
If you're ever in Ouray, you HAVE to take the Yankee Boy Basin jeep tour! The smoke from the fires obscured a pristine view, but nonetheless, it was an exhilarating experience! We definitely plan on returning!
I always wondered what the allure of Ouray was and now I know!
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Telluride - an old west town
Altitude 8,750’
Gold was discovered in 1858 and the town was established in 1887. Butch Cassidy's first bank robbery was in Telluride in 1889 and he absconded with $20,750 which is worth about $500,000 in today's dollars.
Most say Telluride is named after tellurium, a non-metallic element associated with rich mineral deposits of gold and silver. Others say it originated from the castaway call "To-Hell-You-Ride" shouted by loved ones who knew of the town's boisterousness
Telluride's first ski lift was in 1972. This car is in the main plaza. Every Telluride sign bears the pick-axe as a symbol of Telluride’s mining history. It is one of the top ski resorts in North America. We enjoyed strolling the plaza.
One of the really neat things about Telluride is the Gondola. It's the only one of it's kind in the country and is free. It travels between Mountain Village and Telluride in 13 minutes. Mountain Village is the more resort-y part of the area with condos, resorts, fancy restaurants and local bands playing in the plaza. Telluride has more of an Old West vibe with lots of little shops, restaurants and bars, and is more down-to-earth in my opinion.
In a previous visit, we stopped in at Allred’s Restaurant which is at the top of the mountain. Allred's is named after Ron Allred whose vision it was to build the Telluride Ski Resort. We treated ourselves to dessert and a glass of wine while we took in the sunset and expansive mountain views. The restaurant was closed on this visit.
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Ridgeway and John Wayne
Altitude 6,985’
Ridgeway is mostly known for its association with the filming of the John Wayne movie True Grit. In fact, we dined in the True Grit Cafe!
This scene was shot outside of what was once a grocery store.
The outside of the store as depicted above is now the inside of the True Grit Cafe. Looking at both pictures, you can see that each bear the name of the store: Chambers Staple & Fancy Groceries! So cool!
As usual for Colorado, we took in some beautiful scenery along the way.
We stopped to picnic on our way to Crested Butte. Obligatory pictures were in order.
Crested Butte and the Jokerville Mine Explosion
Altitude 8,909’
This is the (Mount Crested) “Butte”, the town’s namesake.
The town’s structures are all very colorful. A drive through the local neighborhood found the homes to be just as colorful.
Since it was chilly, we popped into the female-owned Montanya Rum Distillery to warm up with a hot toddy. We finished our evening at the Princess Wine Bar where we listened to Miss Texas Congeniality strum her guitar. It was a real treat for Greg (and me too!)
As we walked along the main street, we came across the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum. We learned about the Jokerville Coal Mine explosion. On January 24, 1884, 61 men were killed in the explosion. The Museum has many original documents including handwritten docs from the coroner. I have to say the exhibit was very impactful.
During his daily inspection, the Fire Boss detected "fire-damp" in the air (highly inflammable and explosive methane gas). It occurs naturally in coal seams. He ordered that no one should enter the mine until he made repairs. While he went to get the tools, one of the miners entered with a naked lamp causing the explosion.
Here is an Excerpt from one of the many articles: "The town of Crested Butte is in mourning. Crowds of women in a cluster about the entrance of the mine are praying, wringing their hands and crying piteously, presenting a scene most heart-rending." Another Excerpt: "Crowds are coming on every train and on snow shoes from all the surrounding camps."
Our drive through Kebler Pass took us through two seasons. Mind you this was still summer, but we were treated to a wintry scene for part of the drive with the second half reminiscent of late summer.
Gilman - a Toxic Ghost Town
Built on Battle Mountain and above the Eagle River, Gilman was founded in 1886 and was a center of lead and zinc mining. You can still see the mine. During an inspection by the EPA, it was discovered that Gilman and the cliff it occupied were beyond toxic, contaminated with “high levels of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in the soil and in surface and groundwater”. The EPA immediately ordered an evacuation, and Gilman, along with 235 acres of its radius, were unlikely to see human habitation again any time soon. I highly recommend reading this article which gives a personal account of a blogger who explored the town.
Carbondale
Altitude 6,181’
We were only in Carbondale for one night. This was our last stop before we headed home. We lunched at a local brewery. It’s kinda fun to see dogs which I found out is traditional of microbreweries (as are cyclists!). Our evening was spent by the fireplace at the Marble Distillery. It's a combination distillery and boutique hotel. I wanted to book the hotel but it was a little pricey, so Days Inn came to the rescue. The distillery is very green and sustainable. They recapture 100% of their process water and reuse energy harvested from the distillation process to heat their facility. All grains are sourced locally and all stillage from the distillery is sent to local Carbondale ranchers. One of our purchases was the Moonlight Espresso.
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... and lastly, Home Sweet Home
Altitude 5,869’
If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for sharing in our adventure! We took great joy in our planning. Although Greg knew I was planning the trip, I kept the route a secret. Once my piece was completed, he took over and was in charge of all else. Many of our activities were cancelled, but that was okay. More so than visiting the most incredible places, it was the hand-holding, companionship and laughter my beloved and I shared that made this trip epic!
Spontaneity was the name of the game. If we came across something we wanted to explore, we explored it. If I wanted to scoot off to a side road to grab a photo, then off we went. The views along the way were spectacular. I sometimes thought "wow" is this scenery overload, is there even such a thing? I think not!
We've traveled all over Colorado (save for the Eastern Plains), but this trip was extra special as we were able to visit towns we hadn't been to before or had just passed through. We chose Ouray as our favorite. Little did we know it was so charismatic. One could say each town has the same charm, but yet one could also say the charm is distinct and special in it's own way.
Stay tuned for more adventures!
All photos courtesy of @Diana Lauman