This page has a total of 5 images, as of 17.04.2024 (11:36:32).
Most Recent added/changed image is on top.
Media Info Last Updated:
27.12.2023 (19:58:37)
Title on Image:
Mary McKinney Mine, Anaconda & Gold Hill as Seen From North Slope Guyot Hill
Photographer [Date]:
Unknown
Description:
To me this view is informative and nice, even if it sadly is quite faded as bought photograph. Thankfully, I been able to work around most of that and got some details better visible. Dating this image is helped by not only the showing of the Low Line grade running alongside Gold Hill, but also with the mainline Short Line higher up on same hill. The Short Line grade date this photographed to be after March 23, 1901, as that is the date of the last spike ceremony in the Cripple Creek yard. Also, the showing of the town of Anaconda says this is before the 1904 fire that wiped out most of town. But, using the high-resolution scan at 2400dpi, I also see trolly poles along the old tight balloon loop below the Anchoria-Leland shafthouse, and with the lack of poles along the Short Line mainline, dating this to be before September 1903; as by middle of that month, the original High Line was closed and trolley cars ran over the Short Line mainline partly seen in this view. All this gives a max of 2.5-year span for when someone unknown photographed this image.
The photographer stood on the northern slope of Guyot Hill, looking towards the Anchoria-Leland mine on western slope of Gold Hill, that mine is seen against the sky about 1/3 in from right-hand side. Just to the right of the large shafthouse of the Anchoria-Leland, the Lexington Orehouse and trestle connecting it to the mine surface building are seen. Slightly lower on what is southern slope of Gold Hill, another long shafthouse are seen, with a high smokestack, sadly for me, I have not been able to pinpoint if this is yet another shaft on the Gold King lode claim, or part of the Tom Gough lode claim, as the maps I have access to at the time of this writing (Dec. 27, 2023) gives me no definite answer to share here.
In fact, this photo has many smaller workings on this side of Gold Hill shown, many small dumps, smaller structures, and a nightmare to ID all of them at this time, but interesting for me to have, as this photo comes close to what the old 1903ish topomap from USGS shows.
Further to the right and lower on the hill is seen most of, but where another slope is hiding lower parts of the structures, we see the surface structures belonging to the E. Porter Gold King operations on the east end of the Gold King lode, that is seen about 1/5 in from right-hand side and about 1/5 down from top side.
Going down the hill about 1/5 in from right-hand side, about 2/6 from top, there is a small structure showing on what I think of as the east end of the Superior lode claim, but again, there are so many claims and holes in the ground that it is hard to track it all.
About 1/3 down from top alongside the right-hand side, there are more mine operations seen just below the Low Line grade, which seems to be various lessees on Mary McKinney ground. One is known as Howard shaft, both on the 1903ish topomap and the 1906 USGS Principal Underground Workings map.
Further left, about 1/3 in from right-hand side and about 3/7 down from top are the Virginia M. mine structures; a hoisthouse and a head/gallows-frame, where one of the posts is perfectly extended up from the pole on top of the Mary McKinney shafthouse. Further to the right again seems to be the location of an open cut in the ground that has appeared on some images about the Anaconda Mine/Tunnel operations, there are two dark spots on top of each other with a small dump in front of the lower hole, just above the Midland Terminal cut into the hillside.
The M.T. depot structure is shown just to the left of the prominent fir tree at almost edge right-hand side, and the town of Anaconda is stretching down Squaw Gulch at left.
About dead center of the image is the Florence & Cripple Creek Station structure, with a large orebin across the track tucked in between various cribbed walls, and the larger and still standing in the 1950's – but alas gone by time I visited area in 1998 – orehouse of the Anaconda Mine. The old Blacksmith shop structure of the Anaconda, which survived at that location till the Open Pit Mining Company of modern times could destroy this area as well, in the hunt for gold and other minerals to earn money.
The Mary McKinney large shafthouse and orehouse in combination are seen in foreground right, with the town of Anaconda spreading out in the gulch below it at left and right. A 3-passenger car F. & C. C. train is coming into Anaconda station, enroute to Florence. The hillside below and above that train has adit mines seen spotted here and there.
