Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway
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Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway
The Alpine Loop Back Country Byway is a rugged Back Country Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in the high San Juan Mountains of Hindale, Ouray, and San Juan counties, Colorado, USA. The byway connects the mountain towns of Lake City, Ouray, and Silverton. The route ranges in elevation from (a mere) in Ouray to at Engineer Pass. The byway features high mountain passes, alpine tundra, beautiful mountain meadows, ghost towns, and relics of the silver mining era. While the meadows and tundra are accessible to ordinary passenger vehicles, a high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle is required to travel the entire route. The Silverton Historic District and the Shenandoah-Dives (Mayflower) Mill are National Historic Landmarks. The Alpine Loop connects with the San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway at Ouray and Silverton. __TOC__ Route The Alpine Loop is generally considered to begin and end at Lake City. From there the route commonly fo ...
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Colorado Department Of Transportation
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible for maintaining 9,144 mile highway system, including 3,429 bridges with over 28 billion vehicle miles of travel per year. CDOT's Mission is "To provide the best multi-modal transportation system for Colorado that most effectively moves people, goods, and information." It is governed by the Transportation Commission of Colorado. Motor Carriers over 10,000 lbs are regulated by the state and are required to obtain a federal United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) safety tracking number used to monitor carriers' safety management practices and controls. History :''Source: CDOT'' The Colorado Department of Transportation has its roots in 1909, when the first highway bill was passed by forming a three-member Highway Commission to appr ...
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Silver Mining
Silver mining is the extraction of silver from minerals, starting with mining. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires elaborate technologies. In 2008, ca.25,900 metric tons were consumed worldwide, most of which came from mining. Silver sources Silver-bearing ore typically contains very little silver, with much higher percentages of copper and lead. Specific minerals include argentite (Ag2 S), chlorargyrite ("horn silver," Ag Cl), polybasite (Ag, Cu)16Sb2S11), and proustite (Ag3AsS3). Silver mainly occurs as a contaminant in chalcopyrite and galena, important ores of copper and lead, respectively.Kassianidou, V. 2003. Early Extraction of Silver from Complex Polymetallic Ores, in Craddock, P.T. and Lang, J (eds) Mining and Metal production through the Ages. London, British Museum Press: 198–206 Some ores are actually mined explicitly for their silver value vs the silver being a byproduct of other metals. However ...
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Scenic Byways In The United States
Many roads and highways in the United States are labeled scenic byways for having exceptional scenic, historical, archaeological, natural, cultural, or recreational significance. These scenic routes are usually formally designated by national, state, or local agencies in recognition of these qualities, and many are also preserved or managed with special legislation and funding beyond what is required for ordinary road maintenance. National Several agencies of the United States federal government are authorized to designate and manage scenic byways. The National Scenic Byway Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 2003 to support efforts for development, management and marketing of scenic byways by the Federal Highway Administration and byway organizations. National scenic byways include: * Bureau of Land Management Back Country Byways, designated by the Bureau of Land Management (U.S. Department of the Interior) * National Forest Scenic Byways, initiated by the Un ...
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List Of Scenic Byways In Colorado
The U.S. state of Colorado currently has 26 Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways with of roadway. Of these 26 byways, 21 currently have at least one federal designation. These 26 byways include: *2 All-American Roads designated by the Federal Highway Administration; *11 National Scenic Byways designated by the Federal Highway Administration; *10 National Forest Scenic Byways designated by the United States Forest Service; *3 Back Country Byways designated by the Bureau of Land Management; and *All 26 Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways designated by the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Commission. For full information about all these scenic byways, see the List of Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways. __TOC__ List of All-American Roads in Colorado There are currently two All-American Roads in Colorado with of roadway. #San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway #Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Scenic Byway List of National Scenic Byways in Colorado There are currently 11 ...
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History Colorado
History Colorado is a historical society that was established in 1879 as the State Historical Society of Colorado, also known as the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado is a 501(c)(3) organization and an agency of the State of Colorado under the Department of Higher Education. Overview History Colorado offers the public access to cultural and heritage resources of Colorado, including museums and special programs for individuals and families, collection stewardship of Colorado's historic treasures, educational resources for schools, students and teachers, services related to preservation, archaeology and history, and the Stephen H. Hart Research Library. History Colorado's statewide activities support tourism, historic preservation, education, and research related to Colorado's rich western history, offering the public unique opportunities to interact with Colorado history through its network of museums, which offer both exhibitions and special programs for adults and ch ...
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Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are drawn by six horses. Commonly used before steam-powered rail transport was available, a stagecoach made long scheduled trips using ''stage stations'' or posts where the stagecoach's horses would be replaced by fresh horses. The business of running stagecoaches or the act of journeying in them was known as staging. Some familiar images of the stagecoach are that of a Royal Mail coach passing through a turnpike gate, a Dickensian passenger coach covered in snow pulling up at a coaching inn, a highwayman demanding a coach to "stand and deliver" and a Wells Fargo stagecoach arriving at or leaving a Wild West town. The yard of ale drinking glass is associated by legend with stagecoach drivers, though it was mainly used for drinking feats and ...
