On Monday Aug 1st we joined in on one of the trails being run by the All 4 Fun Event. This even is put on by the Mile Hi Jeep Club. Evey year it is in a different location in Colorado. It last of 7 days and is a really fun event for the whole family.
The Pomeroy Lakes & Mary Murphy Mine Trail is located a little over 17 miles Southwest of Buena Vista, CO Elevation ranging from 10,000 feet to over 12,000 feet, the trail takes you up the gulch between Chrysolite and Pomeroy Mountains.
You will see the remains of the old Mary Murphy Gold Mine, which was discovered in the mid-1870s by Dr. A.E. Wright.
According to legend, he named it after a nurse who cared for him when he was taken to the hospital in Denver. The Mary Murphy Mine was the principal gold mine of the Chalk Creek mining district of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States, near St. Elmo, Colorado. The Mary Murphy Mine operated continuously from 1870 to 1925, and produced 220 thousand ounces of gold, worth $4.4
million then (or about $180,000,000 in 2008), plus considerable silver, lead, and zinc.[ However, it is not clear how the adjoining Pat Murphy mine was named. The Mary Murphy Mine was enormously successful and was the main engine of the local economy. It supported the towns of St. Elmo, Romley, and Hancock. When the mine closed in 1926, it spelled the end for these towns and also for the remaining section of the old Alpine Tunnel railroad. The tracks were torn up within the year. There are several abandoned structures at the mine site to explore.
At the end of the trail is a large open mesa, with Lake Pomeroy to the right.
We had a great day. Thank you Mile Hi Jeep Club.