In the gulch about center right-left in the upper half of the image, there is a head/gallows-frame and a small hoisthouse seen just to the left of the road about 2/5 down from top, that is the marked Superior Shaft on the 1903ish topomap, while only the dump area is seen of the marked Fauntleroy shaft of same topomap is seen behind a tree in the gulch and another shaft on the Little Fauntleroy lode claim is seen with its large smokestack, hoist-and work house connected to a head/gallows-frame closer to the M.T. mainline, these surface structures are clearly seen in the photo, encircled by a road and with a dump area towards the M.T. low trestle.
Further up the before mention gulch, just below the Low Line, about 1/3 down from top and almost at center sideways is the shafthouse of the Alamo mine, also marked on the 1903ish topomap. Further to the left, across the gulch from that mine, is a large tent town I have no idea what was there for, I count 5 large house formed tents in a row, then a large in form of long row butted together end to end, before a single tent ends/closing the 'town' at the lower butt-end of this flatter ground. Lots of smaller dumps say there have been lot of exploring here but lack of structures tells the story of not striking rich.
Up on Gold Hill again, above the Low Line roadbed, there is seen a structure at the Hillside mine, has the looks of a hoisthouse, but I fail to see a visible headframe, so it is most likely a shafthouse covering an incline shaft as per 1906 USGS Principal Underground Workings map. This claim, the Hill Side lode, had a whopping 11-Shafts and 2-Cuts marked out on its 2.41 Acres large Plat Map dated February 15, 1899! That map also had an Engine House structure showing just to the left of where the working shaft of 1906 is and that is also near/at the location of a marking on the 1903ish topomap of a mine here.
Moving up on Gold Hill against the sky and a bit more to the right, another narrow but high shafthouse is poking into the sky, this is the shafthouse of the Lillian Leland lode claim, hard to tell if it is the one on the Discovery Shaft or to the east of that, as while the Plat Map of that lode has only the Discovery Shaft marked, the 1903ish topomap has two more shaft markings on it, so which of those three the shafthouse is on, I do not know.
Moving back down the southwest slope of Gold Hill to below the Short Line mainline again, there is visible a smaller structure among the dumps, but at this time I struggle too much figuring out which lode claim this is at, I think it is on the Moonlight lode, but it could also be on the Robert E. Lee lode, so, I leave this for later.
I started my text description with the location of the photographer, and I think he, most likely a he, was at the ore case/bin of the Ross lease on the Republic lode of the Mary McKinney company, as the 1906 USGS Principal Underground Workings map has a shaft marked named Ross, and it falls on the named lode claim, and the 1903ish topomap has some mine markings and a road there, which also the foreground of the photo shows in lower left.
I did procure the colored version of this image, if that is what you see, as I think it is nicer. Source is gray-toned, or in common speech black & white. Used an online service and tweaked and worked with image to get what looks best to my eyes for the moment.
Image Note:
My Collection; Photographs.Source, Internet (Found/Seen/Known):
Source ID, My Collection:
P-04751
Type/Category [Media ID]:
Photograph/Image [#545]
Shareable Link to Pic Info:
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#545Media Info Last Updated:
28.09.2022 (11:51:48)
Title on Image:
Anaconda A Mining Town In the Cripple Creek Dist.
Photographer [Date]:
Unknown
Description:
This is a GREAT view I JUST had to GET!!! Hopefully this is made of better paper than my 2012 edition of this card, as on that one, lots of small sort of bubbles and scan not so sharp and well. In addition there was alot of reflections in it, and, the image is way dark and do not enhance very well.
But, for the view it shows, and the areas I can see it sure beats having no such view at all!! :-)
And, this is still the first image I ever seen showing what I believe is the Anaconda Mill up on Gold Hill above the Low Line grade between the Anchoria-Leland and the Mary McKinney mine in this view!
Image Note:
My Collection; Postcards.Source, Internet (Found/Seen/Known):
Source ID, My Collection:
P-03319
Type/Category [Media ID]:
Photograph/Image [#490]
Shareable Link to Pic Info:
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#490Media Info Last Updated:
28.09.2022 (10:45:16)
Title on Image:
#574; Mary McKinney Mine, Cripple Creek District
Photographer [Date]:
Julia Skolas
Description:
I've seen this image used three times, for this card and another postcard where there are a couple of extra millimeters visible on the right-hand side, plus I've seen it used in a postcard folder.