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Courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply called "courts" or "court buildings". In most of continental Europe and former non-English-speaking European colonies, the equivalent term is a palace of justice ( French: ''palais de justice'', Italian: ''palazzo di giustizia'', Portuguese: ''palácio da justiça''). United States In most counties in the United States, the local trial courts conduct their business in a centrally located courthouse. The courthouse may also house other county government offices, or the courthouse may consist of a designated part of a wider county government building or complex. The courthouse is usually located in the county seat, although large metropolitan counties may have satellite or ...
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Colorado Blue Columbine
''Aquilegia coerulea'', the Colorado blue columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to the Rocky Mountains, USA. ''Aquilegia coerulea'' is the state flower of Colorado. The Latin specific name ''coerulea'' (or ''caerulea'') means "sky blue". Description It is a herbaceous perennial plant often found at elevations of 2,100 to 3,700 m (6,900 to 12,100 ft). It grows to tall, with flowers sprouting in inflorescences produced from the short apical meristem. The flowers are very variable in color, from pale blue (as in the species name ''coerulea'') to white, pale yellow and pinkish; very commonly the flowers are bicolored, with the sepals a different shade to the petals. They consist of five petals, five sepals and an ovary surrounded by 50 to 130 stamens. Five long spurs hang below the calyx and contain nectar at their tips, accessible only to hawkmoths. In addition to hawkmoths, pollinators for this flower include bumble-bees, s ...
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California Gulch
The California Gulch site consists of approximately 18 square miles in Lake County, Colorado. The area includes the city of Leadville, parts of the Leadville Historic Mining District and a section of the Arkansas River from the confluence of California Gulch downstream to the confluence of Two-Bit Gulch. The site was listed as a Superfund site in 1983. History Mining in the Leadville area began in 1859 when prospectors working in the channels of the Arkansas River tributaries discovered gold at the mouth of California Gulch. In April 1860, one of the richest discoveries of placer gold in Colorado was discovered at California Gulch. By 1872, placer mining in California Gulch yielded more than $2,500,000, roughly equivalent to $47,674,478 today. In 1876, piles of sand once considered bothersome to placer gold miners, were discovered to contain lead carbonates and were traced back to California Gulch. This discovery propelled a rush of miners to the area. The town of Leadville was fo ...
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Capitol City, Colorado
Capitol City is an extinct silver mining town located in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. Founded as Galena City in 1877, the townsite is located on the Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway at at an elevation of . The Capitol City post office operated from May 18, 1877, until October 30, 1920. History Capitol City was founded in 1877 by George Lee and was originally named Galena City. At its peak, the city boasted around 800 citizens and its founders wished it had become the capital of Colorado. In order to try and garner interest, Lee would later change the name to Capitol City as he had also dreamed of becoming the state's governor. Today only the post office, a structure called "Lee's Smelter Stack", some rubble buildings, and a few brick kilns remain. There are private homes and private land surrounding the site. Lee built a beautiful home here with brick hauled from Pueblo at $1 per brick. It reportedly had a generous living room, theater with an o ...
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Animas Forks
Animas Forks is a ghost town located twelve miles (19 km) northeast of Silverton in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. At over 11,000 feet, Animas Forks is one of the highest mining camps in the Western US. Location Animas Forks is located on a system of roads known as the Alpine Loop. The loop is a system of unpaved roads which connects the small mountain towns of Lake City, Ouray, and Silverton. Most of the land in the area is managed by either the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. The Alpine Loop is visited by over 100,000 people each year. Animas Forks, at an elevation of , is more than two miles (3 km) above sea level. The unimproved road from Silverton to Animas Forks is passable in summer by two-wheel drive vehicles. The road beyond Animas Forks over Engineer Pass to Lake City may require four-wheel drive. Low clearance cars will find the Alpine Loop extremely difficult or i ...
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San Juan Skyway Scenic And Historic Byway
The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a All-American Road, National Forest Scenic Byway, and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, and San Miguel counties, Colorado, USA. The byway forms a loop in southwestern Colorado traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains. The San Juan Skyway reaches its zenith at Red Mountain Pass at elevation . Mesa Verde National Park was one of the original UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Silverton Historic District and the Telluride Historic District are National Historic Landmarks. It roughly parallels the routes of the narrow gauge railways: Rio Grande Southern (US 160, SH 145 and SH 62); and the unconnected Ouray and Silverton Branches of the Denver & Rio Grande along US 550 with the Silverton Railroad bridging a part of the gap. Its origin can be traced to the Around the Circle Route promoted by the D&RG. The San Juan Skyway overlaps with the Trail of the Ancients ...
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