In the summer of 1860 Jim Taylor’s party found gold while prospecting somewhere near what is now Tin Cup. The following spring they returned in secrecy, but as often happened they were followed and another party discovered gold in Union Park. Different members of both parties have been credited as the one who dipped his tin cup in Willow Creek for a drink of Water and having found a gold nugget…thus Tin Cup found it’s name. Taylor Park, River, Pass, Peak and Taylor Lake are all named for Jim Taylor.
…and then along carne Edward T. Taylor, U. S. Representative for our District from 1909 to 1941. Taylor Dam and Taylor Reservoir were named for him because of his congressional work to get the project underway. Representative Taylor also bears his name on Taylor Hall at Western State College and The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934.
Jim Taylor’s Lake, at an elevation of 11,544 feet, is right beside the top of Jim Taylor’s pass, at an elevation of 11,928 feet and is the headwater for Jim Taylor’s River, which flows some 15 miles down to Edward Taylor’s Reservoir, formed by Edward Taylor’s Dam, both at an elevation of 9,330 feet.
Source: “What’s In A Name? In The Gunnison Country” by Charles A. Page
Rob Quint