Micro located near
Gothic. Cache is placed for year round accessibility, but
please follow the road when open to
Gothic. Bring your camera. You won't be disappointed.
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:
In the fall of 1878, Truman Blancett prospected silver worth a
few hundred dollars in the Elk Mountains near Gothic. Word spread
quickly and in May 1879, John and David Jennings (brothers)
discovered a rich silver lode high above Copper Creek. Many eager
prospectors came to the area and by August 1879, Gothic City was
established at the confluence of Copper Creek and the East River in
the shadow of the 12,625 foot Gothic Mountain.
Gothic City, later renamed Gothic, had numerous log and frame
residences, two hotels, three restaurants, several saloons, two
general stores, a school, law and medical offices, a bank, two saw
mills, a newspaper (The Gothic Miner), other merchants' buildings,
and a post office (from 1879 to 1896 and 1907 to 1914). Gothic
became known as the City of Silver Wires for the abundant strands
of silver found nearby and was a major supply point for mining
camps to the north. Supplies were packed over East Maroon Pass to
Aspen.
During the 1880s, Gothic was the largest, wildest, boisterous
mining town in Gunnison County with a population as high as 8000.
In 1880, former President Ulysses S. Grant visited Gothic and was
greeted by a lively parade. Gothic's decline began in the
summer 1881 as miners discovered that most ore was not rich enough
for processing. By 1893 (year of the silver crash), Gothic was
abandoned with one exception, the colorful Garwood Hall Judd. Judd,
known as the The Man Who Stayed, was the self-appointed Gothic
caretaker until his death in 1930. In 1928, a movie was made about
Judd.
In the 1920s, Dr. John C. Johnson, a biology professor at Western
State College, led his students on overnight field trips to Gothic.
In 1928, the Gothic revival began when Judd helped Johnson purchase
the town of Gothic for the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
(RMBL). The dilapidated Gothic Hotel and several other ancient
buildings remaining from the silver-mining days were repaired and
used in the early years until new buildings could be
constructed.
|
Three buildings from the 1880s, including the old Gothic Town
Hall (now the Gothic Store), and two from about 1910, have been
preserved. Today, the RMBL owns approximately 245 acres and more
than 60 structures. In 2011, a new research center was built.
Information primarily taken from
"History of the Town of Gothic" by John C. Johnson, Jr. (2002) and
"Colorado Scenic Guide: Southern Region" by Lee Gregory
(1996). |
|
 |
Gothic dated 1882
by George E. Mellen |
|
Gothic dated 1908 by George L. Beam |
 |
|
 |
| Gothic dated 1890-1920 |
|
Gothic Saloon aka Town Hall dated 1920
Shows Ben L. Jorgensen |
 |
|
 |
| Gothic 2011 |
|
Gothic 2011 |
 |
|
 |
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!!
Back In Time
Series:
Back In Time is a series of caches placed near historic sites to
remind us to remember our
past. We can learn so much from studying the past.
This series will provide a history tour of Colorado.
Their days are gone but not
forgotten!!Additional Waypoints
RF32GJZ - Gothic
N 38° 57.549 W 106° 59.386
Back In Time - Gothic
| Difficulty: 
| Terrain: 
6 
4