Planet Leadville

20/08/2025

The tents are pitched and the U.S. Forest Service - PSICC National Forest parking corral in is nearly empty as personnel for the La Plata Fire west of Twin Lakes doubled overnight. 🌎⭐️ Here’s the latest from officials as of 1 p.m. 8/20/2025
🔥La Plata Wildfire Update
Size: 54 acres
Containment: 0%
Total Personnel: Approximately 90 personnel. More resources are on order and en route.
Location: Pike-San Isabel National Forests, 4 miles west of Twin Lakes in Chaffee and Lake counties
Reported: August 17, 2025, at 5:46 p.m.
Cause: Human-caused
Special Notes: The Colorado Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed management of the fire at 6:00 a.m. today. The team is working closely with local and national resources, both air and ground, who remain actively engaged in suppression efforts.
Current Situation: The fire is burning in rugged terrain with heavy dead and down timber. Firefighters will continue to utilize both direct and indirect tactics to guide fire behavior toward natural barriers such as treeline scree fields and minimize threats to private property, communities, infrastructure, watersheds and other critical assets. An Interagency Hotshot Crew will be working on extinguishing spot fires that occurred in areas where topography aligned with winds to prevent further growth. Access will be a factor, as much of the fire is in a nonmotorized wilderness area.
Weather: Sunny, with a slight chance of rain showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the high 70s with relative humidity around 16% to 21%. Winds are out of the north-northeast, 8 mph. Gusty and erratic winds are expected near thunderstorms after noon.
Fire Behavior: Smoldering and creeping with some torching. Active burning in areas of spruce and lodgepole pine.
Evacuations: No evacuations. Sign up for Chaffee County emergency alerts at https://chaffeecounty.org/.../communications/everbridge.php. Sign up for Lake County emergency alerts at https://member.everbridge.net/892807736726383/login.
Closures: The Forest Service is closing National Forest System lands and trails around the wildfire. A detailed closure order and map will be available soon. The purpose of this order is to protect the public’s health and safety during firefighting operations.
Fire Restrictions: Fire danger is MODERATE to HIGH across the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. Although fire restrictions are not in place on the forests and grasslands, individual counties have fire restrictions in place that must be followed. Chaffee County is under Stage 1 fire restrictions. Restrictions apply to all of unincorporated Chaffee County, as well as within the municipal boundaries of the Town of Buena Vista and the Town of Poncha Springs.
Smoke: Smoke may be visible to communities in Twin Lakes, Leadville, Granite and Buena Vista, as well as along Highways 24 and 82. Smoke from wildfires may affect your health. If you experience problems breathing, please contact your healthcare provider. Visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website for tips on how to protect your health from wildfire smoke: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/outd.../wildfire-smoke-and-health.
Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/.
Fire Information: Visit https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/kspsf-la-plata for official fire information.

20/08/2025

This Leadville Boom Days rock was spotted at the junction of County Roads 10 and 24. Is it lost, or will more of these beautifully blasted beasts be seen out in the wild? 🤘
Life @ Planet Leadville for August 20, 2025 🌎⭐️

20/08/2025

Here's the latest on the Derby Fire impacting Eagle and Garfield County residents via the Vail Daily. Stay aware and be safe!

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:35 a.m. with new information from a morning report The Derby Fire, located north of Dotsero in White River National Forest grew to 839 acres Tuesday evening, according...

20/08/2025

Update regarding the La Plata Fire (several miles west of Twin Lakes off Highway 82) along with images of the incident from today, August 19, 2025 @ 3 p.m. 🌎⭐️

