Spunky Senior, Mike Befeler, Visits Hard Rock Mines



Mike Befeler



Living in Colorado, I enjoy hiking during the summer and snowshoeing during the winter. On weekends I often go along the east side of the Continental Divide on various expeditions. This summer I had an opportunity to visit a number of old mine sites as part of an organized tour of hard rock mines. Our first stop was Caribou, a once thriving mining community of several thousand people at the end of the nineteenth century, now home to exactly zero human occupants.

Our next stop was the Cardinal mill, in operation during the beginning of the twentieth century.

Bluebird Mine Bunkhouse



From here we went to the Bluebird mine. The picture is of the bunkhouse that was also used in the 1966 movie, Stagecoach.



Wallstreet Mill

 Our final stop of the day was at the Wallstreet assay office and abandoned mill from the beginning of the twentieth century. Investors from New York provided the financial backing, but the mill went bust after a few years of operation.

Although these mines and mills are now abandoned, they contribute to an interesting history of the region and are well worth visiting.

Mike Befeler, Author of Senior Moments Are Murder, Retirement Homes Are Murder  http://www.mikebefeler.com/, http://www.mikebefeler.blogspot.com/

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