CO CO - Margaret 'Margo' Hillman, 14, Lyons, 24 Sept 1983

[margarita25]

From 2017:

"Ribbon Cutting set for 4 p.m. at main trailhead

Boulder County, Colo. - The new Overland Loop trail will be opened to the public following a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Boulder County Commissioners and Parks & Open Space staff at Heil Valley Ranch, located northwest of Boulder.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the event. The ceremony will mark the addition of 210 acres to Heil Valley Ranch and 2.5 miles of new trail. A temporary parking lot will also be opened for increased access to the new trail. The parking lot will be located approximately .25 miles up Geer Canyon Drive from Lefthand Canyon and can accommodate ten vehicles.

Two additional trails and a permanent trailhead are in the works and are expected to be completed in 2018. The new trails and trailhead are part of the Heil 2 Small Area Plan that was approved in 2016.

For more information about these trails and the property, please visit the Heil Valley Ranch website."

https://www.bouldercounty.org/news/overland-loop-trail-at-heil-valley-ranch-to-open-wednesday-aug-9/

 

[margarita25]

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/heil-valley-ranch

"Heil Valley Ranch Trail is a 9.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Boulder, Colorado that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Horses are also able to use this trail.

Heil Valley Ranch Trail is a 9.8 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Boulder, Colorado that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Horses are also able to use this trail.

Enjoy biking, hiking, or horseback riding on the Wapiti and Ponderosa Loop Trails at Heil Ranch northwest of Boulder. Boulder has not been voted America's #1 Outdoor City for nothing. Heil Valley Ranch Open Space is one of the many reasons for Boulder's worldwide reputation. Although the name of this guide is Heil Ranch, the two trails featured here are the Wapiti Trail and the Ponderosa Loop trail. Together, they form what is known as a lasso trail. This trail is an ideal proving grounds for intermediate mountain bikers. You will find plenty of roots, rocks, ruts, corners, and hills to keep the ride exciting. But none of it is too technically or aerobically demanding. After each rigorous climb, there is usually a relatively flatter area. And great pains have been taken to limit the erosion and rutting on the trail so that none of the bumps are too demanding. Equestrians love this trail, too. With plenty of shade, lots of wide spots along the trail, and a courteous community of trail users, hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers coexist quite nicely. And the trail is easy to reach by utilizing the North Foothills Highway (Hwy. 36) north of Boulder; then turn west onto Lefthand Canyon Drive. Shortly after that, keep your eyes peeled for a Heil Valley Ranch sign that indicates a right hand turn. From there a dirt/gravel road leads you to the trailhead where there is ample parking for cars, trucks, and horse trailers."

Eta: 5,362
elevation (ft)

 

[margarita25]

Heil Valley Ranch
MTB TRAILS*>*UNITED STATES*>*COLORADO*>*BOULDER*>*HEIL VALLEY RANCH
https://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/heil-valley-ranch.html

"There are currently 13.5 miles of bike-legal trails at Heil Valley ranch, but in order to ride all of them at once you’d have to do at least 23-24 miles of pedaling. The trail system is basically laid out with a figure 8 around the top of the mountain/ridge, and an out-and-back trail running up to it from the north and one from the south. The trailhead location given here, and one of the most popular rides, is to ride from the southern trailhead, up the 2.5-mile trail, around some of the trails on top, and back down. The out-and-back trail coming in from the north is 5.5 miles one-way, so riding from the northern trailhead would make for a longer ride… and riding absolutely everything would make for a grueling experience with tons of climbing.

But all of that climbing is worth it, though! The trails here sport that characteristic Front Range rockiness, with plenty of chunk to pedal through on the climb up and around the upper trails. However, there are a few buff sections of trail thrown in at random, and none of the rocks are seriously big. It is all very easy to pedal through, and by Front Range standards is probably only intermediate in difficulty."

*********

Eta: https://www.yelp.com/biz/heil-valley-ranch-boulder

 

[margarita25]

Alright, this is what I was looking for ("large quarry operations"):

"History & Background. The 5200 acre open space making up Heil Ranch trails and the newer Picture Rock trail are part of a large land purchase made by Boulder County Parks and Open Space in 1993 and 1994. The area housed large quarry operations from the 1890's to the 1960's."

