Middle Fork South Platte River
Encyclopedia
The Middle Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River
, approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) long, located in central Colorado
in the United States
. The river provides part of the drainage of South Park
, the intermontane grassland basin located between the Front Range
and the Mosquito Range
in the Rocky Mountains
southwest of Denver.
The river rises in northwestern Park County
, at the continental divide
along the north side of Mount Lincoln
, just west of Hoosier Pass
. It descends to the southeast in a narrow valley along State Highway 9 past Alma
, emerging into the northwest end of South Park at Fairplay
, which sits on a bluff on the east side of the river. It crosses South Park towards the southeast, between the watersheds of Tarryall Creek
to the north and the South Fork South Platte River
to the south, running along the western side of Red Hill, receiving several smaller creeks. It joins the South Fork from the north to the South Platte main branch just east of Hartsel
, approximately two miles (3.2 km) east of the junction of State Highway 9 and U.S. Highway 24.
The river was a significant source of placer
gold
during the Colorado Gold Rush
of 1859, leading to the first large influx of white settlers into South Platte, previously inhabited principally by the Ute
people. The river bed near Fairplay continued to be a productive gold source for many decades and was the location of mining and milling operations up through the middle 20th century.
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
, approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) long, located in central Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The river provides part of the drainage of South Park
South Park (Colorado basin)
South Park is a high intermontane grassland basin, approximately 10,000 ft in elevation, in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi southwest of Denver...
, the intermontane grassland basin located between the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
and the Mosquito Range
Mosquito Range
The Mosquito Range is a high mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The peaks of the range form a ridge running north-south for approximately 40 miles from southern Summit County on the north end, then along the boundary between Lake and Park counties...
in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
southwest of Denver.
The river rises in northwestern Park County
Park County, Colorado
Park County is the 17th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named after the large geographic region known as South Park, which was named by early fur traders and trappers in the area. The geographic center of the State of Colorado is...
, at the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
along the north side of Mount Lincoln
Mount Lincoln (Colorado)
Mount Lincoln is a fourteener in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is the eighth highest peak in the state, and the 11th highest in the contiguous United States. It is located in the Mosquito Range, just west of Hoosier Pass, and is the highest peak in that range...
, just west of Hoosier Pass
Hoosier Pass
Hoosier Pass elevation is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.The pass is located on the Continental Divide at the northern end of the Mosquito Range, in a gap between Mount Lincoln and Hoosier Ridge...
. It descends to the southeast in a narrow valley along State Highway 9 past Alma
Alma, Colorado
The historic Town of Alma is a Statutory Town located in Park County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 179 at the U.S. Census 2000....
, emerging into the northwest end of South Park at Fairplay
Fairplay, Colorado
The Town of Fairplay is a statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Park County, Colorado, United States. Fairplay is located in South Park at an elevation of . The town is the fifth-highest incorporated place in the State of Colorado. The population was 610 at the...
, which sits on a bluff on the east side of the river. It crosses South Park towards the southeast, between the watersheds of Tarryall Creek
Tarryall Creek
Tarryall Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in Park County in central Colorado in the United States. It drains a rural portion of north and central South Park, an intermontane grassland in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver...
to the north and the South Fork South Platte River
South Fork South Platte River
The South Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in central Colorado in the United States. It is located near the headwaters of the South Platte in Park County, Colorado and drains part of the intermontane grassland basin of South Park...
to the south, running along the western side of Red Hill, receiving several smaller creeks. It joins the South Fork from the north to the South Platte main branch just east of Hartsel
Hartsel, Colorado
Hartsel is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Park County, Colorado, United States. Hartsel was founded in 1880. Located at the geographic center of the state, it is often referred to as "The Heart of Colorado". The community's namesake is Samuel Hartsel, a local cattle...
, approximately two miles (3.2 km) east of the junction of State Highway 9 and U.S. Highway 24.
The river was a significant source of placer
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
during the Colorado Gold Rush
Colorado Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861...
of 1859, leading to the first large influx of white settlers into South Platte, previously inhabited principally by the Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
people. The river bed near Fairplay continued to be a productive gold source for many decades and was the location of mining and milling operations up through the middle 20th century.