As mining ghost towns crumble, prospectors still return to these mineral-rich mountains. From 1956 through the mid -1980's, this site yielded over 35,000 tons of the white mineral called barite. Trucks took top-quality barite as far away as Canada for processing.

In an earlier era, the scarred hillside would have joined the other played-out mines as a permanent wound on the landscape. Today, reclamation must be part of any mine plan. From 1994 to 1996, workers returned to backfill, recontour the hill and plant vegetation. The healing process continues at nature's pace.