In it's heyday, Leadfield had a population of about 300. Its heyday lasted less than a year as it was built on a fraud. For six months, Leadfield even had a Post Office but when it became clear the mine was a sham, the people drifted away and the Post Office closed in February 1927.
These three structures remain, along with a concrete foundation for a stamp mill. Most of the residents lived in tents and other structures were removed/recycled over the years.
In the lower left quadrant of the image is the spoil heap from one of the two mines in this area. I think the other mine is by the structure on the building in the background at right but I didn't hike up there. The remains of the stamp mill are just out of frame to the right of the building in the lower right corner. It's that building in the background on the right that can be discerned in my panorama from Red Pass when viewed at 100% resolution.
Barely visible coming in at the lower left corner and crossing the image in for foreground is the wash that would have surged with water whenever it rained around here. I've no idea what these people did for a water source when they lived here. Indeed, I struggle to imagine what life must have been like living in this valley, working in a mine and coming ‘home' to a tent.
I spent about 4 months living in a tent in the desert in southern Tunisia when I was younger. It was winter and the tents, single skin, heavy canvas, would get cold overnight! We would truck water in daily so maybe these folk would have carted water in regularly also.
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