Documents, Field Guides & Plans:
Heil 2 Small Area Plan
Management Plan
Natures Detectives Mystery Guide
Trail Map

https://www.bouldercounty.org/open-space/parks-and-trails/heil-valley-ranch/

 

[margarita25]

"The 6,231 aces of Heil Valley Ranch are home to over 50 species of mammals representing 70 percent of all the mammals found in Boulder County. Nearly 100 types of birds call this area home. Golden eagles and prairie falcons nest in the cliffs and canyons. The variety of wildlife found here is partly due to the diversity of vegetation. Much of the land is covered by ponderosa pine forest. Among the ponderosa pines, a variety of shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers thrive providing coverage for small mammals, and food for deer."

https://www.bouldercounty.org/open-space/parks-and-trails/heil-valley-ranch/

 

[margarita25]

"At Heil Valley Ranch you see the dramatic landscape where the Great Plains meet the Southern Rocky Mountains. The eastern-most ridge (hogback) at Heil Valley Ranch is capped by a rock layer called the Dakota Formation. On the west side of this property is another series of ridges that look red; this is the Lyons sandstone. This fine-grained sandstone, named after the town of Lyons, has been quarried locally and used for building throughout Boulder County."

https://www.bouldercounty.org/open-space/parks-and-trails/heil-valley-ranch/#geology

 

[margarita25]

"From Mountainside To University

The Whitestone and Vickery Quarry Complex along the Picture Rock Trail operated from the 1890s to the 1960s. It was one of the more important quarry operations in the Lyons area. Lyons sandstone was mined there and can be seen in buildings on the University of Colorado campus.

Heil As Home

Four prehistoric sites (i.e. Native American sites used prior to contact with Anglo settlers) are on the property at Heil Valley Ranch. The first Anglo populations in the area were most likely beaver trappers exploring nearby rivers in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. One of the first Anglo females to reside in Boulder County was Nancy Phinox Geer, who settled here with her husband Solomon Geer in 1888.

Historic Buildings

You may spot a few old stone buildings used by ranch hands, as well as a silo in a meadow up the Picture Rock trail.

Acquisition

The majority of Heil Valley Ranch was purchased in 1993 and 1994 as part of the North Foothills Open Space that includes Hall Ranch and surrounding conservation easement properties."

https://www.bouldercounty.org/open-space/parks-and-trails/heil-valley-ranch/#history

*******

*the link to the staff directory at the above link may have some useful people to contact re: terrain, maps, history, etc.

 

[margarita25]

"The exercise in time travel is underway in a rudimentary building that was among the structures on the 210-acre parcel known as the Heil Valley Ranch 2 acquired by Boulder County from the Heil family in 2012 for $6 million. That acquisition abuts the pre-existing, 5,020-acre Heil Valley Ranch open space, bought by the county between 1994 and 1996."

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/bou...der-county-restoring-19th-century-schoolhouse

 

[margarita25]

"Sandstone Quarries

Heil Valley Ranch is a terrific place to hike if you are fascinated with quarries. Hike the 2.5 mile Wapiti Trail that connects to the 2.6 miles Ponderosa Loop trail, and you will have a fantastic view of the sandstone quarries. Do you want to step back in time? Hike the Picture Rock Trail off Old St. Vrain Road near Lyons. You will reach the Whitestone and Vickery quarry and ranching complex at the 3-mile marker on the trail. Go ahead and wander the quarry itself. You’ll see holes from the drills owned by Jess and Ben Vickery, two brothers who leased the quarry from the Heil family in the 1950s and 60s. Look at the old truck just south of the quarry, built with a wooden firewall between the engine and the driver, and think how comfortable that wooden seat felt on the dirt roads. Discover the old car near the main quarry bed and the old grain silo."

https://bouldercountyopenspace.org/i/history/hiking-through-history/

 

[margarita25]

Boulder County to open new Heil Valley Ranch trail
07/07/2017 12:19:50 PM MDT
http://www.timescall.com/longmont-l...ulder-county-open-new-heil-valley-ranch-trail

"Boulder County will open a new Overland Loop trail on its Heil Valley Ranch Open Space on Aug. 9.

A 4 p.m. ceremony that day, at Heil Valley Ranch's main trailhead, 1188 Geer Canyon Road, will mark the addition of 2.5 miles of new trail and of 210 acres of land to the open space area southwest of Lyons."

 

[margarita25]

Boulder County begins planning management of Heil Valley Ranch segment
Longmont Times-Call
POSTED: 04/17/2015 UPDATED: 3 YEARS AGO
http://www.timescall.com/longmont-l...-begins-planning-management-heil-valley-ranch

"Boulder County's Parks and Open Space Department has invited county residents to a Wednesday night open house discussion that's to begin the process of planning the future management of a small segment of the Heil Valley Ranch open space area.

The Heil Valley Ranch area under study, a 210-acre parcel the county purchased in October 2012, lies north of Left Hand Creek, connecting Left Hand Valley Drive to Heil Valley Ranch's Geer Canyon Trailhead. It is nestled between two hogbacks just west of U.S. 36."

