Colorado Spirit Quest #403

Colorado Spirit Quest Series

Peanuts

Baldwin Lone Grave

Micro located at Baldwin. Bring your own pen & tweezers.
Please make sure container is closed securely and re-hidden as well or better than you found it. Maintaining the difficulty rating depends on you.

History:

Baldwin was three distinct, but nearby locations:
(1) In 1881, old Baldwin was established across the hill from the present town site. Old Baldwin was dismantled to accommodate the railroad.
(2) In 1883, the Baldwin railroad stop was established near the present town site. The railroad stop was named for Judge Baldwin, a railroad official, in hopes of flattering him into investing in the nearby mines. The Baldwin railroad stop was eventually renamed Castleton.
(3) In 1897, new Baldwin was established when a rich gold strike was found. This location was called Citizen and then Mt. Carbon before being renamed Baldwin.

The 1897 gold strike did not amount to much. However, coal and the rich ranchland caused the town to boom. Coal from Baldwin was known for burning with a bright flame and emitting intense heat. In 1939, as the market for coal began to decline, Baldwin began to die and by 1940, most familes were gone. By 1946, the railroad had been dismantled & hauled away.

However, one nostalgic resident stayed. Known affectionately as Peanuts, Joe Berta became the self-styled mayor and kept the vandals out of Baldwin (population: 1). In accordance with his last wish, Peanuts was buried at Baldwin in a lone grave with the inscription "The Man of the Mountain". Joe "Peanuts" Berta was born November 2, 1879 and died August 12, 1967.

Peanuts was solely responsible for keeping Baldwin preserved. In 1969, the town looked as it did in 1940. Inside the cabins, there were mattresses still on beds, cook stoves, cook pans with utensils still hanging, and framed pictures on the walls. Baldwin is now part of a gated private subdivision. However, you can see the remnants from the public road nearby.

Information primarily taken from "Colorado Ghost Towns Past and Present" by Robert L. Brown (1972).

Baldwin dated October 3, 1952 by Robert W. Richardson		Baldwin Coal Mine dated 1910

Baldwin 2011. Note Modern House Above Old Cabins.		Mine and Cabin Remnants 2011

Joe Berta Lone Grave		Playground Equipment Remnants

Please take some time to reflect back on the lives of these pioneers and the effort it took to make Colorado such a great state!! The only guarantee in life is death. Where will you be?

Colorado Spirit Quest Information:

The Colorado Spirit Quest (CSQ) is a series of caches placed by many individuals, near cemeteries and historic sites in hopes of paying respect to the many pioneer ancestors that have "walked" before us. There are hundreds of cemeteries in the rural and mountain communities across Colorado. This series will provide a history tour of these cemeteries. If you are apprehensive about cemeteries, avoid this series.

The CSQ endeavor is an enormous and relentless task. It will only flourish if there is a multitude of volunteer cachers willing to place these caches. Each person that places a CSQ cache is responsible for its maintenance.

New volunteers are always Welcome!! If you are interested in being a part of this project, email the owner of Colorado Spirit Quest #1 – Golden Mountain Passage.

Thanks to the current volunteers: Greasepot, Taylorgeotracker, Ivy Dog Parents, Team Boogity3, Grand High Pobah, Boborr 80909, Imusttravel2000, Buzz Lightyear I, Sandhill 49er, MrVolkswagen, Isisfan, Rockymtn8iv, Fork-L-Man, Outdrlvr201, Condor1, 2Cachedivers, arthurat, smilz787, Kyotmoon, Mountain Roamer, SugarPug, Team Tiger Pride, ernie66, drnetwork, Team w-bar-v, Dynamite Rabbit, DustyKat, mtnbirders, RustyBeerCan & Marma, grymreaper, nteclpr, Moose1 & Mama Moose, Joe Friday, 3cacheteers, 3cacheteers, Dasha Aussies, KB0UMW, hiking_fool, tripping, res71cue and 1Mrs1Ogre, and nickgatt, kingbee, The misgnoners, rbradu, shashyaz&foxy, Bugranger Lyonden ut., Any Direction, Sewnssew, and The Meandering Monkeys.