Nathaniel Herrick dreamed of forging a life for his family in the mountains of central Colorado. Working hard to achieve that goal, it slipped from his dying fingers the same year he got started. The Newline Creek Trail follows the path of his work to the site of his ambition, though very little evidence remains.
In 1887, Coal and silver mining camps littered the landscape of Colorado and companies running these operations needed timber for various construction efforts. Nathaniel saw an opportunity, deciding he could provide for those companies and, at the same time, his family.
Signing a chattel mortgage for nine hundred dollars in 1887, he set out to purchase equipment and tools needed to get his business off the ground. Horses, mules, a couple of log wagons, and a Studebaker wagon with log chains were included in the inventory.
Under the shadow of a ridge near Stull Mountain, Nathaniel began setting up the planned timber harvesting and milling operation. A place to live and work was cleared about 4 kilometres up Newline Creek; all that remained to do, clearing and grading a wagon road up to the location.
Hard labor built a path wide enough to transport essential operating equipment to the site more than 500 meters up from the valley floor. It also served as a clear and reliable path for the return of manufactured materials from the saw mill back down the mountain.
Equipment moved to the site included a fairly large steam boiler and flywheel , manufactured by the Great Western Foundry of Leavenworth. Cradled by brick and stone walls running the length of the boiler, it would be the backbone of the operation.
Not long after getting all of this in place and beginning operations, Nathaniel died in the same year he began work on the project. Leaving a wife and children unable to continue his work, the forest reclaimed the land.
This section of the San Isabel Forest in the Wet Mountains now hosts Newlin Creek Trail, which wanders along some of the original path Nathaniel cleared 134 years ago. Until reaching the mill site, evidence of his hard work and determination are hardly visible though.
The 4 kilometre trail begins somewhat sandy. It gradually changes to courser material from the surrounding area, packed earth in others places, with a few rocky spots sprinkled in along the way. Most of the length is shaded by massive pines and surrounded by sometimes even larger granite structures that solidified nearly two billion years ago.
Granite is important part of the landscape in this valley and along the creek, where it constantly recreates the series of small cascades running the length of the creek. The pools are not deep though, and the numerous crossings usually have some sort of structure enabling passage. There is one constructed bridge at the first crossing. All of the others are improvised.
The trail leads directly to the installation site of the boiler, and where it remains, rusting and perched upon a crumbling stone and brick cradle. Scattered around the boiler, parts hide in the brush and mountain wildflowers, slowly rusting into the landscape. The fireplace from the cabin also stands just a short distance away, as well as some milled boards.
The path continues beyond the mill site, through denser brush, to a large granite outcrop near the top of the ridge. The trail becomes obscured in this area. An outcrop offers an excellent view of the treetops in the valley, with nearby ridges in the distance, and lacking maps, good place to turn around.
Accessing the site passes by Florence Mountain Park and at the end of County Road 15 in Fremont County. Flash flooding is a concern in this area during sudden rain storms. The road contains deep gouges and is likely impassable during wet conditions, except to vehicles appropriate to that sort of situation.
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