Idaho Springs Mid-Town Ore Processing: Part 1

[Chris Walker]

From A History Of Clear Creek County. 2004.  Historical Soc. of I.S. 

Spot Roper!



1891 Newspaper Advert

As has been noticed, Idaho is rapidly changing as the Hardrock Mining boom takes over.  Sampling Works and Stamp Mills are now being constructed all about town, some with humble beginings and expansive ambitions.  Works changed owners and titles only to lay dormant for a number of years then be rebuilt and added to or incorporated into other Mills.   The Dewey Brothers Sampling Works was a good example of this practice eventually being connected with an entirely new building across the tracks.  The Colorado Central at this location on Idaho Street had but one passing track and two spurs prior to the construction of the Dewey, which resulted in a new West-connected spur that quickly became another double ended siding.  

This is the earliest available Sanborn map of Idaho Springs alluding to the construction of the Dewey before 1895, note that a change in the Street Avenue numbers occurs around the T-o-C.
 Sanborn Map of 1895  http://libcudl.colorado.edu:8180/luna/servlet/UCBOULDERCB1~21~21

Sharp eyes will note the Gasoline Engine used for power, and underground Gasoline Reservoir.  Finally verification of the use of Gasoline in this time period and for those Tankcar deliveries. Edit: Tankcar deliveries as in deliveries to the Siding at (later) Fifth Ave.

In the photo below there is revealed another missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle.  Any takers as to what that might be?

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/3285/rv/singleitem


Newspaper advert of 1897.

Newspaper advert of 1898.



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/3381/rv/singleitem/rec/10

Sanborn Map of 1900 



At this time the small shed on the Eastside has been rotated 90 degrees and a small dwelling is under construction.  The rooftop Sign has now gone as well.


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/67650/rv/singleitem/rec/10


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/67645/rv/singleitem/rec/24

Sanborn Map of 1908


Closed apparently, maybe the Stack was lowered on purpose, also the woodshed has been replaced by yet another dwelling.   This also helps date the  Geo.Stroehele &Sons stone building that Harry Brunk brought to our attention back in 1984.


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/11920/rv/singleitem/rec/10

[Chris Walker]

This "later years" progression actually starts to merge into the Mills covered in the final installment of this series, this piece does better fit here with the Dewey/Denver/Kilton Sampler coverage.
You may have noted in the above post that the Kilton after the time of the construction of the I.S. Machine Works otherwise known as the Geo. Strohele & Son's Co stone building, was indeed moribund and reported "closed" by Sanborn.

There was in the last two decades of the C&S, a resurgence in Milling of ore from reworked mines and dumps that lead to closure and demolishing of older redundant mills, leading to the erection of a completely new Mill building under the name of the Clear Creek-Gilpin Mining Co.   This was creekside of the C&S Mainline and connected the old, revamped Dewey Sampler building with an overhead conveyor shed built across the tracks, the very same conveyor shed that Harry Brunk modelled in a truncated version.   A tall elevator tower was also added to the Dewey; exactly how much of the original building remains is not clear in this low angle view of the scrapping operations and further photos of this period may soon come to light.  

Defining the actual dates of this construction so far has elluded me, there are plenty of pre1910 photos but very few after that date.

 
from Narrow Gauge Railway Scenes by Adolf Hungry Wolf, 1992 Canadian Caboose Press

[ShadowRock]

Look at the Vehicles in the Photo. Late 1930's or 1940's

On Wed, Apr 15, 2015 at 5:06 PM, Chris Walker [via C&Sn3 Discussion Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

This "later years" progression actually starts to merge into the Mills covered in the final installment of this series, this piece does better fit here with the Dewey/Denver/Kilton Sampler coverage.
You may have noted in the above post that the Kilton after the time of the construction of the I.S. Machine Works otherwise known as the Geo. Strohele & Son's Co stone building, was indeed moribund and reported "closed" by Sanborn.

