Alpine is a small community, sometimes considered a ghost town, in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. [1] It was founded as a mining town. The Alpine post office operated from October 26, 1874, until June 30, 1904. [2]
When the mines played out, the Mary Murphy Mine about four miles from St. Elmo was the last to close in 1910, and both Alpine and St. Elmo became ghost towns. There were still a few residents who continued to live in the two towns, but the towns were nearly empty for half a century. Then in the 1950s and 1960s people rediscovered the quiet beauty of Chalk Creek gulch and built summer homes. Some of the salvageable buildings in Alpine and St. Elmo were fixed up and still stand.
The San Isabel National Forest completely surrounds Alpine and St. Elmo and prevents more extensive development. St. Elmo remains a local tourist attraction as a ghost town with a part-time general store and some year-round residents. Alpine is more residential and has no tourist interest. Alpine has about 10 families who live there year-round, and a summer population of several hundred.
Alpine is located at 38°42′40″N106°16′37″W / 38.7111°N 106.2770°W at an elevation 9,269 feet (2,825 m). [1]
Climax was an unincorporated mining village and a former U.S. Post Office located in Lake County, Colorado, United States. Climax is known for its large molybdenum ore deposit. Climax is located along the Continental Divide at an elevation of about 11,342 feet. It was the highest human settlement in the United States, and it holds the record for having had the country's second highest Post Office and the highest railroad station.
Snowmass is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. It is situated in the valley of the Roaring Fork River, near the mouth of Snowmass Creek along State Highway 82 between Aspen and Basalt. It consists largely of a post office, several commercial businesses, and surrounding houses and ranches. The Snowmass Post Office has the ZIP Code 81654.
Crystal is a ghost town on the upper Crystal River in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. It is located in the Elk Mountains along a four-wheel-drive road 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Marble and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Crested Butte. Crystal was a mining camp established in 1881 and after several decades of robust existence, was all but abandoned by 1917. The Crystal post office operated from July 28, 1882, until October 31, 1909.Many buildings still stand in Crystal, but its few residents live there only in the summer.
Animas Forks is an extinct mining town located 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Silverton in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. At an elevation of 11,185 feet (3,409 m), Animas Forks is one of the highest mining camps in the North America.
Ashcroft is an extinct mining town located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The silver mining camp was founded as Castle Forks City in the spring of 1880. A post office named Ashcroft operated at the site from August 12, 1880, until August 5, 1881, when the name was changed to Chloride. The Chloride post office operated until January 3, 1882 when the name was changed back to Ashcroft. The renamed Ashcroft post office finally closed on November 30, 1912.
Coalmont is an unincorporated community and U.S. Post Office in Jackson County, Colorado, United States. The town is named for the open-pit lignite coal mines in the area, from which coal was shipped out on the Union Pacific Railroad to the mainline at Laramie, Wyoming.
Chalk Creek is a 27.3-mile-long (43.9 km) river flowing east from the Collegiate Peaks mountain range in Chaffee County, Colorado. Mount Antero borders the southern side of the river, while Mount Princeton borders the northern side. The headwaters of the river are located at the Continental Divide. The river empties into the Arkansas River at the town of Nathrop, Colorado.
Abbeyville is an extinct commmunity located in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.
Henson is a ghost town in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. Its elevation is 9,236 feet (2,815 m). Henson's name has historically been spelled several different ways, including Hansen, Hanson, Hensen, and Honsen; the Board on Geographic Names officially supported the current spelling in 1896. Henson was named for Henson Creek, which was named for a pioneer settler. The Henson post office operated from May 17, 1883, until November 30, 1913.
Saint Elmo is a ghost town in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1880, Saionr 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 Saionr Elmo Historic District. It is one of Colorado's best preserved ghost towns.
Buckskin Joe, also called Laurette or Lauret, is a deserted ghost town in Park County, Colorado, United States. It was an early mining town, and the former county seat of Park County.
Tincup, or Tin Cup, originally named Virginia City, is an unincorporated community in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The community was once a prominent mining town, but is now a community of summer homes with a few year-round residents. Many historic buildings are still standing and kept up. The only businesses or services in Tincup are a small store and famous Frenchy's, open only during the summer months.
Ironton is an extinct town located in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. It lay south of the present town of Ouray, adjacent to the sites Guston of Red Mountain Town, fellow ghost towns. During the 1880s and 1890s, Ironton formed part of the Red Mountain Pass mining district, the second largest silver mining district in Colorado. The Ironton post office operated from May 2, 1883, until August 2, 1920.
Capitol City is a ghost town in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States on the Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway.
Adelaide is an extinct town located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The townsite is located at 38.5600°N 105.0908°W at an elevation of 6,949 feet (2,118 m). Previously known as Robinson, the former mining camp and railroad water is located along the Phantom Canyon Road. The Adelaide Bridge is located just north of the townsite.
Haybro,, is an extinct town in Routt County, Colorado, United States.
Franceville was a coal mining town and railroad post office in eastern El Paso County, Colorado, about five miles from the town of Falcon and twelve miles east of Colorado Springs. The Franceville post office operated from November 2, 1881, until May 14, 1894. The town was located on land owned by Matt France. There were 120 people in the town in 1885.
Husted is an extinct town located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Husted was a settlement on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and located thirteen miles north of Colorado Springs. Residents were involved in ranching and lumber businesses. The Husted post office operated from October 1, 1878, until October 15 1920.
The Town of Carbonate is a ghost town located in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. In 2014, property owners voted to reactivate the town government despite having no year-round residents since 1890.
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