History
Charles Baker's group of prospectors found traces of placer gold in the San Juan Mountains in 1860 at Eureka. Forced out by the Ute Tribe in 1861, who had been awarded the area in a US treaty, the prospectors returned in 1871, when lode gold was found in the Little Giant vein at Arrastre Gulch near Silverton, Colorado. The miners were allowed to stay after the Brunot Treaty of 13 September 1873. In exchange for giving up 4 million acres, the Southern Ute Indian Reservation received $25,000 per year.Voynick, S.M., 1992, Colorado Gold, Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, The original mill was closed (reasons unknown) but to replace it, the Gold Prince Mill from Animas Forks was deconstructed and moved to the Eureka townsite to become the Sunnyside mill. In 1896, Eureka was connected to the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad via the Silverton Northern Railroad. Although the community grew steadily — not like a boomtown — it quickly declined after 1939, when the Sunnyside Mill closed for the last time. Today, the original townsite gravel roads remain, and debris litters the area. The only remaining structure is the Eureka jail, which has been restored. Foundations of the Sunnyside Mill and various remains of other structures still exist today.Geography
Eureka's elevation is .See also
* Bibliography of Colorado * Geography of Colorado * History of Colorado * Index of Colorado-related articles * List of Colorado-related lists ** List of ghost towns in Colorado ** List of post offices in Colorado * Outline of ColoradoReferences
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