Lake City Visit-April 26-29

Monarch Pass

Avalanche below the Ute Ulay

Outside the Matterhorn

Hinsdale County Commissioners

By Grant Pound
In late April I drove to Lake City to make community connections for the Hardrock Revision project. I drove through a series of snowstorms, hail, rain and general navigational challenges. Monarch pass was a near white out and the store that’s up there was still mostly covered, but it looks like they have started to dig it out. The snow continued in Lake City until we had about eight inches of wet stuff. I sort of regret having taken off my snow tires.

The next day there was a terrific avalanche just below the Ute Ulay mine, the site of the Hardrock Revision project. Snow and ice pushed through a narrow chute and ended up about 80 feet deep and across Henson Creek.

In the afternoon I met with the Hinsdale County commissioners–Stan Whinnery, Cindy Dozier and Allen Brown. I told them about what we are doing with the Hardrock Revision project and how we wanted to connect the team with the community. The commissioners were very receptive and agreed to help find those people who would participate in the July-August program. There are four levels of participation:
I.              Team Member. These two folks will be directly part of the team and join in all the same interviews, tours, brainstorming sessions as the rest. They will help with the visioning and presentation of the vision at the Artposium on August 13, 2011.

II.            Interviewee. These individuals will meet with the team and provide their perspective on life in Hinsdale County, attitudes about mining and the mine, and other community issues.

III.          Test Group. Once ideas have been roughed out, we will use these people to test those ideas for common sense, practicality, and desirability.

IV.           Kvetchers. These individuals will have no direct  connection with the project but will complain about the results when we are finished.


I am writing up a description and requirements for particiapation that I will send to the commissioners, Kristie Borchers (director of Lake City DIRT), and newspaper publisher Grant Houston.

I met with the editor/publisher of the Silver World Newspaper, Grant Houston and outlined the project for him. He was also in attendance at the commissioners meeting.

I also met with included P. David Smith, historian and publisher. David and his wife run Western Reflections Publishing Company  and David has written a great many books on the history of the San Juan Mountains.

David Smith was found at the Mocha Moose complaining about Ph.D.s with fellow Ph.D. and coffee shop owner,  Kris Pedersen.  It seems like a coffee shop is a good place for people to find out about the Hardrock Revision project.

Elk outside Lake City