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Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium): Fireweed is a beautiful “pioneer” species, being one of the first plants to take hold in disturbed soil and prepare the soil for other less hardy plants. It flowers in August and sets hillsides ablaze. It is quite tall and can easily reach seven feet or more. The seed pods are long and narrow, filled with delicate fuzzy seeds.
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Buttercup (Ranunculus repens): The shiny yellow flowers make this non native plant easily identifiable. Buttercups contain an irritant and should not be handled. In fact, some Native Americans used buttercup extract to poison their arrows! Look closely at the leaves - the mottling is another distinguishing characteristic of this plant.
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Rufous Hummingbird: This little Rufous Hummingbird had fallen out of its nest and was only a tiny ball of fluffy down feathers when we found it. We fed it sugar water and smooshed bugs through a hollow red pen casing. It grew feathers and began to fly and hover within a week. Finally one day we had to let our little “Chirp” go. We released him up by the hotsprings and for weeks after, he would fly onto unsuspecting soakers’ shoulders. When the foxgloves and columbines finished flowering, Chirp joined the other hummingbirds on their southern migration
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The Pelton wheel, located in the ravine at the south side of the meadow, is one of the last remnants of the resort that once stood in this meadow. Bill Morrow installed this Pelton wheel and its water works in the 1930's. The pelton wheel drove generators which supplied electricity used to light the hotel and cabins. As you walk around the Goldmyer preserve you will see the remnants (pipe, valves, etc) of the water works which were installed by Bill Morrow during the 1930s |
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The Lodge, originally built by the Goldmyers, once stood in the center of the meadow. The large depression in the Northwest corner of the meadow marks the spot where it once stood. As you can see from these photos, the trees surrounding the meadow have grown quite large since this photo was taken in the early 1930s. Lundin Peak is now obscured as the forest has grown to achieve its original majesty. It should return to the condition the Goldmyers found it in about the time your Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandchildren come up for a soak. As you walk this tour of the Goldmyer preserve, notice how mother nature slowly heals the scars left by the work of man.
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