GHOSTS OF PITKIN COUNTY

and NORTHERN GUNNISON COUNTY

Sneak preview: Crystal, Gunnison County

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Prospecting occurred in the area as early as the 1860s, but the lack of good access kept development to a minimum. By the early 1880s several good silver strikes had been made, and the roads had been improved. The first road entered from the south over Schofield Pass. When it was later extended north to Carbondale, Crystal got a big boost.

Crystal was named for the numerous quartz crystals that were found in the mineral deposits.

Good silver, lead, and zinc ore was produced from several mines around Crystal until the 1893 panic hit. The Lead King Mine was able to continue until 1913. The Black Queen and Sheep Mountain mines tried to reopen in 1916, but they could not make a go of it. Little mining has been done since then. The population after 1893 amounted to only a handful, but it rose to over seventy-five in 1916 as the two mines were preparing to reopen. The post office was closed in 1909.

Because the town could only be accessed by foot or horse until 1955, it is well preserved. More recent restoration has improved the site.

Read more – including how the town was saved – in Ghosts of Pitkin County, one of a series of concise books on the ghost towns and mining camps of Colorado.

34 sites are included in Ghosts of Pitkin County:

Almont	Ashcroft	Aspen	Baldwin	Basalt	Carbonate
Carbondale	Carey's Camp	Cloud City	Coal Basin	Cooper's Camp	Crested Butte
Crystal	Elko	Emma	Floresta	Glenwood Springs	Gothic
Gunnison	Highland	Irwin	Jack's Cabin	Janeway	Lenado
Marble	Parlin	Pittsburg	Placita	Redstone	Stank
Schofield	Smith Hill	Sunshine	Tourtelotte

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