Ghost Towns of Colorado (I-Z)

County: Pitkin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39°6′23″N 106°36′19″W / 39.10639°N 106.60528°W / 39.10639
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1880s
Disestablished:
Comments: Independence is a ghost town in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located just off State Highway 82 in the eastern corner of Pitkin County, below the Continental Divide. It was the first settlement established in the Roaring Fork Valley, after gold was struck in the vicinity on Independence Day, July 4, 1879, hence its name.
Remains: In 1973 it was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Independence and Independence Mill Site, one of two ghost towns in the county so recognized. It has also been known historically by other names—Chipeta, Mammoth City, Mount Hope, Farwell, Sparkill, and Hunter’s Pass.
Current Status: It has been a ghost town since at least 1912. The remaining structures, all log cabins of various sizes, are now on land partially in White River National Forest. It is one of the few abandoned mining camps in the state where any buildings are left. In the late 20th century they were restored and interpretive materials added.
Remarks: Like other early settlements in the upper Roaring Fork Valley, it lost population over the course of the decade as Aspen emerged as the ideal location for commerce in the region, and then became the county seat. It was never able to overcome the severe winters that resulted from its location at a high elevation in the mountains, and at the end of the 19th century all but one of the remaining residents abandoned Independence en masse after a particularly heavy snowstorm to settle in Aspen.

Jimmy’s Camp, CO

County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Juanita, CO

County: Archuleta
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37° 1′ 38.04 N, 107° 9′ 2.16 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Juanita is a ghost town in Archuleta County in southwest Colorado. Accessed from County Road 551 and located at 37°1.634’N 107°9.036’W.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Keota, CO

County: Weld
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 40°42’10N 104°04’31W
Elevation: 4,964 ft (1,513 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1880
Disestablished:
Comments: Keota is a mostly abandoned town located on the prairie in the Pawnee National Grasslands in Weld County in the U.S. state of Colorado. Keota’s elevation is 4,964 ft (1,513 m). Keota is located approximately 50 miles east of Greeley on County Road 103. Pawnee Buttes, a pair of prominent sandstone escarpments which are significant nesting areas for hawks, falcons, and eagles, is located nearby.
Remains: Keota was established as a homestead in 1880 by two sisters, Mary and Eva Beardsley, and sold to the Lincoln Land and Cattle Co. in 1888. Keota was a station stop on the “Old Prairie Dog Express” on the Colorado-Wyoming Division of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. The railroad was abandoned and the trackage removed in 1975. The railroad was mainly used for cattle shipping. Keota lost its incorporated status in 1990. There were four different newspapers at four different times from 1908-1975. A post office operated briefly in 1890, was reopened in 1909, and closed in 1974. The school was established in 1888 and closed sometime in 1951, but the foundation is still there. The schoolhouse was torn down in the 1950s. The Dean Bivens family, who maintained the roads, moved out in September 1999.
Current Status: The Keota water tower still stands to this day, however, it is not in operation and would likely no longer be safe for storage of public drinking water. Water was once brought to Keota via rail cars due to its isolated location on Colorado’s eastern plains.
Remarks: As of 2008, the town is home to several residents in modern houses surrounding the historic townsite. There are remains of the general store, several houses, and foundations on what was the north side of the town along with several foundations (including the foundation of the previously-mentioned Schoolhouse).

King’s Canyon, CO

Kokomo, CO

County: Summit
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1879
Disestablished:
Comments: Kokomo is a ghost town in Summit County, in the U.S. state of Colorado.
Remains: A post office called Kokomo was established in 1879 and remained in operation until 1965. The community took its name from nearby Kokomo Gulch which was named after Kokomo, Indiana.
Current Status: In the 1890s, Kokomo was at the highest elevation (10,618 feet) of any incorporated town in the state. The town was a Silver mining location that reached zero population in the 1960s when the land was bought by Climax Molybdenum Company to use as a tailings dump.
Remarks:

Lake City, CO

County: Hinsdale
Zip Code: 81235
Latitude / Longitude: 38°1′48″N 107°18′37″W
Elevation: 8,661 ft (2,640 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: September 19, 1884
Disestablished:
Comments: The Town of Lake City is the Statutory Town that has been in existence since 1881, making it a baby-boomer. It’s also where you’ll find Hinsdale County Courthouse and Government Center as well as some good eats at one these little mom & pop restaurants called Pista Performance Italian Kitchen or Delissio Diner. The historic community lies on Colorado’s San Juan Mountains near an area rich with history like Uncompahgre Peak which was named after French explorer Pierre Deseret who first saw its beauty back during his trip through Spanish Louisiana Territory (now parte izquierda). The historic Town of Lake City is the Statutory town that’s both an incorporated municipality and county seat, as well as home to some great mountains. This valley was formed by two rivers converging with one another – Henson Creek on top, meeting up at its headwaters in between; then there’s also Lake Fork. It makes for some pretty awesome scenery around these parts so you won’t regret spending time here when traveling through Colorado.
Remains: Much of the original town and buildings left.
Current Status: As of the 2000 census, there were 375 people, 182 households, and 111 families residing in the town.
Remarks: Lake City is named after a nearby lake, San Cristobal. This area lies at the southern end of Colorado’s mineral belt and when rich deposits were discovered in 1873-74 by prospectors who had been pushed off their land by Native Americans (the Utes). The town quickly grew as people came looking for new opportunities to get rich quick or just find some work so they could have something permanent on which live out lives.

