GR-001 Crystal River flowing past the Lost Horse Mill (Dead Horse Mill)

The Crystal River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately 40 mi (64 km) long, in western Colorado. It drains a glacial valley, called the Valley of the Coal Miners, south of Carbondale which was historically known as a center of coal mining in southwestern Colorado. Crystal River rises in the Elk Mountains on the north side of Schofield Pass, passing through the ghost town of Crystal City. It then flows north past Marble, then into Pitkin County past Redstone. It joins the Roaring Fork below Carbondale. State Highway 133 follows the river along much of its route north of Marble.

 

From Crystal City to Marble the river flows through the Crystal River Canyon, a narrow valley with numerous snowslide runs, rockfalls, and other hazardous terrain. Crystal Rivert is locally known as a fishing and hiking attraction.

 

The Crystal Mill or the Old Mill is an 1892 wooden powerhouse located on an outcrop above the Crystal River in Crystal, Colorado, United States. Although called a mill, it is more correctly denoted as a compressor station, which used a water turbine to drive an air compressor. The compressed air was then used to power other machinery or tools. Today it stands as a Colorado icon.  In the 21st century, the mill is usually called the Crystal Mill or the Old Crystal Mill. Many decades ago, when the mill was still in use, it was called the Sheep Mountain Power House at the Lost Horse Millsite, or simply the Lost Horse Mill. Sometimes it is erroneously called the Dead Horse Mill.

 

This photograph is from Yayoi (5 May 2014) Goodreads.

SW BE-083 Sacramento River

The Sacramento River is the principal river of Northern and Central California in the United States. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for 445 miles (716 km) before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay.

The Sacramento and its wide natural floodplain were once abundant in fish and other aquatic creatures. For about 12,000 years, native peoples have drawn upon the vast natural resources of the watershed, which had one of the densest American Indian populations in California.

In the 19th century the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada led to an enormous population influx of American settlers. By the late part of the century, many populous communities had been established along the Sacramento River, chief of which was the booming city of Sacramento. Intensive agriculture and mining contributed to pollution in the Sacramento, and significant changes to the river's hydrology and environment.

Since the 1950s the watershed have been intensely developed for water supply and the generation of hydroelectric power. Today, large dams impound the river and almost all of its major tributaries. The Sacramento is used heavily for irrigation and serves much of Central and Southern California through the canals of giant federal water projects. While now providing water to over half of California's population and supporting one of the most productive agricultural areas in the nation, these changes have left the Sacramento greatly modified from its natural state and have caused the decline of its once-abundant fisheries.

This postcard came from Sam Shea (12 Mar 2014) Swap-bot.  It shows the Sacramento River with Sutter Buttes in the background.