Colorado's Abandoned Towns Ute-Ulay - Ghost Town
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Site Visit Date: October 9, 2026
Colorado's Abandoned Towns -- Better Known as Ghost Towns.
Today's Town: Ute-Ulay Mine and Henson Townsite
Today, our usual traveling trio—my husband, our dog Harley, and I—load into our Jeep and head for Ute-Ulay Mine and Henson townsite near Lake City, Colorado.
Visitors leaving Lake City toward Engineer Pass don’t travel far before reaching a collection of old mine buildings tucked against the canyon beside Henson Creek. It would be easy to see Ute-Ulay as simply another picturesque reminder of Colorado’s mining era.
It wasn’t.
The Ute-Ulay was one of the most productive mines in the Lake City region, and its story begins before Lake City itself existed. The discovery of the Ute and Ulay veins in 1871 helped set in motion the mining rush that ultimately transformed this portion of the San Juan Mountains.
Hopefully, after our trip we’ll be able to answer this trip’s guiding question:
Can one mine make a town—and what does the town inherit when the mine is gone?
HISTORY OF UTE-ULAY AND HENSON TOWN
The location of the Ute-Ulay mine and the Henson townsite sit at about 9250 feet approximately 3.5-4 miles west of Lake City along Henson Creek/County Road 20. It’s in the Galena Mining District in Hinsdale County. The name Ute-Ulay is traditionally said to honor the Ute people and Chief Ouray, with “Ulay” representing a pronunciation of Ouray’s name.
On August 27, 1871, Harry Henson, Joel K. Mullin, Albert Mead, Charles Godwin discovered the Ute-Ulay veins. Historical records vary on the spelling of several of the men’s names.
These veins contained primarily silver and lead. Some production also included gold, copper, and zinc. The mine operated during the late 1870s through early 1900s. There was later intermittent activity through much of the 20thcentury.
Before it was a Ghost Site:
The discovery of the Ute and Ulay veins in 1871 came before the Brunot Agreement of September 13, 1873 when Ute representatives agreed to cede approximately 3.5 million acres in the San Juans. After Congress ratified the agreement in April 1874, the ceded San Juan lands were opened to legal mineral development.
The Boom Years:
The Ute-Ulay became the dominant mining operation in the Galena District.
In the mid-1870s, the Crooke brothers purchased the Ute-Ulay for an extraordinary six-figure sum, signaling the mine’s growing importance.
The Crooke interests developed concentrating and smelting facilities, and the Ute-Ulay became the largest mining operation in Hinsdale County. The Town of Lake City credits the Ute-Ulay with being the Galena District’s major operation.
The Mine that Helped Make Lake City
Lake City was platted in 1874 and developed as a supply and commercial center for miners entering the surrounding districts. The Ute-Ulay became one of the economic anchors supporting that growth.
The Ute-Ulay complex’s importance to Lake City was seen when the mine stopped operating. The National Register documentation of Lake City states that when the operations closed in 1884, the loss of what it called a stabilizing force in the town’s economy helped push Lake City into a serious depression.
That evidence lends credibility to calling Ute-Ulay:
“The Mine That Made Lake City.”
Not by itself, certainly, but economically the mine became one of the most important forces behind Lake City’s early development.
Transportation Changes Everything
The arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad at Lake City in 1889 reduced transportation problems that had long limited local mines. The National Register documentation notes that when rail transportation became available, approximately twenty mines reopened and began shipping ore.
As we’ve discovered at several towns we’ve visited, ore in the ground only becomes valuable if there’s an economical way to get it out.
Henson: The Town the Mine Created:
The townsite of Henson developed beside the Ute-Ulay operation, growing as the mine required additional works, housing, and services. The townsite was laid out around 1880.
At various times Henson included miners’ cabins, boarding houses, a school, stores, saloons, and a post office. Postal records show the Henson post office operating first for a short time in 1883-84, then again beginning in 1892. It closed in the early twentieth century.
Ute-Ulay was more than a lone mine tucked into the canyon. Its operations required so many workers and services that the town grew beside it.
