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<br />About the Crystal Valley
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<br />is why they are not listed under wildlife, above, The glow worms may be found in
<br />July on south facing slopes, They are about 3/8's of an inch long, and emit a
<br />greenish glow continuously from one end, Which end I haven't the faintest. Of
<br />course there are all the other usual suspects, but nothing to write home about. In
<br />particular, the mosquitoes are not bad, but they are there,
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<br />Mines, Lots of mines, Two old prospectors still come into the valley every year, an
<br />work a claim on the top of Treasure Mountain, There's a jeep track up the mountai
<br />and they will meet you if you try to cross their claim, With rifles, Anyway, there ar
<br />mines or exploratory shafts everywhere, Most have been sealed, but it is still
<br />possible to come across a few dozen mines in an afternoon of exploring, Try Sheep
<br />Mountain, which is riddled with shafts,
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<br />But it was marble that could be converted to gold, One of the worlds largest
<br />concentrations of marble is in the mountains immediately south of the town of
<br />Marble, Originally, the marble formed a cap about 8 miles in diameter, and several
<br />hundred feet thick. Over time erosion caused it to be exposed in places, In the very
<br />early 1900's, a couple of quarries (actually, they are mines, since the marble is
<br />extracted from within the mountain) began operation, A finishing mill was
<br />established in Marble (aptly named, don't you think?), and the rest, as they say, wa
<br />history, The Yule Marble Quarry produced some of the finest marble in the world
<br />(still does), and the finishing mill was the worlds largest. Marble from Marble was
<br />used in hundreds of buildings, including the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of th
<br />Unknown Soldier. Declining use as a building material, and World War II finally
<br />did in the quarry, and the town of Marble, By 1945 the population of Marble was
<br />down to one hearty or crazy soul. The quarry was reopened in 1990, and continueE
<br />operation today, though the finishing of the stone is done elsewhere,
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<br />The population of the Crystal Valley is probably about 300 hearty souls, all of them
<br />rugged self sufficient individualists. You have to be self sufficient to survive in the
<br />valley - we roar with laughter when visitors ask 'don't you have trouble getting
<br />tradesmen?', Since almost anything can happen at any time, ya gotta be prepared,
<br />and able to cope,
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<br />There are no bars, and only one church, The church was built in Aspen, and
<br />brought over on the back ofa railcar, It is a classically white little church which
<br />inspires lots of people to get married, The pastor is Linda Arocha, who is a real ho(
<br />- you have to go at least once, It is a rare combination of magic and religion,
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<br />There is also a school. the Marble Charter School. Housed in the renovated old
<br />High School building of Marble, the school is parent run and enrolls students from
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<br />kindergarten thru 8th grade, It is one of those rare little gems that are almost
<br />impossible to find anymore, As a charter school (one of the first in Colorado) MCS:
<br />part of the public school system, but is quite independent of the rules and
<br />restrictions of the typical and traditional public school. With two truly gifted
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<br />http://www.marblecolorado.org/about.htm
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<br />3/1 0/2004
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