Mount Silverheels facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Silverheels |
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Mount Silverheels from Boreas Pass.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,829 ft (4,215 m) |
| Prominence | 2,283 ft (696 m) |
| Isolation | 5.48 mi (8.82 km) |
| Listing |
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| Geography | |
 Mount Silverheels
Location in Colorado
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| Location | Park County, Colorado, U.S. |
| Parent range | Front Range |
| Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Alma, Colorado |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | hike |
Mount Silverheels is a tall and well-known mountain peak in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. This mountain stands at 13,829-foot (4,215 m) (about 4,215 meters) high. It's often called a "thirteener" because its height is over 13,000 feet. You can find it in Pike National Forest, near the town of Alma in Park County, Colorado, United States.
Mount Silverheels is located close to two even taller mountains, called "fourteeners": Mount Bross and Mount Lincoln.
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The Legend of Silverheels Mountain
Mount Silverheels is named after a kind and mysterious woman. She was a dance hall girl in a nearby mining town called Buckskin Joe. Today, Buckskin Joe is a ghost town, meaning it's mostly deserted.
Who Was Silverheels?
People called her "Silverheels" because she wore shiny silver shoes when she danced. She always wore a mask, often blue or white, to hide her face. No one ever knew her real name. The miners and prospectors who watched her dance paid her well. But Silverheels was very generous with her money.
Silverheels' Kindness During an Epidemic
In 1861, a serious illness called smallpox spread through Buckskin Joe. Many people got sick. Most women and children left the town to stay safe in Denver. However, Silverheels chose to stay behind. She used her own money to bring doctors to help the sick. She also bravely nursed her friends and neighbors.
Silverheels herself caught the disease. She went to her cabin, which was at the base of Mount Silverheels, to recover. After the sickness passed, Silverheels left Buckskin Joe. No one ever saw or heard from her again.
Honoring a Heroine
The miners who survived the smallpox epidemic were very grateful. They wanted to thank Silverheels for her courage and kindness. They collected $5,000 for her, which was a lot of money back then!
However, when they went to her cabin, Silverheels was gone. Legend says she stayed hidden because the smallpox had left scars on her face. The money was returned to the miners. Instead, they decided to honor her by naming the mountain after her.
Years later, when Buckskin Joe was almost empty, someone claimed to see a woman wearing a black veil. She was placing flowers on the graves of those who died in the smallpox epidemic. Some people still say they've seen a black-veiled woman wandering around the Buckskin Joe Cemetery.
