Not so long ago, Colorado was once part of a vast frontier, where self-sufficiency and endless miles of wilderness meant the difference between survival and failure for many who came out here to start new lives. Today, evidence of those times is still around. From mountain cabins which are slowly being reclaimed by the forests they were built from, to entire towns that were swallowed up during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, evidence of these newcomers is still there, often within a short drive from your own home. Colorado road trips transport you to another time, right in your back yard.
Teller City is one such location. Once a thriving silver mining community of 1300+ until the Gold standard was adopted nationwide, Teller City once boasted 27 saloons and hotels before the plummeting value of silver reduced it to an abandoned town in just a short time.
Or places like Keota, near the Pawnee National Grasslands, which was once a thriving farming community until agricultural practices and the Dust Bowl turned it into a ghost town. The area was an inspiration for author James A. Michener, who penned some of his award winning novel, Centennial at the site. Today, it stands as a few foundations, a water tower, a cemetery and a few standing structures that echo its former vitality.
Some sites have been remarkably well-preserved, and stand as living museums dedicated to a by-gone era of simple living, frontier life, and the unpredictable nature of an economy based on booms and busts. South Park City in Fairplay is one such town, just a short drive from Denver, which offers an untarnished view of life during the time of the Pioneers.
Time takes its toll on ghost towns, and often the legacy they leave behind exceeds the stones and planks that made up the towns. Ghost towns fire the imagination and provide adventure for anyone who dares to seek them out. The internet has become a wonderful resource for researching and planning visits to these areas—information which used to be carefully held only by locals or ghost town enthusiasts. The problem is that with many of these areas, little is being done to preserve these structures, so the longer you wait to see them, the less will remain of them too be seen.
Contact us with questions about your latest adventure, and what you might have concerns about in regards to getting your vehicle prepared for some of the terrain our ghost towns are found in.
