Ashcroft: A decaying wagon sits near the old mining town of Ashcroft near Aspen, Colo. Silver was discovered in 1880 in Castle Creek Valley and the town of Ashcroft was born. The boom lasted just five years. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Animas Forks Housing: A row of three houses in Animas Forks, which was settled in the 1870s in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, but by the turn of the century most mining operations had ceased. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Our favorite travels involve exploring the western portion of our beautiful country and learning the history of the towns, states and regions as we move about.
This part of the U.S. really was the “wild west” especially during the 1800s following the discovery of gold and silver and the rush was on by prospectors and frontiersmen who hoped to be a part of the newly discovered wealth in the western portion of the country. As this was taking place, most of the area was still territories and not yet officially U.S. states but that changed as thousands moved west and established new towns throughout the region.
In addition to mining and the building of towns, the railroad also became a major contributor to the quick growth of the west. Many of the towns around the mines thrived because of the railroad.
Unfortunately, as the gold and silver mining subsided, many of the towns built around mining operations began to fade as well. There are still remnants of these mining towns scattered throughout the west. A few have survived as tourist towns or ski towns and are alive and well today. However, many of these towns were abandoned and forgotten.
This Post From the Road features four of the former mining towns we have enjoyed visiting that experienced boom days but later were abandoned just a few years later and became ghost towns. Ashcroft and Animas Forks are two mining ghost towns in Colorado and Bodie, Calif. and Bannack, Mont. are the other two towns.
Ashcroft is near present day Aspen and maintained by the Aspen Historical Society. There are several buildings and homes that remain in Ashcroft in various conditions. Some have been restored at least enough to make them safe to enter while others have been left to decay naturally. Ashcroft was established in 1880 when silver was discovered in Castle Creek Valley. The boom years in Ashcroft did not last long and by 1885 there were only about 100 residents left in the town.
Animas Forks is a unique mining town located at an elevation of 11,200 feet in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. Even when mining was active, the operation at Animas Forks was limited or closed during winter months when the temperatures were frigid and the snow was deep. Many of the miners and residents of Animas Forks escaped to Silverton a few miles away. Silverton weather was more bearable since it sat at only 9,700 feet! Animas Forks was settled in the 1870s but by the turn of the century most mining operations had ceased and the town was left with just a few residents.
Animas Forks did see a short resurgence in mining between 1904 and 1910 but operations again were discontinued and by 1920 there were no residents left at Animas Forks and the town was abandoned. Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) owns the property where the town was located and some restoration work has been done on the nine remaining buildings left at Animas Forks. Unfortunately, the mining structures are privately owned and have been left to decay and no restoration work has been done to save the structures.
Bodie is a ghost town that has several structures, which remain including a school, a church, several businesses and the nearby mining operation. Bodie is now a state historical park managed by the State of California. Restoration work has been done to make many of the structures safe to enter. Other buildings and artifacts from the mining days have been left untouched.
Bodie’s boom period was in the late 1870s and early 1880s when the population grew to more than 7,000. The mining operations were very active as about 30 companies mined the area. Some mining continued into the 1900s until 1941 when operations ceased due to WWII.
Bannack was settled around 1860 and the first gold mined in 1862. Bannack was the first capital of the Territory of Montana. Bannack has about 60 structures standing including the Governor’s Mansion, Masonic Hall, a hotel, church and several businesses and homes. Bannack is considered the most well preserved ghost town from the territorial days in Montana.
It has been both enjoyable and educational to visit these historical sites. As we visit and view these sites one cannot help but wonder what life was like during the boom days in these communities. Undoubtably, the wild west was alive and well in these mining towns. Life would be difficult today in some of the remote locations and harsh weather of these towns. Many of these mining towns were the early frontier of the western U.S. history.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Mining Complex: A portion of the mining operation in Animas Forks, Colo. sits across the road from the town of Animas Forks. Unfortunately, the mining operation is privately owned and has been left to ruin. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Streets of Bodie: A few houses and a church are seen on one of the streets in Bodie, Calif. Bodie is now a state historical park and many of the structures have been restored and maintained by the state. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Boone and Wright: The interior of the Boone and Wright General Store remains stocked as it would have been more than 100 years ago. It was interesting to peer through the windows at the variety of items and imagine how these items were used. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Bannack: Several houses in Bannack, Mont. stand in a row in Bannack State Park. There are many structures remaining, which have been maintained for future generations to enjoy. Bannack is a great view into life in days of the Territory of Montana. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