The view is from the railroad side of the Mary McKinney mine, showing several box cars parked on sidings nearby and at the mine itself. It also shows part of Anaconda at right-hand side about 1/3 up from bottom, the part that survived the 1904 fire, as I see no signs of structures at left side of image, and I believe there should been visible something there if the town was still there.
The tracks in the foreground belong to the Midland Terminal, but the Mary McKinney mine was once served by dual gauge as the F. & C.C was also having a spur to the mine, entering in from left-hand side, running parallel with the Shaft House to serve that and the coal bins at the power plant seen with all those smokestacks to the right of the shaft-house.
Behind the smokestacks of the Power House of the Mary McKinney you can see the Ore House of the Anaconda Mine, located down by the F. & C.C. yard in Anaconda, but image is too bad to really make out any details. Which is sad, as up on Gold Hill seen in the background, there is seen the Shaft House of the Anchoria-Leland about 1/4 in from right-hand side and about same from top, with the Ore-House and trestle of the Lexington Mine seen just to the right of the Anchoria-Leland.
Or even more sad, there is visible a mill on the hill side above the Low Line grade, seen about 1/3 down from top and 1/7 in from right-hand side, a mill I believe might be known as Anaconda Mill, but I might be mistaken where that mill was located as info been a little scarce, but it fit the location of west slope Gold Hill.
Image Note:
My Collection; Postcards.Source, Printed Items (Found/Seen in/Known):
- no. 4; Souvenir Postcard Folder called VICTOR and CRIPPLE CREEK DISTRICT Souvenir Folder - "Greatest Gold Camp on Earth" - Published in ????.
- Postcard; Published by H.H.T. Co.; Numbered 574, titled Mary McKinney Mine, Victor, Colorado - Published in ????.
Source, Internet (Found/Seen/Known):
Source ID, My Collection:
P-00469
Type/Category [Media ID]:
Photograph/Image [#279]
Shareable Link to Pic Info:
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#279Media Info Last Updated:
24.10.2020 (16:57:13)
Title on Image:
View of the Surface Improvements of the Lexington Mine.
Photographer [Date]:
Unknown
Description:
Sadly, not the best of quality on this, to me, rare view of the Lexington, or Clara D., mine on Gold Hill. In the background left I think we see part of the International [aka International Gold King] Mine, part of several different named operations on the Gold King lode, while the Lexington is on the Clara D. lode, which crosses the Gold King lode.
I am not sure if the Water-tank seen about center in the background is linked to any specific mine or just a more common one. What I do know is that while the source of this image is in gray tones due to coming from a printed material, I did play around and tried to add some sort of coloring scheme using my computer as I think it is sort of enhances the image information.
Image Note:
My Collection; From page 28 in Seeing Cripple Creek, Januar 1904 (Vol. 2, No. 2). I've added the coloring scheme using my computer.Source, Printed Items (Found/Seen in/Known):
- Page 28; Seeing Cripple Creek; January 1904 - Published in 1904.
Source ID, My Collection:
I-01094
Type/Category [Media ID]:
Photograph/Image [#371]
Shareable Link to Pic Info:
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#371Media Info Last Updated:
30.03.2018 (13:41:37)
Title on Image:
Trolley on Low Line About 1905
Photographer [Date]:
Unknown
Description:
This view of Trolley No. M-105, heading for Cripple Creek on the Low Line, is taking just after passing Alamo Junction where there was a side spur for steam trains up to the Index mine ore house. At one time, there was a plan to extend the track up a siding along the Moon-Anchor mine, as far as I know this never happen though - only a road ever went there. Up near top of view, above the Trolley, is seen first the shaft house of the Rittenhouse Mine, then the Short Line grade climbing Gold Hill and then the shaft house and orehouse of the E. Porter-Gold King mine is seen with its cupola plainly poking up of the roof. Near upper left is seen a bad view of the Lexington Mine – easy to pick up due to the long trestle to the quite large ore house of that operation. A water-tank is seen left of that mine.
Image Note:
My Collection; Postcards.Source, Printed Items (Found/Seen in/Known):
- Postcard; Published by Sanborn; Numbered X2227 - Published in ????.
Source, Internet (Found/Seen/Known):
Source ID, My Collection:
P-00225
Type/Category [Media ID]:
Photograph/Image [#12]
Shareable Link to Pic Info:
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#12