Nathrop is an

unincorporated town 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 ...

, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Chaffee 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 United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 288 at the 2020 census. The Nathrop post office has the ZIP code 81236.

History

Nathrop was named for Charles Nachtrieb, owner of the townsite. In 1880, the

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fro ...

built through Nathrop as part of their Tennessee Pass line. The tracks were placed out of service in 1997, but

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

, present-day owner of the line, may reach an agreement to reopen it.

Geography

The Nathrop CDP has an area of , all land.

Ruby Mountain

Ruby Mountain is a

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

outcrop located about one mile northeast of Nathrop. Small spessartite

garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet minerals, while sharing similar physical and crystallographic properties, exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, de ...

crystals are found throughout the outcropping. Small pebbles of black

obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...

referred to as "Apache tears" by collectors can also be found in the talus rock at the base of the cliffs.

Demographics

The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

defined the for the

Attractions

Alpine Tunnel Alpine Tunnel is a narrow gauge railroad tunnel located east of Pitkin, Colorado, on the former Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad route from Denver to Gunnison. At an elevation of , it was the first tunnel constructed across the Cont ...

* Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area *

Browns Canyon National Monument Browns Canyon National Monument is a national monument in Chaffee County, Colorado, that was designated as such by President Barack Obama under the Antiquities Act on February 19, 2015. The site will be centered along the Arkansas River between ...

Mount Princeton Mount Princeton is a Elevation, high and Topographic prominence, prominent mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The fourteener is located in San Isabel National Forest, southwes ...

San Isabel National Forest San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 53 fourteeners, peaks over high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado. It is one of eleven national forests in the state of Col ...

* St. Elmo

References

External links

Nathrop @ Colorado.comNathrop @ UncoverColorado.comHistory of NathropArkansas Headwaters Recreation AreaBrowns Canyon National MonumentChaffee County websiteSan Isabel National Forest website
{{authority control Census-designated places in Chaffee County, Colorado Census-designated places in Colorado Colorado populated places on the Arkansas River