Apr. 28, 2007 - 00:19MDT

BEMUSED

Did a little work around the house today, then to the park and afterwards to the garden center to buy a Colorado Columbine to plant tomorrow in hopes that it will thrive.

The park Heather and I have been going to is called Prospect Park, about half way between Wheat Ridge and Golden and has Clear Creek running through it. In fact much of Clear Creek through the suburbs is parkland now.

I had my notebook, camera, water and Helios in my walker, Heather situated creekside with her binoculars to watch wildlife if it should appear.

I walked for a time, sat for a time, and walked again always thrilled at things seen.

But as I rambled it kept going through my mind, the history of Clear Creek and mining.

It flows down past the Argo Mine, one that was working when I went to YMCA camp about 1932. Gold of course, a little further east the road to Blackhawk and Central City splits off highway 6 where gold once was easy to recover from the ground.

Looking back a bit, the Colorado Gold Rush began in 1858 when prospectors and miners discovered modest gold deposits in the South Platte River and Cherry Creek (right here in Denver). Then in May 1859 a major strike was found close to Clear Creek in the Rocky Mountains and Central City was born.

To shorten the story a bit, a railroad was built to Blackhawk which abuts Central City to serve the mines and businesses there.

As the close to the surface gold petered out mining became too expensive and Central City and Blackhawk began their trip to Ghosthood.

But along the way those weird floating machinery buildings appeared on Clear Creek, clear down into Denver itself. Dredges which sucked up mud and gravel across the Clear Creek flats and somewhat changed the scenery. Along the highway from Central City/Blackhawk down highway 6 piles of detritus from the dredging line the creek.

In recent years various cities had made parkland out of the Clear Creek areas.

Where we go there were once gravel pits established after the dredges became history. Thus there are two lakes adjoining Clear Creek.

There I wander where history once ran through, amongst giant dead trees, some of which are attempting to put shoots up and come back to life. What killed them, I do not know, maybe I shall find out some day.

I spent the evening Googling about the area and came across some interesting information which I intend to pursue a bit further about Camp George West which was established by the Colorado National Guard as a rifle range. I saw that "Rock Rest" where I used to go with our gang to get beer when we were underage, was once an building belonging to the National Guard. Perhaps built by the WPA in depression days and is is of rock.

I remember driving through Golden at night and watching machine gun fire off to the side, easy to spot because of the tracers scattered through the ammo.

I ran into so many bits of history ancient to me the mere newcomer that I got myself lost in Google-land.

When our first child was little yet we had a friend and his family move to Golden. When Heather and I rode the Interurban trolley to Golden to visit them, Heather, he and I would hike up the old roadbed of the Colorado Central & Pacific Railroad 'til we'ed get tuckered out, rest a bit and have a bite before heading back down stream. At that time it was easy to see the roadbed, now I-70 building and such things have changed the look of things.

Not too long ago Heather and I decided to have lunch at Foss Drug in Golden, they had an excellent dining room on the second floor. The restaurant is no longer in operation. Much like many other favorite places we have frequented over the years.

I'm a bit mixed up, trying to remember things that are in my memory and history I have read, frittered my entry time away and it is almost one AM now. I don't regret the trip through old times, especially reading about the railroad and the various interests that fought over it. But I am sleepy, bed beckons and I ? Retire I shall, totally BEMUSED . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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