Red Mountain Town is a
silver mining ghost town in
Ouray County
Ouray County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,874. The county seat is Ouray. Because of its rugged mountain topography, Ouray County is also known as the Switzerland of America.
H ...
,
Colorado, United States, south of
Ouray along the "
Million Dollar Highway
U.S. Route 550 (US 550) is a spur of U.S. Highway 50 that runs from Bernalillo, New Mexico to Montrose, Colorado in the western United States. The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. " (
U.S. Route 550
U.S. Route 550 (US 550) is a spur of U.S. Highway 50 that runs from Bernalillo, New Mexico to Montrose, Colorado in the western United States. The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. ).
History
While there were
gold mining efforts near Red Mountain during the 1870s, it was not until
silver discoveries in 1882 that a more permanent population arrived, seeing the foundation of a town.
Red Mountain Town, as it would become known, formed part of the
Red Mountain Pass Red Mountain Pass may be one of the following:
Mountain passes
* Red Mountain Pass (Larimer County, Colorado) – a pass in Larimer County, Colorado, United States
*Red Mountain Pass (San Juan Mountains) – a pass between Ouray County and San Juan ...
mining district between
Silverton and
Ouray. Alongside the
Ironton,
Guston, Sweetville, Rogerville, and Park City, Red Mountain Town formed a corridor through which the
Silverton Railroad
The Silverton Railroad, now defunct, was an American narrow gauge railroad constructed between Silverton, Colorado and mining districts near Red Mountain Pass, Colorado.
The Silverton Railroad is remembered for the innovative solutions to d ...
narrow-gauge ran, delivering ore to be processed in and transported from Silverton.
[ These communities eventually consolidated until almost all residents of the area lived within Red Mountain Town, Ironton, or Guston. The townsite was moved during its first year due to the discovery that the unfrozen ]spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
around which the first townsite was constructed turned the area into an uninhabitable marsh.[
The communities in the Red Mountain mining district had a long-running rivalry that saw frequent brawls between residents of the neighboring towns.][ In 1892, English congregationalist preacher Rev. William Davis attempted to found a church in Red Mountain Town, but the townsfolk rejected him. However, Guston residents accepted Davis and a church was opened that same year. The day following the church's opening, the business district of Red Mountain Town burned, spurring some to claim it was an act of divine intervention.][
Despite its location in the second-largest silver-mining district in Colorado, its proximity to the major Yankee Girl and Idarado Mines, and a peak population over 1,000 people, Red Mountain Town is now a ghost town.][
]
See also
* List of ghost towns in Colorado
References
External links
Ghost towns in Colorado
Former populated places in Ouray County, Colorado
Mining communities in Colorado
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