Best of Salida  - Ghost Towns and Mining Towns

Remnants of Chaffee County's colorful past, ghost towns are scattered throughout the upper Arkansas Valley. Most are haunting reminders of days gone by--days of gold mining, saloons and vigilante justice.

Read more about the history of Salida and Buena Vista Colorado.

Chalk Creek Area - St. Elmo

Take CR 162 up Chalk Creek to the town of St. Elmo, one of the state's best preserved Ghost Towns. A beautiful trip with spectacular views can be accomplished up Chalk Cliff towards the towns of Alpine and St. Elmo. If you look closely along the cliffs and you're lucky, you might spot some Rocky Mountain big horn sheep, antelope and mule deer. Gold was discovered in 1875 just west of St. Elmo and the Mary Murphy Mine became the biggest gold producer in the area. By 1881 the town and the gold had attracted 2000 residents.More miners discover gold and the town population continued to grow. By 1883 there are approximately 50 producing mines in the area.

In December of 1880, the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad finally reached St. Elmo from Buena Vista. In the early 1880's, St. Elmo was a community of 2000 with three hotels, five restaurants, a drugstore and a schoolhouse. Rich with ore, the town was a base for the workers at the Mary Murphy Mine which produced more than $60 million in gold and employed hundreds.

By the 1930's, only about 300 residents remained. A fire in the summer of 2002 destroyed four historical buildings. Today, St. Elmo offers tours throughout the town, which is presently under historical restoration.

Romley

What was left of the town of Romley was leveled several years ago from this general location. However, it once was a key hub in the Mary Murphy Mine operation. The town had roughly 200 residents living in and around the area, however the town quickly died in 1926 when the railroad closed down and the rails were removed.

Mary Murphy Mine

The Mary Murphy Mine remains one of the more intriguing historical sites in this region, particularly since it has not had the benefit of restoration efforts. But, enough remains to give us a look into the past and imagine how these hearty souls in the 1880's must have lived.

Several theories exist about the naming of the Mary Murphy Mine, but perhaps the one which best fosters our imagination is the report that an old Irish prospector, hospitalized in Denver in the 1870's, became somewhat close to a nurse named Mary Murphy. He may have had a premonition that he would strike it rich, but the story goes that if he did, he'd name the mine after her. The rest, as they say, is history

Hancock

A precariously balanced structure looms over the road on the way up to Hancock. What remains of Hancock is the result of extreme weather conditions and "Father Time". In its hey day, Hancock boasted 5 stores, hotels, many saloons and restaurants, 2 saw mills, and a population of almost 200 full time residents. Miners earned $2.50 per day working in the surrounding mines.

Iron City Cemetery

A peaceful old cemetery east of St. Elmo that pays witness to the harsh life of the nineteenth century miner. Many of those interred there in the late 1900's died from disease, mining accidents or murder. There is a roster at the cemeteries entrance listing those buried here.

Ute Trail Area - Turret

14 miles north of Salida. One of the best preserved ghost towns in Chaffee County. Privately owned or partially occupied since its demise. Leave Salida northwest on CO 291 taking a right turn onto CR 175, Ute Trail. Stay on the best gravel road about 10 miles to a Y and follow CR 184 to the left. a little more than a mile ahead is another Y. CR 184 bears left and leads to Turret Although the trip can usually be made in good weather with a two wheel drive vehicle, there are spots where high clearance is a must.

Turret was alive with miners in 1896-97. There was a pool hall, three saloons, several hotels and boarding houses, a laundry, bakery, general stores, meat market. A peak population of around 350-400 was reached before the decline of Turret. Current owners ask that visitors observe the US Park Service motto: :Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints."

Clear Creek Area Mining

Access: Drive up Hwy 24 north of Buena Vista. Prospecting in the Clear Creek Area began to boom around 1879. Four large claims: Tasmania, the Fortune, the Banker and the Swiss Boy were the big producers of the area although there were many smaller mines. Four mining towns were located in the Clear Creek Drainage but only two of them, Vicksburg and Winfield, have been preserved significantly.

Vicksburg

The town was platted in 1881. The Swiss Boy Mine was the primary producer for this township. At one time there were more than 40 buildings in town, including two saloons, two hotels, a store, a boarding house, an assay office, livery stable, blacksmith and two story school house. Only sever of the original buildings remain.

Winfield

The Tasmanian Mine brought as many as 1500 residents to the town of Winfield located 4 miles west of Vicksburg. By 1890 Winfield's population may have peaked out at 1500 due to several successful gold strikes.By the silver crash of 1893 the town was virtually deserted.The last shipment of ore was made shortly after World War I.