One of the great attractions of Colorado is the array of ghost towns hidden away in the Rocky Mountains. Last autumn I visited St. Elmo, a ghost town preserved and restored by intrepid newcomers who have fallen in love with its idyllic setting. Other ghost towns continue to rot in a state of neglect. While exploring a decrepit ghost town can be both dangerous and a little creepy, if done with care, it’s also a fascinating glimpse of the past. In August I was able to check out Ironton, a forgotten hamlet obscured by the wild forests south of Ouray, Colorado.
History: The modern history of Colorado begins with the mining industry. The towns of Denver and Boulder grew up as base camps supplying the mining claims that spread through the mountains like weeds fed by fresh rumors of discovery from one valley or another. Some claims paid out handsomely and the small camps grew into boom towns. Eventually, however, the gold and silver ran out or its value could no longer keep pace with the cost of extracting it. Some towns became tourist attractions or ski towns. Others, faced with no other industry, incredibly harsh winters and no access to the outside world, were abandoned. Over 100 years later some of these towns endure as time capsules of a bygone age.
Ghost Towns of Ouray: Last month my wife and I spent a month at the Black Bear Manor in Ouray, a small town in the San Juan range that has thrived as a tourist attraction due to the incredible beauty of its surroundings. In addition to a gift basket, we received a number of informative pamphlets created by the Ouray Chamber Resort Association about the hiking, history and sports opportunities of the town. The one that caught my interest was a guide to the ghost towns of the area. The San Juan Mountains between Ouray and Silverton were home to a number of prosperous gold mines like the Yankee Girl and the Gold Prince. Driving along the treacherous Million Dollar Highway, you can see a number of the wooden mine shafts. Miners built several small towns as supply bases and bedroom communities. These villages, built above 10,000, faced very harsh conditions and were inhabited only so long as the gold held out. Of the towns mentioned in the booklet-Alta, Animas Forks, Red Mountain Town and Ironton-Ironton was the closest and most conveniently located.
According to the Ouray Chamber, Ironton came into being in 1883 as a tent city where workers from the nearby mines would sleep. It grew slowly, adding proper houses and stores. The town was served by a local stage coach connecting Ouray and Silverton. The railroad came in 1889. A schoolhouse, which you can still see from route 550, was also built. Ironton failed, however, because its ground water was contaminated with sulfuric acid and because the silver crash of 1893 made it unprofitable to work the mines. A few holdouts stayed in Ironton until the 1960’s but for the most part the town has been abandoned for a century.
Visiting Ironton: The Ouray Chamber’s directions are very specific; “Drive south of Ouray on Highway 550. Set your trip mileage meter to 0 at the man-made concrete highway snow shed south of Ouray. From the snow shed drive 3.1 miles to a small sight on the left side of the road indicating ‘Ironton.’” In reality, it wasn’t quite that simple. We couldn’t figure out what the snow shed was. It didn’t help that there was construction on the highway, which may have obscured the landmark. We drove about 5 miles, climbing up the windy road (which has no guard rails) and were about to give up when we saw the sign. We pulled off the road onto an exceedingly bumpy track. To save our tires and suspension, we parked in the grass walked.
Ironton is located at just about exactly 10,000 feet. In summer the mountainsides are covered with trees, grass and wildflowers. As we approached the town we could hear the sound of running water-even though it was August, last winter’s snow was still melting. The “road” is only a few hundred feet long. The buildings of Ironton are mostly constructed of brown wood. Some smaller sheds have completely collapsed but most of the houses are still standing. The site is heavily overgrown though trails left by previous visitors make for safe walking. You should still watch for rusty nails, however. Peering into the houses you can see odd relics spared by time and scavengers. In one house I saw the springs of a mattress completed denuded of fabric, like a skeleton. On the walls of another house I saw peeling pink wall paper with a white floral pattern. Many of the outhouses had collapsed though you can still discern the wooden boards with the semicircular cuts that were once toilet seats. I can hardly imagine, given the altitude and the harshness of the Colorado winter, getting up to use one of those crude bathrooms in the middle of a January night.
We didn’t stay very long. Ghost towns have an eerie silence that can quickly become disquieting.
Sources:
“Ghost Towns.” Ouray Chamber Resort Association, 2011.
Lavender, David. “The Rockies.” University of Nebraska Press, 1981.
Pictures:
1) Caption: A house in Ironton. Credit: Rich Carriero. Copyright: Rich Carriero 2) Caption: A well preserved home in Ironton. Credit: Rich Carriero. Copyright: Rich Carriero