Colfax, Colorado emerged during the Pike’s Peak gold rush (1850-1860), named after Schuyler Colfax, the 17th Vice President. You’ll find this abandoned settlement marked by scattered foundations, a bullet-riddled automobile, and fading remnants of once-vibrant buildings. Founded with railroad aspirations, the town suffered after the 1893 silver crash, leading to abandoned homes and shuttered businesses. The ghostly ruins tell a deeper story of broken dreams and frontier resilience.
Key Takeaways
- Colfax was established during the Pikes Peak gold rush (1850-1860) and named after Schuyler Colfax, the 17th Vice President.
- The town initially thrived with mining operations and railroad aspirations but declined following the Silver crash of 1893.
- Physical remnants include scattered foundation footprints, mining infrastructure, and a bullet-riddled automobile discovered in 2009.
- Unlike typical ghost towns, Colfax operated on communal farming principles among German immigrants before agricultural decline led to abandonment.
- Colfax is recognized as the first non-Native settlement in Wet Mountain Valley but now has minimal physical structures remaining.
The Rise and Fall of a Mining Frontier Town
As the mid-19th century ushered in Colorado’s legendary gold rushes, Colfax emerged as a quintessential frontier mining town, born from the feverish excitement of the Pikes Peak gold rush between 1850-1860.
You’d have found prospectors using rudimentary mining techniques to extract gold from placer deposits, panning for flakes and nuggets in local creeks.
The town expanded rapidly as mining operations grew, but faced persistent challenges.
Growth brought promise to Colfax’s streets, yet each new building cast shadows of uncertainty and hardship.
The Aztec mine exemplified these struggles, with ore supplies frequently near exhaustion, limiting operation to fewer than 90 days at times.
Following the “Pikes Peak or bust” gold rush of 1859, Colfax saw an influx of fortune seekers hoping to strike it rich in the mineral-laden mountains.
The private Clark mint established in Denver in 1860 provided a local option for processing gold without costly shipments to the East Coast.
Management incompetence further hampered progress, while labor disputes reflected the growing tension between workers and mine owners.
As veins pinched out and extraction costs mounted, Colfax eventually succumbed to the boom-and-bust cycle that claimed many frontier mining towns.
Named After a Vice President: Historical Origins
While miners battled the harsh realities of extraction, the town itself carried a connection to national politics that few frontier settlements could claim.
Established in 1870, Colfax was named after Schuyler Colfax, the 17th Vice President serving under Ulysses S. Grant from 1869 to 1873.
The naming significance reflects the common practice of honoring prominent political figures during westward expansion. Colfax’s political legacy was substantial—he’d been Speaker of the House and helped pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Today, Colfax Avenue is recognized as the longest commercial street in the United States.
Though he never lived in Colorado, he symbolized national progress to the German immigrants who founded the settlement.
You’re standing on ground named during an optimistic era when new towns sought prestige by association with powerful political figures—before Colfax’s reputation fell to scandal. The area represents just one of many subjects sharing the Colfax name across the country.
Railroad Dreams and Broken Promises
When Colfax was established in 1870, its founders pinned their economic hopes on the promise of railroad connections that would transform their remote settlement into a bustling hub of commerce and industry.
Like many western towns, Colfax embodied the railroad aspirations sweeping post-Civil War America. You can imagine the excitement as streets were platted and businesses established, all betting on steel rails that would link them to Denver’s markets and eastern wealth. Schuyler Colfax, whom the town was named after, had earlier demonstrated his commitment to railroad expansion across America.
The government actively promoted these developments as recovery tools, fueling economic optimism throughout the region.
The Denver Tramway’s construction of first rail lines on Colfax in 1886 briefly revitalized hope for the struggling settlement.
But Colfax’s dreams derailed. While nearby Denver boomed with railroad expansion, projects serving Colfax faltered amid operational challenges and financial limitations.
The devastating silver crash of 1893 delivered the final blow, forcing businesses to close and residents to abandon their homes, leaving railroad promises unfulfilled.
Physical Remnants: What Survives Today
When you visit Colfax today, you’ll find only scattered foundation footprints marking where the town’s buildings once stood.
A rusted, bullet-riddled automobile rests among the ruins, silently telling stories of the abandoned settlement‘s post-desertion visitors.
The grand hotel and schoolhouse that once served as community anchors have disappeared completely, leaving only their stone outlines beneath the encroaching mountain vegetation.
