The town became the second largest silver producer in the entire state. Workers were caught between dangerous work and supporting their families, while owners were just looking to raise profits. Does anyone else find deserted, abandoned places in (and out of) Colorado ghost towns to be fascinating? Thank you! A sudden and precipitous drop in silver prices led to the silver crash of 1893, when many silver mines were idled or abandoned and roughly 9 in 10 miners in the area lost their livelihoods. is another Colorado mining town that died a slow and agonizing death once the, . Its not clear if you are allowed to enter the mine site, so it behooves us to, will allow you to get close enough for a look, but avoid setting foot on the property., located on a forested outcrop above the Crystal River with water rushing below and mountain scenery behind it. Even with a fire in 1861 that destroyed dozens of buildings, the townspeople rebuilt. The town was part of the Red Mountain Mining District that was formed in 1893. The residents would rebuild and continue mining until 1900 when the mines closed down. The owners at the time boasted that from the top of the tower you could see six neighboring states. 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Mining accidents were common and deadly. Today, you can visit the Argo Tunnel site and Argo Gold Mine for. Dive in to start exploring! The former medical building is now owned by the Steelworks Center of the West, which converted the structure into the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture. Discover abandoned places, shipwrecks, mansions, ghost towns, and everything in between near you. For more about obtaining permission to explore abandoned places in Colorado, check out our guide Explore Abandoned Buildings: How To Get Permission. Some abandoned sites, including mines and old buildings, may harbor harmful chemicals, surfaces, or substances, so bring a mask, gloves, and any other necessary protective equipment to avoid contamination. Buildings aside, there are lots more, "Part of the south face of the closed down Gates Rubber Plant (former Colorado Tire and Leather Company). (via Photographer Matt Santomarco) Just all urbex all the time. Though its unclear when rail traffic stopped using the bridge, Union Pacific did remove six of its iron and lumber spans in 2011, and the City of Pueblo took out two of the bridge piers that year as part of a flood mitigation effort. but was replaced by a steel structure that still stands. The town host several history and mining museums, and is home to high altitude training areas where athletes test the limits of their body. Mining, speculation and processing mills helped Animas Forks grow." The Rodeway does the trick for us. But alas, it is not. The College Inn Boulder, Colorado Sadly, this building was recently (2013) demolished due to asbestos issues. This sent the stock plummeting practically overnight. Luckily, we have developed a massive guide to trespassing laws in all 50 states. Youll find broken staircases in this worn and rusted building. Then, in Trinidad, theres the beyond infamous site of the Ludlow Massacre, the site of a bloody gun battle over workers rights in which more than two dozen people including women and children ended up dead. Like most western states, Colorado is home to Native American spirits, tales of dead men from the Wild West, abandoned ghost towns and just plain ol' creepy landscape. About: The Caribou Mine, located in Boulder County, is another abandoned place in Colorado. High-grading (or ore theft) was a serious issue in the mine, so much so that Indenpence was the first mine to require workers to strip down after their shift. Though the city has expressed a desire for the bridge to be completely removed, for now, the skeletal remains of the iron truss bridge are still haunting the space over the lazy brown waters of the creek. The residential houses were all transported to the West Park subdivision of Leadville, Colorado, before 1965, leaving only the mining buildings standing." While the town of Leadville is alive and well, its mines and original settlements have been long abandoned. What Makes It Creepy: The tower stands tall but shows signs of wear. The rails were sold for scrap in the early 1990s, but the abandoned depot remained in its original location and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. After being decommissioned in 1965, the silos were handed off to new owners, stripped of most of their equipment and subsequently abandoned, leaving behind a jumble of vacant underground tunnels in the Rocky Mountain foothills. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. when a deadly accident closed the mine for good. About: The Red Mountain Mining District formed in the 1890s just like many other mining districts during the Gold Rush. Believe it or not, Colorado has six Titan I missile silos hidden throughout the state some of which are abandoned. If youre having trouble finding abandoned places, be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Finding Abandoned Places, or explore abandoned places near you. Industrialist Charles Caryl took note of what was happening and bought up almost all the claims in Camp Delphi. on their window fog if they drive close enough. Mapping haunted data and happy place: Creative geographic visualization . Abandoned adobe one-room schoolhouse in Las Animas County, Colorado . The miners immediately went on strike, and in retaliation, the company expelled the disgruntled employees and their families from the company town. In 1879, a fire destroyed much of the town, and only a few dozen people remained. In his spare time, Jason loves hanging out with his nephews and dog-phews. Mining accidents occurred, and fights broke out. youd like to explore. During the summer, you should be able to get by with two-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive or 4WD is recommended., The town sits on an unpaved road, part of a system of byways known as the, Once you get to Animus Forks, there is a parking lot stocked with brochures from both the, You can enter the buildings in the town, but, as a mine drainage and access tunnel, serving a nearby, intersecting most major gold mines all the way to. While many of the buildings are gone, there are still a good number of original structures still standing. Sadly, these highly profitable businesses were devastating to the health of the surrounding environment, contaminating the soil and groundwater with toxic heavy metals and radium. Ghost towns dot the western states because of the mining and railroad history in that part of the country. There are many documented accounts of vigilant silo property owners sabotaging vehicles, calling the police, and holding trespassers at gunpoint. The word dear was chosen as the foundation for the town's name due to the precious value of the land and community to the town's settlers." It was initially built as part of a railroad in the 1880s, eventually becoming a toll road for cars and then a public road. Located at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet, this high-altitude ghost town in the San Juan Mountains is best explored via Jeep or another four-wheel-drive vehicle. Sign-up takes just 45 secondsthe same amount of time it will take the ghosts of the 19th century Gold Camp railway workers to chase you shrieking back to Colorado Springs. , its easy to find rates you can afford without sacrificing the coverage you need! , and the town slowly emptied out. Undeterred, the workers literally put stakes in the ground, establishing a hastily-assembled tent city adjacent to the mines. If it looks unsafe, dont risk it. NOTE: This location is now NOT abandoned. Oh, and then there are the ghost stories behind an eerie abandoned hospital in Colorado the St. Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs. When the water broke through the wall, it overtook all four miners at the blast location. If you do go, bring a hard hat, let someone know where youll be, and bring a few powerful light sources. saved me $400 on my renewal. Boulder CO 80306. Keep in mind these mines are extremely dangerous and should not be explored unless you have proper training and knowledge of underground exploration. Sign up for our newsletter and get notified of the best travel destinations for your next trip. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'urbexunderground_com-leader-4','ezslot_12',143,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-urbexunderground_com-leader-4-0');When the town was populated, it was the highest human settlement in the Unite States at 11,360 feet above sea level. DYOR/YMMV, 40.70386, -104.07386Photo Credit: picryl.com. Wikimedia Commons. Charles Caryl, originally from New York, bought much of the land and changed the name to Wall Street. Here are a few guides to surrounding states that will be helpful in your explorations outside of the wonderful abandoned places in Colorado: If you have a specific location from the list below that you would like to immediately get more information about, click the links in the list to snap straight to that abandoned places in Colorado location. For now, the century-old building remains empty, its hallways now collecting dust and debris instead of the chatter of children. According to experts, the property was assessed at $3.2 million but would require roughly $15.7 million to complete necessary renovations. Lets look at the creepiest places in Colorado. Sadly, the hotel burned to the ground in 1896 during renovations. Keep reading to learn about the 14 most amazing abandoned places in Colorado that should definitely be part of your next visit. The Anasazi or Ancient Puebloan inhabited the Four Corners region until about 1300 AD when they mysteriously vanished. One of these collapses is (falsely) rumored to have trapped a school bus full of children, killing all on board; however, the collapse occurred in 1988, and no news reports exist to corroborate the story. Every fall the residents of Animas Forks migrated en masse to the warmer town of Silverton. We've brought together mining industry leaders, environmental activists, government agencies, and concerned citizens of communities in mining territory to create and reinforce positive solutions that will promote the cleanup of abandoned mines and enable all Westerners to prospect for a better future. The salt and chlorine were separated here. The Rocky Mountains provide thousands of miles of trails to hike, dozens of peaks to climb, and endless opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking, and the states pristine lakes and rivers offer beautiful settings for kayaking, sailing, swimming, and other water sports. The historic wooden mill was built in 1892 and was designed to draw power from the rivers moving water and transfer it to an air compressor inside. The mine only operated for ten years before Stratton sold it to a London company for $10 million. They get covered in snow in the winter and full of overgrown vegetation in the spring and summer. If you'd like to submit a location for your state or . Though Leadville is no longer known for its rich stores of minerals, visitors to the area can still peek into the past at the site of an abandoned silver mine just east of the town limits. The former town limits now reside in El Paso County, in the Colorado Springs metro area, near Black Forest." Be Thorough. This degradation, along with labor wars and deadly accidents, didnt bode well for the owner Winfield Stratton. Be extremely careful when exploring and be sure that the silos arent actually occupied before visiting. Location: Off County Road 317/Gothic Road in Gunnison County, Colorado. The mine struggled to remain in operation over the next decade. Its no wonder some feel uncomfortable walking on the Independence Mine property. After that, Jerry gets to work, comparing quotes sourced from more than. The first half of the 20th century brought both feast and famine to the mines, with demand increasing during the two World Wars but plummeting during the Great Depression in between them. Today you can explore this old ghost town, just make sure you visit during the warm season and have a 44 vehicle. but you can visit these 6 places yourself to see if you can catch any ghosts. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'urbexunderground_com-leader-2','ezslot_10',167,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-urbexunderground_com-leader-2-0'); Like many abandoned places in Colorado, Ironton was a mining town that rose just as fast as it fell. The future of this long-vacant elementary school, which closed in 2005 due to low enrollment, is currently the subject of heated debate in the south Denver neighborhood of Rosedale. Eventually, the EPA named Valmont Butte to its list of the 10 most contaminated locations in the state. One in particular is a white 4-story building, if you go up the stairs outside and pear down the window on the door, it is reported that you can see and feel many war victims About: The Argo Tunnel, just under 5 miles long, used to provide access to the mines from 1893 to 1943. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. At the former inn, the south side of the third floor used to be a hot spot for supernatural activity. Animas Forks (not Animal Forks like I first read it), is an old vacant mining town located on the Alpine Loop. But like all other mines, its success was short-lived. Welcome to Wall Street. However, this is extremely dangerous and very creepy. Its a picturesque location, even with all of the abandoned buildings. Abandoned Read more . If youre looking to explore abandoned places in Colorado, I got you covered. 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