THE PEOPLE
The Ute-Ulay operations were much more than machinery and production numbers.
The mining operations here brought workers from several immigrant groups into Henson. Particularly significant was a community of Italian miners, many of whom lived in an area known as Little Rome.
Little Rome:
While Little Rome was associated with Henson, it was a distinct settlement inhabited largely by Italian workers and their families.
History Colorado confirms that Little Rome was a historic mining camp occupied by Italian immigrants working at the Ute-Ulay Mine and Mill from 1889-1899.
Archaeological documentation describes the surviving site primarily as collapsed structural remains and debris scatters and notes that historical accounts describe it as an Italian neighborhood associated with Henson.
The 1899 Strike:
In March 1899, miners at the Ute-Ulay and the nearby Hidden Treasure Mine went on strike after management required unmarried employees to live and eat in company boardinghouses. Historical sources describe Italian miners and members of the Western Federation of Miners as central participants.
The situation escalated. Armed miners occupied or blocked access to the mines. The confrontation became serious enough that Colorado militia troops were sent to the area. The dispute was resolved without the large-scale violence feared at the time.
HOW UTE-ULAY WORKED
Mining Technology:
The site is especially valuable because it preserves evidence from multiple eras of mining.
This site with its surviving complex includes the mine headframe, mill structures, assay office, blacksmith shop, boarding house, residential cabins, power-related structures, water tank, and other support buildings.
These surviving resources represent mining technology from roughly the 1870s into the 1980s.
The Dam and Water Power:
Ute-Ulay’s ingenuity is evident in the way the operation harnessed Henson Creek itself for power.
Historic accounts indicate that a dam on Henson Creek and a long flume system were used to provide power associated with the Ute-Ulay operation.
The creek and mine weren’t coincidental neighbors. The landscape itself became part of the industrial system.
THE TURNING POINT
Like many Colorado mining operations, Ute-Ulay did not simply close once and disappear.
Its history was intermittent.
After its primary nineteenth-century production era, various owners periodically reopened, explored, or processed ore at the site during the twentieth century. Mining records document activity during portions of the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and later decades.
The National Register therefore recognizes a later period of significance extending from 1930 to 1967 in addition to the major 1876-1903 era.
Ute-Ulay’s history shows us again that mining towns and operations seldom died abruptly.
The ebb and flow of changing technology, better transportation, and successive owners could extend the life of mining operations for decades.
OUR VISIT
Ute-Ulay hadn’t originally been our destination. We discovered it on an earlier trip when plans farther up the road had to be abandoned. What began as an unexpected detour turned into a reason to return.
When we arrive in Lake City, we plan to have fried catfish at the Southern Vittles restaurant we discovered on our previous trip. However, we soon learn the restaurant has closed for the season. Instead, we find Chillin’ BBQ & More and enjoy a wonderful BBQ lunch.
After lunch, we venture onto the Alpine Loop/County Road 20 from Lake City. Although the road is gravel with occasional rocky stretches, it remains easy to navigate during our visit. The rocky outcroppings on our right and the picturesque flow of Henson Creek on our left represent the grandeur of the surrounding San Juan Mountain area.
We travel a short distance, 3-4 miles, before we arrive at the townsite right along the road. Site markers stand beside a designated parking and viewing area overlooking Henson Creek and the dam site.
Partly cloudy skies cover the roughly 9,250-foot site, with temperatures reaching about 65 degrees in early afternoon. We encounter a couple of other visitors, but have the area to ourselves for most of the visit. The road to the mine and mill site is closed, but the path along the buildings of the Henson townsite is open.
A gravel-packed path takes me along the preserved buildings of the settlement. I’m close enough to photograph each building. Climbing higher up the small hill along the path, I reach the historic headframe and stand beneath it. Standing there and looking up at the Colorado sky, I try to imagine the sounds coming from the mine and the men who once worked around the headframe.
From beneath the headframe, I can see the mill's roof just across the narrow road.
The surviving town buildings cluster near the headframe and water tank. Across the narrow road, the mill complex sits below road level beside Henson Creek.
