Ghost Town, Independence, Colorado, Mining

[bigdave46148]

It's a shame that Independence is gone now. Lot of fond memories from when I was a kid growing up in the springs and my dad would take us up to Cripple Creek and Victor. I'm glad that when I was at Ft. Carson I was able to take a day and drive up there and got a good picture of the Independence mine head before this all happened.

[vidiographer4u]

You can't have all the great things in your life, like your camera and computer that made this video, without mining! Get over yourself!

[mstaff657]

if you wanted to save the town, you should have bought the property !

I think your job is destroyed the town - not the gold mine.

I call sour grapes.

[pead]

My great uncle died there circa 1881 in the Grand Union Hotel.

[JeepsterGal]

@pead Wow, thanks for sharing that. Very cool he was there at that time.

[really2ugly]

The history of Colorado Ghost Towns is both fascinating and confusing. The Independence Mine was in Vindicator Valley near Cripple Creek, but the remains of Independence, CO are a few random logs up on Independence Pass east of Aspen. There are two Dolores Rivers on the Western slope that flow in opposite directions not far from each other, and geologists think they were one river in ancient times. And I thought I was confused...

[really2ugly]

Oops, sorry. Let me rephrase what I just said. I didn't mean to imply that JeepsterGal or anyone else was confused. Just me. And it got worse when I started investigating the history of Colorado Ghost Towns. BTW, has anyone counted how many streams in Colorado are named "Bear Creek" or "Beaver Creek"?

[komanoise]

out go the old in come the new... that's life.

[DangerousLabs]

It is sad that the town has to be sacrificed for the new mining operation. However, whatever was there before the ghost town had to be sacrificed for mining, as well. Without mining, we would be living a stone age existence. Gold is very important in aerospace, medicine, and electronics. The computer you are reading this on contains gold.  If we don't mine gold in the U.S., we have to get it from China. We currently import twice as much gold as we export. No wonder we have 9% unemployment.

[spankybrandonf]

thats sad that we can lose that much history without blinking a eye

[bbr25]

I saw they'd flipped the one building over and thought they'd moved it to the right one of the last times I was there...Bull hill to the right - um, if you're looking straight towards the American Eagle mine where they stripped mine the road and look down; that mine! Memory's going as I don't recall the name and I know I should; yeah, they changed a couple signs I think as well. I still miss the road that used to be there from the Cripple Creek side to that American Eagle as well.

[ZoneIII]

Well done! I love how you removed the buildings in the video. Did you shoot from the same exact spot before and after demolition or did you just Photoshop them out of the pictures. The first method seems unlikely because the weather and lighting appeared to be identical. Just curious.

[ChomFa]

Heeeeyyy! Jeep! Been a while, so it's great to see your efforts just getting better and better. This is a great video and deserves greater recognition. (How's that Aussie doggie?)

[JeepsterGal]

Hey! Nice to hear from you! Thanks for commenting on this video. If you're referring to the Aussie in this video, I'm sorry to say he passed in January at age 14 (RIP Scooter!). I have a new Aussie pup, Rio, whose videos can be seen here on You Tube at rockymountainrio. Thanks again for watching.

[TheColoradoan]

Tragic...I feel for those whose legacy has been lost to the avarice of those who cannot take without giving.

[phillipah7]

I belong to GPAA and it is the recreational way of Gold Prospecting.

[shad0fx]

excellent video, very informative. Sad how things disappear and change over time. but in the hearts of those that remember it will never be forgotten!

God bless!