Last Chance, CO

County: Washington
Zip Code: 80757
Latitude / Longitude: 39°44′24″N 103°35′37″W / 39.74000°N 103.59361°W / 39.74000
Elevation: 4,820 ft (1,469 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Last Chance is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Colorado, United States. Last Chance is situated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 36 and State Highway 71 in a sparsely populated area of eastern Colorado. The town was supposedly so named because it was once the only place for travelers to secure fuel and provisions for many miles in any direction. The U.S. Post Office at Woodrow (ZIP Code 80757) now serves Last Chance postal addresses.
Remains: On July 21, 1993, between 7:00 and 8:45, 5 tornadoes touched down in the Last Chance, Lindon area. The strongest was an F3. There were 2 F1s and 2 F0s. The tornadoes did not kill or cause any injury but several farms were destroyed by the large tornado.
Current Status: On Monday, June 25, 2012, a wildfire started from sparks caused by a flat tire of a passing motorist on Washington County Road 7 burned much of the town, leaving only a few charred structures standing, including the United Methodist Church. By the morning of Tuesday, June 26, 2012, the blaze had been stopped, but not before burning 45,000 acres between Last Chance and Woodrow, Colorado – the nearest community. Last Chance and Woodrow had to be evacuated during the blaze, but residents were allowed to return on June 26. Firefighters from fire departments in Brush, Hillrose, Snyder, Merino, Fort Morgan, Seibert, Burlington, Stratton, Flagler, Idalia, Joes, Sterling, Akron, and Bennett as well as Colorado Department of Transportation Crews battled the blaze through the night, allowing for the lift of the evacuations.
Remarks:

Lenado, CO

County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39° 14′ 33 N, 106° 45′ 45 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Lenado, Colorado is a ghost town outside of Woody Creek, Colorado along Woody Creek Road. Its main period of activity was in the late 19th century, due to the local lead and zinc deposits, during which time it was home to ca. 300 people.
Remains: Following a slump in lead prices, the town became abandoned soon later, notwithstanding a brief surge in activity after 1917 due to a zinc shortage brought on by the First World War.
Current Status: In the mid-1960s and early 1970s Lenado was resurrected into a logging community and lumber mill which was home to about 100 people working and living there for 15 years.
Remarks:

Liberty, CO

Ludlow, CO

County: Las Animas
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37° 20′ 0 N, 104° 35′ 0 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Ludlow is a ghost town in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. It was famous as the site of the Ludlow Massacre in 1914.
Remains: The townsite is nestled at the entrance to a canyon in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is located along the western side of Interstate 25 approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of the town of Trinidad. Nearby points of interest include the Ludlow Monument, a monument to the coal miners and their families who were killed in the 1914 massacre, the Hastings coke ovens, and the Victor American Hastings Mine Disaster Monument.
Current Status: Robert Adams made a series of photographs in Ludlow in 1981.
Remarks:

Madrid, CO

County: Las Animas
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37°07′39″N 104°38′29″W / 37.12750°N 104.64139°W / 37.12750
Elevation: 6,286 ft (1,916 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Madrid is a ghost town in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. It is east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 6,590 feet (2,010 m). The town is on the west side of the county along State Highway 12, fourteen miles (23 km) west of Trinidad.
Remains: Madrid is named for the Hilario Madrid, who settled there in the 19th century from New Mexico. Originally called Madrid Plaza, it was established as a settler’s post in 1864. Hilario and his brother Juan Madrid homesteaded there in September 1879.
Current Status: There was a Post Office in the town from 1882 to 1917.
Remarks:

Manhattan, CO

County: Larimer
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 40° 43′ 56 N, 105° 36′ 0 W
Elevation: 8,474 feet (2,583 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Manhattan is a ghost town located 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Rustic in Larimer County, Colorado, United States at an elevation of 8,474 feet (2,583 m). It became a mining town after the discovery of gold in the area in September 1886. The area was difficult to mine and produced small quantities of gold, and the population dropped off by the turn of the century. The land was acquired by the United States Forest Service and burned down in the 1930s, but a cemetery remains.
Remains: The town was founded as a gold mining camp, after a “rich strike” was discovered west of Fort Collins in September 1886 between the Seven Mile and Elk Horn creeks. This resulted in a rush of miners to the area along Manhattan Creek. The town was platted in 1887 and a post office opened in March of that year. Today only a few boards remain of the town that had the Ace of Cubs saloon, a hotel, a butcher, livery stable, blacksmith, and houses. At first, people lived in tents and by the end of October 1887 there were 100 miners in town and 125 claims had been made. A school was opened the previous month that served Manhattan, Rustic, Elk Horn, and Seven-Mile. There was little gold found and it was expensive to get to deposits deep into the earth. There were about 50 people in Manhattan in 1888. A discovery in the fall of 1890 led to a boom and building construction. Two people died in a mine explosion at the Black Hawk mine on November 13, 1892. There were about 300 people in Manhattan in 1898, but that had dropped to 50 in 1899. The post office closed at the end of 1900. In 1904, the school closed. A school was established in Elk Horn that in 1970 became part of the Fort Collins schools.
Current Status: The town was then owned by the United States Forest Service and became a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) site in the 1930s. Some of the buildings from the town were moved, those that remained were burned by the Forest Service in the 1930s. The Manhattan Cemetery remains on Country Road 68C/162.
Remarks: There were about 300 men who mined the Laugh-a-lot, Little Tipsy, and Katy’s Pet mines, but the town never realized the boom predicted by The Denver Post in 1897. A radio soap opera, Our Gal Sunday, and the book A Lady from Colorado, later adapted into an opera by Robert Ward, were based upon the life of Irish immigrant, Katie Lawder, who was orphaned at the age of 12 and lived in Colorado beginning at age 18. In 1888, she married Cecil Ernest Moon, an Englishman and Oxford graduate who later attained a title and a fortune. Katie took her cowgirl clothing and western frontier ways with her on trips with her husband to England. Ultimately she fell out of favor with Cecil and his family and the couple was divorced. She then lived entirely in Colorado and wished to continue to be called Lady Cecil Moon. She bought a ranch by 1901 for US$2,500 (equivalent to $71,970 in 2016).

