30 years ago – May 25, 1990
The Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that the body found in a mine shaft in Lake Gulch on April 19 has been officially identified as John McDaniel. McDaniel’s body was found along with the body of Luke Clyburn and Clyburn’s pickup truck. The men had been missing since August 14, 1981. McDaniel’s identity was established through dental records provided by the Washington state prison system, said Gilpin County Coroner Dick Allen. Investigators also contacted the dentist who performed the work on McDaniel. Dr. Michael Hoffman, a forensic anthropologist, made the identification after reconstructing the cranium and cervical spine. Had the dental records not been located, a facial reconstruction would have probably been necessary. The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office hopes to finally resolve the nine-year-old case. Information from an unnamed informant led to the recovery of the bodies and Clyburn’s truck. The informant, said to be a federal prisoner, is not believed to have been a party to the double murder, but rather to have learned the details afterward.
The Bobtail Mine in Black Hawk is opening as a tourist attraction this summer, says owner Norman Blake. He and son Kent plan to have the operation up and running by July 1—possibly sooner. They’re in the process of checking the lights and getting the tunnel ready for visitors. Tours were last held at the Bobtail in 1984. Lasting 20 minutes, a trip through the old mine is historical, educational, and entertaining. One of the biggest crowd pleasers is sure to be the 900-foot ride in ore cars pulled by a team of donkeys. The Bobtail Tunnel extends almost to the Carr Mine in the Dry Lakes district, Blake said. A maze of underground workings connect the Bobtail with 60 other area mines. At one time, ore cars traveled from the Bobtail to the mills located along North Clear Creek. Locals as well as visitors will enjoy this tour. The Bobtail was a producing gold mine for many years. Who better to create a mine tour than Blake, himself a longtime miner. Although he’d rather be mining, since the industry isn’t experiencing the best of times right now, Blake decided the best way to make the mine produce is to open it up to visitors. And he promises that the tour will be as interesting as it is factual. If you’ve never toured an authentic gold mine, be sure to visit the Bobtail.
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