There was in the last two decades of the C&S, a resurgence in Milling of ore from reworked mines and dumps that lead to closure and demolishing of older redundant mills, leading to the erection of a completely new Mill building under the name of the Clear Creek-Gilpin Mining Co.   This was creekside of the C&S Mainline and connected the old, revamped Dewey Sampler building with an overhead conveyor shed built across the tracks, the very same conveyor shed that Harry Brunk modelled in a truncated version.   A tall elevator tower was also added to the Dewey; exactly how much of the original building remains is not clear in this low angle view of the scrapping operations and further photos of this period may soon come to light.  

Defining the actual dates of this construction so far has elluded me, there are plenty of pre1910 photos but very few after that date.

 
from Narrow Gauge Railway Scenes by Adolf Hungry Wolf, 1992 Canadian Caboose Press

UpSideDownC
in New Zealand

---

If you reply to this email, your message will be added to the discussion below:

http://c-sn3-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Idaho-Springs-Mid-Town-Ore-Processing-Part-1-tp2053p2079.html

To start a new topic under C&Sn3 Discussion Forum, email [hidden email]
To unsubscribe from C&Sn3 Discussion Forum, click here.
NAML

[Jeff Young]

The vehicles look post-war to me.  (I’d say late 40’s or early 50’s.)

Cheers,

Jeff.

On 16 Apr 2015, at 14:20, ShadowRock [via C&Sn3 Discussion Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

Look at the Vehicles in the Photo. Late 1930's or 1940's

[Chris Walker]

Sorry to be a wet blanket but the idea of using vehicles to date the picture is a good one but only of use if there are vehicles present and then only of use if the area or time is one of prosperity.  An early 30's car  could still be in use in the 1950's, everyone else driving later model cars may have already driven off,  photos maybe taken on a week-end or if including a streetscene, maybe on a Monday morning so after considering all the "terms and conditions", prove inconclusive.
 
Basically we're looking at a 20 year period here, no more than that, and ending on a known date.  Those cars in the above picture may be railfan-photog's, keeping in mind Otto Perry drove his '35 Ford on the last runs of the RGS.   Often even in good times workers in such Mill areas as we are discussing used older vehicles to get to work, only highly paid employees like the Manager would have a very late model car at a Mill. I doubt the workers there would be well paid.  


The only photo of the 4 or 5 that I have seen showing the Clear Creek-Gilpin Conveyor Shed, only one has a vehicle in it and that is the one above, which is of the scraptrain dated 10th of May '41.  There are two other views that show the new large building that the Conveyor connnects and only one has vehicles on Colorado Ave.  Both these views are from a distance on the hillside and are grainy from the printing process.  Only one of these shows the complete building with conveyor and elevator tower on the old Dewey.

If any of you have good pictures that show this complex please post them, but if they are including all the Mill structures to the South nearest the Clear Creek then please wait until the last installment as I feel that will water down that article.
Thanks.

[Chris Walker]

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/3367/rv/singleitem/rec/8

The former Dewey now the Clear Creek-Gilpin mill with elevator tower is visible in this shot from above Idaho Springs, taken sometime after 1918 as the Chamberlain-Dillingham mill at left, has been dismantled.

In the initial post of this thread I asked .... In the photo below there is revealed another missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle.  Any takers as to what that might be?  from the clues in this picture ... http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll22/id/3285/rv/singleitem

As no-one responded, I'll ask again just to see if any of you are taking notice and provide a better example.

This time the confirmation is evident, as close as I can date this picture to around 1895, the Mixsell mill is at the left, the brick hay&grain store(that just happens to still exist today) appears on the 1895 Sanborn Map and the those Boxcars are Union Pacific, the white trim around the roof helps date the picture :)

Just what am I refering to here ??


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p15330coll21/id/11921/rv/singleitem

[Chris Walker]

A great overview of Idaho Springs showing the new Clear Creek-Gilpin Mill and the Conveyorhouse across the C&S tracks connecting the old Kilton Mill.


https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6bQAAOSwvihY~XOf/s-l1600.jpg


John Maxwell photo


John Maxwell photo