Tarryall Gold

Chasing Fortunes: Mining Gold vs. Working the Golden Arches?

On July 3, 1933, amidst the darkest days of the Great Depression, Carl Uhl and his sister Maria staked the Cogy Mazie gold claim near the headwaters of Colorado’s Tarryall Creek in Montgomery Gulch. Located just upstream of the Grand Union placer, Uhl’s claim included a roofless-but-stout log cabin built some 50 years before. Assisted at times by brother William, nephew Tom, and the young Twining brothers Ed and Charles, Carl badgered deep into the creek bed and fashioned a long sluice box through which he washed prodigious amounts of gravel. A small dam impounded the upstream waters. Metal piping and canvas hose brought higher-pressured water crashing into the placer.

A popular man in the Como community until his death in 1975, Carl by 1941 would sign on with the Cooley Brothers dragline dredge crew which ultimately recovered 13,797 ounces of gold five miles downstream of the Cogy Mazie. Later in life, Uhl intimated to his Como neighbor and friend Carle Zimmerman that his strenuous placering at the Cogy Mazie earned him a paltry $0.11 per hour. What would that same placer yield in today’s gold pricing scenario?
In 1934, after capturing possession of the nation’s private gold, the U.S. government under President Franklin D. Roosevelt raised gold’s price to $35 per ounce. Today, gold is valued at $5,000 per ounce (and rising). Uhl’s “paltry” salary of $0.11 per hour would presently yield $15.74 of gold per hour. Had Carl worked 10 hours a day for 7 days a week, he would have recovered just under an ounce of gold each month. Unemployment at the time stood near 25%.

Today, an average McDonalds employee in Colorado earns $18.23 per hour. As anyone who has picked up a gold pan can attest, the easy money is definitely in flipping burgers. But hats off to the men and women who labored diligently for decades in the goldfields across the west and in the process built this great state we call home!

Historical photo credits to Betty and Bruce Gallie and the entire Uhl-Gallie family! Thank you! Please feel free to follow and share my work on page “Tarryall Gold.” Additionally, I have several openings to present my research to your organization in 2026. Contact me at [email protected]

The Cooley Brothers’ dragline dredge plied the gravels of Tarryall Valley from 1941-42 and 1946-47. During that time, the dredge recovered 13,797 ounces of gold worth $55,188,000 in today’s dollars. Interrupted by WWII, the dredge moved from north of Como to the Cline “bench” seen just northwest of Highway 285 at the intersection of Tarryall Creek. The Cooley Brothers, hailing from Chillicothe Missouri, housed their family in the north section of Como’s former railroad hotel, while housing their single workers in the south side. Married men lived in houses throughout the town.

The attached photo of Cooley’s workers includes Carl Uhl (third from right in back) and “Benny” Lewis Baker (with the “standing” dog). If the readers have additional information on the other men in the photo, please contact this author. When the Cooleys finished their Como operation, they moved their dredge down to Denver where it worked gold bearing gravels in Clear Creek as part of a gravel mining endeavor. These photos (from History Colorado and Uhl-Gallie collection – with permission) and the history of Tarryall’s last commercial gold success are chronicled in “Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush.” To order, contact Mark Hanson at [email protected] or purchase your copy at the Mountain Man Gallery in Como.

Merryall Christmas from Tarryall Valley! Please enjoy my gift of two online video presentations (below) and my 2026 presentation schedule. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

"Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush” is in its limited second printing. At this time, I will be making books available primarily at these presentations. Most talks will be free and open to the public. As of 1/1/2026, I am confirmed at the following events.

