By Michele Kadison

Perhaps only in the west can one still find the remnants of old mining and trade towns, eerily standing on high up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Travel through Silverton, Telluride, and Ouray and you will see the skeletons of these buildings braving their last stand against the harsh winter elements that have eroded nearly all the telltale signs of their past.

One of the most interesting trips you can make through the Colorado Rockies is to step back in time when prospectors and adventurers searched for their fortunes in gold and silver. The ghost towns and their environs are remembrances of when men and woman traversed the plains only to find their days filled with the hardship of mining in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable, and then later, if lucky, to reap the vast profits of abundant ore.

Ghost towns dot the whole of the Rocky Mountain region, with a great many concentrated in the San Juan Mountains. Below is a list of some of the ghost towns that are easily reached by car.

<h4>Alta</h4>
Just off Highway 62, south of Telluride, this tiny town had a population of 100 during the gold rush. At 11,800 feet above sea level, the site is just a short walk from a beautiful mountain lake. In Alta, you can still see the remains of cabins, a boarding house, and some outhouse buildings.

<h4>Animas Forks<h/4>
Once exaggerated as being the largest city in the world, Animas Forks had, at its high point, over 1,000 residents. Founded in 1875, the town offered free land in addition to helping hands for home construction, luring prospectors and their families to cross the plains to seek their destiny here. At 11,180 feet high, with many mines all around, including the Gold Prince at the far end of Placer Gulch, Animas Forks was a boom town through the 1870’s and 1880’s. By the 1920’s it was deserted due to its constant devastation by avalanches. You can still see a number of buildings, including the residence owned by Thomas Walsh before he made his famous strike at the Camp Bird mine.

<h4>Camp Bird Mine</h4>
Founded by Thomas Walsh in 1896, this famed mine was one of the richest in the world. Between 1896 and 1910, Camp Bird was mined for over $26,000,000 in gold! In 1995 the mill was sold to Mongolian Gold, a Canadian Company, and was shipped to Mongolia for use in the mines there.

<h4>Ironton Townsite</h4>
Ironton was a very rich town way back in the day, where it was known as a junction point for transport throughout the region. Here supplies were bought as stagecoaches stopped en route to other destinations. At an altitude of 9,800 feet, the town was founded in 1883 and boasted a population of around 1,000 inhabitants. Because of the high sulphuric acid content of the water, the metal machinery used for mining eventually began to erode, causing the town to die as people went elsewhere to seek their fortunes. Several buildings still stand, including two of the three homes that have survived the years, thanks to the stabilization methods funded by the Red Mountain Project.

<h4>Joker Tunnel and Boarding House</h4>
Established in 1902 in order to drain water from mines located further south, the boarding house still stands in honor of the mining days of yore. Just 1 ½ miles south of Ironton, the tunnel and boarding house are easily reached via the Million Dollar Highway.

<h4>Red Mountain Town</h4>

During the boom years of mining, Red Mountain had about 10,000 inhabitants, with over 100 businesses, schools, saloons, gambling joints, a post office, and a bevy of newspapers. The National Bell Mine site is here, which provided the population with a good reason to develop the town into the bustling metropolis it was at the time. With an abundance of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc, the yields were great. Just at the crest of Red Mountain Pass off Highway 550, the town was, however, constantly affected by brutal winters as well as several fires that occurred between 1892 and 1937. People began to leave the town, heading for kinder terrain. Take the Iderado Mine turnoff or park at the Red Mountain Pass to hike into the town where you can see some of the interesting buildings that make their statement about Red Mountain’s past.

There are many Colorado ghost towns that are difficult to reach by car. In this case, you can take a four-wheeler to investigate some of the many abandoned mines as well as the remote outposts that provided shelter and trade to the miners and their families.

Here is a partial list of ghost towns reachable by four-wheel drive.

“Atlas Mill”
From the 1890’s through to the 1920’s, Atlas Mill produced a steady production of silver and gold. See the remains of this mill by going just beyond the Revenue Mill and Tunnel.

<h4>Capitol City<h/4>
Founded in 1876, George T. Lee imagined that this town would become the capitol of Colorado. He build a brick mansion to house himself when appointed Governor, which never happened. In 1885 the population amounted to a mere 120.

<h4>Carson Cit</h4>

Located at 12,000 feet above sea level and hovering over the Continental Divide, Carson City sits four miles off the Alpine Loop and around 15 miles from Animas Forks. Its well worth the drive to find this camp as it comes with breathtaking views and a wide range of historical buildings that really give you the feel of a true mining camp. Created in 1882, Carson City was booming through the 1890’s and early 1900’s until the harsh weather created almost impossible conditions for transport.

<h4>Governor Basin</h4>
At 12,000 feet above sea level, the boarding house still stands in this now defunct mining area. Known for the Virginius and Mountain Top mines, the ascent to this high altitude basin is well worth the effort.

<h4>Revenue Tunnel & Virginius Mine</h4>
The tunnel and mine were responsible for over $27,000,000 worth of gold and silver mined from 1876 until the late 1940’s.

