The Elk Mountain pilot., 1902-06-17
COLORADO VOLCANOES
HUGE GRAND RIVER LAVA BED.
Seen From the Denver & Rio Grande
Railroad-lmmense Crater One
Thousand Feet Deep-Indians
Have a Tradition Of an Eruption.

In view of the recent volcanic dis
turbances in Martinique, among the
sights of particular interest along the
Taylor state road between Glenwood
Springs and Gypsum are the lava bed
and extinct volcanic crater at the east
ern end of the canon of the Grand,
says correspondent of the Denver
News. No name has ever been given
to this formation.
The lava lies in vast black bed
somewhat higher than the grade Of
the railroad which skirts it, extending
several miles up the valley and across
its entire breadth. When it came
down from the crater in it's molten
state it formed a dam which backed
the Grand river up and formed lake.
traces of which are still in existence.
The sudden cooling caused by its con-
tact with the river shaped the molten
mass into all sorts of grotesque figures
standing above the general level of the
bed.
Some agency, probably the steam
arising from the water, formed in the
mass large subterranean chambers, not
unlike great unbroken bubbles. A
number of these chambers are COLI
nected by small natural passages. The
walls of chambers and passages are
hung with stalactites some of them
eight and ten feet in length, but not
larger in circumference than an ordi-
nary lead pencil.
There are evidences that these cham
bers were at one time used as habita-
tions probably by Indians, many abo-
riginal relics being found in them.
Skeletons of human beings have also
been found.
Portions of the beds have in the
early days been located by prospect
ors for gold and silver, ana some
good assays have been obtained. The
ground has been found to carry values
in spots only, however, and Is not of
sufficient average value to pay for
mining and smelling, and as a mining
proposition has been abundantly
proven delusion.
The theory was advanced few
years ago by some Leadville men that
since this mass no doubt had been
boiling for ages while in the crater
from which 1t originated, the specific
gravity of the gold and silver had
caused these precious metals to settle
liz the bottom of this vast crucible.
The top of the Stag having poured Off
to form this lava bed, they argued that
the immense button of precious metal
had settled at the bottom of the crater
and that by sinking through the crater
they would arrive at mine of fabu-
lous wealth. They spent thousands of
dollars sinking a shaft, but finally con-
cluded that the possibility Of having
to dig to the center of the earth was
too appalling and operations ceased.
The lava bed is covered in spots
with sage brush. some deposit of earth
having formed on its top. The sur
rounding hills also show traces of the
lava, black streaks appearing in their
otherwise red and yellow sides.
The crater Is located one mile up
from the main thoroughfare through
the valley and can easily be reached in
been built up its sides and down into
the crater itself, which is about 1000
feet deep and a half mile long by II
quarter of mile in width. Three of
the sides are abrupt, but can be
climbed, while the side toward the
bed is a gentle slope.
Settlers in the valley tell stories of
the days when the Rio Grande road
was built through the valley. Slight
earthquakes are still not unusual in
the vicinity. One morning there was
more than ordinarily severe shock
and every Italian on the grade left his
job. They thought of old Nesuvius at
home and were unwilling to trust
themselves to the tender mercies OF
an unknown volcano.
The last eruption of the volcano
must have occurred only few hun
dred years ago, for when the first
white settlers came into the valley the
Utes told them that their old men re-
membered the time when heap big
fire" came down the mountains.