KGCnewbieseeker
Sr. Member
Towering high above the beautiful Wet Mountain Valley, the distinctive conical mountain known as Horn Peak rises up along the eastern spine of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Standing 13,450 feet high, Horn Peak and its smaller companion, Little Horn Peak (13, 143 feet), dominate the western skyline in this part of the Wet Mountain Valley. From the slopes of Horn Peak, the towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff are clearly visible on the valley floor below the mountain, while across the Wet Mountain Valley, one can make out the historic mining town of Rosita. The slopes of Horn Peak are drained by three streams which flow into the valley. These are Cottonwood Creek, Hennequin Creek, and Dry Creek. Dry Creek is distinguished for its small waterfalls halfway up the mountain.
Horn Peak, and Little Horn Peak, which rises up just south of Horn Peak, were both named for an early pioneer in the Wet Mountain Valley named Elijah (or Elisha) P. Horn. Elijah Horn was one of the 1st settlers in the valley. Arriving in 1869, Horn homesteaded beneath the peaks that bear his name.
1869 was indeed a memorable year for Elijah Horn. Situated as he was near the eastern flank of the Sangre de Cristos, Horn had plenty of opportunities to prospect the surrounding mountains. While wandering through the Crestone Range, south of his ranch, Horn stumbled upon a vast system of caves that came to be known as the Spanish Caves. Located in the Marble Mountain, Music Mountain, Milwaukee Peak area, the cave system may be the site of the legendary Caverna del Oro, home of a fabulous ledge of gold. A number caves occur in the area, many of them quite extensive. Near the entrance to one of the caves, Horn discovered a large red Maltese Cross painted on the rock wall. Below the cave entrance, he found the crumbling remains of an old fort. In the thickets nearby, Horn discovered a decomposed skeleton in rusted Spanish armor. Further search revealed
additional Spanish implements in the Music Pass area, 2 miles south of Marble Mountain. Horn came to believe that a long lost Spanish gold mine lay somewhere in the Crestone Range near the Spanish Caves. Unfortunately, he never found it. But Horn need not have looked so far south for a legendary lost mine. The peak towering over his ranch was home to one of the most famous lost mines in the entire region.
The Lost Skinner Mine was discovered by a prospector named George Skinner around 1863, a mere 6 years before Elijah Horn settled in the Wet Mountain Valley. Hailing from Illinois, Skinner had been prospecting the area since 1860. He was seen occasionally in the Wet Mountain Valley and in Denver, where he bought his supplies. After 1863, his visits to Denver changed. Now, he brought gold ore to sell!
Shortly after Skinner's discovery, his visits to Denver ceased. Indeed, it was as if he had dropped off the face of the earth. After a few years, his family grew concerned. In 1868, George's brother came out west to look for him. After many fruitless searches, he discovered an abandoned cabin on Horn Peak which contained a number of letters written by George! In one of the letters, George mentioned his gold strike, describing it as a "wonderfully rich mine". But as for George himself, there was no sign.
The following year, as Elijah Horn laid claim to the land at the foot of Horn Peak, George Skinner's brother returned to the very same area to search for some sign of George. That fall, he finally discovered the skeletal remains of his brother at the foot of a cliff in the Horn Peak area. Scattered around the skeleton was a large amount of gold ore and some weather-beaten equipment, including George's diary. George Skinner had finally been found, but his mine remains hidden, even to this day.
Horn Peak, and Little Horn Peak, which rises up just south of Horn Peak, were both named for an early pioneer in the Wet Mountain Valley named Elijah (or Elisha) P. Horn. Elijah Horn was one of the 1st settlers in the valley. Arriving in 1869, Horn homesteaded beneath the peaks that bear his name.
1869 was indeed a memorable year for Elijah Horn. Situated as he was near the eastern flank of the Sangre de Cristos, Horn had plenty of opportunities to prospect the surrounding mountains. While wandering through the Crestone Range, south of his ranch, Horn stumbled upon a vast system of caves that came to be known as the Spanish Caves. Located in the Marble Mountain, Music Mountain, Milwaukee Peak area, the cave system may be the site of the legendary Caverna del Oro, home of a fabulous ledge of gold. A number caves occur in the area, many of them quite extensive. Near the entrance to one of the caves, Horn discovered a large red Maltese Cross painted on the rock wall. Below the cave entrance, he found the crumbling remains of an old fort. In the thickets nearby, Horn discovered a decomposed skeleton in rusted Spanish armor. Further search revealed
additional Spanish implements in the Music Pass area, 2 miles south of Marble Mountain. Horn came to believe that a long lost Spanish gold mine lay somewhere in the Crestone Range near the Spanish Caves. Unfortunately, he never found it. But Horn need not have looked so far south for a legendary lost mine. The peak towering over his ranch was home to one of the most famous lost mines in the entire region.
The Lost Skinner Mine was discovered by a prospector named George Skinner around 1863, a mere 6 years before Elijah Horn settled in the Wet Mountain Valley. Hailing from Illinois, Skinner had been prospecting the area since 1860. He was seen occasionally in the Wet Mountain Valley and in Denver, where he bought his supplies. After 1863, his visits to Denver changed. Now, he brought gold ore to sell!
Shortly after Skinner's discovery, his visits to Denver ceased. Indeed, it was as if he had dropped off the face of the earth. After a few years, his family grew concerned. In 1868, George's brother came out west to look for him. After many fruitless searches, he discovered an abandoned cabin on Horn Peak which contained a number of letters written by George! In one of the letters, George mentioned his gold strike, describing it as a "wonderfully rich mine". But as for George himself, there was no sign.
The following year, as Elijah Horn laid claim to the land at the foot of Horn Peak, George Skinner's brother returned to the very same area to search for some sign of George. That fall, he finally discovered the skeletal remains of his brother at the foot of a cliff in the Horn Peak area. Scattered around the skeleton was a large amount of gold ore and some weather-beaten equipment, including George's diary. George Skinner had finally been found, but his mine remains hidden, even to this day.
