Crystal Mill
September 22, 2012 - The picturesque Crystal Mill is one of the most photographed sites in Colorado. The Mill is set on an outcropping of rock just above the Crystal River. Historically speaking, the Mill was known as the “Sheep Mountain Power House”, and was located on the Lost Horse Millsite. The “Mill” is technically not a mill at all, but rather a hydroelectric building. It is commonly referred to though as “The Crystal Mill”.
The Mill was built in 1893, and it harnessed the river to power the air compressor housed inside. Early engineers had built a dam across the river, which funneled water down the vertical penstock (the ladder-like structure) onto a horizontal wheel, which drove an axle in the penstock. The penstock powered the air compressor. In turn, the enormous compressor ran drills in the nearby Sheep Mountain and Bear Mountain mines. The drills were used to bore holes in the mine walls for the placement of dynamite. The Mill closed its operations in 1917.
The Crystal Mill is located 6 miles east of Marble, just before the ghost town of Crystal. It is reachable only in the summer and fall months by a rough, one-lane, 4-wheel-drive road.
Crystal Mill
September 22, 2012 - The picturesque Crystal Mill is one of the most photographed sites in Colorado. The Mill is set on an outcropping of rock just above the Crystal River. Historically speaking, the Mill was known as the “Sheep Mountain Power House”, and was located on the Lost Horse Millsite. The “Mill” is technically not a mill at all, but rather a hydroelectric building. It is commonly referred to though as “The Crystal Mill”.
The Mill was built in 1893, and it harnessed the river to power the air compressor housed inside. Early engineers had built a dam across the river, which funneled water down the vertical penstock (the ladder-like structure) onto a horizontal wheel, which drove an axle in the penstock. The penstock powered the air compressor. In turn, the enormous compressor ran drills in the nearby Sheep Mountain and Bear Mountain mines. The drills were used to bore holes in the mine walls for the placement of dynamite. The Mill closed its operations in 1917.
The Crystal Mill is located 6 miles east of Marble, just before the ghost town of Crystal. It is reachable only in the summer and fall months by a rough, one-lane, 4-wheel-drive road.