This coal mine once straddled I-70 not far east of Grand Junction. The small town of Cameo was formed on the far side of the river in 1907; the post office closed in 1969 even though the mine was still active. When this photo was taken, the mine was on the south (physically east) side of the highway. The west side had the Colorado River, the Rio Grande & Western Railroad, and the town site all sharing the canyon.
There’s a railroad spur serving the mine head but no indication of such on the maps and no evidence of river crossing. However, my photo comes from circa 1981 and there’s been plenty of changes within the area in the meantime.
Since I’m into this kind of thing, this photo could serve as the basis for an interesting diorama.
I enjoy checking out the old maps; gives insight into changes – or no changes – over the years.
In 1884, surveying was accurate enough; there were already roads – of sorts on both sides of the river.
As the seams played out, the mine head was shifted to the town side of the river from the highway. Eventually, those seams played out, the mine closed down, the power plant was decommissioned, and the town disappeared.
For that matter, so did the mine site … and rock formations – someplace in that now remediated open area.
The town site across the river from the highway is near a new large shooting complex – the Cameo Shooting and Education Complex sponsored by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Dept. Not much more than that fire hydrant remains of the town itself.
