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Independence
Independence

Independence is an important word for Americans. With an election fresh on our minds, we celebrate the principles in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence. Allow me to take you on a ride over Independence Pass in Colorado via Highway 82.

Here is a valley west of the pass, about 16 miles east of Aspen, where the mining town of Independence thrived in the late 1800s. It must have gotten cold for the settlers up here at almost 11,000 feet. My visit was on September 24 and snow was already touching the valley floor.

You can read about the Independence Mine on websites: e.g., "Legend has it that prospectors discovered the Independence Gold Lode on July 4, 1879. A tent city sprang up that summer, and by 1880 there were 300 people living in the camp....

"Typical of mining boom towns, the bust soon followed. Miners were lured away from Independence by the abundant work, good pay and milder climate of Aspen. The citizens of Independence could expect to be blanketed in snow from early October to late May. Daily life in a town at 10,900 feet was not easy!

"Although mining at Independence proved to be short lived, over $190,000 worth of gold was produced between 1881 and 1882. The next year production dropped to $2,000. By 1888, only 100 citizens remained in the high mountain town, which in its brief history had been called many names—Independence, Chipeta, Mammoth City, Mount Hope, Farwell, Sparkill and Hunter’s Pass.

"During the winter of 1899 the worst storm in Colorado’s history cut off the supply routes to Independence. The miners, who were running out of food, proceeded to dismantle their homes to make 75 pairs of skis and to escape en masse to Aspen. They made light of their adventure by making it a race of the Hunter’s Pass Ski Club—entry fee: one ham sandwich."

Some of the old buildings are still intact down in this valley. Explore man's interactions with nature in my History Album.

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Taken on: September 24, 2016
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Sets appears in:   • Colorado    • History   
Groups appears in:   • Colorado!    • Colorado Landscape & Wildlife Photos   
Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T5i, f/22.0, 1/80 sec, 40mm, ISO 250 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T5i
Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM
Aperture: f/22.0
Exposure Time: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length: 40mm
ISO: 250
Exposure Bias: -2/3 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Manual
Color Space: sRGB
Software: ACDSee Ultimate 9
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Independence

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