The story of St. Elmo begins not with the town itself, but with a prospector. In 1871, Abner Ellis Wright became one of the first settlers to push into the upper reaches of Chalk Creek Canyon, high in the Sawatch Range southwest of what is now Buena Vista, Colorado. By 1875, he and his partner John Royal had struck an unusually rich vein of silver ore on Chrysolite Mountain, about four miles south of where the future town would stand. They named their claim the Mary Murphy Mine, and it would go on to become the most successful and long-lived mining operation in the entire Chalk Creek district. Colorado Encyclopedia
The area was officially settled and platted in 1880, when gold and silver mining drew large numbers of people to the region. The settlement was first called Forest City, but the name was changed when the post office objected to the duplication — there were already too many towns going by that name. The new name, St. Elmo, was chosen by one of the founders, Griffith Evans, who happened to be reading a popular romantic novel of the same title at the time. Legends of America It was a whimsical origin for a name that would outlast nearly everything else about the place.
Our story, at least so far as St. Elmo goes, began on something of a whim. Having a bit of time to kill while at a conference in Denver, we rented a car and set out toward the mountains. Knowing that ghost towns and mines abound in the mountains of Colorado, a quick search online yielded this gem that I simply couldn't resist. A few hours and a very windey, twisty road later and we emerged at the edge of what can only be called a time capsule.
The breeze was a bit cool, but I barely noticed as my eyes passed quickly over what little I could already see from where we parked. This was going to be so worthwhile. We began the rest of our exploration on foot, mindful and respectful of the fact that this was private property and people had worked hard to restore and maintain what we were now enjoying.
The town was laid out in six feet of snow and grew quickly to serve the miners working the surrounding claims. Beginning with relatively high aspirations for civic order, St. Elmo nonetheless followed the well-worn path of other mining boomtowns, reaching a population of more than 2,000 and acquiring all the trappings of a community dominated by single men — saloons, dance halls, and bawdy houses alongside its more respectable institutions. Legends of America At its peak in the 1890s, the town boasted a telegraph office, a general store, a town hall, five hotels, a school, and a weekly newspaper — the St. Elmo Mountaineer — which had been reporting on local mining activity since August 1880. Wikipedia
In 1881, the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad arrived, building a station in St. Elmo and extending its tracks onward through the historic Alpine Tunnel toward Hancock. St. Elmo became the primary hub through which supplies reached area settlers arriving by rail. Legends of America There were 150 patented mine claims operating within the surrounding area, and the majority of residents worked at the Mary Murphy, Teresa C., Molly, or Pioneer Mines. Of these, the Mary Murphy was by far the largest and most productive, ultimately recovering over sixty million dollars' worth of gold over its operational lifetime. Wikipedia
There were so many details to look at. From the "wild west" architecture to the wooden sidewalks you could almost hear spurs clinking, the sound of horse-drawn carts clattering along the dirt road, maybe even the sound of a piano being played in the nearby saloon. Everywhere you looked, history was screaming for your attention.
It's clear that there's a seasonal population that stays around the property. Some houses were definitely being lived in, snowmobiles or ATV's could be seen in various places and there were even a few newer structures that had been constructed to blend in with the overall look of the town.
A severe fire in 1890 destroyed much of the town's commercial district, and it was never fully rebuilt to its former state. The combination of damaged infrastructure and depleting ore veins prompted many residents to seek opportunities in other, more prosperous mining towns. When the Alpine Tunnel closed for good in 1910, the population dropped sharply. INSP TV The mining industry continued its decline through the early 1920s, and in 1922 the railroad discontinued service to the canyon entirely. Wikipedia It is said that St. Elmo's population rode the last train out and never came back. Colorado
After the final abandonment, the Stark family — long-time residents who had operated the general store and hotel — converted surviving buildings into rental cabins and continued welcoming summer visitors. This entrepreneurial instinct to serve tourists rather than simply abandon the town is largely the reason that St. Elmo today retains an intact streetscape rather than a field of foundations. Ghost Town Archive In 1979, the town was successfully nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, protecting it from federal development projects. Roughly forty early structures remain standing today, including the Miner's Exchange building, Pat Hurley's Saloon, and the Home Comfort Hotel. Colorado Encyclopedia St. Elmo draws around 50,000 visitors annually — a ghost town that refuses, quite stubbornly, to be forgotten.
As we were preparing to leave, one of our party spotted a moose in the yard of one of the houses. We stopped to watch and moved slowly further down the road. As we did, we discovered the moose wasn't alone... She had two young with her, happily grazing on the grass. We changed direction down a side street giving us a view, but still giving the large animals lots of room to move without pressure from us.
Soon, that's exactly what happened. Mom decided it was time to leave, and she came out onto the street, slowly moving the way from which we had just come. The first of the two young followed almost immediately. The second, however, seemed very curious about us and stopped to look. After a few moments, Mom let out a snort, and curiosity was over. The family ambled off down the road . What a great end to an already amazing visit.
Histroy written by claude.ai and verified.
