# Ghost Towns Trail Ride



## Trails (Jan 28, 2009)

sounds way cool!


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

its super fun. ive been to two and learned alot and met alot of new people.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

oops junior class is 15- younger not older
and there is also open- 15- older better prizes herder obstacles
sorry


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## Kashmere (Nov 30, 2009)

Sounds SO fun!
I hope to eventually be able to join such things


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## dashygirl (Nov 21, 2006)

The link didn't work for me.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Thought this would be a thread about horse rides into old ghost towns, Instead it's one more advertisment for ACTHA.

I have no interest in ACTHA, But I do enjoy snooping around old ghost towns.


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## Trails (Jan 28, 2009)

The ATCHA is interesting but Painted horse's pic are GREAT

Tell us the stories behind them!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

The first photo is some of what remains at the Copper Globe Mine in the San Rafael Swell area of central Utah. This is 6-7 miles in from the black top. It is about 7000 foot elevation. We ride in this area late winter, early spring. 

The mine really had two lifes. First life was around the begining of the century ( 1905-1915) somewhere in there, I don't remember exactly. They attempted to set up a smelter onsite, but the bricks they hauled in would not tolerate the heat required to smelter copper. They basically burned up the bricks. Still a pile of old bricks. You can still see the cords of old cedar wood they cut to fire the smelter with in the upper part of the photo.

After melting their smelter, they mined the ore, and hauled it in buck board wagons. It was smeltered in a town some 20-25 miles away. As WWI ended, the price of copper colapsed and the mine closed. It re-opened around the start of WWII. The military again needed copper to make munitions, copper prices escalated and made it practical to haul the ore from this remote location. As I said it's a 6-7 mile horse ride in todays world. But I-70 across Utah didn't exist until the 1970's. So back when the mine was active it was a LONG horse ride into this area. It is one of the more remote areas of Utah.

The cross buck fence in the photo has been added in recent years by the BLM to minimize horse or ATV traffice around the actual mine site.

This is one of the Mine Shafts that goes horizontally into the moutain. There is also a verticle shaft that drops down. I can't imagine every morning getting up and spending the day inside these holes in the earth.









This is located in High desert. So the snow melts off pretty fast. Here we are riding in late February, the week earlier there was 18" of new snow, The day of the ride, it's just snow here and there..









The rock cabin is located in Desolation Canyon near the Green River. Early settlers tried to make a homestead in the are.

The log cabin is located in Horse Canyon. I'm not sure if it was a permanent home or just a line cabin for the cowboys to use while working the cattle. 
This is big Open country. Before hiways, It would take days to cross with a horse.









I explored this area a lot, years ago when I was hunting for my Once in a Lifetime BigHorn sheep hunt. I still like to return to watch the bighorn sheep in the fall as they begin the rut and smash there horns together as they prove who is the dominate ram.









You can travel a long way here and never see another human.


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## chika1235 (Jan 1, 2009)

theres ghost towns in arizona??? sorry ive never been west of memphis ,tn!!


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

dashygirl just look up ACTHA or American Competitive Trail Horse Association online.

and yes sorry its more of an ad. Im trying to get more people to comete in it. But I AM looking forward to the ride.

Painted Horse I love your pictures!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

RoperChick, If you are in NM, You should do NATRC rides. They have several in the Four Corners area. One Farmington, one up at Durango, On the Grand Mesa and over by the Colorado River on the Trail of Time. That organization has been around about 30 years putting on competitive trail rides. I did NATRC for 4-5 years. But now days, I enjoy just finding my own trail and enjoying it with my own friends.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

i would love to do those ive helped out with p&r at some but my colts only 4 and going 25-50 miles a day is just too hard on him right now. but NATRC is hosting an ACTHA ride here in march to raise money.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

NATRC won't allow 4 yo to compete in the Open class. But they do allow them in the Novice class. That a shorter and slower ride. Unless your colt is a slow developer, He will do fine. regardless,. He will do fine next year as a 5 yo. 

Volunteering to do P&R's or being a judges secretary will teach you a lot.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

hes already very developed so he should be fine in novice. but i wont be here next year i am leaving for Army basic training in June and will be stationed next year


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