SPAS, TRAINS, HIKING AND ANCIENT SITES IN CO, NM, UT 2014 day 12

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October 3, 2014


After a couple of days of hiking and birthday celebrations on Sawpit Mesa we all drove down into the tiny canyon town of Telluride to the wonderful Farmer’s Market. Telluride is a historic Victorian mining town set in a box canyon with echoes of gold, lead, copper and silver mines and cowboys, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (who began his career robbing the San Miguel Valley Bank), and of course Indians. The Native American Ute tribe lived in this area long before the miners and cowboys arrived in the mid 1800s and many Ute still live in the area.

Over the years, mining took its toll with men working at challenging elevations of between 10,000 and 12,000 feet, harsh weather conditions, dangerous roads and substandard housing. After the mines closed a ski industry was born and after several years of growth, Telluride is now most famous as a world class ski resort but Telluride’s most famous historic mines, Tomboy, Pandora, Smuggler-Union, Nellie, and Sheridan are seen throughout the town as reminders of the history that formed the town.

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