Silver Creek, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Silver Creek
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Mining ghost town
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 Silver Creek
Location in Colorado
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| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Clear Creek County |
| Government | |
| • Type | Formerly incorporated town |
| Elevation | 9,300 ft (2,800 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes |
Dumont CO 80436
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| Area code(s) | Area codes 303 and 720 |
Silver Creek is a mining ghost town located in Clear Creek County, Colorado. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, often because the main reason for the town's existence, like a mine, closed down. Silver Creek never had its own post office. Mail for the town was sent through the nearby Lawson post office. You can only reach Silver Creek by a rough, unpaved road. Most of the mines that supported the town were found further up the stream.
Contents
The Story of Silver Creek
How Silver Creek Got Its Name
This town was first called Daileyville. It was named after James Dailey, who managed a local mine. But the people living there soon changed the name. They decided to call it Silver Creek. This new name came from the local stream. This stream flows into Clear Creek near the town of Lawson.
When Silver Was Discovered
People first started settling in the area around 1875. This was when they found rich silver ore deposits. Silver ore is rock that contains silver metal. The town officially became a town in 1885. This means it was formally recognized by the government.
The Rise and Fall of Mining
The mines were very important to Silver Creek. However, most of them closed after the 1893 silver crash. A "silver crash" means the price of silver dropped very quickly. This made it hard for mines to make money.
The mines reopened later because of a high demand for metals. This demand grew before and during World War I. But this busy period did not last long. By 1922, most of the mines had closed again. One of the biggest mines was the Nabob Mine. A new deep shaft was dug there in 1906.
The Town's Final Years
Silver Creek continued to struggle for some time. The last people living there left during the Great Depression. This was a time in the 1930s when many people lost their jobs and homes. By the 1970s, only a few things were left of the town. There was an old mill and some stone foundations. A stamp mill was a machine used to crush ore.
