Mining towns popped up by the dozen, but just as quickly found themselves abandoned as the politics of man and nature shifted. Sometimes its hard to picture the town when it was bustling and everything was brandnew. Tomboy mine this mine was established in 1880 at an elevation of 11,500 feet in a glacial cirque known as savage basin. He also travels around the state lecturing on colorado history and. This book includes the story of 240 of colorado s mining camps, with emphasis on the human side.
Ghost towns of the colorado prairies for recent information on prairie ghost. Colorado ghost towns and mining camps by sandra dallas, 1985 this publication contains many excellent stories about the ghost towns and mining camps covered, which are many. Those that werent set up as mining camps were usually established as locations for. The remains of an old cabin at dyersville, colorado. Find and circle the names of twenty colorado ghost towns in the puzzle. The author has included a presentday picture taken from the same angle.
Sandra dallas, a reporter for business week for twentyfive years, is the author of colorado ghost towns and mining camps, no more than five in a bed also published by the university of oklahoma press, gaslights and gingerbread, many other books and articles on colorado and the west, and several bestselling novels. Through historical records, vignettes of personalities, and over 250 photos and 80 maps, eberhart provides ready. Sep 14, 2010 for background information on colorado s ghost towns, see ghost towns of colorado. Ghosts of the colorado plains ohio university press. This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in the state of kansas. Instead of a fourwheel drive vehicle, i drove a bmw 2002. Nine mills operated 155 stamps, it had its own newspaper, 14 saloon and about 600 people. Guide to the colorado ghost towns and mining camps, swallow press, perry eberhart, click here. I followed one of his routes high into the hills about nederland, co a few years ago.
Perry eberhart, ghosts of the colorado plains, swallow press books, athens, ohio, 1986. Before actually traveling to the various ghost towns you need a good atlas like benchmark or delorme. Old stories and secrets live on in colorados ghost towns and. This is a partial list of ghost towns in arizona in the united states of america. The best small towns in colorado moon travel guides. The lesser known ghost stories of colorado book one, is a quality handcrafted book printed on recycle paper product, 6x8. This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in utah, a state of the united states. Looking at the map one could get the impression that amy was on wheels and that every few years they would move it. The men who swarmed to the mountains to find precious metal came in successive waves from the late 1850s on, combing the gulches, scrambling over the passes and climbing the peaks. He works for the loveland reporterherald and has two weekly columns.
Here there is a stand of trees, a wind break, and some cattle grazing. Inquire with local authorities or property owners for access to these places. It is a landmark of keota, one of the prairie ghost towns. The map below is an overview of our online tour of fifteen of colorado s historic ghost towns and mining camps. Ghost towns are listed by name, and also by county. Colorado mining camps, ghost towns, boomtowns, mines. Books on agricultural ghost towns of the plains are much rarer. During the great gold rush in the second half of the 19th century, settlers headed west in search of their fortune. He has written books on ghost towns in arizona and in southern california. History colorado publishes books on the history of colorado and the. Its going to have a very ambient, atmospheric mood to it. Photographer john drew, along with his wife susan, teamed up with varney for ghost. In 1897, the mine was sold to the rothchilds of london for twomillion dollars. The first volume of ghost towns, colorado style is filled with over 230 historic and contemporary photos from the northern region of the colorado rockies.
He is a regular contributor to arizona highways magazine and frequently leads travel groups on ghosttown tours. Colorado ghost towns and mining camps by sandra dallas book cover, description, publication history. Ghost towns of the colorado rockies internet archive. For nearly three years the author compiled information, collected. Included in this volume are over 250 town histories, 80 detailed maps and 228 historic and contemporary photographs.
