24.06.2023 (20:00:06)
Center of the Cripple Creek Mining District
Tomer Jacob Hileman [1909]
Sadly my panoramic postcard has many flaws to it, it has been bended in its lifetime and also have dents and cracks in addition to being partly faded and using a photo print process making darker spots just dark! But it is what it is! I have worked with it as best as I could. This view is of the southeastern slope of Bull Hill.
In foreground lower right is barely seen some of the houses in the town of Goldfield, while the La Bella Power Plant structure with its smokestack is at lower left. Many of the mines are marked out, and I've seen this view being used to demonstrate the wonders of the Parkison Furnace that was used by many mines in the District. Seen as absence of smoke from the smokestacks of the properties using those furnaces.
I did procure the colored version of this image, as I think it makes a nicer/better view. 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.
My Collection; Postcards; Colored, scaled up, cropped 300dpi scan. I did procure the colored version of this image.

• My Website; Photolink: ⊞ The Isabella Mill {Colored; Cropped; Scaled 300dpi]

P-00983
Photograph/Image [#541]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#54131.10.2021 (07:55:34)
#7094. Suspended in the Stopes of a Gold Mine.
Julia Skolas
This was one of those 'can be everywhere...' views, but then September 17, 2013, I saw this same view listed on eBay as a postcard view marked as 'Stope in Vindicator Mine, Cripple Creek District.' by Julia Skolas. I also seen the view in a folder marked as being '1800 feet below surface.'
View is of a miner sitting on some form of a stool, on planks, with a machine-drill suspended unto the walls and he is directing it into the roof area to drill out whatever he must do. He is holding a candle holder with his left hand and the machine with his right hand, and I assume it is more for the look then real working condition.
My Collection; View is number 22 in a Postcard Folder called Folding Post Card - Cripple Creek Short Line, Colo.

• no. 22; Souvenir Postcard Folder titled Folding Post Card {Cripple Creek Short Line, Colo. appears on the inside]; undated - Published in ????.

• My Website; Album Page View: ⊞ Album Page View #22 (Folding Post Card - Cripple Creek Short Line, Colo.)

A-00320
Photograph/Image [#423]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#42331.10.2021 (06:49:50)
Vindicator Mine Shaft No. 2 and Town of Independence
Andrew James Harlan
Sadly the base for this view is a terrible misprinted quality type of photo, kind of OK on a distance, but then, awful and not sharp at all! Just sad. The view is a cropped view of a photo by A. J. Harlan, and I performed quite some work over it to try bringing out the best possible view from a damaged source.
In the foreground is the middle part of the town of Independence, located on the southeastern part of Bull Hill and the southwest part of Bull Cliff, or East Bull Hill as I also seen it named. In background left is the Shaft House of the Vindicator No. 2 mine, large shaft house that also extended out of the view at left, located at the end of a switchback spur down to the Orehouse of the Vindicator No. 1 seen about 1/3 from top and about 1/3 in from right-hand side. The No. 1 Shaft structures are to the left of said orehouse, and the Lillie Mine structures pokes up behind those again. Several smaller Shaft houses are seen near right-hand side and upper half part. I think the upper one, about 1/3 down from top and in from right-hand side the same length as structure itself, that this is the La Bella Mine, but the other I have no name to offer.
I did procure the colored version of this image. Source was grayish, or in common speech black & white. Used an online service and tweaked and worked with image to get what looks best to my eyes at the moment.
My Collection; Photographs. Cropped, straightened, enhanced version of my 300dpi scan. I did procure the colored edition of this image. Source was bad quality.
P-00476
Photograph/Image [#420]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#42015.07.2018 (13:34:28)
Vindicator Mine, Cripple Creek District, Colo.
Julia Skolas
I never seen this view as anything but as a printed/lithograph type of postcard, or in a postcard type of folder, but when I scanned this one I noticed that this is having the same base image as a couple of photo type of postcards that I have, which I found cool as suddenly I could say this is a Julia Skolas photo! And so far, I know about 19 uses of the base negative/photo, many used for this postcard here in various crop editions, so I think it was a popular view and printed many times by both the same and various postcard publishers as I've seen various versions of this one.
Wish it was as easy to say which mine is up front in lower right, but my brain refuses to work, and I do not know currently (15.07.2018]. I been wondering if it might be on the Longfellow claim, but I am not sure, it feels located wrong though, too far south of what is now a reduced Independence Townsite, seen about middle of the image extending uphill towards your left.
* Known mines count the Vindicator No. 2; the whitish single shaft house far left, about 2/5 down from top and about as much in from left-hand edge as the Shaft-house is wide.
* Vindicator No. 1 is seen also about 2/5 down from top and about 2/5 in from right-hand side, consisting of a Shaft House, large Powerplant, huge Ore-House; all white in this view; lot of dumps.
* Just to the right of the Vindicator No. 1 is the (on this view) large red colored shaft house of the Lillie/Lilly/Lily Mine. This structure of the Lillie was later used as an experimental Mill for the Vindicator mine.
There appears to be some form of snow on the ground in the foreground and on the hills and mountains in the distance background right, this gives the impression this might be a late winter photograph, possible 1908 as a year, as this postcard has a date of July 10, 1908 on its text message.
My Collection; Postcards.

