At the foot of the Bookcliffs, just a few miles north of Grand Junction, lie the ruins of the coal mining town Carpenter, Colorado. This town was established by Thomas Carpenter in the Late 1800s and was served by the Little Bookcliff Railway until the 1920s. Originally built to house miners operating the Little Bookcliff Mine and the now lost Mesa Mine, Carpenter was also a town with some ambitions for fun. Thomas Carpenter considered himself a bit of an entertainment entrepreneur and devised a rail spur that went up the mountain side a little way beyond the mine. Thrill seekers could pay to pump a hand cart up the rail grade and then ride the cart "free-wheeling" all the way into town about 5 miles away. It wasn't an attraction that caught on for enough paying customers though. What kept the town of Carpenter alive and many other small Colorado towns along with it was the demand for coal throughout the country to power locomotives as railroads became the best method of transportation for large amounts of high demand goods like food, building materials, fuel such as kerosene and then gasoline. While these advancements brought prosperity to the railroads and to the coal mining towns for a time, they were also the ultimate demise of many small family operation coal mines as diesel engines came on the scene and ended railroad dependence on coal.
Mesa County has had many of these smaller mines come and go and still has an abundance of this resource which may one day return to widespread use. For now, remembering this piece of the local heritage makes exploration adventurous and finding out about places to explore near the old mines can be very interesting. A word of caution: old coal mines, abandoned mines of any type, are not only dangerous and often deadly when not well ventilated, but many are still on private land and carry serious trespassing consequences if you enter without permission as well as potentially lethal outcomes from toxic gasses and unstable structures.
Other mine names familiar to the area include the Mount Garfield Mine, the ruins of which can be seen on the intense four mile hike to the rim of Mount Garfield overlooking the Grand Valley from the north, and the Cameo mine just a few miles east of Palisade right next to I - 70 which was the most recent to close down. While little was done in the early days to preserve the local ecosystems immediately adjacent to these mines, much has been done in recent decades to restore, reclaim and repair damages caused by these early energy development practices. Today many more regulations and a greater public awareness demand more responsible development in mining operations and energy development of all kinds. Responsible stewardship of our resources means a secure future for wildlife, ecosystems and even for sustainable future use of these resources when they may be needed again. Historic images of places like Carpenter can be seen at the Mesa County Museum and library branches. For your own enjoyment, seek them out or take an outing to some of these great places. You won't be disappointed in the views!
For those seeking a bit of adventure not as close to home, may we suggest the narrow gauge railroads sprinkles throughout the West. While these smaller trains were much more common near the turn of the 20th century, they are nearly extinct today. Among those that can be found nestled in the Rockies, a few stand out as note worthy. In the northern Idaho town of Council, there is a train called the Gallopin' Goose that makes way through the valley twice each day with its shrill whistle announcing its arrival and departure. The "old timers" there call that whistle the dinner bell because of its consistency for a century and more. Another of note is the Heber Creeper, that runs between Heber City and Park City, UT. It was a real hit with world travelers during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Colorado's own Leadville Railroad was also developed to support high mountain mining operations and aided in the building, deconstruction and transport of millions of tons of supplies and equipment during the operating days of Camp Hale which housed and trained the 10th Mountain Division soldiers instrumental in turning the tide to the favor of allies in Europe during WWII. Also in Colorado, The Silverton train running from Durango to the tiny historic mining town of Silverton. Mostly abandoned in the winter, Silverton still depends on the train in the winter as the most viable means of transport and supply in non-emergency situations when roads are closed due to heavy snow and/or avalanches. Many adventurers return to the train or get off at the Needleton tank about 1/2 way between Durango and Silverton as a place to go off grid or return to civilization following a back country retreat.
Whether you go exploring ghost towns or railroads, there's a lot to see in our corner of the West.
Looking for historic images of places like Carpenter, Calamity Camp or the mines? The Mesa County Museums have adventures in store too. Go finding!