Colorado 4wd roads to ghost towns a b c e g h l m n r s t w a road attributes location. He has published a number of guide books focusing on colorado history including jeep trails to colorado ghost towns 1963 and ghost towns of the colorado rockies 1968. As often was the case with the gold boom towns of colorado, the gold diminished and the town slowly died. Vicksburg is a well preserved ghost town tucked away in clear creek canyon. Ghost towns of colorado provides comprehensive information on more than 90 towns and sites from cripple creek to leadville. Colorado s mining boom put the state on the map as one of the most lucrative places to be in the late 1800s. About the author longtime ghosttown hunter philip varney is the author of six ghosttown guides, including ghost towns of colorado, ghost towns of northern california, and ghost towns of the pacific northwest. May 01, 2020 by 1883 summitville was one of the largest gold producers in the state of colorado. Amy colorado ghost town stories begin just east of state highway 71 on cr2d. Guide to the colorado ghost towns and mining camps ohio. The site is littered with old machinery, mining equipment and structures. Jeep trails to colorado ghost towns isbn 0870040219 is a 1963 nonfiction travel guide by robert l. Jun 01, 1972 robert leaman brown was a teacher of western and colorado history in the denver school system for thirtythree years and later at the denver center of the university of colorado.
Nevadaville ghost town central city, colorado atlas. He has published a number of guide books focusing on colorado history including colorado on foot 1991 and ghost towns of the colorado rockies 1968, both published. Rockdale and beaver city are two smaller towns with not. Great books on colorado, offroading, san juan mountains. Ghost towns of the colorado rockies by brown, robert leaman, 1921publication date 1968 topics ghost towns. The tours are broken into five regions click on each region of the map to zoom in, or select a specific tour from the menu to the left. Buy ghost towns of colorado by philip varney, john m l drew photographer online at alibris. Robert leaman brown was a teacher of western and colorado history in the denver school system for thirtythree years and later at the denver center of the university of colorado. Elmo area, and its also home to the aspen historical society, which leads tours of the independence ghost town. There are over 1,500 registered sites with over 600 still having some remains from their previous occupants.
We will tell the ghost stories associated with the stanley hotel, cheesman park, the molly brown house, and more as we visit the past and the past visits with us a bit. Vicksburg, colorado ghost town chaffee county ghost town. The town is gone now and the treasure of my life is spent upon the night winds and the weeds, and on eternity. Most ghost towns in arizona are former mining boomtowns that were abandoned when the mines closed. Dozens of books have been written about colorado s mining camps and can be found in libraries and book stores. Prairie ghost towns of northern colorado in polaroid transfer art. Located south of lake city, carson is one of the bestpreserved ghost towns in colorado. Ghost towns and mining camps of the rockies takes the reader on a visual voyage through the ghost towns. Gilman is an abandoned mining town in southeastern eagle county, colorado, united states.
There are actually four ghost towns on the county road near vicksburg. Written as a general guide for people searching out ghost towns in colorado, this book covers each region of the state where silver or gold was mined. The canyon lies between leadville and buena vista on highway 24. I wrote nine nonfiction books on western subjects before i turned to fiction. Remnants of the mining days volume 1 of american traveler series colorado traveler guidebooks. This forms the most complete ghost town guide ever published on colorado. Mapped guide to colorados mustsee ghost towns 303 magazine.
Guide to ghost towns in colorado ashcroft ghost town. It can be spooky and even fun to visit a deserted ghost town. I was fascinated with his pictures of an old mill, with its stamps still in place think it was the champion mill i found the mill and it was just as it said in the book and pictures very fascinating. This is one of a three volume set covering colorado ghost towns. The 11 ghost towns on our list might be haunted by the past, but it isnt hard to find the beauty in these booms gone. Brown was a teacher of western and colorado history in the denver school system for thirtythree years and later at the denver center of the university of colorado. Ghost towns of colorado pictorial discovery guide by. Ghost towns of colorado by philip varney goodreads. Explore ancient pueblos or wild west ghost towns, soak in a steaming hot spring, and spot wild elk, horses, and foxes. Its haunting to imagine the hopes and dreams of the homesteaders in these 11 wyoming cities that are now deserted ghost towns. This book is the first in a series of three that begins with the earliest pioneers of colorado and their deep ties to. List of incorporated cities and towns in colorado colorado.
Life in southern colorados company towns, 18901930 by rick j. The colorado guide to mountain ghost towns, mining camps, boomtowns, and historic sites. Five colorado ghost towns with tragic stories life. List of ghost towns in the united states news newspapers books scholar jstor december 20 learn how and when to remove this template message this is an incomplete list of ghost towns in the united states. Colorados mining boom put the state on the map as one of the most lucrative places to be in the late 1800s. In addition to vicksburg, winfield is another ghost town with plenty to see. The truly grim reality of 11 deserted ghost towns in wyoming.
