Prospectors reportedly discovered the Independence Gold Lode on July 4, 1879, and a tent city soon appeared, growing to 300 people by the summer of 1880 despite storms, lightning, blizzards, and hurricane-force winds that made life harsh. At first the effort seemed worthwhile: the Farwell Mill processed nearly $100,000 worth of gold in its first year, drawing investors from the East, and by 1882 Independence had more than 40 businesses and a growing population tied either to the company or to traffic between Leadville and Aspen. The boom faded quickly when the gold lode proved to be only shallow veins exhausted within a few years. More than $190,000 worth of gold was produced between 1881 and 1882, but later years yielded much smaller amounts. During its brief life the town was also known as Farwell, Chipeta City, Sparkhill, Mammoth Mountain, and Mt. Hope, but disputes over its name became irrelevant after the mill closed. Prospectors searched unsuccessfully in later decades for another mother lode, and although new prospects appeared, no major strike was found. Miners left over Green Mountain into Lincoln Creek or down to Aspen, and by 1888 fewer than 100 residents remained. The final collapse came in the winter of 1899, when the worst storm in Colorado's recorded history cut off supply routes and left food running low, prompting residents to make 75 pairs of skis from long planks and flee together to Aspen in a race sponsored by the Hunter's Pass Ski Club, with a ham sandwich as the entry fee. Today the once-promising mining town is visited only by people walking among its remains.