Marble, CO

County: Gunnison
Zip Code: 81623
Latitude / Longitude: 39°4′20″N 107°11′22″W
Elevation: 7,992 ft (2,436 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1899
Disestablished:
Comments: The marble mines in this town have furnished material for the likes of Lincoln Memorial, Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and more. It once held the title as largest mine in all world at one point but now it’s not too bad compared to others still left. Two other towns nearby started out with mining activity first before becoming known by marbling their names after what they do using these ancient rocks from here; Yule Creek became an important producer thanks largely because mineral extraction was granted during Civil War while Clarence has been producing its finest quality stones since early 1800s.
Remains:
Current Status: The Town of Marble is a Statutory Town in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 131 at the 2010 United States Census.
Remarks: The town of Marbleton was once one of the most significant mining communities in this part Colorado, but now it’s virtually abandoned. The stone quarry has been shut down for many years and no one lives here anymore – not even J.C Osgood who founded this small city with his family over 100 years ago! It seems like everything changed when gold fever hit; people left quickly after finding out how much work went into making a fortune from placer deposits under their feet.

McConnellsville, CO

McFerran, CO

McPhee, CO

County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37°34’39N 108°34’20W
Elevation: 6,893 ft (2,101 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: McPhee Reservoir is located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was constructed and is operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Dolores Project, and dams the Dolores River to furnish irrigation water for Montezuma and Dolores counties and the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation.
Remains: McPhee Reservoir is named for McPhee, Colorado, a company town founded by the New Mexico Lumber Company, which is now submerged under the reservoir. In 1927, the McPhee sawmill produced over half of Colorado’s lumber. The town housed up to 1,500 employees. The sawmill closed in 1946.
Current Status: The lake itself may be accessed from near Dolores, Colorado, by SH 145 and SH 184, and offers various boat-launching facilities, picnic areas, and campgrounds in the McPhee Recreation Area operated by the U.S. Forest Service. The lake fills the lower end of the Dolores Valley, with the dam completed in 1985 across Dolores Canyon.
Remarks:

Millpond, CO

County: Eagle
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Mill Pond is a tough hike for jeeps, but if you’re up to the challenge of climbing over rough terrain and pushing onward through miles upon miles without any water or food then this may be just what your day needs. Located in Holy Cross City west of town along Highway 82 (past Gold Hill), Mill Ponds summit can provide some spectacular views that are worth every arduous step taken on top. From here head one-half mile south towards Fancy Pass where there will be another rugged trail leading down into Êd Ouray valley below.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Montana City, CO

County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Montana City was the first settlement in what was later to become Denver, Colorado. It was established during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush on the east bank of the South Platte River, just north of the confluence with Little Dry Creek, in 1858. At the time, the site was in the Kansas Territory.
Remains: The site selected because it was adjacent to placer gold diggings along the South Platte River. However, the gold diggings at Montana City proved disappointing, and the site was soon abandoned in favor of the settlement of Auraria, a few miles downstream.
Current Status: The Montana City site is now Grant-Frontier Park and includes mining equipment and a log cabin replica.
Remarks: John Easter, a butcher living in Lawrence, Kansas, heard of gold found “two days sleep” from Pikes Peak from Fall Leaf in 1857. Fall Leaf was a member of the Delaware tribe living on a reservation near Lawrence, Kansas who met with Easter to negotiate the sale of a steer. Fall Leaf was a guide in 1857 for Major John Sedgwick’s cavalry unit to locate and attack the Cheyenne and Arapaho, in a series of attacks of retribution that stemmed from the killing of a Cheyenne warrior. That journey led the men along the Arkansas River, Fountain River, and South Platte River. During that trip Fall Leaf found gold in the Pikes Peak area and showed a sample to Easter.

Montezuma, CO

County: Summit
Zip Code: 80435
Latitude / Longitude: 39°34′53″N 105°52′4″W / 39.58139°N 105.86778°W / 39.58139
Elevation: 10,312 ft (3,143 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1865
Disestablished:
Comments: The Town of Montezuma is a Statutory Town located in eastern Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 65 at the 2010 United States Census. The town is a former mining camp that sits at an elevation of 10,200 feet (3,110 m), just west of the Continental Divide, nestled among mountains that reach an elevation of 12,000-13,000 feet (3,700-4,000 m) around it. It is situated in the upper valley of the Snake River above the ski resort of Keystone in the Rocky Mountains.
Remains: The town, which is named for Montezuma, the Emperor of the Aztecs, consists largely of historical buildings and houses lining unpaved streets at the end of the paved county road that ascends the Snake River from Keystone near the west side of Loveland Pass. The town sits in a high steep valley surrounded by forested peaks offering good access to higher national forest land destinations. The paved road up from Keystone leads mainly through the national forest right up to the entrance of town, which is marked by a sign over the county road.
Current Status: The town retains many older structures, some of them dating from the late 19th century, such as the picturesque schoolhouse dating from the 1880s, now a State of Colorado Historical Site. The town is often included in lists of ghost towns in the Colorado Rockies, but it nevertheless retains a small population of full-time residents, as well as many absentee homeowners. From 2004 until 2009, a small low-powered FM station (KMZM 96.5 then 96.7), which was receivable only near and in the town, operated from one of the houses.
Remarks: Montezuma has some of the most popular backcountry skiing, biking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and hiking trails in Summit County. Montezuma is listed as one of Colorado’s top scenic places in John Fielder’s Best of Colorado. The town founded in 1865 following the discovery of silver in the vicinity of nearby Argentine Pass. It was populated by prospectors coming over the passes from nearby Georgetown. The town was incorporated in 1881. A local newspaper, the Montezuma Mill Run, began publishing in 1882. In its inaugural issue, the Mill Run described the town as having two hotels, three stores, three saloons, two blacksmiths, one shoemaker, and a number of restaurants and boarding houses.

