KGCnewbieseeker
Sr. Member
Lost Mine of Dead Man's Gulch Colorado
South Park, the famous "Bayou Salado", is one of Colorado's most beautiful high mountain parks. The lush basin is also home to one of America's great historic rivers, the South Platte. The headwaters of the South Platte River spring from the mountains that ring the park on its northwestern edge. These tributaries of the South Platte have been a source of gold for nearly two centuries.
The first mention of gold in the Bayou Salado occurs in the journals of Zebulon Pike, famous contemporary of Lewis and Clark, who explored the southern Colorado Rockies in 1806. In his journals, Pike recorded his encounter with a mountain man named James Purcell, who discovered nuggets of gold in a tributary of the South Platte River prior to his meeting with Pike.
But the beautiful South Park country was a perilous land to enter. The lush park was the abode of the Ute Indians who treasured its pure springs, abundant game, and mild climate. The Utes resented the presence of white prospectors who, in their search for gold, fouled the streams and decimated the game. Very early on, they responded to the white invasion with deadly violence. In both South Park and nearby Taylor Park, the Utes hunted down and massacred parties of prospectors.
In 1859, prospectors from the "Gregory Diggings" poured over Kenosha Pass into the South Park country. Most of them found gold, but a few found tragedy and death. That year, a party of 6 prospectors was caught by the Utes in the Gunnison country near Taylor Park. In a canyon that came to be known as Deadman's Gulch, the miners were annihilated by the besieging Utes. Two years later, the bleached bones of the prospectors and their horses were still lying in the gulch.
That same year of 1859, some of the first prospectors to enter South Park were killed by marauding Ute Indians. Near the headwaters of the South Platte River, a small party
of 3 prospectors was caught by the Utes. The Indians killed Burt Kennedy and Dr. I. L. Shank while William Slaughter managed to escape from the ambush. Another account describes the fate of 7 prospectors who were discovered by the Utes in a canyon located just west of Kenosha Pass. The Utes killed every last one of them. When other prospectors stumbled upon their bleached bones in the canyon, they named the place "Dead Man's Gulch". Now, there were two canyons named for the dead miners found in them.
But it was no accident that prospectors were drawn to Deadman Gulch, as it is known today. Virtually every stream in this part of South Park is gold-bearing. The mining history of the area is rich and varied. But Deadman Gulch also holds a secret. Somewhere along its headwaters, a rich lode of gold lies hidden.
The history of the Lost Mine of Dead Man's Gulch begins in 1863, four years after the initial rush to South Park. During that year, two German prospectors discovered a rich lode of gold somewhere up the gulch. Rumors circulated that the two prospectors took out $7000 worth of gold ore during their first week of digging. But their good luck was not to last. One of the German prospectors died suddenly and the other left South Park forever.
Local prospectors swarmed up Deadman Gulch in search of the abandoned mine. They combed the entire watershed but found nothing. In 1885, a local rancher stumbled upon an exposed mine portal in Deadman Gulch. Unfortunately, the mine contained only low-grade deposits of gold. The rich lode discovered by the Germans back in 1863 still lies hidden to this day.
South Park, the famous "Bayou Salado", is one of Colorado's most beautiful high mountain parks. The lush basin is also home to one of America's great historic rivers, the South Platte. The headwaters of the South Platte River spring from the mountains that ring the park on its northwestern edge. These tributaries of the South Platte have been a source of gold for nearly two centuries.
The first mention of gold in the Bayou Salado occurs in the journals of Zebulon Pike, famous contemporary of Lewis and Clark, who explored the southern Colorado Rockies in 1806. In his journals, Pike recorded his encounter with a mountain man named James Purcell, who discovered nuggets of gold in a tributary of the South Platte River prior to his meeting with Pike.
But the beautiful South Park country was a perilous land to enter. The lush park was the abode of the Ute Indians who treasured its pure springs, abundant game, and mild climate. The Utes resented the presence of white prospectors who, in their search for gold, fouled the streams and decimated the game. Very early on, they responded to the white invasion with deadly violence. In both South Park and nearby Taylor Park, the Utes hunted down and massacred parties of prospectors.
In 1859, prospectors from the "Gregory Diggings" poured over Kenosha Pass into the South Park country. Most of them found gold, but a few found tragedy and death. That year, a party of 6 prospectors was caught by the Utes in the Gunnison country near Taylor Park. In a canyon that came to be known as Deadman's Gulch, the miners were annihilated by the besieging Utes. Two years later, the bleached bones of the prospectors and their horses were still lying in the gulch.
That same year of 1859, some of the first prospectors to enter South Park were killed by marauding Ute Indians. Near the headwaters of the South Platte River, a small party
of 3 prospectors was caught by the Utes. The Indians killed Burt Kennedy and Dr. I. L. Shank while William Slaughter managed to escape from the ambush. Another account describes the fate of 7 prospectors who were discovered by the Utes in a canyon located just west of Kenosha Pass. The Utes killed every last one of them. When other prospectors stumbled upon their bleached bones in the canyon, they named the place "Dead Man's Gulch". Now, there were two canyons named for the dead miners found in them.
But it was no accident that prospectors were drawn to Deadman Gulch, as it is known today. Virtually every stream in this part of South Park is gold-bearing. The mining history of the area is rich and varied. But Deadman Gulch also holds a secret. Somewhere along its headwaters, a rich lode of gold lies hidden.
The history of the Lost Mine of Dead Man's Gulch begins in 1863, four years after the initial rush to South Park. During that year, two German prospectors discovered a rich lode of gold somewhere up the gulch. Rumors circulated that the two prospectors took out $7000 worth of gold ore during their first week of digging. But their good luck was not to last. One of the German prospectors died suddenly and the other left South Park forever.
Local prospectors swarmed up Deadman Gulch in search of the abandoned mine. They combed the entire watershed but found nothing. In 1885, a local rancher stumbled upon an exposed mine portal in Deadman Gulch. Unfortunately, the mine contained only low-grade deposits of gold. The rich lode discovered by the Germans back in 1863 still lies hidden to this day.
