Tag - Colorado

Montezuma grew up near the site of Colorado’s first silver discovery in 1863. With the transportation problems, the camp grew slowly, with a population of around 200 in the early 1870′s. By the mid 1880′s, Montezuma had two stores, two hotels, a schoolhouse, and a weekly newspaper. As the town grew, it became an important mining camp for a number of mining camps such as the Tiger, the Silver King, the Queen of the West, and the New York.

According to various sources, H.M. Teller was the first to strike gold here. The story probably goes that way as Teller later became a senator for Colorado, and was important in its history. Various reports show that Teller was merely among the first to prospect in the region, and he and other, including D. C. Collier, made their strikes at just about the same time. Collier was perhaps more important to Montezuma than Teller. Collier suggested the name Montezuma for the late Aztec ruler of Mexico. Collier Mountain, on which many of the best strikes were located, is just above the town.

Montezuma was threatened by a forest fire in 1889, which caused heavy damage to a number of other camps in the area. In 1958, a flash fire swept through the town, destroying a hotel, the town hall, two houses, six garages, and damaging several other buildings. Almost half of the town’s population of 75 were made homeless. The fire came at a time when Montezuma was experiencing a some better times. Although not yet a ghost town, it was hovering near the brink with only 12 or so residents.

In current times, Montezuma is a quiet little mountain town with a few dedicated residents. Montezuma grew up near the site of Colorado’s first silver discovery in 1863. With the transportation problems, the camp grew slowly, with a population of around 200 in the early 1870′s. By the mid 1880′s, Montezuma had two stores, two hotels, a schoolhouse, and a weekly newspaper. As the town grew, it became an important mining camp for a number of mining camps such as the Tiger, the Silver King, the Queen of the West, and the New York.

According to various sources, H.M. Teller was the first to strike gold here. The story probably goes that way as Teller later became a senator for Colorado, and was important in its history. Various reports show that Teller was merely among the first to prospect in the region, and he and other, including D. C. Collier, made their strikes at just about the same time. Collier was perhaps more important to Montezuma than Teller. Collier suggested the name Montezuma for the late Aztec ruler of Mexico. Collier Mountain, on which many of the best strikes were located, is just above the town.

Montezuma was threatened by a forest fire in 1889, which caused heavy damage to a number of other camps in the area. In 1958, a flash fire swept through the town, destroying a hotel, the town hall, two houses, six garages, and damaging several other buildings. Almost half of the town’s population of 75 were made homeless. The fire came at a time when Montezuma was experiencing a some better times. Although not yet a ghost town, it was hovering near the brink with only 12 or so residents.

In current times, Montezuma is a quiet little mountain town with a few dedicated residents.

Some people think of a ghost town as being a “movie set” panorama with a full complement of vacant buildings complete with doors swinging in the wind and the howling of the breeze through holes in walls. Others think of a ghost town as being a town that is a shadow of its former past, but still alive with museums and shops and things to do pertaining to the old west in a true old west location. Still others think of a ghost town as being nothing but a few ruins and foundations in a far remote area accessible only by Four-Wheel drive on a good day.

So, who is right? Everyone is right. A ghost town is any place where people once lived, or are still living, that is a shadow of its past glory. This includes everything from absolutely remote locations with very little remaining (sometimes called the “True Ghost”), to flourishing tourist towns such as those located in Jerome, AZ or even Calico, CA. In Colorado, most of the ghost towns are located in the mountains. As the gold and silver mines played out, these boom towns typically went bust as folks went to the next big mine to make a buck.

However, over the last 30 years, there is a rush to head back to these ghost towns–not for gold, but recreational activities. This web site will point out a few interesting places throughout the Colorado Mountains that are worth a visit. In addition to the typical ghost towns, I have included information on a few old railroad sites which provided the means to transport the gold/silver out of the mountains. When driving, be warned that some sites are difficult to get to in anything other than a four-wheel drive vehicle. It is always best to be aware of local weather conditions, in addition to understanding your driving limits in rough mountainous terrain.