Hahns Peak Village is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Routt County,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, United States. The village is located
north
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
of
Clark on Routt County Road 129, and
east-southeast of
Steamboat Lake State Park. The community is named for
Hahns Peak, which
north-northeast.
History
The settlement was established as a
placer gold mining camp around 1865. Three men, Joseph Hahn, William Doyle, and George Way, lead a group of fifty miners to the area. Hahn, an immigrant from Germany, was elected as the leader of the mining district. After the summer most of the miners left the area for the winter leaving behind Hahn, Doyle, and Way. Way was supposed to head out for supplies in October and return to the camp, but he never returned for unknown reasons. The greatly weakened Doyle and Hahn left in the spring, but Hahn died during the journey.
The early mining history makes Hans Peak Village the oldest permanent settlement in the northern part of Routt County.
[Hahns Peak Area Historical Society]
Hahns Peak Area Historical Society
Viewed, Sept. 6, 2016. At the mine's peak around the turn of the 20th century, Hahns Peak Village was home to several thousand people.
By 1905, larger mining companies had brought miners to the village. However, while gold was prominent in the mine, it proved too difficult to extract efficiently. Combined with the fact that the nearest smelting facility was over 30 miles away, the mine struggled to stay afloat, and the villages near collapse followed.
In 1912, Hahns Peak Village lost its county seat status to Steamboat Springs, which it had held since 1877. Attempts by ranchers to settle in the area were impeded by harsh winters, preventing any significant revival of the village. The establishment of the nearby
Steamboat Lake State Park in 1967, along with its annual influx of nearly 400 thousand visitors, has played a crucial role in sustaining the community.
The Hahns Peak post office operated from 1877 until 1941. It is now served by the post office in nearby
Clark.
An 1800s cabin, the Wither Cabin, is restored and now sits on Main Street. The
Hahns Peak Schoolhouse, which operated from 1912 to 1943, is also on Main Street. The school is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
See also
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Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
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Bibliography of Colorado
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Index of Colorado-related articles
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Outline of Colorado
The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado:
Colorado – List of U.S. states and territories by population#State and territory rankings, 22nd most populous, the Lis ...
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Geography of Colorado
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History of Colorado
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List of places in Colorado
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List of populated places in Colorado
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List of county seats in Colorado
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List of ghost towns in Colorado
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List of post offices in Colorado
References
External links
State of ColoradoRoutt CountyHistory ColoradoHahns Peak Area Historical Society
{{authority control
1865 establishments in Colorado Territory
Unincorporated communities in Routt County, Colorado
Unincorporated communities in Colorado
Former county seats in Colorado