Alta Colorado Townsite - Ghost town
These pictures were taken in September of 2003 at the Alta Colorado ghost town. They show some of the cabins, boardinghouse and outhouse buildings that remain at the Alta Colorado ghost town site. This is a mining camp not far from Telluride. A beautiful lake sits just a short distance up the road.
Gold was discovered here by Jack Mann in 1878.This townsite is located at about 11,800 ft and an aerial tramway was used to move the ore to the mill below. The most interesting feature was the fact that this was the first mine to use AC current. Some famous people, like George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla, helped make it possible.
Photos courtesy of Joan Sinnwell 2003
UPDATE
In September of 2007 I meet up with an individual on top of Hurricane Pass. He lives in Telluride. We discussed the demise of Alta. The land has been purchased by a developer that plans to build a paved road into the area and sell lots in and around Alta Lakes. I can understand why someone would want to live there but it saddens me to see the historic area destroyed. Last time I was there I wandered thru the forest and discovered all types of remnants of this once great area.
A viewer writes - Pictures of Alta lakes are beautiful. Came all the way from upstate New York and stayed at the observatory in late July of 2007 for the wild flower season of pictures and electrical boxes are already in place. I literally cried. Can't believe it's not being fought.
A viewer writes August 2008 - I lived in Alta during WWII - I was four or five years old at the time. The snow fall was unbelievable. We (my stepdad, mother, uncle Eppie and my uncle Orly, his wife son, and daughter lived in a small three room cabin. One winter morning I opened the cabin door and the doorway was filled with snow up over the top of the door sill. Cabin heat made the snow wet and packed so it didn't spill into the cabin. I loved the place. But we soon had to move to the "big city"(Ophir). jwil_032@yahoo.com
A viewer writes - (9/2008) This is a great site that I was introduced to this week by my son, Kyle, from Ft. Collins, CO who was running in the Imogene Pass Run and, after staying in Telluride, they visited Alta Mine Ghost Town. His five-year-old daughter, Sarah, was assigned to investigate her grandparent's school history by her kindergarten teacher. Thus they visited and explored around Alta. My father, Bill Mertz, was Supt. of Alta Mine in 1946-47, my mother was the secretary in the office located over the general store, and our family lived there during that school year. My brother, Ronnie (13 then) and I (11) attended the one room schoolhouse in the mining camp. I was the only girl of school age, but, being a tomboy, fit right in. It truly was a trip down memory lane to see the pictures of the remains of the buildings and the absolutely spectacular scenery. I finished my schooling in Silverton, CO graduating from there in 1953. Lynda Fanning lfanning35@msn.com
A viewer writes - April 19, 2009 - I am from Wisconsin ,and lived in colorado during the 90s. i made a solo mt.bike trip from durango to telluride over ophir pass. i decided to take a shortcut over the area between the two----looked easy on the map---ha! anyway, much to my surprise was a ghost town named Alta--wow! i explored the town with nobody else around. what a memory. i then climbed a mt. goat trail above the lakes to reach a plateau that would pop me out on top of the ski hill at telluride. epic.
Rocky Mountain Profiles Colorado Ghost Towns and Colorado Photos – Niwot Colorado