Iron-willed men dug for gold. A hundred and fifty years later, two brothers dig there, too, and find gold of their own.
Colorado joined the Union when it became our nation's 38th state on August 1, 1876, but this was hardly its beginning. Within its borders, a cultural and industrial revolution was already well underway. Perhaps this was no more evident than in the northwest corner of the state on land that would become Routt County. The men and women of this time truly experienced it all. Cultural tension, a construction boom, economic and infrastructure development, politics, fraudsters, fire, harsh weather, lawsuits, a religious uprising, and, of course, countless prospectors and gold miners looking to strike it rich are just a handful of the factors that drove this transformation.
First, this book aims to provide a written, factual record of the broad events described above, with a heavy emphasis on the involvement of John V. Farwell, a highly successful businessman of deep faith, integrity, and high moral regard, and the lasting legacy he left in the region. With his substantial investment in gold mining claims, a mining camp, wagon roads, and the mind-boggling engineering feat that was the seventeen-mile-long Farwell Ditch, Farwell established what is considered to be the first wage-paying enterprise on Colorado's western slope, and his impact would be felt for decades. Much of this incredible history was nearly lost. To the best of my ability, this book aims to provide a detailed and accurate account of many historic, intertwining events that contributed to Routt County's rich past.
Second, this book tells the fascinating story of how the Farwell Ditch was discovered by chance by distant family members of John V. Farwell, nearly 150 years after it was constructed. Piecing together not only a significant part of Colorado's history, but also an unknown part of our own family's history, has been the adventure of a lifetime. Years of boots-on-the-ground research and diving into historical records led to a treasure of our own, resulting in a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
