Tink Arroyo remembers in 1939 when his father got on a bus to Denver to enter the draft before World War II. When authorities discovered that Arroyo’s father and the other men were coal miners from Mt. Mining town of Harris, they were sent back to the Yampa Valley.
“They told them, ‘Your job is more important than getting into the project,’†Arroyo recalled. “All of our fathers wanted to go to war, but they had to stay here and work in the coal mine. We wouldn’t be here without it.
On Sunday Arroyo returned to where he was born in ancient Mt. Harris mining town for the first time since it closed in 1958. He took a gravel road along the Yampa River to where the house he grew up was.
“It’s a little exciting but yet sad. Lonely but yet exhilarating, â€Arroyo said of his return to the site. “I can see the people and the environment, the location. The memories in my head come to life.
Now living in Thorton, Arroyo was one of many former residents of the mining town who gathered on Sunday for the 118th annual Routt County Pioneer Picnic, hosted this year by the Hayden Heritage Center.
The annual event also kicked off a larger project to tell the story of the city over time, tracking how it evolved, the people who lived there and eventually its demise.
The center recognized the mines that helped build Routt County ahead of skiing, but this year they were able to hold the event in plain sight of the city. Near milepost 114 on US Highway 40, a traffic sign announces the ancient presence of mines in the valley, and just down a gravel road once stood a rugged town – at the time, the most populated by Routt County.
Mount. Harris was one of four mining towns that stretched along US 40 just west of Milner. From 1914 to 1958, up to 2,000 people lived in the company-run town, slightly less than Hayden’s current population.
The town had long rows of white houses, barns for dairy cows along the Yampa, a general store, a billiard room, a barber shop, a post office, and even a bandstand. In 1916 there was also a school with four classes.
The miners came from all over the world, with immigrants from Mexico, Italy, Greece, Eastern Europe and England working in the three neighboring mines. The camp was separate, with black residents living on the western end.
When the mine closed in 1958, the city quickly collapsed with it, machinery and even houses were auctioned off. Some of these homes are still scattered throughout the valley today, including many in Hayden, Craig, and Old Town Steamboat.
“You probably wouldn’t even recognize them because some people have remodeled them,†said Laurel Watson, director of the Hayden Heritage Center.
Historic Routt County, working with the center, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the current owners, are now working to document the growth, life, and eventual demise of the mining town.
Emily Katzman, executive director of historic Routt County, said the project was actually two information-gathering efforts. Watson works to speak with former residents or deceased miners to record their memories of the mine.
“The museum will be doing an oral history where we record a lot of those stories and then there will be connections between the house owners,†Watson said.
Pete Morales, 90, worked in Mt. The Harris Mine and the Victor American Mine, which was the site of a deadly methane explosion in 1942, killing 34 miners. He returns frequently but still scans panoramic images of the area vigorously as he attempts to locate his old home.
“It was near where the postmaster lived,†Morales said as his finger turned black with the ink in the photo as he searched.
The other part of the project is to locate the 63 houses that were auctioned off when the city closed in 1958. Katzman said she doesn’t know how many were still there, but the project hopes to find out.
Greg Rawlings filled out a form for a house project he owns in Old Town Steamboat. Since owning the house it has also been said to be an ancient Mt. Harris at home. On Sunday, Rawlings and his daughter studied a panoramic photo of the area at the time to see if any of the tiny houses looked familiar.
“It’s one of those things; it may or may not be, â€Rawlings said. “Maybe it’s just tradition.”
There are also likely homes in one of the three other mining towns in the area called McGregor, Coal View, and Bear River.
The goal of the project would be to show a map of how the city has changed over time, Katzman said. It will begin in 1914 and will show how the city grew and then shrunk before disappearing completely. The final map would show where some of the houses are today.
The hope is that they can link some of the oral histories Watson is working to collect with any of the houses they are able to follow.
Katzman said projects like this are important because they still have the opportunity to record this story while many people who lived through it are still able to share their stories, and many of those homes are still dotted around. in the neighborhoods.
“Ultimately, coal was a big part of the development and economic culture of our community,†Katzman said. “I think it’s really important to document this. “
To reach Dylan Anderson, call 970-871-4247 or email [email protected].