Colorado is full of fascinating ghost towns located throughout the state, some of the best preserved around. One of the best ghost towns in colorado tripadvisor. Colorado ghost towns offer a peek in the foggy windows of a oncerowdy brothel, an atv trek on roads no one bothered to pave on their way out of town and stories of intense standoffs in gulches will remind you why this was the wild west. Where can i read more about colorado s prairie ghost towns.
Ghost towns of colorado by philip varney, john m l drew. Colorado ghost towns and mining camps is the first new book in more than twentyfive years to document these mountain communities. Explore the unknown and the supernatural of the past and present that haunts colorado in these baffling stories of mystery and intrigue. Ghost towns of the colorado rockies follows a unique format which adds to the interest and value of the book.
Place names of colorado denver public library history. Oct, 2017 the state of colorado is littered with ghost towns. Colorado ghost towns are equally as famous as the ones found in arizona, and the majority of them have similar histories. Colorado ghost towns, mining camps, four wheel drive trips.
Colorado ghost town pictures for use in magazines, calendars, advertising, websites stock use. One of the indian meanings of keota is the fire has gone out which was quite prophetic for this town. Gazetteer of cities and towns, published by the colorado state planning division for inclusion in the. List of ghost towns in the united states wikipedia. Post office at minturn zip code 81645 now serves gilman postal addresses. Ghost towns of colorado pictorial discovery guide by philip varney. See more ideas about ghost towns, colorado and old west. Iron city so many stories lie along with the bodies buried in this southwestern colorado ghost towns lovingly restored little cemetery that sits a few feet away from a presentday campground. In our librarys collection you can find a number of books and websites that tell the story of colorados mining towns. The ghost towns and mining camps of colorado by muriel sibell wolle. Readers of guide to colorado ghost towns and mining camps will welcome ghosts of the colorado plains as an extension of eberharts colorful blend of history and onsite information to a larger and much neglected area of the state.
Everyone is invited to view and purchase prints of the ghost town photos in this section. Amy colorado ghost town storiessee lincoln county colorado. Best colorado ghost towns things to do in colorado. Although a fire destroyed over 50 buildings in 1861, the. The title of this book is colorado ghost towns and it was written by robert l. This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in colorado, a state of the united states. Colorados mining history runs deep, and the landscape is dotted with the remains of that history. Colorado is a state filled with a rich, wild west history, which can be easily experienced with a trip to a ghost town.
Remains of the bassick silver mine, querida, colorado. As with the other four corners states new mexico, utah, and arizona, there are operators who offer vacation packages to explore many of these. These 11 deserted ghost towns in wyoming tell a grim story. Your guide to colorado s historic mining camps and ghost towns, by philip varney, voyageur press, 1999. Arvonia, kansas, located southeast of reading, kansas on the shoreline of melvern lake. Download ghost towns of montana pdf books pdfbooks. Writers program of the work projects administration in the state of colorado. I want to film some scenic places that are very isolated, ghostly if you will.
Most of the early settlers are gone, leaving few persons with any oral tradition to pass on to future generations. Brown personally visited each of the towns or town sites described and includes in his work detailed information for the reader wishing to do likewise. Join active minds as we tiptoe through the haunted houses and ghoulish graveyards of the area. These towns were abandoned for different reasons, some due to mining or economic struggles, others due to natural forces like cold winters. Organized into six geographic areas, this book of fascinating history is easy to use and fun to read. Colorado ghost town guide books and ghost town calendars. While colorado has been home to some of the nations most gifted writers, many of them didnt. Founded in 1886 during the colorado silver boom, the town later became a center of lead and zinc mining in colorado, centered around the nowflooded eagle mine.
This book is specifically designed for those people who wish to explore colorados yesterdays. Colorado ghost towns and mining camps by sandra dallas. Many of the sites listed here are on private property and may be dangerous or illegal to visit. Nevadaville was established in 1859 as a primarily irishamerican gold mining town in what would eventually become the state of colorado. It contains maps and has a large list of references.
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