<h4>Tabasco Mine and Mil</h4>l
Situated near the crest of Cinnamon Pass, this area was established in 1902 by the Tabasco Sauce Company. Through development of the mine and the profits that it yielded, the company was able to create its now famous Tobasco Hot Sauce!

<h4>Tomboy Mine</h4>

At an elevation of 11,500 feet and located in the glacial cirque of Savage Basin, the mine began its life in 1880. It was sold in 1897 for two million dollars to the Rothchild family and boasted a peak population of 900 before it closed in 1927. The mine produced millions of dollars worth of gold until finally there was no more. The writer Harriet Fish Backus wrote her famous memoir, “Tomboy Bride” about her life in the region, and the title subsequently became the mine’s namesake. Take Smuggler Pass up to Imogene Pass road to gain access to the area. Editors note: As the second highest pass in the Colorado Rockies, Imogene is one of the most difficult and dangerous to navigate, so be sure you are an expert four-wheeler before you attempt this trip. Otherwise you can book a local tour.

<h4>Town of Guston</h4>

Serving the large, rich mines called the Guston-Robinson, the Genesee-Vanderbilt, and the Yankee Girl, Guston was created in the mid 1880’s. With a population of 1,000, the town was famous for having the only church in the region for many years. One of the miners used a shrill whistle to call the population to services, which became the stuff of lore for years to come.

Perhaps only in the west can one still find the remnants of old mining and trade towns, eerily standing on high up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Travel through Silverton, Telluride, and Ouray and you will see the skeletons of these buildings braving their last stand against the harsh winter elements that have eroded nearly all the telltale signs of their past.

One of the most interesting trips you can make through the Colorado Rockies is to step back in time when prospectors and adventurers searched for their fortunes in gold and silver. The ghost towns and their environs are remembrances of when men and woman traversed the plains only to find their days filled with the hardship of mining in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable, and then later, if lucky, to reap the vast profits of abundant ore.

Ghost towns dot the whole of the Rocky Mountain region, with a great many concentrated in the San Juan Mountains. Below is a list of some of the ghost towns that are easily reached by car.

<h4>Alta</h4>
Just off Highway 62, south of Telluride, this tiny town had a population of 100 during the gold rush. At 11,800 feet above sea level, the site is just a short walk from a beautiful mountain lake. In Alta, you can still see the remains of cabins, a boarding house, and some outhouse buildings.

<h4>Animas Forks</h4>
Once exaggerated as being the largest city in the world, Animas Forks had, at its high point, over 1,000 residents. Founded in 1875, the town offered free land in addition to helping hands for home construction, luring prospectors and their families to cross the plains to seek their destiny here. At 11,180 feet high, with many mines all around, including the Gold Prince at the far end of Placer Gulch, Animas Forks was a boom town through the 1870’s and 1880’s. By the 1920’s it was deserted due to its constant devastation by avalanches. You can still see a number of buildings, including the residence owned by Thomas Walsh before he made his famous strike at the Camp Bird mine.

<h4>Camp Bird Mine</h4>
Founded by Thomas Walsh in 1896, this famed mine was one of the richest in the world. Between 1896 and 1910, Camp Bird was mined for over $26,000,000 in gold! In 1995 the mill was sold to Mongolian Gold, a Canadian Company, and was shipped to Mongolia for use in the mines there.

<h4>Ironton Townsite</h4>
Ironton was a very rich town way back in the day, where it was known as a junction point for transport throughout the region. Here supplies were bought as stagecoaches stopped en route to other destinations. At an altitude of 9,800 feet, the town was founded in 1883 and boasted a population of around 1,000 inhabitants. Because of the high sulphuric acid content of the water, the metal machinery used for mining eventually began to erode, causing the town to die as people went elsewhere to seek their fortunes. Several buildings still stand, including two of the three homes that have survived the years, thanks to the stabilization methods funded by the Red Mountain Project.

<h4>Joker Tunnel and Boarding House</h4>
Established in 1902 in order to drain water from mines located further south, the boarding house still stands in honor of the mining days of yore. Just 1 ½ miles south of Ironton, the tunnel and boarding house are easily reached via the Million Dollar Highway.

<h4>Red Mountain Town</h4>
During the boom years of mining, Red Mountain had about 10,000 inhabitants, with over 100 businesses, schools, saloons, gambling joints, a post office, and a bevy of newspapers. The National Bell Mine site is here, which provided the population with a good reason to develop the town into the bustling metropolis it was at the time. With an abundance of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc, the yields were great. Just at the crest of Red Mountain Pass off Highway 550, the town was, however, constantly affected by brutal winters as well as several fires that occurred between 1892 and 1937. People began to leave the town, heading for kinder terrain. Take the Iderado Mine turnoff or park at the Red Mountain Pass to hike into the town where you can see some of the interesting buildings that make their statement about Red Mountain’s past.

There are many Colorado ghost towns that are difficult to reach by car. In this case, you can take a four-wheeler to investigate some of the many abandoned mines as well as the remote outposts that provided shelter and trade to the miners and their families.