Ready to discover a place named for a man who stumbled upon paradise? James A Taylor Park might sound like just another green space. But its namesake’s story is intertwined with Colorado’s wild beginnings.
James A Taylor Park owes its name to prospector Jim Taylor. Taylor wasn’t seeking parkland. He rounded up stray horses. This led him to a remote and beautiful region in the summer of 1860. The area became known as Jim Taylor’s Park and later Taylor Park.
This Taylor Park isn’t the Denver park we’re standing in front of today. It is a vast area high in the mountains. It sweeps for 30 miles below the Continental Divide. The park sits west of Aspen and Buena Vista. It stretches 10 miles across a valley. The Taylor River and its streams crisscross it.
Gold fever struck in 1867. Placer mining operations popped up. The area drew miners seeking fortune. They braved the rugged Collegiate Peaks. They sought gold silver lead and zinc.
Imagine the challenges those early miners faced. Steep mountains formed natural barriers. Yet, they persevered driven by the lure of riches. They carved a living from the land.
One notable mining camp near Taylor Park was Pieplant. It got its quirky name from wild rhubarb. The rhubarb grew abundantly along the creek banks. Miners established Pieplant around 1900. Over forty men toiled at the Pieplant mine. The mine stood about a mile from the settlement. By 1903 Pieplant boasted 100 residents a post office and a stamp mill. Four-horse teams hauled ore down Jenkins Mountain. They took it to the mill.
The Woods Mining and Milling Company of Kansas owned the mill. It processed 200 tons of ore daily. This ore came from the Pieplant mine and others nearby. The mill employed 50 men.
The Turret Gold Belt newspaper captured the excitement. A sale of claims near the Woods Gold Mining company caused quite a stir. The tunnel cut a vein 14 feet wide. Some samples contained gold and copper. They were valued at $120 per ton.
The Twin Lakes Miner reported even more promising news. J.W. and M.H. Woods drove a 1700-foot tunnel. The tunnel ran along a gold vein for 1300 feet. The richest gold lay ahead in the tunnel.
Alas the boom didn’t last. By 1908 the veins thinned. Transportation costs rose higher than mining profits. Pieplant was abandoned after 1910. Cows grazed where miners once sought riches.
Today a few cabins and mill ruins remain at Pieplant. They stand as silent reminders of the past. Pieplant Creek still flows nearby. You can search for flakes of gold there.
So while James A Taylor Park in Denver might not have gold mines. It carries the spirit of adventure. It reminds us of a time when prospectors like Jim Taylor roamed Colorado. They shaped its history. They left behind a legacy. A legacy etched in the very landscape.