Life…Death…Iron

The road over Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista, Colorado is traveled by thousands every summer on the way to and from scenic Taylor Park, Cottonwood and Rainbow Lakes, and the numerous campground throughout the valley.  This is one of the more picturesque regions of Colorado, surrounded by the 14,000 foot snow capped summits of the collegiate peaks, and bordered by alternating stands of Aspen and dense pine, broken up by meadows with small trout filled streams and beaver ponds.

One hundred and fifty years ago, during the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush, Cottonwood Pass served as a major artery for prospectors seeking fortune deep in the Colorado mountains. From the Arkansas River valley gold hunters would traverse Cottonwood Pass on their way to the mines in Taylor Park, and the town of Tin Cup that sprang up later in the century. An important stagecoach stop sprang up on the east side of Cottonwood Pass just before the long and steep ascent to the top. The stop was named Harvard City, and for a few years from the 1860’s to 1880’s a small community flourished there, offering supplies and provisions for the hearty souls venturing over the pass.

Today as tourists and campers buzz down the road, few if any, stop to admire a few tumbledown buildings on the side of the road.  What looks to most like a pile of rubbish and an eyesore is actually the remains of the Harvard City stagecoach depot.

My books “Life. Death. Iron.” are available at:

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