Crystal River Saga: Lore of the Colorado Rockies — John Shaqi
Crystal River Saga: Lore of the Colorado RockiesFrancis, Theresa V.
History
Crystal River Saga: Lore of the Colorado Rockies
Francis, Theresa V.
Crystal River (Colo.); Gunnison County (Colo.) -- History; Marble industry and trade -- Colorado -- Gunnison County
The Loudermilks and the Frank Rehs, formerly of Washington, D. C., now
of Glenwood Springs, Colo., are undertaking a vast land development (700
acres) two miles below Marble paralleling the Crystal River. This is
primarily a subdivision for home sites, consisting of approximately 75
tracts that have been surveyed and filed with the Gunnison County
recorder. Part of their program calls for an airstrip 5,200 feet long
(3,800 feet now completed) and a small business district consisting of
hangars, gas pumps, restaurant, curio shop, et cetera.
The Basic Chemical Corporation was organized by Carl Morse in the early
1950s. They bought the Old (Marble) Mill Site from Elmer Bair and
installed a rock crusher, intending to make a number of products from
the marble left there by the Vermont Co. These were to include marble
chips for roofs, smaller pieces for macadam and cement work, chicken
grits, dust for strengthening and whitening plaster, and fertilizer for
sweeting sour ground.
This was not as successful as it was hoped it would be, and was leased
to Vance Baker of Grand Junction in 1957. He now runs it during the
summer months and confines most of the work to the making of marble
chips. He expects to enlarge his operations to the point where he can
cut and sell building blocks, using the trimmings for chips.
The Crystal River flows on down the valley another 3½ miles through
Prospect Ranch, once a part of the Osgood Estate of Redstone, purchased
from it by the Darien Brothers—Henry, James, and Gus. Now it is a
popular summer resort, Prospect Ranch Cabins, owned by Jim and Gus
Darien and run by the Gus Dariens of Carbondale.
Any article or series of articles treating of the advantages of the
Crystal River Valley as a vacationing playground would not be complete
without mentioning one of the prettiest camping and fishing spots in the
state, Bogan Flats—located five miles below Marble. The Forestry
Department supplies the tables, seats, fireplaces, and restrooms. There
are many quiet nooks in the river where the ingenious trout lurks and
seldom does any fisherman go away empty-handed.
Next, the river flows through Chair Mountain Ranch, also once a part of
the Osgood Estate. The Earl Z. McCullys bought it from Mrs. Lucille
Osgood McDonald in 1943, had it ready to open as a guest ranch in 1947,
and ran it as such until the fall of 1952 when they sold it to the Ray
Somers of Mountain View, Calif., and Mr. and Mrs. (formerly Mrs. Lola
Kemp) C. H. Patterson of Farmington, N. Mex.
[Illustration: PERFECT MARBLE CORE—this speaks more eloquently for
quality of marble produced up Yule Canyon than any words possibly
could. In “pulling” cores they usually break at much shorter
lengths.
—_Photo by_ Henry L. Johnson, Marble, Colo.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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