Ironton, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ironton
|
|
|---|---|
|
Mining ghost town
|
|
Ironton Ghost Town in 2014
|
|
 Ironton
Location in Colorado
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Ouray |
| Elevation
2987
|
9,800 ft (3,000 m) |
| Population
(2010)
|
|
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes |
81432
|
| GNIS feature ID | 187227 |
Ironton is a ghost town in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. It's located south of the town of Ouray. It's also near other ghost towns like Guston and Red Mountain Town. In the 1880s and 1890s, Ironton was a big part of the Red Mountain Pass mining area. This area was the second largest place for silver mining in Colorado. Ironton even had its own post office from May 2, 1883, until August 2, 1920.
History of Ironton
.jpg)
Ironton was sometimes called "Copper Glen." It was built on flatter land compared to the towns around it. People started settling here in the 1870s and 1880s. During one busy three-week period, about 300 buildings were started. This helped Ironton become a real community.
A Hub for Mining and Travel
Ironton was an important place for supplies coming from Ouray. It was also a major meeting point for transportation between Red Mountain Town and Ouray. The town had some mines of its own too. At its busiest, Ironton had over 1,000 people living there. Two trains arrived every day from Silverton.
Many stores from Ouray and Silverton opened branches in Ironton. These stores were located along the Silverton Railroad. This special narrow gauge railroad reached Ironton in 1889. A famous businessman named Otto Mears supported this railroad.
The Decline of Ironton
Otto Mears later built toll roads in the area. One of these roads became known as the "Million Dollar Highway." Ironton continued to exist into the early 1900s. However, as mining operations slowed down, the town slowly became empty.
The last person to live in Ironton was Milton Larson. He passed away in the mid-1960s. Today, the site of Ironton is still visited by tourists who want to see what's left of the old mining town.
