Spectacle lake campground6/22/2023 Planning began in 1911 to make this road a major connector route across the Continental Divide. After crossing a bridge over the river, we turned just above where Alum Creek flowed into the river and began walking on Forest Service Road 380. The road soon dropped more steeply and followed Globe Creek down to the Alamosa River. The Forest Service says the creek has high concentrations of silica, iron oxide, aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, and sulfur trioxide. It's been said that if an iron nail is dropped in the creek, the naturally acidic conditions of the water will dissolve it within eight years. The mineralized outcroppings were a tip-off that gold or copper may be nearby.Īlum Creek flowed from the foot of the two mountains. The red oxide we saw was what prospectors were looking for when they came to this area in search of gold and silver. There was no mistaking how they got their names. Little Red and Big Red mountains came into view a short distance farther down the road. If they drained to the Alamos River, don't drink the water. We were told to follow the slopes to see where the streams drained. The poisoned water was only a problem in the Alamosa River drainage. They were polluted by runoff, some coming from the Summitville gold mine and some naturally by the acidic mountain slopes. Some streams contain traces of arsenic and heavy metals. While we were there, we asked about reports we had read about the water in the mountains ahead. A few businesses catering to tourists are all that remain here, like the lodge where we stopped. Tourism has revived the town somewhat, but the season is short because of the weather. The expense and difficulty of hauling precious metal ore from this remote area also contributed to its demise. By 1913, it had diminished as the mines played out and prospectors left. Many of the buildings were just makeshift tents.Īs was the case with many mining boomtowns, Platoro's population growth didn't last. The town grew rapidly, and by 1890, about 300 people lived here. Its name came from two Spanish words, Plata (gold) and Oro (silver). That was the year a post office opened, and it became a town. Platoro began as a mining camp, perhaps in the early 1880s, though researchers find no mention of it in publications until 1888. We found Lost Miner Café was open at Skyline Lodge, so we stopped to eat a second lunch. After walking 5.5 miles from Lake Fork Campground, we came to a small community called Platoro.
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