St. Elmo, CO

According to this website, “St. Elmo Colorado was officially founded in 1880. Gold and Silver Mining brought many people to the area. There were over 150 Patented mine claims in the St. Elmo area. Populations reached a high of nearly 2000 people. The DSP&P laid their tracks up to St. Elmo and continued the line through Romley then to Hancock and through the Historic Alpine Tunnel. St. Elmo was considered a Hub town for supplies arriving by train. The tracks were abandoned in 1922. It is said that St. Elmo’s Population rode the last train out of town and never came back.”

Several buildings remain abandoned in the town (although they are being preserved and stabilized by a historical society), and you can visit them and also feed the abundant chipmunks living in the town.

More information: St. Elmo General Store

Location: Google Maps (38.703389, -106.346090)

Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, Cripple Creek, CO

In 1965, Dr. John M. Birmingham purchased two locomotives from the Climax Molybdenum mine of Colorado. In 1967, he opened the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad (CC&V RR) for business.

Location: Google Maps (38.747449, -105.172025)

More information: Cripple Creek Railroad; Colorado Encyclopedia entry on Cripple Creek

Cripple Creek, CO

Cripple Creek was the site of the last and greatest mining boom in Colorado, attracting tens of thousands of people to the western flank of Pikes Peak in the 1890s. Throughout 1892 the towns of Fremont and Hayden Placer — soon renamed Cripple Creek — developed and grew.

Cripple Creek was thriving in 1896, but two fires that April left it a smoldering ruin. Much of the town was flattened, especially the downtown business district, and half of the residents lost their homes. After the fires, the town council banned wood construction for new downtown businesses. The town rebuilt quickly, and soon there were 170 new businesses under construction. When you walk down the main street, the dates on all of the buildings are 1896.

After the town was destroyed by fire in 1896, the town and surrounding mining district reached peak production and population in the early twentieth century before experiencing a long decline. After World War II, the town turned to tourism as its primary economic engine, but since the 1970s the giant Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine has also provided steady production and employment. In 1990, Colorado voters approved an amendment that allowed Cripple Creek to build casinos. Any buildings that are not dated from the 1890s are instead dated from the 1990s, reflecting the growth that occurred to build casinos.

Location: Google Maps (38.747531, -105.179794)

More information: Colorado Encyclopedia entry on Cripple Creek