Silverton, CO - July 2, 2005 (Re-run)

 Ho hum, just another beautiful, historic mining town in the Colorado mountains, Silverton lies about 25 miles south of Ouray.  The town was founded in 1873, although there were mines there as early as 1860.  Sitting in a valley (actually a caldera of an ancient volcano) at an elevation just over 9300 feet, Silverton is surrounded by mountains that exceed 13,000 feet, with seven 14,000 foot peaks within a few miles.  The entire town is on the National Historic Register.  Its population is about 650 permanent residents, but that number goes way up in the Summer tourist season.

Silverton is known as a gateway into the back country, a mecca for off-roading in Summer and skiing and snow-mobiling in Winter.  It has a long, colorful history of first silver mining, later gold mining, and the many mines left miles and miles of mountain trails to be explored by modern 4WD enthusiasts.  Quite a few of the old mining communities remain as ghost towns that can be visited today.

 

Silverton is also famous for being the northern terminus of the Durango & Silverton Railroad,  originally a mining train but now offering a scenic 45 mile trip through the mountains.  With nine operating steam locomotives, the line carries hundreds of thousands of passengers each year.

In any direction, roads lead into mountains with gorgeous scenery.