Ghost Towns in Colorado
21 documented ghost towns
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History
Colorado has more ghost towns than living towns. Silver and gold mining in the Rockies created camps at extreme elevations.
Regions: Rocky Mountains • San Juan Mountains
All Ghost Towns
Animas Forks
Animas Forks is one of America's highest ghost towns at 11,185 feet. A 23-day blizzard in 1884 buried it under 25 feet of snow—residents dug tunnels b...
Ashcroft
Ashcroft briefly rivaled Aspen as a silver boomtown with 2,500 residents. But the railroad chose Aspen, not Ashcroft, and the town collapsed. The Aspe...
Ashcroft
Ashcroft briefly rivaled Aspen in size (2,000-3,500 people) before shallow silver ran out and Aspen won. H.A.W. Tabor owned mines here. In WWII, the U...
Bonanza
Bonanza was one of Colorado's richest silver districts, producing over $10 million in ore. At 10,000 feet, winters were brutal. When silver prices cra...
Central City
Central City was called the 'Richest Square Mile on Earth' after the 1859 gold strike that helped launch Colorado's mining era. The 1878 Central City ...
Creede
Creede was Colorado's last silver boomtown (1890s), producing 84 million ounces. Bob Ford—the man who shot Jesse James—ran a saloon here before being ...
Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek was Colorado's last great gold rush (1890s), producing more gold than California and Alaska combined. Winfield Scott Stratton sold his I...
Dearfield
Dearfield was founded by O.T. Jackson as a place where Black Americans could own land and build wealth. At its peak, 700 people farmed the Colorado pr...
Gilman
Gilman was a zinc and lead mining town perched on a cliff above the Eagle River—until the EPA discovered contamination so severe they evacuated everyo...
Gold Hill
Gold Hill claims to be Colorado's oldest mining town—gold was discovered here in January 1859, weeks before the famous Gregory Gulch strike. At 1,500 ...
Independence
Independence was founded on July 4, 1879, hence the name. At 10,900 feet, brutal winters drove residents to move to Aspen. Ruins remain at the pass su...
Independence
Independence was named for its discovery date: July 4, 1879. At peak, 1,500 people lived at 10,900 feet with 40 businesses. When the brutal 1899 winte...
Ironton
Ironton sits dramatically along the Million Dollar Highway (US 550), once supporting 1,000 residents who mined silver, gold, and copper. The town surv...
Keota
Keota thrived on farming until the Dust Bowl. The 1930s droughts destroyed agriculture, and the population fled. A handful of residents remain in this...
Leadville
Leadville was Colorado's second-largest city and home to both 'Silver King' H.A.W. Tabor and 'Unsinkable Molly Brown.' Tabor built opera houses and be...
Nevadaville
In 1860, Nevadaville was Colorado's third-largest city with 4,000 residents. Gold mining fueled explosive growth. Multiple fires and mining decline re...
Silverton
Silverton is the 'Mining Town That Wouldn't Quit'—sole municipality in San Juan County (highest mean elevation in US). The Durango & Silverton Narrow ...
St. Elmo
St. Elmo is often called Colorado's best-preserved ghost town. Many buildings remain along the main street. Friendly chipmunks are a tourist attractio...
St. Elmo
St. Elmo is Colorado's best-preserved ghost town, with 40+ original 1880s buildings. The Mary Murphy Mine produced $60 million in gold. Named after a ...
Tin Cup
Tin Cup was known as the 'wildest mining camp in Colorado'—early prospectors used a tin cup to pan gold, giving it its name. Originally called Virgini...
Vicksburg
Vicksburg was a silver mining supply town high in the Sawatch Range. After the mines closed, one family acquired the townsite and has preserved it for...