Crystal Ghost Town - Crystal, CO
Posted by: 
ArmyFamily4
N 39° 03.566 W 107° 06.147
13S E 318089 N 4325475
Crystal is a ghost town in a valley on the upper Crystal River in Gunnison County, Colorado, on a four-wheel-drive road between Marble and Crested Butte. Many buildings still stand in Crystal, but its few residents live there only in the summer.
Waymark Code: WMB157
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 03/22/2011
Views: 8
Crystal is best known for one of the most photographed historic sites in Colorado, the Crystal Mill, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
History
Crystal (sometimes called Crystal City) was founded in 1880, but mined as early as the 1860s. At its peak, Crystal had 400+ residents, two newspapers (the Crystal River Current and The Silver Lance), a pool hall, a men's club, a barber shop and two hotels. In 1915, only eight people lived there. Mining in the area included silver, lead, copper, iron, and zinc. Very little gold has been discovered.
Today there is one family that owns Crystal and resides there during the summer months only. There are a few lots in the town of Crystal not owned by the Heirs of Emmett Shaw Gould, otherwise, his heirs own the Crystal Mill and the town of Crystal and the surrounding wilderness backed against National Forrest. There is a small general store, public outhouse and book store. Some of the cabins are available for short term rental.
Road Access To Crystal
Gunnison County Road 3 connects the towns of Marble and Crested Butte via Crystal and Schofield Pass. Much of the road is four-wheel drive only. The section of the road from Marble to Crystal includes narrow shelf roads and very rocky sections. The section of the road from Crystal to Schofield Pass traverses the Devils Punchbowls, considered among the most dangerous 4x4 stretch of road in the state (over a dozen deaths from vehicles going over the edge). Warning: MapQuest and GPS will designate CR 3 as the shortest route. The road section from Schofield Park to Crested Butte via the ghost town of Gothic is a relatively tame dirt and gravel road.
Reason for Abandonment: Economic
Date Abandoned: 01/01/1912
Related Web Page: [Web Link]
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