THE DARK SIDE OF MANASSA TURQUOISE

Story has it that the Manassa turquoise mine was one of the first turquoise deposits found by American Indians over 1000 years ago. In 1894, I.P. King headed west from North Carolina in pursuit of gold only to find himself in Manassa, Colorado stumbling upon this turquoise. He filed a claim with the U.S. Government for it in 1895 and called it the “Lick Skillet” mine. One day in 1909 and out of nowhere, I.P. King disappeared, leaving his wife Emma and nine children behind. Bill King, the current owner and grandson, believes that his grandfather I.P. and his son-in-law Monroe may have gotten into a fight at the mine and that it may have gotten ugly. He believes that his grandfather’s body is down at the bottom of the mine today. The mine is still under the ownership of the King family today but is not currently in operation making this turquoise more difficult to come by.