Mystery of 5MR18 at the Narrows on the South Platte River

Few mysteries are solved without questions remaining. This mystery too will leave the reader asking for more information about wagon life during the western migration, the draw of gold fields, and the lure of business and political ties, and much more. In all mysteries there is the intrigue and mental gymnastics of uncertainty, folklore, obscurity of fact. Our imagination leads us to travel the pathways provided by betrayal, greed, inference, and conjecture. These building footprints, forgotten and left to be covered by sand and time, provided the primary evidence of an untold piece of Colorado's story.

The footprints have been sitting in the sand, unrecognized and unheralded, even their birth story was unknown. Are these relics of the past centuries old, or merely decades? There was no known current recognition, no known builder, purpose, history or name identity. Their history and the story they represent covers more than six states, and although just footprints, they may have been unique and of major significance for the period. They also could signify something to decorate the pages of infamy and betrayal.

As the trail winds through many states, false leads, and familiar pioneer names, there emerges a sense of historical significance pointing to even more historical associations and questions. There is intrigue regarding those involved with what these building footprints represent, from life on the prairie, to those desiring fame and fortune by spinning their influence from Colorado to Washington DC. only to find that today, in many aspects, this story continues.