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Mile High State Ghostly Highlights!

Colorado never had a shortage of ghost towns due to the fleeting conditions of precious metal discovery and mining. It seems that nearly every Colorado mountain town came about as a result of people flocking to the territory/State to find riches.

I remember exploring old abandoned mine sites with my dad in the 1950s. At that time a typical mine site could easily have old mining equipment and machinery lying abandoned. There were rail spikes, shovels, picks and much more. We just let them lie but others did not and those reminders of the past quickly were looted forever.

Just viewing all of these long-deserted locations gets the imagination going – all of those souls streaming into what would become the State of Colorado or had already become Colorado. How many came and went? How many died in these locations? What did they leave behind?

Colorado Ghost Towns/Aberdeen – Near Gunnison

Founded in 1892 to mine granite such as in the Colorado State Capitol

Colorado Ghost Towns/Adelaide

West of Leadville

Colorado Ghost Towns/Agua Ramon

A ranching community located in the San Juan region of Colorado.

Colorado Ghost Towns/Alice

Alice located near Fall River in Clear Creek County – The Post Office closed down in 1938

Colorado Ghost Towns/Altman

Founded in 1893 and reached a popular of about 1,200

Colorado Ghost Towns/Ames

Founded in 1880 – A gold and silver town in San Miguel County southwest of Telluride

Colorado Ghost Towns/Anaconda

Founded in 1892 named after its biggest mine. Fire destroyed the town in 1917.

Colorado Ghost Towns/Animas Forks

Founded in 1873 to mine gold – Reached a population of around 450. Located southeast of Ouray

Colorado Ghost Towns/Apex

Apex was founded in 1891 – formed when it became too crowded in nearby Central City – Population reached about 1,000 inhabitants.

Colorado Ghost Towns/Argentum

Colorado Ghost Towns/Ashcroft – Aspen Daily News – 1995

Ashcroft reached a population of 2,500

Colorado Ghost Towns/Autobees

Founded in 1853 near Pueblo for ranching

Colorado Ghost Towns/Bachelor City

Founded in 1892

Colorado Ghost Towns/Badito

Founded in 1865 by trappers Northwest of Walsenburg

By Charles M. Sauer — Charlessauer – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Colorado Ghost Towns/Bakerville

Bakerville near Silverton

Colorado Ghost Towns/Baldwin

Baldwin near Gunnison

Colorado Ghost Towns/Bandora

Gold mine town located in the San Juan region of Colorado

Colorado Ghost Towns/Berwind

Founded in 1888 to mine coal and iron – Northwest of Trinidad – Site of much violence between mining strikers and militia

Colorado Ghost Town/Bloom

Bloom was founded in 1898 in Otero County

Colorado Ghost Towns/Bonanza

Founded in 1880 to mine silver – Located directly north of Saguache

Colorado Ghost Towns/Bowen

Founded to mine coal – Peak population was about 200 residents – Located near Trinidad

Colorado Ghost Towns – Bronquist

Bronquist a little southwest of Pueblo

“Colorado Past” says today new mountain homes are being built

Colorado Ghost Towns/Brookside

Brookside adjacent to Canon City – Coal Mining Town

Colorado Ghost Towns – Buckskin Joe

Founded in 1860 to mine gold – Reached a population of 1,000 – Located northwest of Alma

Colorado Ghost Towns – Bull Hill

Bull Hill near Victor Colorado

Colorado Ghost Towns/Burrows Park

Located in the San Juan region of Colorado

Colorado Ghost Town/Caddoa

Founded in 1881 for farming – Located in far southeastern Colorado plains

Colorado Ghost Towns/Calcite

Calcite six miles from Howard, Colorado – Limestone mining here

Colorado Ghost Towns Cameron

Located near Cripple Creek – Had a population nearly as large as Cripple Creek – and even had a very popular zoo! Before gold was discovered this was a ranch area known as “Grassy”.

