J.L. "Father" Dyer - Mosquito Pass, CO - Citizen Memorials on Waymarking.com

Mosquito Pass, just east of Leadville, leads over the mountains to Alma. When gold was discovered in Leadville, travel and transportation of goods to Leadville had to be carried over high, rugged passes, such as this one. The journey was treacherous and expensive. In 1879, Mosquito Pass was built as part of the toll road from Denver to the mines at Leadville. Once it was called the "fast freight route" and the fare from Fairplay to Leadville was $6!

Once the railroad was run through Leadville, use for this toll road diminished. Due to it's altitude and steepness, use of the road was limited to only the summer months.

Father John Dyer, called "The Snowshoe Itinerant" was notorious for carrying gold and mail over this pass in the winter, wearing 10 foot snowshoes! Atop this pass, there are two memorials to this missionary, who braved the cold, snow and avalanche to bring the word of family and God to the people of Leadville.

The first memorial is a gravestone type marker stating:

"J.L. "Father" Dyer
Methodist Preacher..
..Author..
South Park Missionary
Carried Mail and Gold
Over this Pass - 1864
"The Snowshoe Itinerant""

There is a second, smaller marker laying upon a flat rock on the pass, with a sketch of Father Dyer, skis and all, crossing the pass in the snow. It reads:

"God Wonderously Led Me
Rev. John L. Dyer
Sept. 16, 1861"

Thinking about the fresh snow that lay on this pass on August 1...I can only imagine that by September, the snowshoes would be needed. Even today, this is not an easy pass to cross.

Location: Mosquito Pass Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/19/2015 mr.volkswagen visited it