Paris Mill, Stage 5 mechanical separation

Walking throught the Paris Mill is a solitary experience. One of the unique things about this mill is the amount of huge machinery still intact.

The photo here demonstrates that fact. Mills were built to utilize gravity. Raw ore would start "uphill" in the building. The ore would go through a succession of refining processes. This photo is the fifth and final stage of that mechanical process. From there the ore would go into a chemical bath of mercury.

It's quiet now, but I can only imagine the roar as machine vs rock duked it out all day long.

This photo was taken in mid winter, during a late afternoon snowstorm. Exposure time was around 30 minutes.

Paris Mill- of all the images in the collection, none magnify the project as well as the Snow Cone image. This was a 30 minute exposure. There was a snowstorm pounding down outside. The open areas of the Paris Mill would send sloughs of snow every so often.

I had been warned prior to going inside this structure. Rats were the most ominous concern and I saw their presence everywhere.

Nonetheless, this image demanded its attention.

I've been back to the Paris Mill and I've seen this feature at the later part of the winter. I feel very fortunate to have photograhed it when I did. It is never the same and the image depicts is evolving beauty.

Summitville, cont.

Summitville sits in a natural drainage. As a result there is a lot of shrubbery. In the foreground of this shot is an example of that. In this case its pussywillow.

Great town. Make a visit if you can.

The Split House, Summitville

Situated at 11,800 feet, Summitville is one of my favorite ghost towns. Nearly a dozen buildings stand at this site.

I arrived late afternoon having just spent a few days photographing on the Bachelor loop near Creede.

Fortunately, I immediately knew this town had potential. To the east the was a wall cloud which was lit up from the low angle of the sun.

I decided to make use of the cloud and the cabin in this picture. I used an nd filter and polarizer to get myself a longer exposure. This exposure was 45 minutes.

This picture has become one of my favorites in the project. I like the way the roof splits as well as how the fabric over the door splits. Since the clouds streak due to the longer exposure, they create a graphic element that I think helps to emphasize the cabin.

Alta treehouse

Alta has quite a few remaining structures. I'm not sure what this building was used for, but from the historic pictures of the town that I've seen, this area would have been a hub of activity.

Moving on...again, to Alta

Not sure if I mentioned this previously, but this project is 5 years in the making so there is a bit of ground to cover.

The SW part of Colorado is epic. I've traveled a bit here and there and yet I still consider this part of the world to hold its own. Above all else its largely accessible, which is an essential criteria for a photography project. If you can't get to it, for whatever reason: time, money, geopolitical reasons, etc...you can't photograph it.

The image on the above is from the ghost town of Alta. Located south of Telluride, this town has quite a few remaining buildings. Notably is the boardinghouse, a well preserved, huge 2 story building.

Directly west across the valley and visible through the window in the image soars Wilson Peak, 14,017. This area held vast amounts of gold. In fact, according to noted ghost town historian/author, Kenneth Jessen, ore was dug from surface deposits and placed in sacks to be hauled by pack animal down to Silverton for smelting. In reference, consider this ease of extraction in comparison to the "Cave" photo below which indicates the amount of exploration and extraction to keep a mine profitable.

Well, anyway...I spent a day and night at Alta. I "slept" in the back of my bikini-topped 1976 fj40. The photo above was taken at first light.

Animas Forks Cabin- 8 hours at Night

This was an 8 hour exposure I took while camping out at Animas Forks, just up the Animas Forks river from both Silverton and the Old 100. The "lines" in the sky are actually stair trails. This ghost town is actually better known for other buildings, especially the two-story Duncan house. This is one of my favorite towns. Great setting, lots of buildings. As a photographer, I wrestled with how to photograph this town. I tend to want to find subject matter that I can isolate and work with. None of the other photos had the same appeal to me. Shooting this scene at night was a perfect take away for me. Plus, I got a good night's sleep beside my camera as this photo was being taken.

The image on the bottom, "Along the Way" shows the path that gets you to and from the Old 100. The image on top, "Cave" is taking from inside a the entrance to a cave on the path to the Old 100. The cave is probably 15-20 feet deep (don't quote me) and was created as the miners followed different veins of quartz into the mountain in the hopes of pursuing more gold. In this case, the fact that the cave does not continue on demonstrates that they abandoned their efforts here in hopes of better options elsewhere on the mountain.

Inside the boarding house are numerous items of interest. An old metal coffee pot sits in the kitchen along with a huge cast iron stove. In other parts of the building are boots and spring mattresses. I spent the night on one of the spring mattresses.

Turn around 180 degrees from the photo in the previous post and this is the view. The tramhouse still contains remnants of its former life. An ore cart hangs as it awaits another turn. Like a mechanics garage, parts are scattered about here and there.

Part 2: The Old 100 Boarding House

The Old 100 actually consists of the boarding house and the tram house. The picture on the right shows the cables still intact as they leave the tram house.

Serving as a lifeline, the ore carts not only transported their namesake, but they also ferried the miners and supplies up to the boarding house.

Given the slope and precarious terrain, it is was a feat that these structures were ever built. After surviving over 100 years of high-altitude sun, rain, rock slides, and avalanches, the remaining structures stand almost as if they are a testimony to the industrious nature of those who built them.

OLD 100 BOARDING HOUSE

Located near Silverton, CO, the Old 100 Boarding House is, IMO, one of the best remaining historic structures I've had the privilege of visiting.

I have been visiting Colorado ghost towns for the last 5 years. My efforts are part of a larger photography project, titled "What Remains?", which uses ghost towns as a metaphorical backdrop from which to address more personal and human themes.

Nevertheless, ghost towns also serve as wonderful reminder of days gone bye. Having dedicated some time in early July of 2005, I traveled down the southwest Colorado to concentrate on a few ghost towns.

Having visited and photographed 2 previous ghost towns at the beginning of this trip (Animas Forks, Carson), I was ready to move on to my next objective, the Old 100. If you know where to look, you can see the Old 100 perched 2000 feet above the valley floor on Galena Mtn.

To get there, you have to get ahold of some hand scribbled directions from the guys who run the Old 100 Gold Mine Tour down below. Check in the retail shop first.

From there, using some common sense, orienteering, bushwacking, and determination you should be able to enjoy some fresh air, great views and new a new appreciation for just how tough these miners were. All told, it took me about 3 hours from the time I left my truck to reach the boarding house.

Along the way there are numerous caves that were created by miners as they explored the potential mining opportunities as evidenced by veins of quartz.

The trail "ends" at a height above the Old 100. The last section involves descending maybe a few hundred feet of scree and talus. The photo above, titled: "Approaching the Old 100" was taken on the final descent.

In my next blog I will continue to discuss my night and experience at the Old 100.

JF