Red Cliff, Colorado

Red Cliff

Red Cliff, named for the surrounding red quartzite cliffs surrounding town, is a beautiful quiet mountain town in Colorado. 20 miles North of Leadville, this once booming mining town has a vibe all of its own. It’s small, rugged population add to the charm of this little, steep valley town. The views are absolutely amazing. And so are the numerous stories.

The cliffs themselves carry Legends. One legend is known as “Lover’s Leap”. The Cliff soaring above the valley was said to be the place that star-crossed lovers jumped to eternal life together. The story of the lovers starts as most love stories do with happiness and unending loveo. An Arapahoe man fell into love with a Ute woman. Forbidden by the ‘at war’ tribes, the brave couple ran away on a horse. When the Ute tribe persued them to retrieve the girl, they didn’t separate, but instead rode off the Cliff and into the next world together.

Then history tells other stories, not so magical.

As with most remote towns, the Colorado history of indians turned to Mining history. In the late 1800s, The rising conflict between the Army, the Ute indians and the agent for the reservation, Nathan Meeker, led to the Meeker Massacre in 1879. Meeker was trying to force the Utes into farming and called in the army to assist with the trouble makers. Cheif Douglas and other warriors k’lled Meeker and 7 other members of the agency. This incident led to the evacuation of the Utes into Utah reservations. For a time, fear spread and new towns stood still.

Mr. Arnett, a prospector, camped at the site in 1870 heard rumors that a ranch nearby had been attacked and burned. The fear of an attack felt imminent and he took action. Hearing that a band of Utes were coming up the river to fight, Arnett build a fort quickly and stayed near the junction of Turkey Creek to protect the settlement. When the residents stayed near the fort for several days, no incidents arose and the alarm faded. Life returned to normal for the settlers and the town began to grow. The photo of the tock mound from the Denver Library was taken in 1880. The mound is still there, and there is a flag on top, I didn’t get a current photo!

The Mining, homesteading and economic depression, lead to the spread of the miners up the valleys not explored much before. The railroad reached the area in 1881, bringing with it homesteaders and business folk. This entire section of highway 24 is a must see. And research….

Red Cliff was originally in Summit County, but relocated it’s county seat to Eagle county in 1921. Red Cliff is the oldest town in Eagle County. Established in 1879 it once contained all that you would expect from a mining town including saloons, bank, hotels, sawmills, grocery stores, school, post office, theatre and more.

With the lack of a water system, fires continually destroyed parts of the town. In 1887 they began building the water system. By 1900 Mining was declining and it’s residents moved to other towns nearby. Those that stayed built the community was it is now. The railroad truss in the middle of town spanned across the river and is just as impressive as the green bridge is today. A drive along Water Street takes you through town. We didn’t explore too much yesterday as the town was hard at work clearing snow. Not the first or last time we’ll visit though! The cemetery is on my list next spring.

The dominating feature off the town can be easy to miss going North on highway 24 if you’re not watching for it, and that is the the stunning green bridge. I definitely recommend driving over it and under it. The bridge carries highway 24 over the Eagle River across a deep gorge. Photos will never do justice too this bridge. It spans 471 feet across the valley from Cliff to Cliff. Standing 200 feet below it is a another bridge for the railroad tracks below that. There are only 2 steel Arch bridges in Colorado and this is one of them. The Cantilevered Steel Arch Bridge was Designed by King Burghardt and built by contractor P.M. Kenney, The bridge was completed in 1940. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

I am absolutely over the moon any time I arrive at Red Cliff and plan too spend more time the in the future.

Disclaimer, I’m not a historian, scholar or writer. Ask my high school teachers, they’ll confirm that. I do my best to find information and I’m always open to edits and corrections when needed. I have a love for cemeteries and ghost towns. Cemeteries are full of stories, sometimes I can find them, sometimes I can’t!