Puma City emerged in 1896 during Colorado’s final gold rush, quickly attracting 1,000 residents along Tarryall Creek. You’ll find this forgotten settlement renamed as Tarryall after its brief boom period ended when gold veins depleted. Today, nature has reclaimed most structures, leaving only scattered boards and foundation outlines. A commemorative plaque near Cline Ranch SWA marks the famous “Tarryall diggings” where fortune seekers once flocked. The ghost town’s whispers await your discovery.
Key Takeaways
- Puma City was established in 1896 during Colorado’s gold rush, later becoming known as Tarryall.
- At its peak in 1897, the mining settlement attracted approximately 1,000 residents seeking gold fortune.
- The town featured about 50 structures including wooden buildings, canvas tents, and five saloons as social hubs.
- Abandonment occurred primarily due to gold vein depletion, with nature reclaiming nearly all traces today.
- Visitors can find remnant foundations and a commemorative plaque near Cline Ranch SWA marking the “Tarryall diggings.”
The Gold Rush Origins of Puma City (1896)
As gold fever swept through Colorado’s mining districts in 1896, Puma City emerged from the wilderness alongside Tarryall Creek when a single prospector’s promising claim triggered what would become the area’s final significant gold rush.
You’d be amazed at how quickly fortune-seekers transformed this remote South Park location. Within months, nearly 50 structures dotted the landscape—a mix of wooden buildings, canvas tents, and rugged log cabins.
The wilderness transformed overnight—gold’s promise turning empty meadows into a frontier town of ambitious souls.
The gold discoveries in both placer and lode deposits fueled Puma City’s explosive growth, attracting roughly 1,000 souls by 1897. Daily stagecoaches from Lake George delivered mail and supplies to this bustling frontier town. Many of these log homes can still be seen today, standing as silent witnesses to the town’s prosperous past. Unlike earlier discoveries like John Gregory’s substantial lode gold find near Blackhawk that established the Central City mining District, Puma City represented a more modest late-period discovery.
Unlike Colorado’s earlier rushes of the 1850s-60s, Puma City represented a last gasp of the era’s untamed mineral pursuits—a final chance at independence in America’s rapidly civilizing West.
Mining Operations and Mineral Wealth
The riches beneath Tarryall’s rugged landscape told a more complex story than Puma City’s hasty establishment might suggest. Placer mining dominated the district’s gold production, yielding approximately 67,000 ounces through 1959, primarily along Tarryall Creek and its tributaries. The discovery of placer gold in August 1859 sparked the initial mining rush to the area.
You’d find most of this wealth concentrated near Como, where gold dust was so plentiful that a local mint operated in 1861.
Dr. John Parsons contributed to the area’s gold processing capabilities by establishing a minting wagon in 1861 at Tarryall Creek.
Lode mining never achieved comparable success, producing under 250 ounces despite operations like the London mine. The district’s mineral wealth followed the structural pathways of major reverse faults—the London and Cooper Gulch—where intrusive quartz monzonite porphyry created ideal conditions for gold deposition.
These geological forces guided miners’ fortunes until operations largely ceased after brief revivals in 1941-42 and 1947.
Daily Life in a Booming Frontier Settlement
Life in Tarryall unfolded against a backdrop of rugged determination and frontier pragmatism, where approximately 50 residents carved out an existence amid hastily constructed dwellings and communal necessity.
You’d have found yourself part of intricate community dynamics, where miners, merchants, and ranchers coexisted in tents and log cabins dotting the landscape.
Daily existence centered around Main Street’s essential services and the five saloons that served as both watering holes and impromptu town halls.
Resource sharing became second nature as families pooled supplies to weather isolation and harsh conditions.
When you weren’t working, you’d gather at community events or informal gatherings where news spread and bonds formed.
The frontier’s challenges demanded cooperation, creating a resilient social fabric where neighbors relied on each other’s skills and support for survival.
