The Dangers of Ghost Rock Take their Toll on Paradise Falls

By Lacy O'Malley, reporter for the Tombstone Epitaph

The Dangers of Ghost Rock Take their Toll on Paradise Falls, by Lacy O’Malley. Let’s all take a moment of silence for the 812 dead reportedly from a ghost rock mine explosion in Paradise Falls, Colorado. The town, hailed for its ghost rock and silver discoveries in the mid 1870s, had become a major destination for prospectors, pushing the town’s population to over 2000 until they fell on hard times when the mine dried up a year ago and many left. Reports say that a new, very rich vein of ghost rock had been discovered just days before a massive explosion that leveled the entire town. The smoke cloud could be seen from 50 miles away. Only a handful of survivors managed to escape. Among the dead are famous names Bat Masterson, journalist and gambler; criminal Robert Ford; racketeer Jefferson “Soapy” Smith; and the town’s founder and mayor, Bill Jenkins. Well-known gambler “Poker” Alice Ivers was among the few known survivors, and she has since relocated to Chicago with her as-yet-unknown new beau. She declined to comment for this article.