Keystone
Who-Would-Guess Tales from Keystone Colorado
By The Walsh Group

Today, as we skim over the surface of the glistening white slopes near Keystone, Colorado resort real estate, few of us would guess the hidden past deep beneath our boards.  Tall tales of past residents of Summit County real estate may not fall upon the ears of the occasional skier relishing a weekend getaway near Keystone real estate.  But escapades from the 1800s—counts of early miners, big money, and lawlessness—have been handed down through old timers.  Some are captured straight out in print.

Mary Ellen Gilliland put together Colorado Rascals, Scoundrels, and No Goods, an entertaining array of some of the crooked footprints through Breckenridge real estate, Frisco real estate, Dillon real estate, Silverthorne real estate, and Keystone real estate way back when.  Actually, one of the stories is a sample of life around old Keystone real estate. 

In the book, Theodore Newman, the Montezuma town marshal at the time, drawls through a hilarious account of life in these parts.  His greatest survival tool, it seems, was his sense of humor.  Par for the course, he dealt with unimaginable schemes and the cunning Gassy Thompson was responsible for many of them.  The last story about Thompson, the marshal recalls, began when some naďve Eastern investors hired the fellow to blast a mine tunnel in the Horseshoe Gulch area through Ruby Mountain.  When snowstorms stopped his progress, he proudly showed the three investors the snow-covered opening to the new “mine”, they paid him a hearty sum, and he promptly skipped out to San Juan not waiting a second for the snow to melt. 

Newman investigated fake salt mines where gullible Eastern gentlemen had bought into mining investments.  Well, they were supposedly investing in a rich ore which was actually sometimes only spray-painted on with gold powder obtained by melting gold coins from the U.S. Treasury.  There were parlors and deception galore—some practices even became acceptable as a way of life in these parts.  After all, those poor miners were paid such a low wage for risking their lives in mining in the Colorado Rockies. 

Seems that many miners made a hobby of pilfering from the owners of the mines.  Ore-laden lunch boxes, hats, boots, and vests, concealed larger pieces.  But ingenious smugglers even carried gold flakes in overly greasy hair and in body crevices as well.  Owners eventually caught on and required showers and inspections at the end of the day.  .

Who would guess during today’s annual Nike Summit Trail Running Series, that includes races through Horseshoe Gulch (~8K/~16K) that winged tennis shoes are flying over the records of these misdeeds?  A short course starts right at Horseshoe Gulch, crosses the river, climbs the hill, heads towards Keystone Ranch, cuts sharply south and reconnects with Horseshoe Gulch. 

A long course (~12K) starts at Horseshoe Gulch, crosses the river, heads east on Colorado Trail towards West Ridge, takes Red Trail towards Keystone Ranch/Yurts, and goes south to reconnect to Horseshoe Gulch.   A speedy racer recently won a third straight race and she probably never dreamed of the pranks that shaped the ground underfoot.  Sometimes it’s best to simply enjoy the journey and keep a sense of humor.