Silver Plume, Colorado, sits in the front range of the Rocky Mountains along the Continental Divide, fifty miles west of Denver. The former mining town has experienced its share of tragedy and mystery.
In 1887, Clifford Griffin came to Silver Plume full of gloom after his fiancée had died in New York. Unable to overcome the devastation of losing his beloved, the thirty-nine-year-old dug a grave and shot himself in the 7:30 mine where he worked.
In September 1987, just over a century after Clifford Griffin’s suicide in Silver Plume, forty-seven-year-old local book store owner Tom Young vanished. Eleven months later, his remains were found in the mountains surrounding the tiny town. He was also determined to have taken his life.
Tom Young’s disappearance was the talk of the tiny town when forty-nine-year-old big city sportswriter Keith Reinhard came to Silver Plume in June 1988, six weeks before Tom’s remains were located. Keith rented the building formerly occupied by Tom and became so intrigued with his disappearance that he soon began writing a novel largely centering on the missing bookstore owner.
By early August, one week after Tom Young’s remains were found, Keith Reinhard became the talk of the town because he, too, disappeared. As he has never been found, he is still a topic of conversation.
Two men in a town of fewer than two-hundred people who operated their respective businesses from the same building went missing within one year of each other. One of the men was writing a book about the other who had owned a bookstore. Some believe the coincidences, while interesting, are only that; others contend they are too glaring to dismiss and that the men’s disappearances are somehow related.
Keith Reinhard Tom Young
Keith Reinhard lived in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. For twenty-three years he worked as a sports reporter for the Daily Herald newspaper, primarily covering local high school sports, but he also occasionally covered the NFL’s Bears and the NBA’s Bulls. He was held in high regard by his colleagues and the athletes.
Keith had three grown children, sons Sven and Ki, and a daughter, Tiffany, from his first marriage. He and his second wife, Carolyn, married in 1986.
A Sportswriter
By June 1988, Keith seemed to be going through something of a midlife crisis. His was not the case of middle-aged man longing for a younger woman but rather one of regretting the number of items not checked off his bucket list. Three months away from turning fifty-years-old, he felt Father Time was not his ally.
Keith believed he needed a new look, a new locale, and something new to do. He grew a beard, let his hair grow long, and was granted a three-month sabbatical from his job with the Daily Herald on June 15.
A Mid-Life Crisis Of Sorts
With Carolyn’s reluctant blessing, Keith temporarily moved over one thousand miles away to what seemed like the middle of nowhere, tiny Silver Plume, Colorado. If he found the area suitable and could make a go of it financially, he hoped Carolyn could eventually join him there.
Keith And Carolyn
Keith chose Silver Plume as the venue of his new adventure at the suggestion of his childhood friend, Ted Parker, a businessman who owned a café and several buildings in town, one of which he rented to Keith.
Ted Parker
Keith’s Friend
The new career Keith sought to try in Silver Plume was running an antique shop geared toward summer tourists. An amateur photographer, he took pictures of trains, buildings, and scenery which he matted and sold in antique frames.
One such photograph of the building he rented is shown below.
A Photo Taken By Keith
In addition to starting a business, Keith had a long list of items he hoped to accomplish while in Silver Plume. Among these were panning for gold, getting in better physical shape, and overcoming his fear of heights by mountain climbing. He also hoped to write a novel.
Lofty Goals Set
The space Keith rented for his antique store was referred to as the old Knights of Pythias building because it was where, for years, the fraternal organization had gathered. But the building that had hosted the secret society’s meetings was also entwined in, what at the time was, Silver Plume’s biggest secret.
The Knights of Pythias building had been unoccupied for nine months after the prior proprietor had disappeared.
The Old Knights Of Pythias Building
Rented By Keith Reinhard
On September 7, 1987, nine months before Keith Reinhard arrived in Silver Plume, forty-seven-year-old Tom Young had disappeared after closing his Charing Cross Book Store for the day. Because he had told friends he was traveling to Europe for an extended vacation, it was several weeks before anyone suspected something was amiss.
