Road Trip! Blast To The Past
Venturing Off The Beaten Path To Discover Marble And Crystal
Story and photos by Reid Neureiter
For the GPHN
Near the top of any list of iconic Colorado photographs is the famous Crystal Mill. This dilapidated 19th century wooden structure is perched precariously on a rock outcrop 20 feet above the Crystal River in the central Rockies, a wooden shaft and ladders descending to the water below. Aspen trees surround.
In Gunnison County, six miles from the quarry town of Marble, the Crystal Mill was part of the mining community of Crystal, now a mostly-deserted ghost town along the river. The wooden structure is not actually a mill, but used to house a power plant for the Sheep Mountain mining tunnel.
According to a 1996 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the building was constructed in 1893. It contained a horizontal wooden water wheel, turned by two one-inch water jets at the base of a shaft at river level which powered a large air compressor. Power was transmitted via a steel driveshaft up to the gear house, then to the compressor. Air was carried to a mine entrance via a three-inch iron pipe.
The compressed air both powered air drills and provided ventilation for the 1,500-foot-long mining tunnel. The mill operated until sometime in the 1920s.
The mill itself is on private land and not open to the public. Until last year, visitors could pay a small fee and walk down the river bank from the road to get better views (and photographs) of the historic building. But last July, access to the riverbank was blocked by the owner to prevent trespassing and vandalism. Nevertheless, the mill can still be viewed and photographed from the rocky and precarious 4×4 road that leads 4.5 miles and rises 850 vertical feet from just outside the town of Marble.
The road to the Crystal Mill can be hiked or driven with a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle. In addition, outfitters in Marble will rent rugged ATV’s or side-by-sides for a two-hour outing to the site. Guided jeeps tours are also an option.
The small town of Marble itself is worth a visit. South of Glenwood Springs and west of Aspen, Marble is the home of a nearby stone quarry that is the source of the famous Yule Creek marble. The pristine white stone was used for the exterior of the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C.
Within the town proper is a historic mill site, where one can walk among the remnants of buildings that once housed machinery for cutting the marble stone. The road leading to the quarry goes over a culvert lined with enormous blocks of marble. A “community rock pile” just outside the quarry entrance has large shards of the stone free for the taking.
The town is home to a number of marble artisans selling everything from marble cutting boards to elaborate sculptures. Marble is also home to the renowned Slow Groovin barbeque restaurant, serving succulent pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches.
Marble is 197 miles (and about 3.75 hours) from Denver, due south of Carbondale off of Colorado State Highway 133. More information about Jeep tours of Crystal Mill can be found at smithfamilycolorado.com/CRJT/. Utility vehicles can be rented for a self-guided tours from RPS Rentals in Marble, facebook.com/rpsutvs/.
