LAGNIAPPE

Site Visit Date: August 27, 2026 Colorado's Abandoned Towns -- Better Known as Ghost Towns. Today's Town: Sneffels Sneffels Mining Town - Porter's Post office/Store 1885 At roughly 10,620 feet on the south face of Mount Sneffels, a mining town once clung to this rugged corner of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Originally known as Porters, Sneffels grew from a remote silver-mining settlement into a bustling industrial community often reported to have housed as many as 2,000 peo

Camp Bird Mine, Colorado: A Company Mining Camp Above Ouray What happens when a mining company doesn't just build the mine--but builds the community around it?

Unlike the mining camps perched higher on Red Mountain, Ironton sat on relatively flat ground about 1,500 feet lower below Guston and Red Mountain Town. Its location made it an ideal supply, staging, and transportation center for the sounding mines. Ironton was becoming more than a mining camp. It was becoming a town.