The town of Marble is an amazing place. Huge chunks of marble lie all over town, even in the river. Marble from this area was used to build the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknowns.
In the midst of the old mill now sits an ice rink.
Even the picnic tables in the park are marble!
Our goal today is to get to Crystal Mill. I have wanted to see this for a long time, and Phil volunteered to drive the terrible 5-mile road from Marble to the tiny town of Crystal. We were pretty lucky not to run into too many people going the other way, which would involve a lot of backing up. 
Wow! Here it is! The Mill was not really a mill, but a power generating station. It did not generate electrical power, but used a water turbine to drive an air compressor. The compressed air was then used to power other machinery or tools.
Back in those days, the river was dammed up.
Another view from river level. The mill is reputed to be the most photographed site in the state.
Instead of going back the way we came, Phil wanted to go back through Lead King Basin. It was longer, but more scenic and the road was supposed to be better. Hmmmmmm.....At one point, we had to drive through the river.
Up, up, up we went!
Through it all, Phil kept smiling.
Hmmm. It all does look familiar. Love the movie! That was exciting!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of the Mill.
ReplyDeleteWhat an adventure!!
Oh My Gosh! You are one awesome gal!! I live in Carbondale and was searching blog search for some Marble, CO stuff. We just drove up to check the Fall colors out a week ago. Came across your page just today. Looks like so much fun and sounds like a great life. Can I come along?
ReplyDelete