The Myth of an Iron Door Hiding Treasure on Glade Park
A rumor of an "Iron Door" hiding a fortune in goods has been circulating Western Colorado for the better part of a century. What's behind the iron door, who put it there, and more than anything, where's it at?
The "Iron Door" may be hiding a mine, a vault, moonshine, or possibly mining supplies. Rumor places it in the Glade Park area, somewhere in the vicinity of the Mica Mines. Insofar as who put it there, well, that's anybody's guess.
To my knowledge, this mystery originated with my great-grandpa, John Clark. He told his children, all of whom grew up here in Grand Junction, about this door. My grandmother told my mom, and she told me.
The doors pictured above can be found on the trail to the Mica Mines in Western Colorado. According to a few family members, my great-grandpa owned the Mica Mines for a little while. It is safe to say that neither of these are THE "Iron Door." They are, however, examples of what we are looking for.
How did this story of the "Iron Door" begin? There are a couple of valid theories:
1) My great-grandpa may have had a storage place on Glade Park where he hid his mining supplies. Maybe he somehow forgot where it was. Perhaps the mystery began as his way of finding his stuff without admitting to the fact he lost it in the first place.
2) More likely. My great-grandparents raised seven kids in Grand Junction, right in the middle of the Great Depression. They had absolutely nothing. I can't help but think he created this myth as a way to give the family hope, and to take their minds off their situation. The idea of a mysterious door concealing a fortune in treasure would be a dream come true to poverty stricken children. I'm sure he meant no harm.
3) Maybe he knew exactly what he was talking about. Perhaps there is, in fact, an iron door concealing a cavern or mine containing vast riches. Then again, there might be an iron door concealing a hole in the side of a hill, with a store of moonshine.
Personally, I'm going with theory #2.
The chart above shows the area around the Mica Mines. See that tiny little light brown speck the arrow is pointing at? That's the trailhead for the Mica Mines.
Before you ask if I've flipped my lid, let me say, I'm fully aware this map represents several square miles. Sorry, there's nothing I can do about that. I'm not totally sure the door would be in this area. This simply represents an area where my great-grandpa was known to spend his time goofing around.
Is the Iron Door merely a myth unique to the Jordan/Clark family, or does it really exist? Did my great-grandpa bury his booze up on Glade Park, or did he have some secret knowledge as to the existence of large quantities of cash?
To date, the family has invested considerable amounts of time walking all over the mountain searching for this thing. Some might find it amusing to discover this entire effort was in vain. The door might not even exist. It probably doesn't.
Share your knowledge, and in the process, save some wear-and-tear on my feet, and share any knowledge you may have of the "Iron Door." If it did contain something, it's probably safe to say the contents are long gone.