The area features visible ornate wooden structures alongside deteriorating buildings that have withstood decades of harsh mountain weather.
Despite trespassing warnings, the area continues to attract curious explorers drawn to its status as a Superfund site established in 1986.
Foundation Footprints Remain
Traces of a once-bustling community still linger across the landscape of Colfax, where foundation footprints offer silent testimony to the town’s former existence.
You’ll find stone and concrete footings marking former homes and businesses along what were once main streets, providing essential evidence for foundation documentation and structural analysis by historians.
The mining infrastructure that built this town hasn’t completely vanished—headframe bases and mill foundations outline the industrial heart that once pulsed here.
Residential zones reveal themselves through persistent stone footings that define lot boundaries and suggest social patterns.
These remnants face constant threats from erosion and vegetation, slowly disappearing with each passing season.
When you walk these grounds, you’re treading on physical connections to lives long departed, momentarily bridging past and present through concrete evidence.
Like many silver mining towns, Colfax was likely abandoned after the devastating devaluation of silver in 1893 that triggered widespread closures across Colorado.
Like other ghost towns of Colorado, Colfax represents the rapid rise and fall characteristic of mining settlements that once thrived in the late 1800s with populations reaching into the thousands.
Bullet-Riddled Automobile
A startling physical remnant of Colfax’s more recent history sits weathering in the New Mexico sun—a bullet-riddled automobile discovered near the ghost town site in 2009.
You’ll find this rusted relic just 13 miles from Cimarron, alongside Highway 64, where accessibility has made it vulnerable to vandalism trends over decades.
Rocky Mountain Profiles documented this abandoned vehicle, which tells a silent story of Colfax’s final chapter:
- Multiple bullet holes pierce both body panels and windows
- No fire damage, just years of weathering and rust
- Located among other crumbling town structures
- Represents late 20th-century abandonment before becoming a shooting target
These abandoned relics serve as tangible evidence of how Colfax’s decline continued long after its heyday, with the bullet-riddled automobile symbolizing both neglect and the lawless freedom that sometimes fills abandoned spaces.
Lost Hotel and School
Whispers of Colfax’s community hub linger only in historical records today, as the once-prominent hotel and schoolhouse have virtually disappeared from the landscape.
The two-story Colfax Hotel (originally called Dickman Hotel) stood as the town’s architectural centerpiece until its decline, leaving no visible structure—just char marks suggesting recent destruction.
Unlike many Colorado ghost towns where abandoned buildings remain partially intact, Colfax’s lost architecture has been thoroughly reclaimed by time.
The school-church combination, which operated until 1939 as the town’s final public institution, appeared in photographs from thirty years ago but has since crumbled away.
These vanished landmarks hold historical significance primarily through early photographic evidence rather than physical ruins.
The absence of standing edifices reflects Colfax’s brief existence as a railroad and farming settlement overshadowed by neighboring communities.
Life in Early 20th Century Colfax
Walking through Colfax in the early 1900s, you’d have witnessed the economic struggles following the Panic of 1893 that forced mansion owners to convert their lavish homes into boarding houses and apartments.
You might’ve caught the electric trolley running down the center of the newly paved avenue, heading to one of the commercial establishments that sprouted after the 1925 zoning code designated much of East Colfax for business.
At night, you’d have joined diverse immigrant communities from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia at the vibrant entertainment venues where future stars like Judy Collins and Bob Dylan would later launch their careers.
Daily Living Challenges
Life in early 20th century Colfax demanded resilience from its residents, who navigated significant daily hardships unknown to modern dwellers.
Following the 1893 Silver Panic, housing affordability plummeted as grand mansions transformed into crowded group homes and apartments.
You’d have encountered these everyday struggles:
- Trudging through unpaved dirt roads that turned to mud during rain, limiting mobility when you needed to travel
- Managing without modern sanitation challenges in a time of rudimentary utilities
- Adapting to mixed residential-commercial neighborhoods with homes converted to storefronts
- Relying on trolleys for transportation before automobiles became widespread
Your daily life would’ve been defined by these practical hurdles, requiring ingenuity and determination to maintain basic comforts in a rapidly changing environment.
Economic Hope and Reality
Opportunity flowed along Colfax Avenue in the early 20th century, transforming what was once a residential thoroughfare into a bustling commercial corridor.
You’d witness the economic transformation firsthand as Denver’s 1925 zoning code designated Colfax for business, spurring commercial construction where mansions once stood.
The streetcar trolley system connected you to jobs across Denver until 1950, while automobile ownership created demand for gas stations and repair shops.