Nevadaville, CO

County: Gilpin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Nevadaville was a gold-mining town in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. It was also known in the 1860s and 1870s as Nevada City. The post office at Nevadaville was called the Bald Mountain post office, to avoid confusion with other Nevadas and Nevadavilles.
Remains: Nevadaville started in 1859, soon after John H. Gregory found the first lode gold in what is now Colorado. At the time, the townsite was in western Kansas Territory. The town grew to house the miners working the Burroughs lode and the Kansas lode. The population was predominantly Irish.
Current Status: The community is now largely a ghost town, although not completely deserted. The Nevadaville Masonic Temple that started in 1861 still holds regular meetings.
Remarks: The town was one of the most important mining settlements in the area. A Masonic lodge was organized in 1859 from the Kansas Grand Lodge, becoming Nevada Number 36. After only one regular meeting, the lodge relinquished their charter and came under the jurisdiction of the new Grand Lodge of Colorado who had taken over the territory. The new charter was granted and the lodge became Nevada Lodge Number 4. The lodge still holds meetings as the only Ghost town lodge in Colorado. In 1861 a large fire destroyed 50+ buildings, (including naturalist and taxidermist Martha Maxwell’s boardinghouse). However, residents made effective use of TNT to save the remaining parts of the city from the fire. Nevadaville rebuilt after a fire destroyed a large piece of the town. A more serious threat to the town was the fact that the near-surface oxidized portions of the veins were worked out in the early 1860s. The rudimentary ore mills had trouble recovering gold from the deeper sulfide ores. The continued prosperity of Nevadaville was assured by the construction of successful ore smelters in nearby Black Hawk. Nevadaville prospered until about 1900, after which the population declined sharply.

Ophir, CO

County: San Miguel
Zip Code: 81426
Latitude / Longitude: 37°51′22″N 107°49′52″W
Elevation: 9,695 ft (2,955 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1878
Disestablished:
Comments: The historic mining town of Ophir is a home rule municipality governed by a general assembly and is located in San Miguel County, Colorado, United States. Ophir is located two miles from the Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, the world’s first hydroelectric plant to supply alternating current electricity for an industrial purpose (mining).
Remains:
Current Status: The population was 159 at the United States Census, 2010 census.
Remarks: The town was named after Ophir, a place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

Oro City, CO

County: Lake
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39° 14′ 5 N, 106° 15′ 8 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Oro City, now a ghost town, was an early Colorado gold placer mining town located near Leadville in the California Gulch. Oro is the Spanish word for gold. Oro City was the site of one the single richest placer gold strikes in Colorado, with estimated gold production of 120,000 to 150,000 troy ounces (4 to 5 metric tons), worth $2.5 to $3 million at the then-price of $20.67 per troy ounce.
Remains: Gold was discovered in the area in late 1859, during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush. However, the initial discovery, where California Gulch empties into the Arkansas River, was not rich enough to cause excitement. On 26 April 1860, Abe Lee made a rich discovery of placer gold on California Gulch six miles east of the Arkansas River, and Oro City was founded at the new diggings. By July 1860, the town and surrounding area had a population of 10,000. An estimated $2 million in gold was taken out the first summer from California Gulch and nearby Iowa Gulch, but within a few years the richest part of the placers had been exhausted, and the population of Oro City was several hundred. Many claims (each measuring 100 feet along the stream) were consolidated and worked by ground sluicing. A ditch was dug in 1877 to provide water for hydraulic mining, but the hydraulic mining was reported to be unsuccessful.
Current Status: Placer mining had always been hampered by heavy brown sand. As early as 1874, one of the miners determined that the brown sand was the lead mineral cerussite and that the sand also carried high values of silver. Some veins of gold ore had already been found, but following the brown sand to its sources in the bedrock led to the discovery of large and rich silver deposits. The silver started a new and larger rush, and Oro City filled with silver prospectors, but most people went instead to the new city of Leadville nearby.:56 The 1890 census found the population of Oro to be 222.
Remarks:

Parkville, CO

Patterson, CO

Pearl, CO

County: Jackson
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 40° 59′ 7 N, 106° 32′ 49 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1889
Disestablished:
Comments: Pearl is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Colorado.
Remains: A post office called Pearl was established in 1889, and remained in operation until 1919. The community has the name of Pearl Burnett.
Current Status:
Remarks:

