The real riches in silver ore were being discovered just 16 miles away in a lower elevation mining town called Aspen, where many of Independence’s population moved by the late 1880s. While many prospectors tried their luck staking their own claims to strike it rich, the Farwell Mine was the only real claim that produced significant amounts of gold ore in Independence. However, the town also served as a center for commerce, communication and transportation along the new toll road, so many businesses were opened to support the miners as well as the travelers entering the new mining territory. Like many “company” towns, most residents worked for the mine since it owned the majority of producing claims. By January 1881, both the mine and mill were generating profits, and soon after plans were made to build a second 20 stamp mill (the structure you are standing near) at the portal to the Brown Tunnel. Once summer came again in 1880, the Farwell Consolidated Mining Company started on plans to build a 10 stamp mill as well as dig the Brown Tunnel north from a low point to reach the ore above.
He hoped to follow suit with a third mill on the newly purchased claims of Independence, Legal Tender, Last Dollar and the Geld Placer. Farwell, had already successfully built two mills, one in Georgetown and the other in Leadville. As the snow began to melt and passage over what is now known as Independence Pass was possible, miners began to scour the hill sides looking for gold ore outcrops and staking their claims in the summer of 1879.Ī wealthy Chicago investor, John V. The story of Independence and the Farwell Mill begin after the publication of the Hayden Geologic Survey in the fall of 1878 for the mountainous region that was once part of the Ute Territory. “Welcome to the ghost town of Independence
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