Ashcroft, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ashcroft, Colorado
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Buildings along Ashcroft's Castle Avenue, 2007
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 Location in Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pitkin County, Colorado, United States |
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| Nearest city | Aspen |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1879 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000533 |
| Added to NRHP | May 12, 1975 |
Ashcroft is a famous ghost town in Colorado, United States. A ghost town is a place where people used to live and work, but now it's mostly empty. Ashcroft was once a busy silver mining town. It was first called Castle Forks City in 1880.
The town's post office changed its name a few times. It was Ashcroft, then Chloride, and then back to Ashcroft. The post office finally closed in 1912. Today, Ashcroft is recognized as an important historical site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1975.
You can find Ashcroft about 10 miles (16 km) south of Aspen, Colorado. It sits high up in the mountains, at an elevation of 9,521 feet (2,902 m). A few old buildings still stand there, showing what the town was like long ago.
Contents
History of Ashcroft
How Ashcroft Started
In the spring of 1880, two prospectors named Charles B. Culver and W.F. Coxhead left the busy mining town of Leadville. They were looking for silver in the Castle Creek Valley. They found silver, and Coxhead excitedly shared their discovery back in Leadville.
When Coxhead returned, he found 23 other prospectors had joined Culver. They called their new settlement "Castle Forks City." These men quickly formed a group called the Miners' Protective Association. In just two weeks, they built a courthouse and planned the town's streets. Each member paid $5 or worked for a day to get a building lot. There were 97 members in this association.
The town was renamed Ashcroft in 1882. This happened after a lot of silver was found in the Montezuma and Tam O'Shanter Mines. A famous mining boss named H.A.W. Tabor owned parts of these mines. People say that Tabor and his wife visited Ashcroft in 1883. They hosted a big party and Tabor even bought drinks for everyone in the town's 13 saloons!
By 1883, Ashcroft was a thriving town. Its population grew to about 2,000 people. It had two newspapers, a school, sawmills, a small smelter for processing ore, and 20 saloons. At this time, Ashcroft was even bigger than Aspen. It was also closer to the railroad in Crested Butte.
By 1885, the town had between 2,000 and 3,500 residents. It boasted six hotels and 20 saloons. But just as quickly as it grew, the town began to decline.
Why Ashcroft Declined
The silver found by Culver and Coxhead was very rich at first. It produced a lot of silver per ton of ore. However, these silver deposits were not very deep. This meant the good mining didn't last long.
There were promises of a railroad line to Crested Butte, but it was never built. This made it harder for Ashcroft to transport its silver. Meanwhile, investors and workers started moving to other places, like Aspen. In 1884, a new, very rich silver discovery was made in Aspen. This drew many people away from Ashcroft.
By 1885, only about 100 people lived in Ashcroft during the summer. The town's money was running low. By the early 1900s, only a few older, single men remained. They still owned mining claims, but they spent most of their time fishing, hunting, or relaxing at the local bar. These men would share stories for drinks. They also helped connect other men with the occasional mining jobs that still came up. Every four years, the remaining citizens would hold elections and choose leaders from among themselves.
The last person living in Ashcroft, Jack Leahy, passed away in 1939. This officially made Ashcroft a true ghost town.
New Interest in Ashcroft
In the 1930s, people became interested in Ashcroft again. This was because of the growing popularity of winter sports and the Winter Olympics. A famous sportsman named Ted Ryan and his friend Billy Fiske, who was an Olympic bobsled captain, built the Highland-Bavarian Lodge near Ashcroft. They planned to create a European-style ski resort. It would even have an aerial tramway going up to Hayden Peak.
However, World War II stopped their plans. Billy Fiske was killed in the war. Ted Ryan then leased Ashcroft to the U.S. Army for just $1 a year. During World War II, the Army's 10th Mountain Division used Ashcroft for mountain training. This mostly happened during the summer of 1942. After the war, most of the ski development happened in Aspen. Ryan later gave the Ashcroft site to the U.S. Forest Service.
In 1948, Stuart Mace, a World War II veteran and famous dog sledder, moved his family and dog sled team to Ashcroft. In 1955, Mace and his Toklat huskies became stars in a television series called Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. The ghost town was even given fake fronts to look like a Canadian setting for the show, which filmed until 1958. Mace was allowed to use 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land. In return, he took care of the remaining Highland-Bavarian properties in the Ashcroft area. He spent the rest of his life protecting the area from new buildings and helping the environment recover.
In 1974, the Aspen Historical Society joined Mace in his efforts. Their work helped Ashcroft get listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
See also
In Spanish: Ashcroft (Colorado) para niños
