The first prospectors arrived in the summer of 1879 over Pearl Pass, staked some claims and decided to winter at the site of Ashcroft. The town’s boom followed in 1882 when Jacob Sands and partners found rich ore in the Montezuma-Tam O’Shanter mines and obtained their financing from Horace Tabor. The town’s favorite story is of the big day in the spring of 1883 when the Silver King arrived on an inspection trip with his bride, Baby Doe. A twenty-four hour celebration was held, including a banquet, ball and free drinks at the thirteen saloons. Ashcroft’s fortunes followed the pattern of other small silver camps with minor variations. Its uniqueness today stems from later developments. The Stuart Maces established the most unusual lodge in Colorado there after World War II. They specialized in Toklat Husky dogs, conducting dogsled rides in winter and kennel tours in summer. Toklat Lodge has become internationally famous. Although the Mace’s own building is new, they have tried to foster preservation of the old buildings. In 1960 fifteen of these were still standing, despite the fact that the heavy snows were felling them fast. The Forest Service had established six camp sites nearby with tables and garbage cans but were ignoring everything historical. Ashcroft is also unique because some of its old buildings were used in filming of the Sergeant Preston TV series, popular about 1956-’57. (_History of the Roaring Fork Valley can be more easily understood if the visitor reads_ Famous Aspen _and_ Glenwood’s Early Glamor.) ASHCROFT WAS A BIGGER TOWN THAN ASPEN Ashcroft had two outlets; one over the passes, Taylor and Cottonwood, to Buena Vista’s railhead, the other over Pearl Pass to Crested Butte. [Illustration: Franz Berko, 1958] _From Leadville_ [Illustration] Independence is the town of many names—and yet it never had an official post office of “Independence!” It happened this way: the camp was started in the spring of 1879 by a group of prospectors from Leadville, headed by Billy Belden. They found an excellent gold placer at the head of the Roaring Fork and settled down to mine. They called the placer and their camp Belden. On the Fourth of July they made another big strike a few yards away and in their jubilation renamed their holdings, Independence, because of the day. Meanwhile their camp had attracted newcomers who were resented by the first arrivals, and feuds began to flare. The placer claims led to lode discoveries, and by 1880 the Farwell Company of Leadville had secured a dozen of the best properties. They began construction of a mill. At the same time a town promoter, William Kinkead, moved in and changed the name to Chipeta in honor of Chief Ouray’s wife. In January, 1881, he secured a postmaster’s job for himself with a post office called Sidney.