A longer trail follows the mining level up above downtown. Today, interpretive signs are placed along a short trail that loops through the center of Rush. I hate to think of what this place might have been if a developer had gotten hold of it. Rush eventually came under the ownership of an industrialist who planned to make a tourist trap of the place, but he sold it to the National Park Service. According to Neil Compton, “by 1969 Rush was bereft of inhabitants except for Gus Setzer and Fred Dirst, an old miner who conducted tours into the mines for wandering visitors…” Rush declined along with the demand for zinc and was finally abandoned in the late 1960s. Rush was a mining community that began in the 1880s and thrived in the 1920s when zinc was in high demand during World War I. It was nice of them to offer, but I said “no thanks” since the Jeep wasn’t far away. College kids who hike and camp tend to be pretty good folks. A van full of college kids offered me a ride while I was walking along the creek after my hike. ![]() I could have spent the entire day exploring and ended up pushing the limits of remaining daylight. I was pleased to find the old town of Rush to be a great day hike location! I was afraid the trail would be too short and tame, but it’s just right.
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