Cokedale Historic Dist, CO slag pile (# 0055)

After Ludlow I dropped back down to Trinidad to take scenic CO-12 through the mountains on the way to Alamosa. I had not realized that along the way I would be going through historic Cokedale, a complete contradiction to what the miners had experienced at Ludlow. “Constructed in 1906-1907, it was long heralded as a model camp, with housing, educational and recreational facilities provided for its inhabitants by their employer, the American Smelting and Refining Company.” (http://www.historycolorado.org/content/las-animas-county )

The black mountain behind the sign is a slag pile, remnants from the coking operation which removed moisture and other impurities so as to create a hotter burning coal for use in creating iron.