Capitol City, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Capitol City
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Two children and a dog in Capitol City (Galena City), Colorado, circa 1880-1900.
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 Capitol City
Location in Colorado
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| Elevation | 9,712 ft (2,960 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 203896 |
Capitol City is a ghost town located in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. It was once a busy silver mining town. The town was first called Galena City when it was started in 1877. You can find its old location along the Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway. Capitol City had its own post office from May 18, 1877, until October 30, 1920.
History of Capitol City
Capitol City was founded in 1877 by a man named George Lee. He first named it Galena City. At its busiest time, about 800 people lived there. Lee had a big dream: he wanted his town to become the capital of Colorado! To try and make this happen, he later changed the name to Capitol City. He also hoped to become the state's governor.
Today, not much is left of the old town. You can still see the old post office, a tall structure called "Lee's Smelter Stack," some broken-down buildings, and a few brick kilns (which are ovens for making bricks). There are also private homes and land around the site now.
George Lee built a very nice home in Capitol City. He even had bricks brought all the way from Pueblo, with each brick costing $1. His house was said to have a large living room, a theater with a place for an orchestra, and several ballrooms for guests. Besides his house, he also built the Henson Creek smelter (a place to process metal ore) and a sawmill (for cutting wood).
The original town site was 200 acres big and had everything people needed. This included hotels, restaurants, bars, a post office, a schoolhouse, cabins, a sawmill, and mining smelters. The town's most successful year was 1877, when it had 800 residents. However, when the price of silver dropped, many people started to leave. Legal problems and the difficulty of getting supplies and goods in and out also made the town decline quickly.
Where is Capitol City Located?
Capitol City is located on Engineer Pass. This pass is part of the Alpine 4x4 Loop, which is a national scenic road. You can get to the town from Lake City, which is about 9 miles (14.5 km) to the east on CO-20. It's usually easy to drive to the site with a regular car between June and November.
Images for kids
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Remains of Capitol City in July 2010
