Gilman, Colorado, Eagle County: Nestled on the cliffs overlooking the Eagle River in Colorado, Gilman is a ghost town with a storied past that entices those with a taste for the mysterious and the forgotten. Known for its mining history and eventual abandonment, Gilman offers a glimpse into the past and the impermanence of boomtowns. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Eagle County
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 39.5489° N, 106.3900° W
Elevation: Approximately 8,950 feet (2,730 meters)
Time Zone: Mountain Time Zone (MT)
Established: 1886
Disestablished: 1984
Comments: Gilman was founded as a mining town, primarily extracting zinc, lead, and other minerals. It thrived for nearly a century, with a population reaching several hundred. The town’s closure was due to environmental concerns and resource depletion, leading to its abandonment.
Remains: Many of the original structures still stand, albeit in decay. The town has remnants of residential buildings, a school, and mining facilities. The site is privately owned and access is restricted, enhancing its aura of mystery.
Founded in 1886 during the Colorado Silver Boom, the town later became a center of lead and zinc mining in Colorado, centered on the now-flooded Eagle Mine. The town was abandoned in 1984 by order of the Environmental Protection Agency because of toxic pollutants, including contamination of the groundwater, and the unprofitability of the mines.
It is currently a ghost town on private property and is strictly off-limits to the public. At the time of the abandonment, Viacom International owned the mining operations. As of 2007, The Ginn Company has plans to build a private ski resort with private home sites across Battle Mountain, including development at the Gilman townsite.
On February 27, 2008, the Minturn Town Council unanimously approved annexation and development plans for 4,300 acres (17 km2) of Ginn Resorts’ 1,700-unit Battle Mountain residential ski and golf resort; Ginn’s Battle Mountain development includes much of the old Gilman townsite.
On May 20, 2008, the town of Minturn approved the annexation in a public referendum with 87% of the vote. As of September 9, 2009, the Ginn Company has backed out of the Battle Mountain Property development plans. Crave Real Estate Ventures, which was the original finance to Ginn, will now take over the day-to-day operations of the property.
Current Status: Gilman remains a ghost town, inaccessible to the public due to safety concerns and environmental contamination. The landowners enforce a strict no-trespassing policy.
The townsite is a victim of vandalism, and its main street is heavily tagged. Only a few intact windows remain in town, as twenty years of vandalism have destroyed almost every glass object. However, many parts of the town are almost as they were when the mine shut down.
The main shaft elevators still sit ready for ore cars, permanently locked at the top level. Several cars and trucks still sit in their garages, left behind by their owners. Because of its size, modernity, and level of preservation, the town is also the subject of interest for many historians, explorers, and photographers.
Remarks: The town’s eerie silence and the preservation of its historical structures make it a point of fascination for historians and urban explorers alike. Despite its closure, Gilman continues to capture the imagination of those interested in Colorado’s mining heritage and the stories of ghost towns.
In the 1880s, Clinton acquired several mining operations in the vicinity, including the profitable Iron Mask, noted for its numerous caverns with crystal formations. Clinton developed the area as a town and improved the mining operations with higher capitalization.
The town Clinton developed to keep miners at the site was initially named for him. He donated the land for its initial schoolhouse and built its first boarding house. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reached the Belden mining camp at the cliff’s base in 1882.
By 1899, it had a population of approximately 300, as well as a newspaper, called the Gilman Enterprise.