I tried to imagine the sounds of a typical workday when the mine, mill, and dam operated at full capacity. Without a doubt, it would have been louder than the peacefulness I enjoy during today’s visit.
Mine and mill workers had a very short commute to work.
A few steps across the street.
WHAT REMAINS TODAY
Like Animas Forks, Ute-Ulay is unusual among the sites we've visited because a substantial collection of historic structures remains.
Documented surviving features include residential cabins, the assay office, mill, blacksmith shop, boarding house, water tank, and main headframe.
The Ute-Ulay Mine and Mill was formally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, with significance in history, architecture, and engineering.
WHAT SURPRISED ME MOST?
How compact the operations and living areas were.
Also, their close distance to the road and creek.
I found it particularly surprising that the complex stood so close to the neighboring town of Lake City. That proximity made it easier to move workers, supplies, and services between Lake City and the mining district.
Seeing that short distance firsthand helped me understand how closely Lake City and Ute-Ulay were tied to one another.
BEFORE YOU GO
Location: County Road 20 west of Lake City.
Distance: Roughly 3.5 to 4 miles from Lake City.
Elevation: Approximately 9,250 feet.
Road / Access: Henson Creek Road/County Road 20/Alpine Loop route.
Recommended Vehicle: In dry conditions during our visit, the road to the Ute-Ulay/Henson site was accessible by an ordinary passenger vehicle. Conditions beyond the site and elsewhere on the Alpine Loop can require high clearance and four-wheel drive. Check current local road conditions before traveling.
Walking Difficulty: The paths along the Henson settlement consist of packed gravel but include some incline. The high elevation and path inclines may be problematic for individuals with walking and breathing difficulties.
Best season: Generally mid- to late summer into early fall, depending on snow and road conditions. Check with local authorities for current conditions.
Cell Service: Do not depend on it. Federal recreation guidance warns that wireless service is unavailable through much of the Alpine Loop backcountry. Map your route before leaving.
Private property: Respect all posted boundaries, restrictions and environmental restoration areas.
Weather Concerns: Mountain weather can change quickly; check current conditions before leaving.
Mine / Structure hazards: Stay on designated visitor routes and obey barriers and signs. Do not enter mine openings or climb on unstable historic structures.
Preservation: Do not remove artifacts or objects from historic sites.
Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.
THEN & NOW
WHAT DID UTE-ULAY LEAVE BEHIND?
It left an impact in many areas.
Its physical legacy remains visible in the buildings, mill structures, headframe, and industrial remains still standing along Henson Creek. Its production helped support Lake City’s development, leaving an economic legacy throughout the region.
Henson existed because workers and their families needed a place to live, and Little Rome represents an immigrant community whose story survives even though most of its physical settlement doesn’t. This history creates both a community and a cultural legacy.
Ute-Ulay’s 1899 strike preserves a story about company power, organized labor, and immigrant miners, adding to the region’s labor legacy.
The preserved complex allows visitors to see mining infrastructure rather than imagine it from photographs and empty foundations, preserving an unusually tangible historical legacy.
THE QUESTION IT LEFT ME
Our original question.
Can one mine make a town—and what does the town inherit when the mine is gone?
Ute-Ulay’s ore helped feed Lake City’s economy, its workers created communities along Henson Creek, and its failures could send economic shock waves back toward Lake City. More than a century later, the mine no longer supports Lake City by pulling silver and lead from the mountain.
Lake City now supports Ute-Ulay differently.
More than a century later, the relationship has reversed. Lake City now helps preserve the mine whose fortunes once helped sustain the town. Visitors traveling the Alpine Loop stop at Ute-Ulay not for its silver or lead, but for the history left behind.
Once, Ute-Ulay’s fortunes became Lake City’s fortunes. Today, Lake City is helping preserve Ute-Ulay’s legacy.
LEARN MORE
PREVIOUS STOP: CAPITOL CITY
NEXT AND LAST STOP: URAVAN
How does a small Colorado mining town that helped shape world history
continue to live on after disappearing from the landscape?
Thank you for reading.
May God abundantly bless you and may He always keep you.
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