By Maggie Magoffin
(From: Life in the Early Days by James K. Ramstetter. Permission of use given by Mary Ramstetter). Since this is about the history of Golden Gate Canyon area, it would perhaps be best to describe it in detail. The route which starts at Denver and ends at Central City was about 38 miles long. From Denver to Golden the country was quite level and the altitude of Golden was about 600 feet higher than Denver. The travel from Denver to Golden was easy with plenty of stops to take care of the travelers, horses, and equipment, covering a distance of about fifteen miles. There were several routes from Denver to Golden.
The distance from Golden to Black Hawk and Central City was about 23 miles. The altitude of Central City was about 8,000 feet above sea level or about 2,000 feet higher than Golden. Several mountains had to be climbed, with a valley dropping off from each mountain that had just been climbed. The last mountain pass, Dory Hill, travels to about 9,000 feet just before dropping down to the final valley that took you to Black Hawk and Central City.
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