COALBASIN HISTORY
by Dorothea Farris
The history of mining in Coal Basin started with the discovery of major coal deposits in 1886. Then, following a decade of exploration, an investor and entrepreneur named John C. Osgood who founded Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) opened the first Coal Basin mine portal in 1900. To support the mine, a railroad up the Crystal and then from Redstone to the mines in Coal Basin was also completed in that year, allowing the Coal Basin mines to hit full stride.
Financial problems had plagued Osgood for some time, and in 1903 he lost control of his CF&I company to John Rockefeller. The mine continued under Rockefeller, but compounding financial troubles, combined with a decline in the demand for coke, eventually triggered the mine’s bankruptcy and closure in 1909. The mine had a history of financial problems causing it to sit idle for 4-decades from 1912 to 1956 when Mid-Continent Resources gained ownership, undertook a major upgrade and expansion of the operation, and resumed mining.
The impact of Mid-Continent Resources’ mining activities in Coal Basin from 1956 to about 1990 dwarfed the early mining activities of the Osgood era. Mid-Continent’s operations ceased in 1991, and the company declared bankruptcy in 1992, closing the books on a century of mining in which over 58 million tons of coal was removed from Coal Basin.
The bankruptcy left behind an area of almost 6000 acres that was essentially abandoned, leaving massive scars from a century of intense mining, as well as a number of buildings, various pieces of mining equipment, and two enormous piles of coal debris. What was left was a major environmental disaster.
In 1995, the Colorado Department of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (CDRMS) undertook a 4-million dollar restoration effort that lasted through 2002. This reclamation changed the upper Coal Basin from a massive industrial waste dump into a respectable forest but left behind much to be done.
Environmental groups pressured Mid-Continent to enter into a series of land trades with the US Forest Service to bring 5600 acres of the basin into the public domain. It was one of the largest land trades in Colorado history and opened the basin to the public. This 5600-acre Forest Service acquisition stretches from the tiny settlement of Placita north along Huntsman Ridge and the Pitkin / Gunnison county border, then west to the Dexter Park area, but excludes two privately held parcels. One of these parcels, now owned by the Walton family, is open to the public offering mountain bike trails for all skill levels.
Dorothea Farris has been Crystal Valley resident since 1957 and served as a Pitkin County Commissioner for 12 years. Dorothea’s actions, work and dedication reflect her commitment to protect our environment, history and freedoms.
