Road Trip Day 3. We finally made it into Colorado. A nice lady at the Tourism Bureau suggested I stay the night in Glenwood Springs. It was a cute little town complete with it's own little Amtrak Station, old-time cemetery where Doc Holliday is buried and it's own hot springs pool and caverns. I wished I could spend more time there exploring the pools and caverns. Just the day before I arrived a bear was seen in the lobby of the historic Colorado Hotel.
According to the
Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce: Originally inhabited by nomadic Ute Indian tribes, this area of bubbling hot springs has long been a destination for the health seeker. The arrival of the railroads in 1887 brought the first trainloads of tourists to enjoy all that Glenwood has to offer. The addition of the Vapor Caves, Hotel Colorado and Fairy Caves provided a total package for the well-heeled traveler.
The local economy was not only fueled by tourism, but also coal mining, farming and ranching, commerce and
outdoor recreation. The Hot Springs pool officially opened July 4, 1888 and in 1893, designed after the Villa de Medici in Italy, the Hotel Colorado was originally a summer destination for affluent tourists. Over the years, the hotel has played host to presidents, gangsters (including Al Capone) and movie stars.
Established in 1886, Linwood Cemetery contains the graves of the pioneers of Glenwood Springs. Its most infamous resident is John Henry “Doc” Holliday, who died of here in November of 1887. Doc had arrived in May of that year, presumably looking to the hot springs as a cure for his tuberculosis. Harvey Logan, alias “Kid Curry” was also buried in Linwood after committing suicide following a train robbery in 1904 near Parachute. Logan had been, for a while, a member of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid’s gang.
After exploring the cemetery and having a scare with discovering I had virtually no brake fluid (which is kind of important in the Rockies), I headed out to Aspen.
Aspen was a beautiful town. I spent a little bit of time walking around with Topaz. As I walked throught the downtown area, I noticed that the Chief of Police of Aspen is Richard
Pryor! What the hell? I wonder how many jokes are made to him about that.
The city's roots are traced to the winter of 1879, when a group of miners ignored pleas by Fredrick Pitkin, governor of Colorado, to return across the Continental Divide due to an uprising of the Ute Indians. Originally named Ute City, the small community was renamed Aspen in 1880, and, in its peak production years of 1891 and 1892, surpassed Leadville as the United States' most productive silver-mining district.
I decided to take the scenic route down and then back up through the Top of the Rockies area. It took WAY longer than I had expected by about 2 or 3 hours. I white-knuckled it through the Continental Divide (God I HATE heights) but it was very beautiful and worth the time.
During my drive, I discovered the mining ghost town of Independence. At over 10,900 feet, this town couldn't last long. Snow from October through May would make sure of
it. The Independence lode was discovered on July 4, 1879 and soon after a town of 300 sprang up. By 1882, there were 1500 residents and over 40 businesses. Known by other names also, Chipeta, Mammouth City, Mount Hope, Farwell and Sparkill, Independence only produced about $190,000 in ore and was a ghost town by 1890.
According to the
Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce: Originally inhabited by nomadic Ute Indian tribes, this area of bubbling hot springs has long been a destination for the health seeker. The arrival of the railroads in 1887 brought the first trainloads of tourists to enjoy all that Glenwood has to offer. The addition of the Vapor Caves, Hotel Colorado and Fairy Caves provided a total package for the well-heeled traveler.The local economy was not only fueled by tourism, but also coal mining, farming and ranching, commerce and
outdoor recreation. The Hot Springs pool officially opened July 4, 1888 and in 1893, designed after the Villa de Medici in Italy, the Hotel Colorado was originally a summer destination for affluent tourists. Over the years, the hotel has played host to presidents, gangsters (including Al Capone) and movie stars.Established in 1886, Linwood Cemetery contains the graves of the pioneers of Glenwood Springs. Its most infamous resident is John Henry “Doc” Holliday, who died of here in November of 1887. Doc had arrived in May of that year, presumably looking to the hot springs as a cure for his tuberculosis. Harvey Logan, alias “Kid Curry” was also buried in Linwood after committing suicide following a train robbery in 1904 near Parachute. Logan had been, for a while, a member of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid’s gang.
After exploring the cemetery and having a scare with discovering I had virtually no brake fluid (which is kind of important in the Rockies), I headed out to Aspen.
Aspen was a beautiful town. I spent a little bit of time walking around with Topaz. As I walked throught the downtown area, I noticed that the Chief of Police of Aspen is Richard
Pryor! What the hell? I wonder how many jokes are made to him about that.The city's roots are traced to the winter of 1879, when a group of miners ignored pleas by Fredrick Pitkin, governor of Colorado, to return across the Continental Divide due to an uprising of the Ute Indians. Originally named Ute City, the small community was renamed Aspen in 1880, and, in its peak production years of 1891 and 1892, surpassed Leadville as the United States' most productive silver-mining district.
I decided to take the scenic route down and then back up through the Top of the Rockies area. It took WAY longer than I had expected by about 2 or 3 hours. I white-knuckled it through the Continental Divide (God I HATE heights) but it was very beautiful and worth the time.During my drive, I discovered the mining ghost town of Independence. At over 10,900 feet, this town couldn't last long. Snow from October through May would make sure of
it. The Independence lode was discovered on July 4, 1879 and soon after a town of 300 sprang up. By 1882, there were 1500 residents and over 40 businesses. Known by other names also, Chipeta, Mammouth City, Mount Hope, Farwell and Sparkill, Independence only produced about $190,000 in ore and was a ghost town by 1890. 
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