Poudre City, CO

County: Larimer
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 40° 41′ 54.3 N, 105° 37′ 28.9 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Poudre City is a ghost town located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northwestern Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded in 1890 around a gold reducing stamp mill.
Remains: In the late 1800s, it was suspected that there was gold in Larimer County and in the hills of the Poudre Canyon and many prospectors moved to the area. John Zimmerman built a 5 stamp gold reducing stamp mill in 1890 to process the ore being brought out of the area. A saloon, general store, hotel, and houses sprouted in the area surrounding the mill. Shortly after the mill’s construction, it was determined that the ore bore very little gold, and Zimmerman sold it to pursue other endeavors in the area.
Current Status: The town was destroyed on June 10, 1891, when the Chambers Lake dam burst and swept down the Poudre Canyon. All that remains of the town today is the chimney from the stamp mill.
Remarks: In 1891 Zimmerman inspected the dam at Chamber’s Lake and had determined it was severely undersized and likely to give way. He had corresponded with the Larimer County Ditch Company, the owner of the lake, and even had hosted the company’s Chief Engineer, William Rist, but the dam was not corrected. On the morning of June 10, 1891, the dam gave way. Poudre City, being on the banks of the Poudre River, and directly downstream of Chamber’s Lake was in a very vulnerable position. Zimmerman had been out working the fields some 3 1/2 miles upstream that morning and heard the tell-tale sounds of water rushing down the canyon. He rode into town to warn the residents to move to higher ground. The floodwaters destroyed the entire town and left nothing behind save for the chimney of the stamp mill, which survives to this day.

Pryor, CO

County: Huerfano
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37° 30′ 29 N, 104° 42′ 51 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Pryor is an unincorporated community in Huerfano County, in the U.S. state of Colorado.
Remains: A post office called Pryor was established in 1898, and remained in operation until 1996. The community was named after Ike and Mack Pryor, local ranchers.
Current Status:
Remarks:

Querida, CO

County: Custer
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 38°07′34″N 105°20′04″W / 38.12611°N 105.33444°W / 38.12611
Elevation: 8,986 ft (2,739 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Querida (also called Bassick City) is a ghost town in Custer County, Colorado, United States. The town was built to serve the surrounding silver mines, the most important of which was the Bassick mine. Querida is Spanish for “beloved.”
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Robinson, CO

Rosita, CO

County: Custer
Zip Code: 81252
Latitude / Longitude: 38°05′50″N 105°20′10″W / 38.09722°N 105.33611°W / 38.09722
Elevation: 2,685 m (8,809 ft)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Rosita was a silver mining town — now a ghost town — in Custer County, Colorado, United States. Rosita is Spanish for a little rose.
Remains: Rosita was founded in late 1872 by prospectors attracted by discoveries of silver. The town was composed of tents and log cabins, but soon had stores, carpenters, a hotel, saloon, blacksmith shop, and an assayer. By 1874 the town had more than a thousand residents and 400 buildings. A U.S. post office opened in 1874, and in September 1874 the Rosita Index began as a weekly newspaper. Rosita took the seat of Custer County away from Ula (now also a ghost town) in 1878.
Current Status: Although the old town has almost entirely disappeared (the former post office building is now an operating restaurant), the surrounding area has been largely developed into semi-rural home sites. The town was used in the filming of the 1958 western movie Saddle the Wind.
Remarks: Despite some rich strikes in the Pocahantas and Humboldt mines, the silver veins around Rosita ran out of ore in a few years. In the early 1880s, Rosita was surpassed by the nearby mining towns of Querida and Silver Cliff. After a bitter four-year fight, Silver Cliff took the county seat from Rosita in the 1886 election, and Rosita declined further. The U.S. post office was closed in 1966. ZIP code 81252 now serves Rosita, but mail must be addressed to Westcliffe.

Russell Gulch, CO

County: Gilpin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39° 46′ 43 N, 105° 32′ 13 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Russell Gulch, Colorado, is a former mining town, now largely a ghost town, in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States.
Remains: William Greeneberry Russell, a miner from the goldfields of northern Georgia, had come to the vicinity of present-day Denver, then part of western Kansas Territory, in 1858 and with his brothers, founded Auraria on the banks of the Cherry Creek river. His discoveries led to what became the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Another settlement on the opposite bank was founded by William Larimer in early 1859. This settlement soon merged with Auraria and was named Denver after the territorial governor. Russell discovered placer gold deposits in June 1859 in the valley that was soon named Russell Gulch in his honor.:20 By the end of September, 891 men were mining gold in the gulch, and the eponymous town was built near the head of the gulch to serve the miners.
Current Status: Although the population was once much larger than today, and most of the larger commercial buildings stand empty, the town is not completely deserted.
Remarks: The placer deposits were quickly worked out, and work shifted to the vein deposits that were the source of the placer gold.

Saint Elmo, CO

County: Chaffee
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 38°42′17″N 106°20′42″W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1880
Disestablished:
Comments: The town of Saint Elmo is a ghostly reminder that if you want to see something, there’s always an alternative. Built in 1878 by early settlers who were looking for solitude away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life on urbanized streetscapes nearby—as soon as it became necessary with enough houses (and hotels), this little community was incorporated into being called “Saint Elmo.” It held onto its high moral character through years filled only with honest men living out their lives here without any vice what so ever until one day when population exceeded 2000 people; all kinds came pouring in: saloons & dance halls galore.
Remains:
Current Status: St. Elmo is considered a ghost town, though it still has inhabitants. Many tourists visit the former mining roads in order to take off-road vehicle trails that wind their way through its populated areas and past places where fishermen can cast lines into Chalk Creek with relative ease . The general store remains open during summer months when travelers may rent bikes or buy items from Buena Vista Heritage’s mercantile store – which will soon be rebuilding an old hall burned down by fire shortly after 2002.
Remarks: The town was first called Forrest City, but once it reached 2000 people in population and didn’t have any saloons or dance halls to go around – so they changed the name. It’s not really like other ghost towns because Saint Elmo doesn’t look like either an antique doll house with its quaint little houses on stilts for easy access by those who live there; rather you can see why this would be a good place if one wanted more privacy than say Main Street offers up while still enjoying all that downtown has offer. All of the buildings in St Elmo are privately owned, and well preserved. There is a general store that operates from May through October with some modern vactain homes nearby for those who want more than just an old ghost town aesthetic.