 

[margarita25]

"Recreation

Area recreation includes mountain biking, hiking, camping, fly fishing, climbing and excellent class II-V*whitewater kayaking. Lyons is bordered by Hall Ranch Open Space and Heil Valley Ranch Open Space. Hall Ranch provides over 12 miles (19*km) of multi-use trails and consists of 3,206 acres (12.97*km2) of back country. Heil Valley Ranch consists of 4,923 acres (19.92*km2) of back country. Trails are open to hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. Picture Rock Trail was opened on September 22, 2008, connecting Heil Valley Ranch trails to Lyons and to Hall Ranch trails. Picture Rock is 5.5 miles (8.9*km) and well designed and built by volunteers. The north end of Picture Rock is at Red Gulch Road, then Old St Vrain Road and Highway 7 lead to the Hall Ranch Trailhead or Lyons. The south end of Picture Rock is 4.5 miles (7.2*km) from the Heil Ranch Trailhead off Lefthand Canyon."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyons,_Colorado

 

[margarita25]

"In 1949, the Heil family purchased the land and operated it as a cattle ranch for Herefort Cattle. In the 1970's they attracted more tourists by allowing for hunting on the land as well as by having horseback riding and hayrides. In 1996 Boulder County purchased the land."

http://recplanet.com/co/boulder/heil-valley-ranch

 

[margarita25]

I have also been told that there were some abandoned buildings on the property at that time.

 

[margarita25]

Map:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/40.148966+-105.301809/data=!4m2!2m1!4b1?nogmmr=1

 

[margarita25]

I have run one of the suspect's names and am getting:
1st degree sexual assault in 1987
3rd degree sexual assault in 1985
2nd degree kidnapping in 1987

*I am looking for something confirming the names of the suspects so I can legally post more.

 

[margarita25]

Branding of the calves is ranchers’ rite of spring
May 28, 2016
http://www.theheraldtimes.com/branding-of-the-calves-is-ranchers-rite-of-spring/meeker/

 

[margarita25]

( I have started a thread for Christine:

CO - Christine Michelle Jones, 17, Lyons, 1978.
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?363900-CO-Christine-Michelle-Jones-17-Lyons-1978

"It was a beautiful late summer morning in the Rockies.

Seventeen-year-old Christine Michele Jones, who had graduated from a high school in Anchorage, Alaska, lived in an upscale home in Boulder Heights northwest of the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. While preparing to attend college that fall, she worked as a sales clerk at Montgomery Ward.

Christine decided it was a good day to wash her Toyota in a canyon stream in Left Hand Canyon.

She dressed in a blue T-shirt, faded blue jeans and sandals that Thursday morning.

Christine told her father, Dennis Jones, and stepmother, Catherine, she was going to go clean her car at the stream. It was about 9:30 a.m. when she left the home at 220 Deer Trail Road.

She loaded a bucket and soap and cleaning supplies into her light blue car and drove northeast on Deer Trail Road a few blocks to Lee Hill Drive.

Christine turned left onto Lee and drove a little more than a mile until she reached Left Hand Canyon Drive.

A bridge at the intersection crosses over a stream in a canyon between Nugget and Hill mountains. It’s there that she began washing her car.

A few hours later, her parents realized Christine had not returned home from washing her car.

They were immediately concerned and drove down to the stream to look for her. Christina’s stepbrother also went to help search.

They found the car but not their daughter. They became more alarmed."

http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/category/city-of-boulder-colo/ )

 

[margarita25]

"U.S. Forest Service workers were doing a timber survey in the foothills north of Boulder.

In a ravine in Geer Canyon, they found the partially buried remains of a skeleton.

It’s likely that when the body of a woman or girl was originally buried it was completely underground.

But unless animal remains are buried deep enough, scavengers will dig them up, feed on the remains and spread the bones.

In this case, Boulder County Sheriff’s investigators had a good idea whose remains were in the shallow grave.

Fourteen-year-old Longmont Junior High School student Margaret “Margo” Henriette Hillman had disappeared from an old-fashioned, cowboy-style party in a large barn at the 5,000-acre Heil Valley ranch north of Lefthand Canyon nearly a year earlier.

The last anyone had seen Margo was shortly before midnight on Sept. 24, 1983. She told her parents that a cousin had offered to give her a ride home.

Three of Margo’s cousins were supposed to take her home at 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 25. But when it came time to go home they couldn’t find Margo and believed she had found another way to get home.

They drove home without her. The next morning, their mother asked where Margo was. But the cousins didn’t know.

A search began immediately.

Family members returned to the barn, and searched the large wooded territory around it."

Teen vanishes from Boulder barn party; buried in shallow grave
http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/tag/boulder/

 

[margarita25]

"Finally, Margo’s aunt made a missing person’s report at 8:30 a.m. the same day.

About 50 people had attended the party. Each of them were questioned about what they thought had happened to the girl.

Sheriff’s investigators organized a series of exhaustive searches. Airplanes were used. Volunteers scoured the wooded hills.

But no one found a trace of the missing blond girl, who weighed about 110 pounds and had hazel eyes. They didn’t even find her missing clothing. She had just disappeared.

Margo was not the type of girl who would run away and never contact her family again.

So when the weeks and months went by with no sign of the girl her parents made it clear to investigators that they “feared she was the victim of foul play.”"

http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2014/09/06/boulder-2/9267/2/