Caribou, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caribou
Ghost town
Caribou in 2005
Caribou Location in Colorado
Elevation	9,971 ft (3,039 m)
GNIS feature ID	181099

Caribou is a ghost town located near Nederland in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. It was once a busy silver mining town. The town got its name from the Caribou silver mine, which was very important to the area. The Caribou post office served the town from 1871 until 1917. You might have heard of the Caribou Ranch recording studio. It was located a few miles away, on the road leading up to Caribou.

History of Caribou

How Caribou Started (1861-1969)

Caribou, around 1911

In 1861, a prospector named Conger found gold in a stream near Caribou. He followed the gold upstream and soon discovered the first silver vein in the area. This discovery led to the start of the Caribou mining district.

The town of Caribou was built around 1870. It was a place for miners working at the Caribou silver mine to live. At its busiest, around 1875, Caribou had about 3,000 people. The town had a church, three saloons, a brewery, and even its own newspaper called the Caribou Post.

In 1871, the Caribou mine was sold for a lot of money to investors from the Netherlands. However, these new owners found that the best silver had already been mined. The mine faced many challenges. Later, in 1876, two well-known Colorado businessmen, Jerome B. Chaffee and David Moffat, bought the mine. They made it a company and sold parts of it in New York.

A big fire sadly burned down much of the town in 1879. After that, Caribou's population began to shrink. By the 1920s, fewer than 50 people lived there.

Caribou Today (1970-Present)

By 1970, Caribou and its silver mines were completely empty. But a 19-year-old geology student named Tom Hendricks saw a chance. He believed the silver mines could still make money. He decided to make the mines his life's work.

After finishing his geology degree, Hendricks bought the old Cross mine in 1973. He started shipping silver in 1977. In 1980, he bought the famous Caribou mine. He has worked hard to keep the mines going, even when silver prices were low. Hendricks also tried to find gold instead of silver. However, some business challenges and legal issues have slowed down these efforts.

Caribou's Location

The Caribou townsite is located very high up, at about 9,971 feet (3,039 meters) above sea level.

Famous photographers have captured images of Caribou over the years. William Henry Jackson took a picture of the town in 1877. Much later, in 1998, a well-known Colorado photographer named John Fielder took another photo from the same spot. Today, only two stone ruins and one fallen wooden cabin are left of the old town.

Images for kids

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  Caribou in 2005

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  Caribou, around 1911