Colorado Ghost Towns/Camp Bird

Founded in 1897 mining gold, silver and lead – Reached a population of 500

Colorado Ghost Towns/Camp Hale

Located near Red Cliff & Leadville – this was once the home of the Tenth Mountain Division

Colorado Ghost Towns/Capitol City

Founded in 1876 to mine gold, silver and lead – Reached a population of about 800 – Located between Ouray and Lake City

Excelsior Mine near Capitol City, Colorado ca. 1880

The old post office at Capitol City, Colorado

Colorado Ghost Towns/Cardiff

Located in the northwest region of the State – Coal mining

Colorado Ghost Towns/Cardinal

Founded in 1872 to mine gold, silver and tungsten – Reached a population of 1,500 – Located near Nederland

Ghost Towns/Caribou – Rocky Mountain News – 1958

Caribou reached a population of 1,800

Colorado Ghost Towns/Champion

Founded in the 1890s to mine gold and silver

Colorado Ghost Towns/Chandler – Founded 1882 – Folded 1942

Chandler near Canon City – Coal Mining – Founder 1890 – Folded 1942

Colorado Ghost Towns/Chattanooga

Founded in 1882 to mine gold and silver – Located between Ironton and Silverton

Colorado Ghost Towns/Climax

Climax near Leadville

Colorado Ghost Towns/Clyde

Clyd located west above Manitou Springs

Colorado Ghost Towns/Coal View

Colorado Ghost Towns/Columbine

Columbine near Clark, Colorado

Colorado Ghost Towns/Como

Como is being repopulated slowly today but nearly became a ghost town – Founded early 1880s – Folded in 1939 when train departed – Had 500 residents in 1880 – Located east of Fairplay and at the base of Boreas Pass

Colorado Ghost Towns/Congress

Founded in 1880 to mine Silver – Located between Silverton and Ironton

Colorado Ghost Towns/Copper Rock

Founded in 1892 in Boulder County – a gold mining community

Colorado Ghost Towns/Cotopaxi

The area was involved in a volatile cattle war in the 1880s

Colorado Ghost Towns/Crisman

Founded in 1874 to mine silver – Located west of Boulder – Reached a population of 179

Colorado Ghost Towns/Crystal

Crystal Mill with the town of Crystal in the background

Colorado Ghost Towns/Dunton

Dunton southwest of Telluride – Founded in 1885 mining gold and silver – Peak population around 200 – Deserted by 1918

Emma Mill and Boarding House - Dunton, Colorado

Colorado Ghost Towns/Elkton

Founded in the 1890s to mine gold – Peak population was 3,000 – Located a little northwest of Victor

Colorado Ghost Towns/Eureka

Eureka near Silverton/Animas Forks

Colorado Ghost Towns/Freeland

Founded in 1878 to mine gold – Population peaked at about 400 -residents – Located almost directly west of Idaho Springs

Colorado Ghosts Towns/Gillette

Founded to mine Gold in 1894 – Peak population was 1,500 – Located northeast of Cripple Creek

Business District in Gillett, Colorado 1895 — 1895

Colorado Ghost Towns/Gillman

Came alive in 1886 – Near Minturn a silver mining town the population was about 300 persons

Colorado Ghost Towns/Gladstone

Located in the San Juan region to mine gold – Located near Silverton

Colorado Ghost Towns/Goldfield

Goldfield population up to 2,500 at one time – West of Colorado Springs

Colorado Ghost Towns/Graysill

Colorado Ghost Towns/Guston

Colorado Ghost Towns/Hamilton

At it’s height, the Hamilton Post Office provided mail to nearly 20,000 folks over it’s active time from 1860 to 1880

Colorado Ghost Towns/Henson

Founded in 1877 and located near Lake City

Colorado Ghost Towns/Highland Mary

Founded in 1870s to mine zinc, silver, gold and lead – Peak population was about 200 – Located east of Silverton

Colorado Ghost Towns/Howardsville

Founded in 1874 to mine gold and silver – Peak population unknown – Located northeast of Silverton

Colorado Ghost Towns/Independence – Aspen Daily News – 2015

Independence reached a population of 1,800 – Founded in 1893 to mine gold – Located directly north of Victor

