Picayne Gulch, Placer Gulch and Mineral Point
4WD Trails

The Making of Rick Russell's San Juan Mountain 4WD Trails Video, Part 2

by The Flatlander for

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The group parked in front of the Mayflower Mine

For the second day of the the Rick Russell Off Highway San Juan Mountains 4WD Trails Adventure Video we started at the Mayflower Mine just not far out of Silverton toward Animas Forks.  The mine is being preserved by the San Juan County Historical Society and regular tours are offered.  The tour provides some very interesting information on the mining and processing of gold ore. 

The next stop was the site of the Sunnyside Gold Mine that was staked in 1873.  In 1896 the railroad was extended to Sunnyside to haul out the rich gold ore.   In 1899 a mill was built using parts from the Eureka Mill.  A new Mill was built in 1917.  The Sunnyside mine produced a 1000 tons of gold ore a day until it was closed in 1938.

Photo of the Sunnyside Gold Mine and surrounding town as it looked in its heyday.

Rick videos the foundations of the old mine and mill as the rest of the group mills around the historical marker for the site.  Very little of the old town remains.

A few short miles on down the dirt highway 110 we made a hard left and began the steep climb up the Picayne Gulch trail.  Not long after steepest part of the climb subsided we reached an interesting old mine and cabins.  There was still an old stove in the bunkhouse area and the blackened coals that were once used by the blacksmith.

We spent some time exploring the old mine just to the left

S.N.A.P. Production Services Owner and Cameraman, Barry Seybert, videos as Rick and the rest of the group cross the creek flowing out of the closed mineshaft.

There is an impressive view of the old mining operations in Placer Gulch just as you cross the divide between Picayne and Placer.

Barry discovers a critical piece of video equipment, a borrowed umbrella, as he and Rick explore an old building in the rain.

These old stamping heads still clearly show their brand name and manufacture date - Fairbanks Morses, November 29, 1904

The side trip to Mineral Point is rougher and borderline for stock Sport Utility vehicles except for experienced drivers

The boilers for the old mill are still in place.  Looks like they could turn out lots of steam

These massive old cams lifted the stamping rods and then dropped them to pulverize the ore.  Note the massive wood flywheel on the far end

Rick and some others carefully pick their way across the remains of the mill as Barry videos

The Uncompahgre River Valley appears below as we take the lower portion of the Engineer Pass 4WD trail to Highway 550

Barry videos one of Rick's last roadside narratives.
Note the stagehand of last resort, Flatlander, holding the reflector to compensate for a bad sun angle.

We had to leave the next day but Rick hoped to do some additional video taping for his San Juan Mountains 4WD Trails video.

Part 1 of Rick Russell's San Juan Mountain 4WD Trails Video includes Imogene Pass & Ophir Pass.

Rick Russell #15 Silverton, Colorado Video

Other San Juan Mountain Jeep Trails
Alpine Loop - Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass, Carson City | Black Bear | Imogene Pass & Ophir Pass | Poughkeepsie Gulch | Yankee Boy Basin & Governor Basin

Colorado Trail Guidebooks, Trail Maps, and Trail Videos

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