19/08/2025

A life, well lived! For those who may not have heard, Carl Miller of Leadville passed away on August 9, 2025. Heartfelt condolences to his very big family tree, with a note regarding services: A rosary will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (W. 2nd Street) on Aug. 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. with a mass immediately following, and a reception at the Elks Lodge.
From Publisher Kathy Bedell: As a Leadville journalist, my path first crossed Carl’s during his "passion project" years: the establishment and creation of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. It was January 1990 and Miller had just been appointed as president and executive director of a facility which would go on to be called the “Smithsonian of the Rockies.”
But this wasn’t just any building, it was Carl’s old vacated high school, where he met Mary Ann his wife of 64 years. And it wasn’t just any museum, it was one that highlighted mining, something Miller knew something about, having worked at The Climax Mine as an underground electrician for 27 years.
“We had the keys to the old Lake County high school building, a typewriter that barely worked, and $300 in the bank.” Carl was a visionary who knew how to get things done! So, to add to Miller’s official obituary, here is a 1994 interview in honor of a Leadville life, well-lived. RIP, Carl. 🌎⭐️
Carl Miller passed away Aug. 9, 2025. He was born in Leadville on Oct. 28, 1938, to Carl and Ruth (Walsh) Miller. He attended St. Mary’s grade school and then attended Leadville High School and graduated with the class of 1956.
After high school, Carl went to work in the local mines at the Irene, Julia Fisk and Helena. He then volunteered for the draft and was joined the US Army in January of 1958. After basic training, Carl served in Gelhausen, Germany, and was honorably discharged in 1960. After serving his country, he returned to Leadville and began his career as an underground electrician where he worked for Climax Mine for 27 years.
In 1961, Carl married his high school sweetheart Mary Ann (Skala) Miller. They were married for 64 years. Carl and Mary Ann had two daughters, Cindy (Miller) Koucherik and Sherry (Miller) McGoldrick. They also have four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. They were the true treasures of Carl’s life. His family was the most important and cherished aspect of his life.
Carl was an active member of his community throughout his adult life. He served on the executive board and as the president of the IBEW Electrical Union while working as an electrician, and he also attended night classes at Colorado Mountain College on his GI Bill. He went on to serve as Lake County commissioner for12 years, and during that time was part of a community team that worked to entice the mining industry to select Leadville as the permanent home for the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1989, he was appointed as president and executive director of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum and led the development that turned his old vacated high school into a world-renowned Mining Museum. After 10 years of dedication to the mining museum, Carl ran for state representative. He was successful in his endeavor and served four terms in the Colorado House of Representatives. As Carl was term limited in his service to the House of Representatives, he was subsequently appointed by Governor Bill Owens to serve on the Public Utilities Commission. In 2008, he retired from politics and public life but remained active in his local community.
He was an avid reader and enjoyed reading biographies, history and especially Leadville history. He loved the outdoors, prospecting, bike riding, and could always be found on an early morning walk. He also took pleasure in working in his yard.
Carl is survived by his wife Mary Ann, daughters Cindy (Donnie) Koucherik and Sherry (Patrick) McGoldrick. Grandchildren Kayla (Koucherik) Marcella, Stephanie Koucherik, Christopher Koucherik, Nicole McGoldrick, and great grandchildren Elizabeth Savoren, Abigail Marcella, RyLee Marcella and Emilia Koucherik. Sisters Mary Lou (Gale) Richards, Jean Ann (Jim) Farlow, Brother Donnie (Debbie) Miller, and sister-in-law Norma Skala, and many nieces and nephews.
A rosary will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Aug. 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. with a mass immediately following, and a reception at the Elks Lodge.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating on Carl’s behalf to the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum.

19/08/2025

Here’s the latest on the La Plata Fire: The fire has now crossed the county line into Lake County. Federal Forest Firefighters are currently fighting a wildfire that ignited near the La Plata Trail in Chaffee County. The “La Plata” fire is estimated to be 15 to 20 acres in size at this time, at high elevation, and growing. The fire is all in federal land and no pre- evacuations or evacuations have been called for at this time (8/18 @ 6 p.m.) There is zero containment at this time, per Chaffee County Sheriff's Office.

19/08/2025

Stay aware of this situation west of Twin Lakes.

18/08/2025

Magnificent Mt. Massive Monday
Life @ Planet Leadville for August 18, 2025 🌎⭐️

18/08/2025

Good to Know!

⚠️TRAVEL ALERT⚠️ | Red Cliff bridge at US 24 to receive load weight restrictions for truckers

There will now be weight load restrictions on the historic Red Cliff bridge located on US 24 just outside the town of Red Cliff starting late August 2025. These restrictions prohibit large commercial motor vehicles carrying over 34 or 37 tons, depending on classification and axles, from crossing the bridge. Signage on approaches will be present.

🌉Proactive preventative measures are aimed to extend the life of the iconic historic structure. Originally constructed in 1940, the Red Cliff bridge is a registered National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest and most unique assets of CDOT. In 2004, the iconic bridge underwent a rehabilitation project that included replacing the bridge deck, repainting much of the steel, and widening the deck while preserving its historic aesthetic. CDOT performs regular inspections on all bridges across the state to ensure safety. The Red Cliff bridge has been on, and continues to maintain, a two-year inspection cycle.

📰More info: https://www.codot.gov/news/2025/august/redcliff-bridge-load-weight-restrictions

18/08/2025

Was it all just whisky dreams, or is building in not as it seems? It’s a now you see it, now you don’t situation for the deck at this historic watering hole.
Regular readers may remember the July 13 post about the new patio being installed at the historic Pastime Saloon. Things were looking great, and folks seemed excited about the bigger, outside space. But a few days later, the builder began un-installing the new deck. And then it was gone all together! So, what happened? PL has reached out to the owners/managers. Hopefully they’ll join the conversation here as well.
Word on the curb is that the permit was issued, but then historic preservation concerns put a STOP to the project! What a mess for the last operating business on Old State Street, the former red-light district for the . Let’s hope things get straightened out!
Life @ Planet Leadville for August 18, 2025 🌎⭐️

17/08/2025

at Turquoise Lake near 🌎⭐️