January 15, 2026, Colorado Corral of the Westerners, metro Denver area. Location TBD
February 17, 2026, Colorado Archaeological Society, Pikes Peak Chapter, 2490 Research Parkway, Colorado Springs. 7 p.m. Free and online
May 23, 2026, Indian Mountain Community Center, 31 Keneu Ct., Jefferson, CO (Park County). Free
June 9, 2026, Western Museum of Mining & Industry, 225 North Gate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. 4 p.m.
Late summer, Field trip to Tarryall Valley. TBD

Online Presentations (Free)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pYuCtgtsB8dsk9BpCPMmKqtlLcglXx42/view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoKWfFlnnU

Note that each of my lectures, though similar, will be customized to the sponsoring society’s interest. Please contact me via my Facebook “Tarryall Gold” page or email [email protected] if you would like me to speak to your organization, or to order a signed copy of my book.

A Spiritual Revival Comes to Como (1887)
In 1925 George Wilson McPherson published a book entitled “A Parson’s Adventures” in which he chronicles his introduction to the Rocky Mountains in 1887 aboard a Union Pacific locomotive from Denver to Grant, Colorado. His brother David was the conductor. Upon arriving at Grant, the 19-year-old McPherson observed in chapter four the “welcome” he received by miners and railroading men who did not appreciate the young evangelist’s aversion to alcohol, swearing, and sabbath workdays. After his first rousing Sunday service which he held in the Webster school house attended by “men (who) had already fallen down under the weight of strong drink, and others were falling but were supported by their comrades,” McPherson was offered a job in nearby Como to “work at wiping engines, cleaning cars, and such service as a beginner would be expected to do.”
Detailed in chapter five, George’s first impressions of Como were mixed.
“Como in the eighties of the last century had no church. It supported seven saloons, one to every hundred of the population, and as many gambling dens, with houses of ill-fame. This of all places I had thus far seen in the mountains, seemed to be where men should meet for worship. The superb environment of South Park suggested adoration and praise of Him whose glory was seen on every hand….it would seem that no one could be mean or vulgar in this charming place; that the splendor of the scenery should exert such a refining and uplifting influence, or have such ethical effect as to keep the people in a religious frame of mind. But the fact that the citizens of Como lived as if there were no God only confirms that which experience ever demonstrates, that beautiful surroundings cannot transform a man.”
Unapologetically bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to Como’s roundhouse, McPherson was quickly shunned. Uncowed, George began to preach Sunday nights at Como’s school house and quickly earned a stern rebuke from the roundhouse foreman for his refusal to work seven days a week. One evening, the audience at his service included the President of the Union Pacific Railroad (Charles F. Adams, Jr.), whose high praise of McPherson’s efforts only rankled his co-workers further. That night a masked man visited George’s dugout and issued a death threat. Soon the timekeeper also began docking George’s hours at the roundhouse. Fearing for McPherson’s life, the railroad authorities decided to transfer him to Pitkin, in Gunnison County to heave coal.
George McPherson’s short stay in Como lit a spiritual revival that would soon fan into the establishment of two churches in that town. Not only were regular “Sabbath school services” held, but by May of 1888 the Fairplay Flume reported “A prayer meeting is also held every Thursday evening at the school house and is well attended.” On September 20 that year the same paper announced that “the corner stone of the new Methodist Episcopal church will be laid with appropriate ceremonies in Como” and “subscription to the building is very favorable and there is no doubt of success.” The Union Coal company that same year deeded to the Benedictine Fathers the lot for the Catholic church.

Today, the now-quiet Catholic church building stands proud beside the Como Schoolhouse. The Methodist Episcopal church, once connected to the Carl Uhl home, has long ago been razed. Yet the “adoration and praise of Him whose glory was seen on every hand” persists at the nearby Como Christian Camp, which today proudly carries the message first brought to this rough-and-tumble railroad and mining enclave by young “parson” George McPherson.
A complete transcript of McPherson’s book, “A Parson’s Adventure” can be read at the following site. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89076981083&seq=11

This Christmas, put a signed and numbered piece of Colorado mining history under the tree of your favorite history buff. For the next 30 days, we are opening mail-order sales and shipping of “Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush.” To initiate Venmo or personal check sales, email [email protected]. $67 + $8 shipping.

