Climax, Colorado

First timer? In this once-a-day blog, I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48). I call this “landing.” I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near. I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location. To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” above.

Dan –  This is pretty funny.  Remember just a couple of days ago when I mentioned that CO and WA were no longer US?  Well, I may have jinxed myself, because today I landed in . . . CO; 56/57 (still US by a whisker!); 4/10; 10; 167.2.  Although I’m right near the Continental Divide, I made the call that the water flows to the west toward a new river, the E Fk of the Eagle.  The E Fk of the Eagle flows to another new river!  You’ll never guess:  the Eagle.  The Eagle then flows into the Colorado . . .

Here’s my landing map:

As you see, I landed near Climax and Kokomo.  Here’s a broader view.  My landing is right in the middle of the state (lat 39 / long 106). 

So, Climax?  From Wiki:

Climax was an unincorporated mining village with a former U.S. Post Office.  Climax was known for its large molybdenum ore deposit.  Climax is now an uninhabited ghost town, located along the Continental Divide at an elevation of about 11,360 feet.

It holds the distinction of being the highest human settlement in the United States, and it holds the record for having had the country’s highest Post Office and the highest railroad station.  After the mine shut down in the mid-1960s, the residential houses were all transported to the West Park subdivision of Leadville, Colorado, leaving only the mining buildings standing.

As I mentioned previously, my landing is close to the continental divide.  In fact, I’ve prepared a map that shows the divide (and was able to straight-faced put the divide exactly through my landing location.)  Is that absolutely true?  I don’t know, but I know that I’m awfully close.  As I mentioned earlier, I assume that I’m actually on the west side of the divide . . .

Climax’s reason for being and its “claim to fame” is its huge deposit of molybdenum ore.  The Climax Mine was the largest molybdenum mine in the world, and for many years (in the first half of the 20^th century) it supplied three-fourths of the world’s supply of the metal.

So, what’s molybdenum and why the demand?  From Wiki:

Molybdenum (from the Greek word for the metal “lead“), is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. It has the eighth-highest melting point of any element.  The ability of molybdenum to withstand extreme temperatures without significantly expanding or softening makes it useful in applications that involve intense heat, including the manufacture of aircraft parts, electrical contacts, industrial motors, and filaments.  Most high-strength steel alloys are .25% to 8% molybdenum.

Here’s a shot of Climax back in the day (1917).  Note that the sign says that the elevation is 11,313 feet.

 

Here’s a shot of a family that lived in Kokomo, which was a residential community for the Climax Mine:

 

What’s with the striped outfits for the boys!?!  I showed this to my wife, Jody, and she said that the mom had some left over fabric from making curtains, and the boys were the big losers . . .

Here’s a winter shot of the mine today:

 

I’ll end with a couple of beautiful scenery shots taken near Climax:

 

 

 KS

Greg

© 2009 A Landing A Day