Platoro

Platoro is one of those insanely beautiful places that, thank God, the world hasn’t really discovered yet. It’s my hope and prayer that it never does. Essentially, it’s in the middle of nowhere. But one man’s middle of nowhere is another man’s paradise. And I’d hate to see Joni Mitchell’s words of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot apply to the community.

The community gets its name from two Spanish words, Plat and Oro, meaning Silver and Gold. That pretty well explains what it was. It was a mining community founded in the late 1880s. It even had a post office. But the mine closed in the 1920s, and most everyone left town.

In the 1950s, it experienced a bit of a revival when the dam was built and the town became a bit of a resort spot. On a personal note, my father had a hand in the dam’s building. A story I recall him talking about was making beans in the trailer he lived in. The town is just a little shy of 10000 feet above sea level. That means the boiling point of water is lower. Beans had to be soaked for almost a day and then cooked. Anyone who’s made beans in a crockpot can understand the need to soak them. Also, hot coffee was a luxury you got little.

I can honestly say that the most fun I ever had occurred in that town.

When I was a kid, I was an altar boy at my church. Every summer, they used to take us somewhere, and one summer we went and spent a week at the cabin the church owned there. Several men studying at the seminary in Denver to become priests came along.

One of them was Brother Mark. I don’t think I ever knew his last name, but the man was a trip. He was an amateur magician, and one stormy evening, he took advantage of the storm and scared the bejabbers out of us all.

He started by having us assemble in the living room of the cabin.

“You might wonder why you’re all here this weekend,” he said, standing up. The lights were off (power outage) and only some coal oil lamps and the fire in the fireplace were providing illumination.

“We’re up here to have fun,” someone suggested.

“Well, that’s kind of sorta true. But there’s another reason.” He looked around the room. “Fifty years ago tonight, a priest died in this cabin.”

He let that sink in a little.

He went on and said, “The man knew it was coming. And he left a message for us on the back of this holy card.”

“He held up a piece of paper about the size of a playing card. It had a painting of Mary holding the Christ child printed on it. On the back was writing. “He asked that people assemble here on the fiftieth anniversary of his death. We’d know his spirit was here as well by tearing a piece off this card and tossing it into the air. If it flared up, it meant he was here.”

One kid raised his hand.

“Yes,” Brother Mark said.

 “Where did he die in this cabin?” I just knew they were certain he’d died in one of their beds.

Brother Mark looked around the room; his gaze settled on a chair where one kid sat. It was an old Victorian. comfortable looking chair. “He passed away in the chair you’re sitting in,” he breathed.

I thought the kid was going to wet his pants.

He smiled a little. “Let’s see if he’s here?” he said.

He tore a small piece of the card and tossed it into the air.

The paper flared up into a bright burning flame and was gone almost as quickly.

Fifteen kids headed for the door!

-Platoro in my books.

The town is mentioned several times throughout the saga. It’s a good place for my people to get away from things.

But it’s also the scene of tragedy.

Dead Man, due out in 2026, takes place there, or at least in the mountains above the community. The town itself becomes the landing field for a rescue helicopter and a staging area for subsequent investigations.

Dead Man is based on my real-life adventure concerning a desperate rescue attempt amid a snowstorm. You can read about it here.

Like so many events in my life, this rescue became the basis for a story.

-The town Itself.

If you’re looking for fun and excitement, this isn’t the place.

If you’re looking for a place to do some hiking, some fishing, and general resting, then this is the place for you.

There’s serval campsites, some of which take RVs.

And do have lunch at the Skyline Lodge. They make a mean Cheeseburger and Fries.