Going Back to Ouray

[Riverkilt]

In 1963, as a boy of 18, I worked as an underground mine engineer's assistant and sample boy in the now closed Idarado Mine at Red Mountain Pass in the San Juan Mountains above Ouray, Colorado. I car pooled from Ouray to work six days a week with some grizzled old underground miners and mine engineers. I learned a lot about life and death working underground.

I also learned about the beauty of the San Juans and the gift of many hot springs. Sometime in the early 80's I started going back to stay at Orvis Hot Springs and prowl the area for refreshing vacations...spiritual waters, spiritual views.



Mountains like these are honeycombed with mine tunnels and shafts dating back to the mid-1800s. Many are still active and producing mines.



Here is the San Juan Miner's Memorial. Some of the men I worked with are on that wall. I always stop to pay homage, to express gratitude that I survived my time underground, and in appreciation of the life lessons I learned in the mine. The statue is a very accurately detailed sculpture of the way the men I worked with dressed and the equipment they used in the 1950s and 60s. The statue guy is changing out a drill bit.



Here's a short stretch of the Uncompahgre River north of Ouray. The water is high and wild from snow run off.



Take a look at those rapids. This is as wild as I've ever seen the Uncompahgre.



Here's the sign for the hot springs & motel that has been "home" to me when I visit the San Juans. Hard to believe its been 46 years since I worked deep inside those mountains. The Idarado produced gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.

Kilt is my Antarctica tartan hand sewn by Kathy Lare of Kathy's Kilts in Albuquerque, N.M.

Ron

[JolyStNicholas]

Grand looking kilt ya have there, and of course excellent photos as usual.

When I first got back from Viet Nam I worked In a Deep Shaft Coal Mine in Southern Ohio. 1875 feet down, 2300 feet back in. I was a Roof Bolt operator Two years. I was in one cave in and decided that was not for me and moved down here to Florida.

I understand where your coming from.

Again thank you for the fantastic photos.

[Tartan Shortbread Jock]

Hi RiverKilt, glad to meet you.
Great photos, in fact they are stunning.
I have a lot of respect for miners, thier hard work is often over looked and many lives were lost and they played a important part through the war years.
Please give my kind wishes to the good people back home.

[KFCarter]

Takes some stones to work in a mine, gents. Beautiful pics, again.

[attworth]

I always love your pictures. One of these days my wife and I will make it out that way.

[7 miles]

cool pics Ron thanks for them.

[Riverkilt]

Hey Cousin Joly,

The Idarado was huge. We actually carried candles to "test the air" in some of the older parts of the mine - 100 year old rotting timbers give off gas you can't breathe and live on. It was about six miles in and 2900 feet down - but still 10,000 feet above sea level...and like working in a constant rain and mud from the seepage.

It don't much matter how deep or far in you are after the first few feet. Reason I quit was hearing all the horror stories, then repeatedly getting blown up from miners who didn't bother to check if the sample boy might be near before they blew a rock too big for the ore cars. Also was knocked senseless (shoestring type hard hat back then) by a fall of ground.

And, looking back a Workman's type kilt would have been perfect to help carry all the tools I needed and to ease walking in the mud on narrow guage railroad ties...

Them were the days by God, them were the days...

Ron

[Sionnach]

Great photo tour. Thanks for posting, making me wish I could be there, especially as we've been warming up here in the metro.

[george7]

Great pics and stories. Thanks Ron!

[bchunter]

the pics are great, the kilt beautiful, and the stories awesome. Thank you.