Red Mountain is a set of three peaks in the
San Juan Mountains of western
Colorado in the United States, about south of
Ouray. The mountains get their name from the reddish
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
rocks that cover the surface. Several other peaks in the San Juan Mountains likewise have prominent reddish coloration from iron ore and are also called "Red Mountain".
Nearby
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 ...
is named after Red Mountain, and the
ghost town mining camp of
Red Mountain Town is located around Red Mountain.
Red Mountain Town
Following sporadic settling of the region in the 1870s, a series of permanent
mining towns were founded in what became known as the Red Mountain Mining District. Among these was Red Mountain Town, which was founded following discoveries of
silver in 1882.
Other communities in the area included
Ironton and
Guston, which were eventually connected with the larger towns of
Silverton and
Ouray via 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 ...
and later 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. .
Gallery
File:Red Mountain from Imogene Pass.jpg, West aspect, from Imogene Pass
File:RedMountainNumber3.jpg, Red Mountain Number 3 with the ghost town of Red Mountain.
File:Red Mountain reflected in Crystal Lake (10 miles south of Ouray, Colorado).jpg, Red Mountain reflected in Crystal Lake
See also
*
List of Colorado mountain ranges
*
List of Colorado mountain summits
**
List of Colorado fourteeners
**
List of Colorado 4000 meter prominent summits
**
List of the most prominent summits of Colorado
*
List of Colorado county high points
References
Mountains of Ouray County, Colorado
San Juan Mountains (Colorado)
North American 3000 m summits
Mountains of Colorado
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