Alley Belle Mine
By 1880, the mountains around Chalk Creek Canyon were dotted with mines, and the surrounding forests had been cleared. The Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad still ran across the Rocky Mountains, and the ore from the Allie Belle Mine slid straight from the wooden loading chute into the wagons — down into the valley for further processing.
Today, this loading chute leans at an almost surreal angle over the path where the railway line once ran. Avalanches and landslides have long since torn the remaining buildings from their foundations. Since 1926, when the railway line was dismantled and Hancock finally died, the forest has reclaimed the land.
The moon was still in the sky when the photograph was taken.


























