CEDAR BREAKS (Day 18 - part 5)

There were a lot of hands-on things for kids to do, such as learn how to tie different kinds of knots and even load up their own covered wagon.

These...

... could go in here.

Learn how to tie a square knot, a bowline, a half hitch, a tautline hitch and a clove hitch.

The wheel revolutionized human society. Early tires were made of wrought iron with beveled edges. Rubber (for a softer ride) didn't come along until much later.

Next I entered the enormous furnace, which was now set up as a small, informative museum. This is a reproduction of the original Noble Furnace, a blast furnace built in 1854 that was used to produce iron.

Note the door which now rests inside the original furnace opening.

The blast furnace was filled with iron ore, fuel (such as coke or charcoal) and limestone (to help keep the ore fluid) through a small door at the top. Air bellows pumped in air to keep it hot enough to melt the ore. The molten ore would sink to the bottom and drain into a mold. It was usually cast into bars called "pig iron," so named because the distribution trenches looked like a sow and her nursing piglets.

A waterwheel powered various machinery and the air bellows, for the furnace was originally built near Coal Creek. Unfortunately water power was unpredictable. The stream either flooded, froze solid or simply dried up, leaving the iron works helpless.

Both charcoal and coke would be used to heat the blast furnace. Coke ovens were used to make coke from coal, and charcoal from wood. Coke is a cleaner form of coal and provides a more consistent and hotter fire.

The iron ore was obtained from a good 10 miles away. It had to be broken up by hand, manually loaded into wagons and brought here. The coal and limestone also came from several miles away. The coal eventually proved to contain too much sulfur (which weakened the iron), so they switched to wood charcoal.

Items produced included machine parts, stove grates, tools, horseshoes, pots, flat irons, door latches, nails, tongs...

... and even the community bell.

The waterwheel was actually working, even though water came from an artificial source, not a river.

Wow! What a great door! It's painted but all the surrounding rocks are real.

The arrastra was a means of crushing ore, sand, limestone and other such materials. Some poor beast of burden was strapped to this and meant to walk in circles its entire life dragging the heavy stone. Sounds like some people!

I returned to the neighboring visitor center again and got a few recommendations of restaurants that might have some vegetarian fare. I decided to go with pizza!

A roasted mushroom pizza at the Centro Woodfired Pizzeria. Delicious! I ate the entire thing!

It was only just a few blocks to my motel. I wasn't as lost as I had thought. But my horrible sense direction had actually been a blessing this time, for without it I never would have found the pioneer museum!

I checked in, did some laundry in the sink, downloaded photos, reconnected with the outside world via internet, and best of all... showered!!,

While I was minding my own business, the phone unexpectedly rang. I answered and music started playing... an synthesizer version of Home Sweet Home. I hung up and called reception. It rang once then went to static. Suddenly my mind began racing, replaying all those hotel-based horror films. Was I being set up to become a statistic? As I played it over in my mind, that music became more and more sinister.

I ended up walking down to the lobby and asked the girl behind the desk. She laughed and explained it was the wake-up alarm call. But their entire phone system was on the blink and in the process of being replaced. She said she gets the same call all the time... once even in the middle of the night. The solution... unplug it. And so with that resolved, I went back to have a warm, peaceful night's sleep.

How's that for some static electricity!?!

return • continue