Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
This place has seen plenty of changes since Charles Senter discovered a deposit of molybdenum on Bartlett Mountain in 1879.
In the early days, Climax was a sleepy depot at the top of a railroad grade. But by World War I there was a . . . — — Map (db m122841) HM
On State Highway 91, on the right when traveling south.
This memorial is the
Property of the State of Colorado
Fremont Pass
On Continental Divide between
Arkansas and Blue River drainages
Altitude 11,316 feet
Western boundary of the Louisiana
Purchase of 1803.
Named . . . — — Map (db m128033) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
Colorado 91 is now a well-engineered modern highway, but driving over Fremont Pass wasn't always as safe or convenient as it is today.
The silver mining boom created a population of more than 30,000 people in Leadville by 1879, making it the . . . — — Map (db m122827) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
The sound of a train whistle was music to the ears of a miner spending the winter on Fremont Pass. Up until just before World War II, Colorado 91 was a dirt track that was closed six months a year, and the railroad was the mine’s only link with the . . . — — Map (db m122839) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
It's only a memory now, but the community of Climax was once called home by several generations of Colorado mining families.
In its early years, Climax struggled to keep quality employees. Cold and snow, isolation and high altitude sent many . . . — — Map (db m122837) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
In the 1940's and 50's, Climax not only had the highest post office and standard-gauge railroad in the nation, but also one of the state's premier ski areas. The trails of the first area in Colorado to be lit for night skiing were located on the . . . — — Map (db m122836) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
One of the most significant technological advances in Climax Mine history was the implementation of block-cave mining in 1927. It cut the production cost of molybdenum in half, keeping the mine open (and profitable) through the grim years of the . . . — — Map (db m122838) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
Eighty years of mining operations on Fremont Pass disturbed more than five square miles of land and altered the course of a stream. As of 2009, Climax Molybdenum Company had spent nearly $50 million on land reclamation and water treatment. Not a . . . — — Map (db m122835) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
During World War II, the Fremont Station of the Harvard College Observatory on Ceresco Ridge was strictly off-limits to mine employees.
No one knew what went on there.
But Mine Superintendent Jack Abrahms regularly left his office so . . . — — Map (db m122831) HM
Near Colorado Route 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
By the time Charles Senter staked his claims on Bartlett Mountain in 1879, the trout were gone from Ten Mile Creek. It had been altered by smelting and mining that took place long before Climax began operations. Today, the trout are back.
. . . — — Map (db m122749) HM
Near State Highway 91, 11 miles south of Interstate 70, on the right when traveling south.
A whole lot of Colorado history has happened right here on top of Fremont Pass. And it all happened because of a metal most people have trouble pronouncing.
Molybdenum (moll-ib-den-um) is used to harden steel.
More molybdenite ore (the . . . — — Map (db m122900) HM