• Postcard; Published by unknown; various title text, colored; various crop editions and coloring techniques. - Published in ????.
• Postcard; Published by H.L. Woehler. - Published in ????.
• Postcard; Published by SL & Co.; numbered A 14575; Two crop editions. - Published in ????.

• My Website; Postcards Overview: ⊞ Vindicator Mine, Cripple Creek District, Colo.
• My Website; Postcards Overview: ⊞ A View at the Vindicator & Lillie Mines on Bull Hill... [Smaller Crop Edition]

P-03841
Photograph/Image [#332]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#33206.04.2018 (13:16:21)
View East From Upper Independence Town Towards Vindicator Mine
Unknown
For me this was a view I had to get hold of as it is a very informative postcard view showing/sharing many things! There are so many things in this view, but I shall focus here on the mining related things, there is a more general talk on my Postcard Album page, see source links.
The Vindicator No. 1 Shaft is seen in the distance nearly center/middle of this view – slightly to the right and above center. To the right of the shaft is the Ore-house of the Vindicator No. 1 Mine, with blackish soot up above the arched opening into the ore-house for train cars and engines as clearly, they have also run into the house or else it would not have been that dirty above the opening. The Hoist House of the Shaft is seen further to the left from the partly covered Steel Head-frame, with dual gauge tracks running between those structure, with also coal chutes for the Vindicator Powerplant seen on the long whitish looking structure with all the smokestacks just left of the steel head-frame.
Vindicator No. 2 Shaft is seen with its smaller but quite high structure about 1/5 in from right-hand side and about 2/5 up from bottom with the Gloriette/Glorietta/Glorieta Shaft seen just in front and to the right with a Head-Frame seen, easier to see on a higher resolution scan. There are dual gauge tracks at this shaft, and possible might have also served the ore-house of the Vindicator No. 1, but image can't tell me that from this angle.
Beyond the Vindicator no.2 is the dump of no.1 and hiding further down the hill and only poking up a little is the partly covered Head-frame of the Golden Cycle, seen about 1/5 in from right-hand side and about middle top/down, with then possible that mine's ore-house further to the right as a darker structure, but image is more blurred in this part so I can't fully make it out.
The Lillie Mine is gone in this view, replaced by a dump, seen beyond the before mentioned Vindicator No.1 shaft, even if there on my 1200dpi scan seem to see a small head-frame and some crib-walls in front of the dump seen.
My Collection; Postcards.

• My Website: ⊞ Postcards Overview; View East From Upper Independence Town Towards Vindicator Mine

P-03538
Photograph/Image [#280]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#28024.12.2017 (15:38:31)
Vindicator Shaft Nos. 1, 2, and 3
Unknown [1934]
--- Text on backside:
No. 1 - 2 - 3 are shafts of the Vindicator mine, which is the largest mine here. They work a great many men. Have one mill here and one at the Springs. They are building a new one here that will use the new oil flotatation system.
X Was the Golden Cycle mine, it now belongs to the Vindicator.
These mines have produced many millions of dollars, nearly as much as the Portland, and have still millions in sight.
--- End Text on Backside ---
-> I've seen it mention in a mining magazine from May 1915 that the Golden Cycle was sold to the Vindicator, hence this image must be from sometime after this timeframe.
My Collection; Photographs.
P-00481
Photograph/Image [#256]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#25610.06.2017 (11:38:33)
View Towards the Vindicator Mine with the Independence Town on the Left-Hand Side
Unknown
Sadly, this view towards the Vindicator Mine with the Independence Town on the left-hand side is a blurred and bad quality one, both due to the small size of just 84x54mm and the paper used, but also as the right-hand side is so blurred it is impossible to tell what is in that part! I am not sure where the view is taken from, but it will be nearby the Last Dollar mine I think, near where Bull Hill changes over to be part of Battle Mountain I assume.
* The Railroad scene in lower right quadrangle is the Midland Terminal mainline and the spur down towards Golden Cycle mine outside the view at right. Independence Depot is seen on right-hand side of the track going under the steel girder bridge just beyond the depot with the huge dumps of the operations around the Vindicator and its many shafts and properties further into the view.
* Vindicator No. 1 Mine/Shaft is seen about middle of the view, with its 3-smokestacks spewing smoke into the sky with the Lillie Shaft House to its right. Lots of dumps around those mines.
* Vindicator No. 2 Mine/Shaft is seen at the left-hand edge, about middle top/down, with the town of Independence following the hillside up from the M.T. tracks in the foreground of the mine structures.
* The Longfellow Mine is just this side of lower Independence just above the M.T. tracks, about 1/4 in from left-hand side and about 2/5 up from bottom, where there is a dump and what appears to be a large Head-Frame, but sadly the quality of this view is so bad I can't get a good look of it.
My Collection; Photographs. From a 600dpi scan.
P-03148
Photograph/Image [#195]
www.cripplecreekrailroads.com/01main/all_known_entities/pics_list-evry1_sort-newtop.php#195

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