The town flourished briefly after the Gilmore brothers discovered gold and beryllium in the surrounding Puma Hills.
The area’s economic prosperity fueled the growth that saw Tarryall’s population swell to several thousand during the height of the gold rush.
The Transition From Puma City to Tarryall
While spring of 1896 ushered in the founding of Puma City by the enterprising Gilmore brothers and George A. Starbird, the settlement’s name wouldn’t endure.
As you explore this region’s history, you’ll discover that Puma City’s evolution to Tarryall occurred gradually as mineral resources depleted. The landscape that remains provides a glimpse into the natural setting with its mountains and foothills that once surrounded the bustling mining community. The area’s elevation ranges from 8,000 to 9,000 feet, creating a distinctive high-altitude environment that challenged early settlers.
The primary abandonment reasons were straightforward—the gold played out. When the veins ran dry, prospectors packed up and moved on, leaving behind what would become another Colorado ghost town.
Despite its brief existence, the area’s historical significance remains preserved through relocated structures and the designation of the Tarryall Historic Rural Landscape District.
Today, you’re standing where Puma City once thrived, now recognized as Tarryall—a reflection of the transient nature of frontier boomtowns whose fortunes rose and fell with their mineral wealth.
Visiting the Ghost Town Today: What Remains
When you venture to Tarryall’s ghost town site today, you’ll find nature has reclaimed nearly every trace of this once-bustling mining settlement. The harsh mountain elements have dissolved wooden structures back into the earth, leaving only scattered boards and foundation outlines as silent testimony to frontier ambition.
Your site observations will be limited to these subtle remnants along upper Tarryall Creek. A commemorative plaque near Cline Ranch SWA offers the most tangible connection to this vanished community that once served as Park County’s seat. It marks the famous “Tarryall diggings” that yielded over $2 million in gold. Similar to Animus Forks, the area experiences harsh winter conditions that have accelerated the decay of the historical structures.
For the best visitor experience, drive Tarryall Road between Jefferson and Lake George. Though little remains visible, you’re traversing the same path where thousands once sought fortune in these high-altitude mountains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Did the Town Have Two Different Names?
You’ll find the name origins reflect dual historical significance – Puma City referenced the local mountain lion habitat, while Tarryall emerged as mining declined and the community’s identity evolved.
What Caused the Town’s Eventual Decline and Abandonment?
Like autumn leaves falling from prosperity’s tree, you’d find the town’s fate sealed by economic factors—depleted mineral resources—and environmental changes that rendered mining unprofitable, forcing residents to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Were Any Famous Outlaws or Notable Figures Associated With Tarryall?
You won’t find famous outlaws in Tarryall’s history, despite what outlaw legends might suggest. Instead, historical figures like the Gilmore brothers, Anson Allen family, and Edmund Williams shaped this frontier community’s legacy.
What Was the Peak Population During Its Boom Years?
Like a swarm of gold-hungry locusts, the peak population hit 6,000 residents in autumn 1862 during the original boom years, while Puma City later reached only 200-300 at its height.
Did the Town Experience Any Major Disasters or Significant Conflicts?
You’d find sparse disaster events beyond the 1879 avalanche that demolished the Whale Mine boarding house. Conflict history included Peter Cox’s 1897 murder, revealing the lawlessness that defined these freedom-seeking mining settlements.
References
- https://southparkheritage.org/where-have-all-the-ghost-towns-gone-by-christie-wright/
- https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/co/tarryall.html
- https://kekbfm.com/colorado-ghost-towns-started-as-puma-city-ended-as-tarryall/
- https://www.mindat.org/loc-218089.html
- https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1767400
- https://hermes.cde.state.co.us/islandora/object/co:26212/datastream/OBJ/download/Colorado_mining_history___resource_guide.pdf
- https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-detail/10013113/
- https://parkcoarchives.org/Guide_Tarryall_Road.pdf
- https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/blm/co/17/chap10.htm
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UywpAziKFW4
