GHOSTS OF CHAFFEE COUNTY

Sneak preview: Saint Elmo

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St. Elmo originated in the late 1870s, and was incorporated under the name of Forest City, due to a dense growth of evergreens, in 1880. Forest City was not accepted by the Post Office because there was California town by the same name. It became St. Elmo in 1883.

St. Elmo was the largest city in the area, and it derived most of its livelihood from the Mary Murphy Mine, located in 1875. It was a supply center, a "Saturday night town," a starting or ending point for those going over Tin Cup and Alpine passes, and a railroad station for the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad. The town was a railroad hub as well as a hub for toll roads west to Tin Cup, north to Aspen, and south to Maysville. St. Elmo served as a supply center for the construction of the Alpine Tunnel.

The roaming preachers, Father Dyer and Bishop Macheboeuf, both served the word of God here. The druggist and postmaster, Fred Brush, was able to save the mail in the 1890 fire, but he lost the liquor and tobacco supply – half a hero! The town was never entirely rebuilt.

Annabelle Stark brought culture to the community. She was the "lady of Salida,” with a college education, beauty, fashionable clothes, and charm.

St. Elmo is well preserved. Much of the old main street is still intact, including the Stark store and the white City Hall with its steeple and bell. The doors of the buildings are locked, and their windows boarded. They are all privately owned.

Read more – including Annabelle Stark’s sad demise – in Ghosts of Chaffee County, one in a series of concise books on the ghost towns and mining camps of Colorado.

41 sites are included in Ghosts of Chaffee County:

Alpine	Alpine Tunnel	Arbourville
Babcock	Bowerman	Bowman
Buena Vista	Cache Creek	Calumet
Cleora	Free Gold	Garfield
Georgia Bar	Granite	Hancock
Harvard City	Hortense	Iron City
Lost Canyon	Maysville	Monarch
Mount Princeton	Nathrop	North Star
Ohio	Pitkin	Poncha
Quartz	Romley	Salida
Shavano	Sherrod	St. Elmo
Tin Cup	Tomichi	Turret
Vicksburg	Waunita Hot Springs	Whitehorn
White Pine	Winfield

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