When an investigation into his disappearance was finally launched, police found no evidence Tom had traveled overseas. His car, a Chevrolet Blazer, sat in his driveway, and none of his friends had driven him to the airport.
The Missing Local Man
In addition, whenever Tom had traveled in the past, he had boarded his Black Labrador, Gus, at the local kennel, but he had not done so this time. A check of several other kennels in surrounding communities also failed to turn up Gus.
Gus, Tom Young’s Dog
Shortly after opening his antique store in the Knights of Pythias building in June 1988, Keith Reinhard learned of Tom Young’s disappearance. He became intrigued, and, many felt, obsessed.
For years, Keith had struggled to find the inspiration for the novel he longed to write. The disappearance of the man who rented the building before him provided the spark.
Keith Moves In
To Tom’s Old Shop
On July 31, 1988, nearly eleven months after Tom Young disappeared, two hunters exploring territory for the upcoming bow hunting season in Republican Mountain, one-and-a-half miles outside Silver Plume, came upon several bones leaning against a tree. They were identified as Tom Young’s. The bookstore owner had died from a bullet wound to the head.
Tom Young’s Remains Are Found
A small revolver and backpack were found near Tom’s remains. Police determined he had purchased the gun approximately four days before he was last seen in September 1987.
The gun was badly deteriorated. Ballistics tests determined it was likely, but could not be definitively proven, that the bullet in Tom Young’s head was fired from that particular gun.
The Gun Found Near Tom’s Body
Tom had been depressed as his book store was not doing well and he was struggling to make payments. Despite the inconclusive ballistics tests, the Clear Creek County Coroner ruled his death a suicide; the County Sheriff’s Department concurred.
Not everyone in Silver Plume, however, was convinced the final chapter in the book store owner’s life ended with a self-inflicted bullet.
Tom’s Death Is Ruled A Suicide
Gus’s remains were found near Tom’s. Investigators surmised that Tom had shot Gus before shooting himself, a determination Tom’s friends and acquaintances found hard to accept. All who know Tom said he adored Gus and none believed he would have willingly shot his beloved pet.
Ballistics tests could also not conclusively prove the bullet that killed Gus was fired from the gun found at the scene.
Would Tom Have Shot Gus?
The fate of Tom Young baffled Silver Plume for nearly a year. Though many residents were skeptical of the suicide ruling, the community believed their small-town drama was over.
One week after his remains were found, however, a strangely similar disappearance occurred as the man who now occupied his former book store also went missing.
Not Everyone Is Convinced
Tom Young Committed Suicide
After closing his antique store in late-afternoon on August 7, Keith Reinhard walked through the streets of Silver Plume. He spoke to several people, and what he told them was strange.
Keith seemed to be going out of his way to tell anyone he encountered that he planned to summit nearby 12,275-foot Pendleton Mountain, just south of Interstate 70. He was progressing in conquering his fear of heights as he had climbed some of the mountain, but he had always been in the company of others as he was still uneasy about climbing alone. He also had experienced bouts of vertigo when getting to relatively high levels and had to retreat.
In addition, such a climb in the late-afternoon was impractical; scaling up and down Mount Pendleton would have taken at least six hours for an experienced mountain climber. As it was late-afternoon, darkness would have descended before he reached the peak.
At a party the evening before, Keith had had quite a bit to drink. He still seemed a little buzzed and the people he encountered did not take his declaration of summiting the mountain seriously.
“I’m Going To Climb That Mountain”
Nevertheless, after purchasing a can of soda at Buckley’s General Store at 5:05 p.m., Keith was seen walking toward Pendleton Mountain. His attire was not suitable for climbing, as he was wearing tennis shoes, blue jeans, and a red flannel shirt. He had no jacket and carried no backpack, equipment, or supplies. Nor did he have either of his two cameras, which he almost always carried. The soda is believed to be the only food item he had.
When Keith did not open his store the next day and no one was able to locate him, he was reported missing.