Colorado Ghost Towns/Ironton

Founded in 1883 to mine silver – located between Ouray and Silverton – Peak population was about 1,000

Colorado Ghost Towns/Irwin – Rocky Mountain News – 1958

Irwin reached a population of 6,000

Colorado Ghost Towns/Irwin

Jamestown founded in the 1870s to mine gold – Located northeast of Ward

The Budweiser Palace - Jamestown, Colorado 1884 — 1884

Colorado Ghost Towns/Jasper

Founded in 1875 to mine gold and silver – Located southwest of Monte Vista

Colorado Ghost Towns/Kokomo

Founded in 1878 to mine silver – Peak population near 10,000! Located southwest of Copper Mountain

Colorado Ghost Towns/La Plata

Located in San Juan region of the State

Colorado Ghost Towns/Lawrence

Lawrence not totally ghosted but close – near Victor

Colorado Ghost Towns/Manhattan

Founded in 1888 to mine gold – Peaked population at about 300 – Located near Red Feather Lakes

Colorado Ghost Towns/Marigold

Located between Victor and Cripple Creek – Served as a stage stop when the Carlton Tunnel was being built starting in 1930

Colorado Ghost Towns/Mayday

Founded in the 1890s

Colorado Ghost Towns/McGregor

Colorado Ghost Towns/Middleton

Founded in the 1870s – Located between Eureka and Howardsville

Colorado Ghost Towns/Mineral

Founded in 1875 to mine gold, silver, zinc and lead – Located southeast of Ouray -located at the lofty elevation of 11,700 feet

Colorado Ghost Towns/Montgomery

Founded in 1861 to mine gold – Located northwest of Fairplay not far from Alma

Watered Powered Arrastra at Montgomery Colorado

Colorado Ghosts Towns/Mound City

Mound City reached a population of about 1,00 founded in 1891 in Teller County to mine gold

Colorado Ghost Towns/Mount Harris

Very near Wadge

Colorado Ghost Towns/Nevadaville

I included this one because my family at one time owned a small gold mine there. Located just up the hill south of Central City – Reached a peak population of near 1,000 people.

Colorado Ghosts Towns/Niegoldstown

Founded in the 1870s to mine gold – Reached a population of abut 250 – Located slightly northeast of Silverton

Old Hundred boarding house ca. 1910 — 1910

Colorado Ghost Towns/Pandora

Founded in 1880 to mine gold and silver – Located east of Telluride

Pandora town and mills with Telluride in the distance

Colorado Ghost Towns/Pandora

Located near Telluride

Colorado Ghost Towns/Perigo

Founded in 1860 to mine gold – Located southwest of Rollinsville

Colorado Ghost Towns/Placer Gulch

Colorado Ghost Towns/Querida

Founded in 1870s to mine silver – Located just east of Westcliffe

Querida, Colorado and the Bassick mine 1880s — 1880s

Colorado Ghost Towns/Red Mountain Town

Founded in the 1870s to mine silver – Peak population of around 1,000. Located between Ouray and Silverton

Red Mountain Town rebuilds after a fire in 1892 — 1892

Colorado Ghost Towns/Rockvale

Still barely alive – Rockvale reached a population of 1,500 – Founded in 1863

Colorado Ghost Towns/Roses Cabin

Founded in 1874 to mine gold and silver – Peak population was near 50 residents – Located southeast of Ouray

Colorado Ghost Towns/St. Elmo

St. Elmo reached a population of 2,000

Colorado Ghost Towns/Saints John

Founded in 1864 to mine silver – Located southeast of Silverthorne

Mine crew at Saints John Colorado ca. 1880 — 1880

Colorado Ghosts Towns/Sherman

Founded 1877 to mine gold and silver – Located southwest of Lake City and southeast of Ouray

General store and Black Wonder Mill - Sherman, Colorado ca. 1894 — 1894

Black Wonder Mill Sherman Colorado — 1890s

Colorado Ghost Towns/Siloam

This is a true ‘ghost town’ completely barren – This was a ranching community of about 100 persons – Drought decimated the town in the 1930s – Near present day Pueblo