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BAYOU SALADO by Virginia
McConnell Simmons A must read for
anyone interested in the Fairplay, Alma mining districts
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PARK COUNTY is east of the mountain ridge from the
Arkansas River, and so we have also
spent a fair amount of time there
and know the many placers, but not
quite as well as the Arkansas side. From the top of Hoosier Pass
south you will drop to
Lincoln
Mountain (Gee, I wonder who that was
named after?) into the valley to the
east of Mt. Bross and Montgomery reservoir. This area
was extensively mined and some gold
is still found in the steams, but
much is claimed and private property
with many open mine tunnels and
adits. Up above the reservoir
you will find the remains of
the mill that processed the
ores in this area. |
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Would you believe that the
town that is submerged under the
reservoir supported 5,000 souls?
Most of Mt. Bross is private property and the roads on
it are not forest service roads, but
private. The land owners work
tirelessly to keep people out with
gates and other means, but people
simply do not respect a land owners
rights. Many of the roads in this
area can be
very BAD! They are not maintained
and we are acquainted with some of
the people who own this property.
Often people will get stuck up
above and churn mud and silt into
their drinking water down below.
PLEASE be respectful of private
property and do not drive around
gates! You are trespassing!
There is a forest service road that
access this area out of Buckskin
Gulch. Please use it.
The
first valley on the south side of Mt
Bross is Buckskin
Gulch. It winds westwardly
out of Alma, then to the north and into
an area well prospected, to Kite
Lake. Many
active claims still exist up this
valley, including the famous
Sweet Home Rhodochrosite mine. The
biggest surface mine in the area was
the Phillips Lode, which produced
gold from a vein lying exposed
on the surface which was some 600
feet wide and a mile or more long, until it disappeared into
the mountain. This mine is claimed
as well and the property just below
it. Above you will find an arrastra
in the creek that many detectorists
have found ore pieces around
containing gold. The town of Alma
discourages panning in this area as
they use this creek for their
drinking water. You can also
visit the site of the mill located
in the valley. It is under
restoration and is making nice
progress towards being what it was,
but it isn't finished so be careful
around it.
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