Keith Goes Missing
After learning of his mountain climbing contention, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Department organized a search party to scour the rugged terrain. Approximately one-hundred twenty-five searchers and twelve trained dogs from the Colorado Alpine Rescue Team combed the 3,000 vertical feet of Mount Pendleton. One search dog seemed to pick up Keith’s scent, but two other dogs did not respond to it.
Airplanes and Army Chinook helicopters were brought in on the second day, but they too failed to find any sign of Keith.
The weeklong search was called off on August 14 following several days of heavy rainstorms. After thirty years of operation, the Alpine Rescue Squad’s perfect record was spoiled. They had found every person they had searched for prior to Keith Reinhard.
Searching Pendleton Mountain
Since coming to Silver Plume, Keith lived in a small area in the back of an old church. In searching the portion he used, friends found everything in order. On his desk lay his cameras. The avid photographer had taken a lot of pictures, but, upon development, none provided any clues as to what could have happened to him.
Another item on his desk, however, may have provided more insight.
The Church Keith Lived In
Beside Keith’s computer lay a recent newspaper article about the finding of Tom Young’s remains. Stored on the hard drive was the unfinished novel Keith was writing inspired by the disappearance. Friends and police read through the rough draft.
Keith’s novel-in-progress had two principal characters, one of them being Tom Young. The other was named Guy Gypsum. One excerpt of Keith’ writing, in particular, caught investigators’ attention. It read:
An Excerpt Of Keith’s Writing
Reading Keith’s draft, friends believed his character of Guy Gypsum was an amalgamation of himself and Tom Young. The latter’s death was ruled a suicide and investigators could not help but wonder if Keith had decided to end his life in the same manner.
The similarities were striking. Both men had rented the same building and each was struggling financially with his business. Tom’s remains were found in the mountains surrounding Silver Plume and Keith was last seen walking toward one of the mountains. Like Guy Gypsum, the character he created, Keith was wearing a flannel shirt when he was last seen walking toward Pendleton Mountain.
Striking Similarities
While friends and loved ones acknowledge Keith was frustrated that his antique shop was not doing as well as he hoped, they do not believe he committed suicide.
Keith had recently spoken to Bob Frisk, his boss at the Daily Herald. Bob says Keith was elated when told he would have more opportunities to cover the Chicago Bulls upon his return to the Windy City when his sabbatical ended in five-and-a-half weeks.
Suicide Seems Unlikely
In addition, Carolyn said she had recently spoken to her husband and that he was looking forward to seeing her as they made plans for her to come to Silver Plume before his leave ended.
Carolyn Reinhard
Keith’s Wife
Although authorities ruled out foul play in the death of Tom Young and found no suggestion of it in the disappearance of Keith Reinhard, some in Silver Plume believe the two men operating their businesses out of the same building may have been killed after discovering illicit activities, perhaps relating to long-rumored illegal waste dumping on Pendleton Mountain.
Could Both Men Have Been Murdered?
Others speculate Keith had run off with a secret lover. At the party held on the evening before he disappeared, several people noticed him talking at length to a woman named either Greta or Gretchen, whom they thought was from Denver. No one at the party knew this woman, and she remained unidentified for many years and some sources say she is still unknown.
Other articles, however, report a person claiming to be a family friend says the woman was recently identified, located, and questioned about Keith’s disappearance. The friend says investigators concluded she and Keith were only making small talk at the party and were not involved in a relationship. They believe she has no knowledge of his fate.
Did Keith Have A Secret Lover?
Investigators initially believed Keith Reinhard disappeared of his own volition and attempted to leave a false trail by telling anyone who would listen that he was going to climb Pendleton Mountain. He had run away from home at age sixteen and traveled the western United States for several weeks without contacting anyone he knew before returning home.
Shortly before he vanished, Keith had expressed an interest in visiting the eastern United States, particularly West Virginia, but no evidence suggesting he ever traveled to the Mountaineer State was found.
Did He Voluntarily Vanish?
