The Red Book: A History of Eagle County
"A History of Eagle County", also called The Red Book, is a compilation scrapbook written and produced by county school children in the 1940s. Each town in the area was given a chapter and provided information and pictures about industries, important people, local organizations, daily life, and the early growth of each town. Explore the chapters below to learn more about the history of Eagle County! See this collection in EVLD's Catalog!
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- Chapter 6: Red Cliff
- Red Cliff, Colorado is one of the oldest towns in Eagle County beginning in 1879. The town was the original county seat until 1921, after the fourth and final election deciding to move to Eagle. Red Cliff was bolstered in its early days by a booming mining business, hotels, and travelers through the mountains. Red Cliff's immediate neighbor was the now-abandoned mining town of Gilman, which was shut down by the EPA in the 1980s and declared a Superfund site. The town of Minturn annexed this land and is now Red Cliff's closest neighboring town. This chapter is a relic of the time itself: Red Cliff was given the longest chapter of the entire Red Book and features 'essays' or stories written by citizens at the time. The move of the county seat was still fresh in the 1940's (and is still to this day to some residents). This chapter includes original photographs and stories from the town in a different era.
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- Chapter 7: Gilman
- Gilman, Colorado, is now an abandoned mining town perched on a high cliff viewable from Highway 24 between Red Cliff and Minturn, CO. Its history dates back to the beginning of the state and mining has always been its chief industry. The mining changed over the years as well, from silver and gold, to zinc, lead, and other precious metals. The 1930s through 1950s were years of prosperity for the small company town and its residents; at one time, Gilman had its own hospital, school, post office, and recreational activities for residents such as ice skating. After the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1964, Gilman and other mining areas like it came under closer scrutiny and the mine was declared an EPA Superfund Site in 1984 with its residents ordered to relocate. Many went to nearby Red Cliff or Minturn. Today, the town is a heavily fenced off area that is restricted to any and all visitors. EPA clean-up efforts remain in progress.
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- The Red Book: History of Eagle County
- A History of Eagle County is a compilation written by county school children and their teacher in scrapbook form. Each local community was given a section making eighteen sections total, covering Red Cliff to Basalt.