Duane A. Smith

A Brief History of Silverton Duane A. Smith

The historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado, founded in 1874, lies in Bakers Park and is ringed by 12,000 and 13,000-foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains. However, it was not the beautiful scenery but rather the highly mineralized veins that lay in the nearby mountains that attracted the early prospectors. The town really came into prominence with the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in July 1882. three other narrow gauge lines were eventually built ut of the city, which drew business to the San Juans for nearly a century. When the silver bust of 1893 occurred, Silverton was not greatly affected as vast amounts of gold had been discovered in the nearby mines. Mining continued to dominate the economy until the 1980s, but tourism is now the main economic factor for Silverton. Duane Smith had done a marvelous job of explaining the historic nature of the local mining, which can still be enjoyed in the form of mine and mill tours, trips to the local museums, or exploring ruins in the nearby high country.