Letter from Charlotte Hamity
Mining History – January 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
Ed:
Even though Leadville had a lot of railroads, there was also a tramway nearby [in reference to the review of Riding the High Wire: Aerial Mine Tramways in the West, in the November 2001 edition]. It was up and beyond Halfmoon Creek Road and ran between the Champion Mill and the Champion Mine which was farther up on the top of the mountain.
I sent out Christmas cards several years ago with a picture of a painting I did of the mill. I included notes about it but now I don’t remember where I got the information. There was a tramway that carried ore from the mine down to the mill with gravity as the power and only brakemen running it.
Some people say that you can see the remains of the mill from Independence Pass, but I can’t verify that. However, the mill is still there and it is huge with several levels. You can get there in a Jeep if you know what you are doing. I went up on the back of a neighbor’s motor bike. There is still some large machinery inside.
Charlotte Hamity
Leadville