Red Mountain II is a photograph by Janice Pariza which was uploaded on August 27th, 2014.
Red Mountain II
A High Definition Resolution Photograph of Red Mountains at Sunset.... more
Title
Red Mountain II
Artist
Janice Pariza
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A High Definition Resolution Photograph of Red Mountains at Sunset.
Red Mountain, 1, 2 and 3 are located in the San Juan National Forest on Colorado's Western Slope.
Red Mountain is a set of three peaks in the San Juan Mountains of western Colorado in the United States, about 5 miles south of Ouray. The mountains get their name from the reddish iron ore rocks that cover the surface.
Elevation is 12,890 feet.
Red Mountain Town was first settled in 1879, when silver deposits were found nearby. First called Sky City, the town was moved from its original location a few hundred yards to the site of Rodgersville in 1886. The reasons for the move were several. Rodgersville was closer to the National Belle Mine, and Otto Mears' toll road. I think the real reason was a simpler one. The first construction began in Red Mountain Town during the dead of winter.
Some authors would have you believe that Red Mountain Town was originally called Congress. Congress (Red Mountain Town) was actually a different town that was located 5/10s of a mile south of the top of Red Mountain Pass where a long the present day Hwy 550. The Congress Mine was located 3/4 mile east of Red Mountain Pass. Although a number of buildings were in the area, including a large boarding house, it was never considered a city or town. Congress's (Red Mountain Town) location on the Silverton side of Red Mountain Pass, near the Congress mine site put it off the beaten path. The two towns were located very close to one another which may have fostered this conclusion.
Much of the confusion concerning the two Red Mountain settlements was exacerbated by the way that early newspaper accounts referred to the towns. Editors made references in their articles to "Red Mountain" leaving off the "Town" or "City" in the stories. I will concentrate on Red Mountain Town on this page and leave the history of Red Mountain City to a separate page.
Regardless of the above confusion over town names and locations, almost everyone in Congress and Red Mountain City ended up in Red Mountain Town. The reason was simple. Congress and Red Mountain City were both located on the wrong side of Red Mountain Pass. The lion's shares of the mineral resources were located on the Ouray side of the pass in the Red Mountain Mining District. There is one popular account that would have us believe all of the citizens of Congress moved to Red Mountain Town because a popular local establishment moved. When the Slover and Wright Saloon moved to Red Mountain Town, it is said the inhabitants naturally moved with it to be close to their tower of strength. The real reason was quite simple. Congress and Red Mountain City were located in areas that couldn't support a town any longer.
In 1883, the rivalry between the Red Mountain Town and Red Mountain City was at its peak. The topic of the two Red Mountain settlements was discussed on every street corner, and in every saloon. As stated above, Red Mountain City was in San Juan County on the south side of Red Mountain Pass, whereas Red Mountain Town could be found in Ouray County on the north side. During this period, the editors of the two respective camp's newspapers exchanged jabs almost weekly. Red Mountain City, on the south side of the county line, came out the loser in the battle. The U.S. Postal Service was to be the final judge in the disagreement. It was becoming increasingly difficult to get the mail delivered to the correct location when everyone addressed mail only to Red Mountain, Colorado. When the name of Congress was assigned to Red Mountain City, all was said and done. I will assume that the Postal Service decided on the name Congress because of Red Mountain City's proximity to the Congress Mine. Others suggest this name was given because one of the main streets in Red Mountain City was called Congress St. Whatever the reason, the change of names did not please the residents of Red Mountain City.
In the end, the spoils of this war of words went to Red Mountain Town. By 1887, only a hand full of people still lived in Congress and Red Mountain City was a distant memory. One source suggests that the only reason Congress or Red Mountain City ever existed was the greed of the merchants in Silverton. This would suggest that they wanted to get the trade of the miners in the Red Mountain District. Unfortunately for Congress and Red Mountain City, Red Mountain Town was much more conveniently located near the miners of the district.
In contrast, by 1890, Red Mountain Town had a population of 598 with its own telephone office, two newspapers, schoolhouse, post office, and many saloons. They had three newspapers available, and a new escape proof jail. The jail was built on bedrock, and did not have windows. I am sure one night in this jail would sober up even the most sturdy of miners after a night of entertainment gone wrong. The walls of the old jail are still standing today. This seems to confirm the stout construction of the little building.
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Uploaded
August 27th, 2014