Mining on the edge at the Old One Hundred high above Silverton

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Mining on the edge at the Old One Hundred high above Silverton

This view of the Old One Hundred Boardinghouse and tram tower shows its precarious location on Galena Mountain with Silverton in the distance to the far left.
At the Old One Hundred Mine on Galena Mountain above Silverton, the Seven Level boardinghouse included a complete kitchen with cabinets, woodstove, cutting blocks, counters and dining room tables. On the second floor, carpenters built 24 bunks, with a separate bedroom for the shift boss.
On the side of Galena Mountain, the Old One Hundred boardinghouse and tram tower look like tiny wooden dollhouses. Visitors camping on Bureau of Land Management land in Cunningham Gulch can use binoculars to see these buildings, which in late summer catch the last rays of daylight.
In 1904, to haul supplies into the Old One Hundred Mine at Seven Level, the mine’s new owners spent $32,000 building a trail across the face of Galena Mountain before they erected a tram system.
Eloquent testimony to hard work can be seen in miners’ worn-out shoes, which line first-floor walls of the boardinghouse.
The marble monument to Reinhardt F. Niegold high atop Galena Mountain represents the deep respect of Silverton residents for their 19th- and 20th-century mining heritage.
An original Old One Hundred tram bucket seems poised to descend to the bottom of the gulch.
Furniture hauled by burro or tram bucket still resides in the boardinghouse, including this massive iron cook stove upon which thirsty miners in 1937 melted ice and packrat poop chipped from the mine tunnel. The brown frothy liquid made a unique drink.
Voracious packrats not only chewed the wooden supports that anchored the Old One Hundred Boardinghouse to a narrow stone ledge, they also munched on tables, chairs, benches and interior and exterior walls.
The stabilized boardinghouse and tram tower is seen from across the scree field, which drops into Cunningham Gulch 2,000 feet below.
Original bolts and thick wooden timbers brace the tram tower.
The steepness of the scree field, which must be crossed to get to the Old One Hundred Boardinghouse, is exemplified by the tram tower lines that drop 2,000 feet into Cunningham Gulch.
The boardinghouse kitchen includes original shelves.
A historic preservation project will provided new footers, foundation beams, floor joists and concrete and stone piers at the Old One Hundred Mine, one of the few high altitude boardinghouses still standing in the San Juans.

Mining on the edge at the Old One Hundred high above Silverton

This view of the Old One Hundred Boardinghouse and tram tower shows its precarious location on Galena Mountain with Silverton in the distance to the far left.
At the Old One Hundred Mine on Galena Mountain above Silverton, the Seven Level boardinghouse included a complete kitchen with cabinets, woodstove, cutting blocks, counters and dining room tables. On the second floor, carpenters built 24 bunks, with a separate bedroom for the shift boss.
On the side of Galena Mountain, the Old One Hundred boardinghouse and tram tower look like tiny wooden dollhouses. Visitors camping on Bureau of Land Management land in Cunningham Gulch can use binoculars to see these buildings, which in late summer catch the last rays of daylight.
In 1904, to haul supplies into the Old One Hundred Mine at Seven Level, the mine’s new owners spent $32,000 building a trail across the face of Galena Mountain before they erected a tram system.
Eloquent testimony to hard work can be seen in miners’ worn-out shoes, which line first-floor walls of the boardinghouse.
The marble monument to Reinhardt F. Niegold high atop Galena Mountain represents the deep respect of Silverton residents for their 19th- and 20th-century mining heritage.
An original Old One Hundred tram bucket seems poised to descend to the bottom of the gulch.
Furniture hauled by burro or tram bucket still resides in the boardinghouse, including this massive iron cook stove upon which thirsty miners in 1937 melted ice and packrat poop chipped from the mine tunnel. The brown frothy liquid made a unique drink.
Voracious packrats not only chewed the wooden supports that anchored the Old One Hundred Boardinghouse to a narrow stone ledge, they also munched on tables, chairs, benches and interior and exterior walls.
The stabilized boardinghouse and tram tower is seen from across the scree field, which drops into Cunningham Gulch 2,000 feet below.
Original bolts and thick wooden timbers brace the tram tower.
The steepness of the scree field, which must be crossed to get to the Old One Hundred Boardinghouse, is exemplified by the tram tower lines that drop 2,000 feet into Cunningham Gulch.
The boardinghouse kitchen includes original shelves.
A historic preservation project will provided new footers, foundation beams, floor joists and concrete and stone piers at the Old One Hundred Mine, one of the few high altitude boardinghouses still standing in the San Juans.
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