San Miguel, CO

County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39°45′19″N 105°37′56″W / 39.75528°N 105.63222°W / 39.75528 -105.63222
Elevation: 9,300 ft (2 800 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Silver Creek, CO

County: Clear Creek
Zip Code: 80436
Latitude / Longitude: 39°45’19N 105°37’56W
Elevation: 9,300 ft (2,800 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Silver Creek is a mining ghost town in Clear Creek County, Colorado, USA. The town never had a post office of its own but received its mail via the Lawson post office. The town is only accessible via unimproved road. Most of the mines were located upstream of the town.
Remains: Originally known as Daileyville after James Dailey, a local mine manager, the inhabitants soon changed the name to Silver Creek after the local stream that flows into Clear Creek near Lawson. The town was first settled around 1875 when silver ore deposits were discovered in the area; however, it was not officially incorporated until 1885. The mines that supported the town were mostly closed after the 1893 silver crash but reopened with the demand for metals leading up to and during World War I. The boom did not last, and by 1922 most of the mines were again closed. Among the biggest producers was the Nabob Mine, where a new shaft was sunk in 1906.
Current Status: The town struggled for a while, with the last inhabitants leaving during the Depression. By the 1970s only an old mill and a few building foundations made of stone were left.
Remarks: Silver Creek was the nearest settlement to the home of Annie Wilkes in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery.

Silver Dale, CO

Stout, CO

County: Larimer
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 38°42′17″N 106°20′42″W / 38.70472°N 106.34500°W / 38.70472
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Stout is a former town in southern Larimer County, Colorado in the United States. The town was located in the foothills southwest of Fort Collins, just west of the Dakota Hogback.
Remains: It was established in the 1860s as a camp for workers at the nearby stone quarries in the area. The Union Pacific Railroad invested in quarrying operation in the valley around the town, and at one time built a spur of their rail line from Fort Collins up to the town in order to transport stone for its own use.
Current Status: The town was abandoned in 1949 to make way for the inundation of the valley by Horsetooth Reservoir as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. Some of the former townsites is located under the southern end of the reservoir. In recent decades, a small community has developed around the south edge of the reservoir, locally known as “South Bay”. A sign at the southern end of the reservoir somewhat whimsically proclaims the area as “Stout, population 47-1/2”, although the designation is not official it is used by most residents of Fort Collins.
Remarks:

St. Elmo, CO

County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 38°42’17N 106°20’42W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: St. Elmo is a ghost town in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1880, St. Elmo lies in the heart of the Sawatch Range, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Buena Vista, and sits at an elevation of 9,961 feet (3,036 m). Nearly 2,000 people settled in this town when mining for gold and silver started. The mining industry started to decline in the early 1920s, and in 1922 the railroad discontinued service. The community is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the St. Elmo Historic District. It is one of Colorado’s best-preserved ghost towns.
Remains: St. Elmo was originally named Forest City but was later changed because of the multitude of towns with the same name. The name St. Elmo was chosen by Griffith Evans, one of the founding fathers, who was reading a novel with the same title. The town was at its peak in the 1890s when it included a telegraph office, general store, town hall, 5 hotels, saloons, dancing halls, a newspaper office, and a schoolhouse. The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad line ran through St. Elmo. There were 150 patented mine claims within the area. The majority of the people who lived in St. Elmo worked at the Mary Murphy, Teresa C., The Molly, or the Pioneer Mines. The Mary Murphy Mine was the largest and most successful mine in the area. The Mary Murphy Mine recovered over $60,000,000 worth of gold while it was in operation. While the other mines eventually shut down, the Mary Murphy Mine continued to operate until the railroad was abandoned in 1922.
Current Status: Even though St. Elmo is considered a ghost town it is still inhabited. Tourism brings many people to the St. Elmo area every year. The old mining roads are now used as Jeep and four-wheeler trails. There are also many good places to fish along Chalk Creek, which runs through St. Elmo. The general store is open during the summer when tourists can rent four-wheelers or buy items. Many of the buildings are still intact. However, the town hall and a few other buildings burnt down in 2002. Buena Vista Heritage is rebuilding the town hall to its original state.
Remarks: Once the mining industry shut down, St. Elmo drastically declined in population. Miners searched elsewhere for gold and silver and the business district in St. Elmo closed down as well. Few people continued to live in the town. Postal service was discontinued in 1952 after the death of St. Elmo’s postmaster.

Saints John, CO

County: Summit
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Saints John, originally called Coleyville, is a former silver-mining town in Summit County, Colorado, USA. About a mile from the town of Montezuma, Saints John was the site of one of the first silver discoveries in Colorado.
Remains: A prospector named Coley discovered silver in 1863 or 1864 on the slope of Glacier Mountain and built a crude furnace to extract silver from the ore. Other prospectors followed, including John Cullom, who discovered the Saints John Lode. In 1867, he sold the Saints John lode to the Boston Silver Mining Company, which built an ore mill, next to which grew the town, originally called Coleyville. In the 1870 census, the town name had changed to Saints John, which had a population of 71, which made it the largest town in Summit County.
Current Status: Although no longer a town, it still has several inhabitants.
Remarks: The fortunes of the town followed those of the Saints John mine. The mine ceased working in 1928.

