Micro located near Sillsville. Bring your own pen. Do NOT disturb or deface any ruins.
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 August of 1880, Camp Willard was formed by Willard Francis and H. C. Nicholas after they struck gold on Cochetopa Creek. The report of the $2108 per ton assay prompted a gold rush at the new camp. By September 1880, 400 – 600 people were living at Camp Willard with 25 wagons arriving each day. By October 1880, Camp Willard had a population of about 1000, 4 saloons, a meat market, 5 grocery stores, a barbershop, the Black Hills restaurant, and a large tent for a rooming house. In November 1880, the camp closed for the winter and never started up again.
More than 20 years later in 1903, Camp Ideal was formed at the same location. By the end of 1903, the camp was renamed Sillsville for Charley Sills, who was the editor of the Gunnison Republican newspaper and a part owner of the nearby Maple Leaf mine. Sillsville had a population of 75 - 100, a store, 2 saloons, a post office, a school, and 20 cabins. The Maple Leaf mine had a shaft house, bunk house, boarding house, and a 3 story stamp mill. By 1907, the mining companies had left Sillsville.
In 1926, Sillsville was briefly revived when the Alaska and Yukon mines were opened. The revival did not last long and Sillsville was abandoned for the final time.
Today, the only remaining Sillsville building is on a private ranch, but you can see it from the road. The Maple Leaf mine is nearby and the road at the cache location leads to the mine ruins.
Information primarily taken from “The Gunnison Country” by Duane Vandenbusche (1980).
| Post Office 1911 by Fred Winters |
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Sillsville 2011 |
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| Maple Leaf Mine 2011 |
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Building Closeup |
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| Maple Leaf Mine 2011 |
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Maple Leaf Mine 2011 |
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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!!