Red Mountain Town, Colorado

Red Mountain Town
Mining ghost town
Business district in Red Mountain Town
Business district in Red Mountain Town
Red Mountain Town is located in Colorado
Red Mountain Town
Red Mountain Town
Location within the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 37°54′13″N 107°42′09″W / 37.90361°N 107.70250°W / 37.90361; -107.70250
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyOuray
Elevation
10,935 ft (3,333 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
0
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
81432[1]
GNIS feature ID187310[2]

Red Mountain Town is a silver mining ghost town in Ouray County, Colorado, United States, south of Ouray along the "Million Dollar Highway" (U.S. Route 550).

History

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Main street, business district, and National Belle Mine of Red Mountain Town, Colorado, c. 1890

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.[3] Red Mountain Town, as it would become known, formed part of the Red Mountain Pass 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 narrow-gauge ran, delivering ore to be processed in and transported from Silverton.[4][5][6] 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 around which the first townsite was constructed turned the area into an uninhabitable marsh.[3]

The communities in the Red Mountain mining district had a long-running rivalry that saw frequent brawls between residents of the neighboring towns.[4] 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.[6] Fires such as this one spurred the town to move several times.[3]

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.[5][3][7] As of July 2000, several wooden residential and mining structures still stood, with others in various states of collapse and decay. Mounds of yellow tailings were also visible.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Guston (historical), Ouray County, Colorado". CO HomeTownLocator. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Red Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Red Mountain Town, Colorado". Western Mining History. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Underwood, Todd; Chenoweth, Henry (July 2000). "Red Mountain Town". Ghosttowns.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Guston, Colorado". Western Mining History. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Clark, Jerry (November 2010). "Guston Colorado". Narrow Gauge Circle. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "Red Mountain Town, CO Ghost Town – by Silverton". Uncover Colorado. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
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Media related to Red Mountain Town, Colorado at Wikimedia Commons

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