Silverton, CO

County: San Juan
Zip Code: 81433
Latitude / Longitude: 37°48′45″N 107°39′47″W
Elevation: 9,318 ft (2,840 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1874
Disestablished:
Comments: The history of the town is rich and diverse, with its beginnings dating back to 1860. The first mining claims were made near Silverton in a remote part of the San Juan Mountains where gold Rush fever had not yet died down but rather continued on into Colorado’s mining era. Which lasted until 1893 when silver prices crashed due largely at fault for this economic collapse was found among those who mined here–the Utes Indians after whom it takes its name “Ute Town” or simply “The Mines”. In 1907 came another boomtown moment as more people flocked towards these mineral-rich hills following an economy depressed only slightly less severe than what would happen.
Remains:
Current Status: Silverton has a rich mining history that is still felt in the town. The last operating mine closed over twenty years ago, but it’s not hard for visitors to see why people once lived there; Silverton offers plenty of outdoor activities like hiking and mountain biking through nature preserves or across open land with breathtaking views up high on topographic mountainsides. The population reached 637 people according to 2010 U.S Census figures.
Remarks: Notable Disasters – The area surrounding Silverton has been the scene of several well-documented disasters, many of them due to avalanches and mining accidents.

1906 Avalanches
The Sunnyside Mine is one of the most dangerous in Colorado’s history. Only a few months after twelve miners were killed at the neighboring Shenandoah mine, Five more went down with their lives on January 1906 when they became trapped by an unstoppable landslide from above ground that just wouldn’t let go until everything was gone.

Lake Emma Disaster
On 4 June 1978, when the water from Lake Emma clogged up and caused a collapse into Sunnyside mine. Fortunately for everyone else, there wasn’t anyone in attendance so nobody got hurt.

Gold King Mine disaster
The EPA’s negligence in 2015 caused the environmental apocalypse when they accidentally destroyed a plug holding water trapped inside Gold King Mine, which then led to three million US gallons (eleven thousand cubic meters) of mine waste and tailings flowing into the tributary Animas River.

1918 influenza pandemic
The Spanish flu arrived in Silverton near the end of October 1918, and quickly devastated the community. In a single week, more than 5% town’s population perished from it. By March 1st, 1919; 246 people had died accounting for 10%. This gave this small Nevada mining town an ignominious title as having the highest mortality rate during The Great Influenza Pandemic which swept America at that time.

Stumptown, CO

County: Lake
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39°15’11.6″N 106°14’03.5″W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Above Leadville is a quaint little town called Stumptown with one home and what looks like the mine office or boarding house, as well as some mining structures. Some say that its name comes from having been founded by a Swedish or German miner named Stumpf who settled there before 1878; however, another story says these hillsides were covered in tree stumps after all of their trees were cut down for use in mines and building Leadville’s economy.
Remains: There’s not much left of the ghost town, so it can be hard to find. The signs placed around the area by the county are really helpful, but they point us past what used to be town. The stones lining the road here in downtown Stumptown are all that remain of a once-thriving red light district. This first stretch from top to bottom was known for its saloons and houses, but now only ruins stand which were too old or broken down by time itself so they could no longer be used as businesses.
Current Status: There are few places in Stumptown that seem so old and timeless. The downtown area, with its stone foundations lining both sides of the road here, is just one such location; this first stretch from top to bottom was where all those saloons would line up before heading off into their respective neighborhoods or committing more fully to life as prostitutes (in some cases).
Remarks:

Swandyke, CO

Table Rock, CO

Tarryall, CO

County: Park
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 39°07′19″N 105°28′32″W / 39.12194°N 105.47556°W / 39.12194
Elevation: 8,714 ft (2 656 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1859
Disestablished:
Comments: Tarryall is a ghost town in northwest Park County, Colorado, United States. The town was located on upper Tarryall Creek northwest of Como, Colorado. It was once the county seat of Park County but is now completely deserted.
Remains: The town was founded in 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush after the discovery of placer gold in Tarryall Creek. The “Tarryall diggings”, as well as other discoveries, prompted a flood of prospectors into South Park via Ute Pass and Kenosha Pass. Most newly arriving miners found that all available land for mining along the Tarryall Creek had been completely claimed by earlier arrivals, and much resentment ensued. It was thought that the earlier miners had claimed much more land than a man could reasonably work, and latecomers called Tarryall “Grab All”. Another mining town, founded not far away on the Middle Fork of the South Platte River, was named Fairplay as a dig at Tarryall.
Current Status: The town was located near the junction of North and Middle Tarryall creeks. At its height, Tarryall had a population of several thousand. A marker along U.S. Highway 285 near Como where it crosses Tarryall Creek commemorates the Tarryall diggings and the former town. Decades later a new town named Tarryall was founded 29 miles southeast of the original, and deserted, the ghost town of Tarryall.
Remarks: A US post office opened in Tarryall on 4 January 1860. The town very briefly served as the county seat of Park County, from the organization of the county on 1 November 1861 until the county seat was moved to Buckskin Joe (now also a ghost town) on 7 January 1862.