As the years and then decades passed with no word from or confirmed sightings of Keith Reinhard, the general consensus now is that he perished in the conditions of the rugged Rocky Mountain terrain.
Pendleton Mountain is covered with boulders, rocks, and large drops hidden by thick forests. It also has snow-covered areas and the temperatures can change quickly. When Keith was seen walking toward the mountain, it was seventy-five degrees, with some showers in the area. Within several hours, the mountain temperatures had dipped into the forties. Keith was not dressed for the cold weather, he was not carrying food other than a can of soda, and he was not a survivalist. Assuming he did attempt to climb Pendleton Mountain, as he said he was going to do, police believe he most likely succumbed to the elements.
Several wild creatures, such as bobcats and wolverines, were also rampant throughout the mountains, and it is also possible Keith could have been attacked, killed, and devoured.
Treacherous Pendleton Mountain
No activity has been recorded on Keith Reinhard’s bank accounts or credit cards since he vanished. The reason was learned in September 2021, over thirty-three years after the fact, when two people hiking in Pendleton Mountain found his wallet. Everything appeared intact.
The finding seems to indicate that Keith had followed through on what he said he was going to do on August 7, 1988: climb Pendleton Mountain. As no sightings of him can be confirmed since, the finding also seems to support investigators’ belief that that is where he perished.
Keith Likely Lies In the Mountains
Keith Raymond Reinhard has been missing since August 7, 1988. At the time of his disappearance, he was forty-nine-years-old, stood six-feet-two-inches tall, and weighed two-hundred-ten pounds. He had blue eyes, shoulder length gray hair, and a gray moustache and beard. He wore eye glasses for reading.
Keith Reinhard would today be eighty-four-years-old. No suggestion of foul play has been found in his disappearance.
If you have any information relating to his disappearance, please contact the Clear Creek County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Department at 303-679-2376.
The Reinhard Case Has Proved Hard To Crack
Tragedy struck on the fifth day of the aerial search for Keith Reinhard. Forty-year-old pilot Terry Leadens was killed after losing control of a single-engine plane operated by the Civil Air Patrol; a second man on the plane, forty-one-year-old Donald Drobney, was injured but recovered.
Two other rescue volunteers were also injured in separate incidents.
Terry Leadens
In December 1988, four months after Keith Reinhard’s disappearance, a fundraiser was held to raise money for a private investigator. The event, called “A Night of Friends” was held at Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka’s Trackside Restaurant in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Among the notables who attended were Ditka, former Chicago Bears players Johnny Morris, Gary Fencik, and Dan Jiggetts, Chicago Bulls center Dave Corzine, and several local personalities including news anchor Joan Esposito, sports reporter Bruce Wolf, sports talk show host Chet Coppock, and the Luvabulls, the Chicago Bulls cheerleaders.
In the photo, Carolyn Reinhard is to his immediate left of Jiggets.
A Fundraiser For Keith
When Clifford Griffin took his life at the 7:30 mine in 1887, he left a note asking that the locale be his eternal resting site because that was where he felt the most tranquility. The town of Silver Plume honored his last request and erected a ten-foot granite monument of him directly above his grave site, still visible today, on the cliffs in front of the 7:30 mine.
Clifford Griffin’s Statue
At The 7:30 Mine
As Clifford Griffin’s spirit is still said to roam through the mine, Silver Plume became known as a “Living Ghost Town.”
Clifford Griffin, Near Wear He Would Be Buried
Following their father’s disappearance from Silver Plume just over a century later, Keith Reinhard’s children had a plaque placed in the area commemorating him.
Keith Reinhard’s Plaque
SOURCES:
- Chicago Tribune
- Charley Project
- Colorado Cold Cases
- Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
- Denver Post
- NamUs
- Northwest Herald (Woodstock, Illinois)
- Unsolved Mysteries
I enjoyed this article because Richard Reinhart lived in the town I grew up in. My brother in law worked for the Telegraph Herald for many years. I never heard of this case. It’s very strange and interesting.