Workin' in the coal mine

The park terrain except for the hogback is flat averaging 6425 feet of elevation. The hogback on the park north boundary gains 40 feet of elevation in the west and increased to 140 of elevation in the east. Much of the park ground cover is prairie and juniper prickly with scattered candelabra cholla. The park woodlands are primarily juniper and piñon. Exotic woodlands are cottonwood and Russian olive. The area west of Horseshoe Lake is partially marsh land with cattails and bulrush.

Welcome to Lathrop State Park. We want you to have a good time walking our trails and hiking our terrain through grass, trees, cactus and rocks that may require using your hands seeking your geocache. Specific geocaches inform you of terrain that is more that a casual walk. Most individual geocache description lists a parking lot where you can start your walk, and that gives you time to see what this park is about as you seek your goal. Do not forget to enjoy the view of the mountains on the horizon.

We recommend that you do not use the geocache description Driving Directions printed below the latitude and longitude coordinates. Using the Driving Directions has you parking and walking on private land outside the Lathrop State Park boundary fence. You may be issued a citation and/or have your vehicle towed. There is one fence within Lathrop SP that separates Martin Lake and Horseshoe Lake. This fence has two roads to travel from one lake to the other for you to use. Please use your park map that you were issued when you entered the park to see the park boundary fence.

Lathrop State Park, while sitting in the shadows of the Spanish Peaks, has the honor of being Colorado’s 1st State Park and covers 1594 acres. The main features of the park are its two lakes; Martin Lake, which covers about 180 surface-acres; and Horseshoe Lake which covers 150 surface-acres. Both host a wide range of water activities and catch-able fish.

Lathrop State Park is 3 miles west of Walsenburg via US Hwy. 160. Entrance to Lathrop State Park requires a park pass that can be purchased at the visitor center for display on your vehicle windshield. There is also a self-serve station near the park entrance, to purchase a pass if the visitor center is closed. The visitor center sells annual parks passes as well. Colorado disabled veterans displaying Colorado Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates are admitted free without a pass.

Beginning on Memorial Day weekend and ending on Labor Day weekend, each Friday and a different illustrated or “talks-and-props” presentation is offered at the amphitheater. History, geology, and wildlife of the area are just some of the many programs presented.

Lathrop’s picnic areas, which received an outdoor recreation award for America’s Top 15 Picnic Areas, are situated around both Martin Lake and Horseshoe Reservoir. Each table has a stand up fire grill, and most tables are shaded. Picnic tables are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Keep your eyes peeled for the many bird species that inhabit the park year-round!

Be aware that there are rattlesnakes in the park.

This geocache is within Lathrop State Park and there is parking available for your vehicle. To avoid interfering with campers using Yucca Campground Group Site B please park your vehicle at the following coordinates. 37° 36.518’ n 104° 49.446’ w This parking area was the very old road access to Martin Lake and it is clear of brush. This very old road continues with Lathrop SP improvements and gravel towards the visitor center.

The surface structures at the geocache site are the ruins of the Mutual Mine. The dirt pile just to the south of the structure is the covering of the entrance to where the coal was mined. You will see other ruins near the southeast corner of the golf course.

The Mutual Coal Company began production in 1913. With the mine about worked out in 1924 operations stopped until reopened in 1931, and in 1932 all mine operations stopped. 1,496,728 tons of coal were produced at the Mutual Mine. Mutual Mine is only one of 114 coal mines in Huerfano County. Over 96 years these coal mines produced 76,086,000 tons of coal. Huerfano County and its neighbor to the south Las Animas County (128,289,000 tons of coal) could have been called the OPEC of Colorado. You may have heard that coal mining is very dangerous. The casualties from the Huerfano County and Las Animas County coal mines from 1884 to 1945 there were 42,200 deaths and 2,109,200 injuries.

Many of the mines had housing for the coal miners and their families. Do you remember Tennessee Ernie Fords song I owe my soul to the company store? The Mutual Mine coal camp was located on the south side Hwy. US160. You can see some of the original housing that families are still living in. About a mile west bound from Walsenburg the highway has an overpass across railroad tracks. About ¼ mile later turn left onto County Road 346, and about ¼ later you see the housing.