Ghost Towns

Clear Creek Valley

Even though we are restricted in our travels, we can still explore where we are now. You would think that we had seen everything Colorado had to offer after living here for many years. But we found ourselves going to the same beautiful places that were in our comfort zones. Now we spend our days looking for places and trails we missed while living our regular daily lives.

I am taking my time posting on the blog since we aren't going anywhere soon. It is fun to go back and remember our days out. Kind of a do over. It is too easy to move on to the next adventure and not savor the one we just finished.

Driving north on highway 24 towards Twin Lakes, we passed a sign for Clear Lake and Vicksburg on county road 390. After some research we found that Clear Creek Canyon is full of ruins from Colorado’s early mining days. There are four remaining ghost towns in the canyon, which lies just west of Clear Creek Reservoir from Highway 24.

Clear Creek runs the length of the canyon to the Arkansas River. Miners began prospecting tributaries to the Arkansas River in the 1860’s. Most of the old mining towns reached their heyday around 1890. 

After turning off Highway 24, it was 9 miles of dirt road to Vicksburg and 14 to Winfield. The road was good until we entered the national forest. Then it got bumpy.

The first old town we reached on CR 390 is Beaver City, the first mining camp in Clear Creek Canyon. Two of the original twenty buildings remain.

Rockdale is also known at Crescent City mining camp.

Vicksburg and Winfield are the best preserved out of the four ghost towns.

Vicksburg was the second largest town in the canyon, with around 600-700 people during its peak. A museum is open some weekends during the summer. There’s also a recording outside that
tells the local history, available 24/7. Many of the cabins in Vicksburg are privately owned, and seasonally occupied.

 Missouri Gulch hike was steeper than we were prepared for but a nice stop.

Dexter

Winfield

Prospecting was done in the Winfield area in 1867, but the town didn’t reach it’s heyday until 1890. It had 1500 hundred residents and was the largest town in the canyon. There is a furnished school house and miner’s cabin, open on select weekends in summer.

Not a bad place for a picnic. The ghosts didn't even bother us.

That was some big avalanche!

I recently had a crown fall out while flossing. Imagine the stress I felt about going to the dentist. But first of all I had to find one that would see me. The short version was it went well. They wore N-95 masks and I felt a little uncomfortable taking off my mask around new people. A week later, I woke with a cough and stuffy nose. Benadryl took care of the allergies. When did I get so paranoid? Maybe too much TV news.

Who knew we had missed so much right in our own backyard while living in Colorado?

Not a bad way to end the day!