When Fitzsimons Army Medical Center opened, it injected significance into local growth, offering employment in healthcare and supporting industries.
Community resilience emerged through adaptation.
After the Panic of 1893, large homes converted to boarding houses.
Later, apartments housed middle-class families alongside workers and low-income renters, creating an economically diverse neighborhood that served as a gateway for newcomers to Denver.
Community Gathering Places
As the heart of German immigrant settlement in the Wet Mountain Valley, Colfax fostered a tightly-knit community centered around shared spaces and institutions.
You’d find your daily life revolving around several key gathering places where communal activities strengthened bonds between neighbors.
The post office, established in 1870, wasn’t just for mail—it served as an information hub where you’d exchange news and maintain connections.
Social gatherings typically occurred at:
- The elementary school, hosting both education and community meetings
- Open fields for harvest festivals and seasonal celebrations
- The town square, where decision-making and cooperative planning took place
- Shared farming spaces where cheesemaking and agricultural activities built camaraderie
These spaces embodied the pioneering spirit of Colfax until 1879, when the post office relocated to Blumenau, forever changing the community’s trajectory.
How Colfax Compares to Other Colorado Ghost Towns
While many Colorado ghost towns tell stories of mineral rushes and boomtown fever, Colfax stands apart as a unique chapter in the state’s settlement history. Unlike abandoned mining camps that scatter the Rockies, this German immigrant community operated on communal farming principles, sharing resources and focusing on cooperative cheese production.
When you explore Colorado’s ghost towns, you’ll find most failed after silver devaluation or when railroads bypassed them. Colfax’s story differs—agricultural decline triggered by severe frost ended their communal experiment by 1879.
The physical remnants are minimal compared to mining towns with their preserved saloons and ore processing equipment. Yet Colfax’s historical significance remains powerful as the first non-Native settlement in Wet Mountain Valley, named for Vice President Schuyler Colfax rather than a mineral strike or prospector.
Visiting the Ghost Town: What to Expect
When you visit what remains of Colfax today, you’ll find yourself on a stretch of Colfax Avenue—ironically the longest continuous street in America—rather than in a remote mountain valley.
The area’s “wicked” reputation lives on through local legends shared during ghost tours that bring the past to life.
You can easily access Colfax by car or RTD bus, with convenient parking near historic sites.
Once there, expect:
- Preserved 19th-century storefronts and abandoned buildings with informative historical markers
- Seasonal events featuring Victorian horror reenactments and historical lectures
- Hands-on experiences like gold panning and antique arcade games
- Daily access to attractions, typically open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Frequently Asked Questions
Were Any Notorious Outlaws or Criminals Associated With Colfax?
Yes, outlaw legends like Black Jack Ketchum and his gang conducted criminal activities in Colfax, robbing trains and evading law enforcement through mountain hideouts during the turbulent 1890s era.
Did Any Famous Historical Figures Visit or Stay in Colfax?
You’d find no record of famous visitors in Colfax. Despite searching historical accounts, there’s simply no documentation of notable figures contributing to this ghost town’s historical significance during its brief communal existence.
What Natural Disasters or Accidents Contributed to Colfax’s Abandonment?
You’d have witnessed devastating flood damage destroying critical infrastructure while deadly mining accidents took their toll on Colfax’s population. These tragedies, combined with harsh mountain winters, accelerated the town’s ultimate abandonment.
Are There Any Reported Hauntings or Paranormal Activity in Colfax?
No documented ghost sightings exist specifically for Colfax. Unlike neighboring Colorado mining towns, Colfax hasn’t attracted paranormal investigations. You’re free to explore, but evidence of spectral residents remains unverified.
What Happened to the Original Residents After Colfax Was Abandoned?
After Colfax’s dissolution, you’ll find original residents didn’t journey far. They relocated within Wet Mountain Valley, shifting from communal farming to individual ranching. Their descendants remained in the region for generations.
References
- https://coloradosghosttowns.com/Colfax NM.html
- https://kids.kiddle.co/Colfax
- https://www.colfaxave.com/history-of-colfax-ave
- https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/ghost-towns/
- https://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~gtusa/usa/co.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Colorado
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Colfax
- https://history.denverlibrary.org/neighborhood-history-guide/west-colfax-neighborhood-history
- https://yellowscene.com/2025/08/02/staycations-unexpected-historical-gems-of-colorado/
- https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/17/17_p0069_p0075.pdf
