Poland Road
This
road gets its name from the old Ghost
Town it leads to. The resettled
community was renamed Breezy Pines. This
is an out-of-the-way quick trip into the
Bradshaws.
Turn west on Poland Road which was
constructed along the historic railroad
grade. After 1.5 miles you come to the
old ghost town of Big Bug. Nothing much
remains but a few old mines on the right
from Big Bug’s boom days. There are a
few washed out roads on the left leading
to Big Bug Creek. Big Bug flows all year
around and in August blackberries ripen
along the creek.
Above Big Bug is the ghost town
Providence located on private property.
On your left Big Bug Mesa gives one the
feeling of being in the Colorado
mountains.
An interesting stop is the old train
tunnel. See map for location. The
entrance is partially caved in, but a
trail leads into the darkness inside. As
you continue up the road, you enter
Breezy Pines which was once called
Poland. The old mine mill appears on the
right.
Just past the old mill foundations turn
right on an old road leading uphill. It
will take you to the old Poland tunnel.
For its day this was a masterpiece of
technology. When being constructed two
teams began on each side of the mountain
and met in the middle at completion. The
purpose of the tunnel was to transport
gold and silver from the Walker area to
the train track in Poland. Mules
transported wagon loads 24 hours a day.
For more info on the tunnel
click here.
Today the tunnel is flooded by water and
the entrance is caved in. One can now
return to the road and travel slowly
through Breezy Pines. After Breezy Pines
you can connect to the Five Corners
intersection.
At this point, you can
either return or
click here for an
adventure on Big Bug Mesa:
Google Map |