Rev. John L Dyer - Mosquito Pass - Leadville, CO, USA - Etched in Stone on Waymarking.com

Mosquito Pass connects Leadville to outlying Alma. When gold was discovered in Leadville, transportation of goods and people over these passes was a difficult and costly journey.

Father John Dyer was called "The Snowshoe Itinerant" and was notorious for carrying gold and mail over this pass in the winter, wearing 10 foot snowshoes! Traveling as an itinerant preacher, Dyer began having problems with his eyesight. Having longed to see Colorado, he decided to go before it was too late. Once there, his eyesight bagan to improve, thus he stayed.

Dyer would travel over the passes to preach at different towns, even walking into saloons for impromptu preaching. Traveling over the pass was treacherous, and inclement weather made it more difficult. Dyer crafted 10 foot Norwegian skiis that acted as his "snowshoes" to keep him above the deep snow.

As preaching didn't pay well, Dyer began carrying mail over Mosquito Pass for $18 a week. He would also carry gold dust for local miners to be exchanged for cash.

Because of the high altitude, the pass is closed most of the year. We traveled up the pass on August 1, 2009, amidst a bed of fresh snow. Even when open, a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle is highly recommended. The road is narrow and follows the cliffside as it climbs into the clouds.

Sitting here, atop this high pass are two memorials to Father Dyer.

The first, quoting Rev John Dyer himself, 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"

The second gravestone-like marker reads:

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

Address: Mosquito Pass Leadville, CO Website: [Web Link]

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