Gaskill

Added to the good news of the Utes' departure was the knowledge that mines in Colorado's Leadville region contained an enormous amount of silver. As one historian noted: "Wherever the ore resembled the Leadville product there was excitement." The rousing boom times yielded to an industrious homesteading period starting in the 1860s. Only two problems appeared: most ores were of poor quality; and a reducing mill would be required for the ore, necessitating great capital investment. In those two hard facts were planted the seeds for the boom's bust. But into the North Fork streamed dozens, even hundreds, of people. Some were prospectors, many were miners, a few were merchants, but all were seriously intent on searching for wealth. The North Fork boom followed a classic Western pattern and people followed predictable paths as soon as dreams of fortune disappeared. Some men, such as Edward P. Weber, came as representatives of Illinois capitalists. He helped form the Grand Lake Mining and Smelting Company. He hired Lewis D. C. Gaskill as a foreman. Well known in the region, Gaskill had helped develop the road over Berthoud Pass only a few years earlier. He was a Civil War veteran, a mining engineer and promoter, a surveyor, an accountant, a man of stability and many talents. The tiny settlement of Gaskill, close to Bowen Gulch, and the Wolverine Mine held on for a year or two longer than Lulu City. Boosters argued that this was the spot that would keep on growing, although its population never exceeded fifty. Some of Lulu's businessmen settled there, but most left after a year or two. By late 1886, Gaskill joined Fairfax, Dutchtown, and Lulu City as a site of abandoned mines, rotting cabins, and faded dreams.

Credits and Sources:

“Brief Park History.” National Park Service: Rocky Mountain, Colorado. Stories. Accessed May 31, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/historyculture/brief.htm

“Rocky Mountain National Park: A History. Chapter 4: Dreams with Silver Lining.” National Park Service. Park History Program. Accessed June 12, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap4.htm