We had a great time exploring Tarryall Valley's golden history on Saturday with 34 enthusiasts seen below.

My final 2025 presentation of "Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush" will be tomorrow night (10/15) at 7 p.m. at a meeting of the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies. The free talk will be at 7 p.m. at Lloyd G. Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street, Lakewood. Books will also be available for purchase after the talk. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Tarryall Gold 2025 Field Trip
Saturday, October 11, 2025

Start time: 9:30 a.m. registration at Como schoolhouse parking lot

End time: 1:00 p.m.

Fee: Participants with a signed and numbered copy of “Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush” will be free (one copy per single, couple, or family). Books will also be available for purchase at registration ($65 cash, $67 Visa). The book will be used as an “entry ticket” and field trip guide, so please bring your copy. For those who choose to attend without a book, there is a $10 fee payable at registration. Children 16 and under are free.

Vehicle requirements: Though 4WD is not required, virtually all of the field trip will follow public gravel roads, some of which are quite rough. Carpooling is suggested.

Walking: Several stops may involve walks of 100-200 yards, with some uneven terrain. Good hiking/walking shoes are suggested. Elevation is above 10,000’

RSVP is required to [email protected] by September 27. Space is limited with first priority given to those with books. When replying, please indicate whether you have a book (include your signed number), intend to purchase a book, or whether you will be paying the $10 fee. Please also indicate how many are in your party. Due to space limitations, confirmations will be made by email to all respondents (successful or not) before 10/4/25.

Cancellation: In the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen events, notification of cancellation will be made by email by Friday evening, October 10.

Liability waivers: Park County Historical Society and Mark S. Hanson have separate waivers to be signed at registration by all participants. Copies of both waivers will be sent to those who RSVP. Please read and understand the requirements of each waiver, and bring signed copies of both at registration.

Tarryall Valley field trip is being planned for October 11 in conjunction with the Park County Historical Society. Free for book owners. $10 without book. Limited space available. RSVP will be required. More details to come.

Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush

"Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush” is in its limited second printing. At this time, I will be making books available only at scheduled presentations. Please visit my page (Tarryall Gold) for updated scheduling details. Most of these talks will be free and open to the public. Several talks may additionally be archived and linked by the hosting society. As of 8/2/2025, I am confirmed at the following events.

2025/2026 Presentations and Book Signings.

August 5, Rocky Mountain Map Society, History Colorado (Denver). 1200 N. Broadway, Denver, CO, 5:30 Free (register at rmmaps.org) and online via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83593001881?pwd=GIPAenanHNULzH9LkQyf3q9a2nEQ6i.1

August 16, Railroad Days, Como, Colorado. Book table set up in the depot. No presentation. Free

August 30, Park County Historical Society, Bailey, Colorado, PCHS Heritage Center 11:00-1:00. Free

September 18, Colorado Scientific Society. Mount Vernon Canyon Club

24933 Clubhouse Circle, Golden, CO (on Lookout Mtn., off I-70). CSS members only.

October 21, Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, Lloyd G. Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street, Lakewood, CO. 7 p.m. Free

February 17, 2026, Colorado Archaeological Society, Pikes Peak Chapter, 2490 Research Parkway, Colorado Springs. 7 p.m. Free and online

Note that each of the lectures, though similar, will be customized to the sponsoring society’s interest. Please contact me via my Facebook “Tarryall Gold” page or email [email protected] if you would like me to speak to your group or organization.

I look forward to seeing many old and new friends at my upcoming free presentation of "Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush" at the Como Community Center (schoolhouse) on June 21 from 10 a.m to 11:30 a.m. Books will be available for purchase following my talk. See you there!

Mark

What do these photos have in common? They are featured in the new book, "Tarryall Gold: From Rush to Hush." Book release party at Colorado School of Mines Mineral Museum, 5:00 pm, this Saturday (May 10th). See you there!