Tarryall (Puma City), CO

County: Park
Zip Code: 80827
Latitude / Longitude: 39°07’19N 105°28’32W
Elevation: 8,714 ft (2,656 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: 1896
Disestablished:
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Teller City, CO

Tin Cup, CO

County: Gunnison
Zip Code: 81210
Latitude / Longitude: 38° 45′ 16 N, 106° 28′ 42 W
Elevation: 10,157 ft (3,096 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established: August 1880
Disestablished:
Comments: Tincup, or Tin Cup, originally called Virginia City, is an unincorporated community in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The community was once a prominent mining town. Tincup is now a community of summer homes with a few year-round residents. Many historic buildings are still in use.
Remains: In October 1859, prospector Jim Taylor panned some gold from Willow Creek, and carried it back to camp in a tin cup; he named the valley “Tin Cup Gulch.” For years the area was the site of seasonal placer mining, but no year-round communities were established, partly because of the danger of Indian attack.
Current Status: The town population declined when the mines were exhausted. The post office closed in 1918, and the last town election was held in 1918. The Boothill Cemetery is located just south of the town. Timberline Trails camp has been in operation since 1949. The camp has rooms available for visitors.
Remarks: In 1878, lode deposits were discovered in the area, and the town of Virginia City was laid out in March 1879. By the 1880 census, the town had a population of 1,495. Virginia City was incorporated in August 1880, but confusion with Virginia City, Nevada, and Virginia City, Montana, caused the residents to change the name. The town was reincorporated in July 1882 as Tin Cup. Early Tin Cup was a violent place. Town marshal Harry Rivers died in a gunfight in 1882, and marshal Andy Jameson was shot to death in 1883.

Tomboy, CO

County: San Miguel
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 37°56′12″N 107°45′16″W
Elevation: 11,509 ft (3,508 m)
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished: 1927
Comments: Located in a mountainous region known as the Savage Basin, once home to many gold mines and settlements like Tomboy. The original name of this settlement was “Savage Bayon Camp,” but eventually became more popularly known at its final moniker: Tomboy. A stagecoach would make daily trips carrying passengers or mail for those living here while also delivering supplies down from Sacramento City. There were cabins where miners could stay when they weren’t either out working claiming boundaries at nearby claims sites. Tomboy had a school building, stables, and cabins for the miners and a store.
Remains: Rockslides closed off access entirely except through private property where remnants can still be seen today by hikers or those with 4WD vehicles.
Current Status: These are now privately owned lands so they don’t welcome visitors without permission from land owners first.
Remarks: The mine was sold for $2 million to the Rothschilds of London in 1897. Between 1908 and 1914, zinc was milled in Tomboy while work continued on tunneling underneath it until 1978 when all mining operations came to an end due its lack of profitability.

Turret, CO

Ula, CO

Uptop on Old La Veta Pass, CO

Uravan, CO

County: Montrose
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 38° 22′ 6 N, 108° 44′ 11 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Uravan (a contraction of Uranium vanadium) is an abandoned uranium mining town in western Montrose County, Colorado, United States, that is now a Superfund site. The town was a company town established by U. S. Vanadium Corporation in 1936 to extract the rich vanadium ore in the region. As a byproduct of vanadium extraction, small amounts of uranium were also produced, at the time mostly used as a yellow pigment.
Remains: Dolores Cave was inhabited from about 600 BC to AD 1400. A corn cob dated about AD 1500 was found in the site, which indicates that corn was grown in the area after the Ancient Pueblo People (Anasazi) abandoned their Colorado pueblos in the 13th century. Tabeguache Cave II is a large prehistoric rock shelter occupied from about AD 600 – 1500. There is also a Tabeguache Cave and two other rock shelters near Nucla, Colorado. In 1885, placer gold was discovered in a tributary of the San Miguel River, Mesa Creek, nine miles from Ouray. The Montrose Placer Mining Company constructed the “Hanging Flume” on the east wall of Dolores River Canyon
Current Status: The town was located approximately 90 miles (140 km) south-southwest of Grand Junction along the San Miguel River. At one time, over 800 people lived in Uravan, and the town housed a school, a trading center (store), medical facilities, tennis courts, a recreation center, and a pool. However, Uravan was abandoned by the 1980s, and no trace of its former buildings remains.
Remarks: On May 6, 2012, the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners signed the Omnibus Agreement with Dow Chemical, giving them three tracts of land: Ballpark Parcel #1, a 133-acre plot between Hwy. 141 and the San Miguel River, Ballpark Parcel #2, approximately 10 acres northwest of the first parcel, and the Townsite property, located between County Rd. EE22 and County Rd. Y11. Montrose County agreed to accept this property on behalf of the Rimrocker Historical Society of Western Montrose County, which worked tirelessly since 1990 to properly preserve and interpret the history of Uravan. The Rimrocker Historical Society and Montrose County entered into a long-term lease on May 1, 2013, for a 17-acre section of Ballpark parcel #1, with the intention of building a museum and campground on the property. The Rimrocker Historical Society of Western Montrose County hosts the annual Uranium History Celebration and Reunion Picnic at Historic Uravan, Colorado every August, sponsored in part by the Cold War Patriots. For the 100th anniversary of the original Joe Jr. Mill in 2012, over 1,000 people attended.

White Pine, CO

County:
Zip Code: 81201
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: White Pine is a ghost town that was once thriving due to its rich silver deposits. The camp first began mining around 1878 but never attained the status of boomtown, largely because it suffered from avalanches with fatalities and widespread damage in both past instances where White Pine attempted economic prosperity based solely on this commodity market crash as well as other towns during those same years who also tried their luck at re-inventing themselves only for them all too soon fade away after 1893’s stock market crash from lack not just resources needed like food or water but human life itself.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Independence, CO