The RecPath to Copper Mountain was once a narrow-gauge rail line, which means that the width size varied from 1.5 feet to just over 3 feet, while the standard-gauge railroad we use today is about 4 feet 8.5 inches. Narrow gauge was revolutionary for its time and is more typically used in mountainous regions, such as this, because the smaller narrow gauge steam engines could traverse steep mountainsides and very sharp curves much better than standard gauge could. This line was the South Park & Pacific Railroad and later was the Colorado & Southern. The last passenger car passed through Frisco in 1937, and the tracks were torn up afterward.
The Juno Lode, where you now stand, was Frisco's first silver mine. Swedish immigrant Henry Recen built the first cabin of Frisco here in the 1870s, pictured above, and returned home to Sweden to bring his brothers back to Colorado.
The Juno was in the Recen family for many years. Pictured above is Henry Recen Sr., Clyde Recen, and Henry Recen Jr. with some mining tools, courtesy of the June Ann Recen Kingston Collection at the Frisco Historic Park and Museum.
During the Juno's final years of operation, there were several notable incidents. While under the management of Mayor Henry Heckman, as he went to start the mining machinery one day, he was electrocuted and ended up having several toes and a finger amputated from the burn severity. Just a year later, a rockslide crushed the powder magazine around the corner from the Juno. Thankfully, the magazine was empty and did not combust.
Along the RecPath, and just behind you, you will notice a wooden post with a number and the title of the mine it marks. The numbers correlate to the chapter of the mine's history as found in The Mines of Frisco and Beyond. To learn more, stop by the Frisco Historic Park & Museum. Copies of the hiking guide are sold in the gift shop. The museum is open Tuesdays-Sundays from 10:00am-5:00pm and is free!