Alma - Colorado Ghost Town

ALMA

NAME: Alma
COUNTY: Park
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 5
CLIMATE: Cold winter with snow, cool summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Summer

COMMENTS: On S.R. 9 just north of Fairplay.
REMAINS: Current residents, many original buildings.

Alma was home to much silver in the late 1800's. There is some discrepancy as to the origin of the name Alma, but needless to say, there were many people of the same name in this city. One of the most notable events that happened in Alma was the day some Mexican drove a flock of sheep into nearby Bucksin Joe. One of them came down with small pox and dyed shortly thereafter. The virus spread throughout the whole town, but one resident, a dancehall girl named Silverheels, helped nurse many of the sick back to health when no one else would. She too came down with the virus toward the end of the epidemic and the towns folk took a collection of money to help her out. When they went to her house to give it too her, she had fled never to be seen again. A nearby mountain is named Mt Silverheels in her honor. It is rumored that many years later a heavily veiled woman was seen walking among the graves but before anyone could get to her she had vanished.	Nearby Buckskin Joe circa 1864 Courtesy Colorado State Historical Society Alma Courtesy Dolores Steele Alma Courtesy Dolores Steele Alma Courtesy Dolores Steele

Alma was home to much silver in the late 1800's. There is some discrepancy as to the origin of the name Alma, but needless to say, there were many people of the same name in this city. One of the most notable events that happened in Alma was the day some Mexican drove a flock of sheep into nearby Bucksin Joe. One of them came down with small pox and dyed shortly thereafter. The virus spread throughout the whole town, but one resident, a dancehall girl named Silverheels, helped nurse many of the sick back to health when no one else would. She too came down with the virus toward the end of the epidemic and the towns folk took a collection of money to help her out. When they went to her house to give it too her, she had fled never to be seen again. A nearby mountain is named Mt Silverheels in her honor. It is rumored that many years later a heavily veiled woman was seen walking among the graves but before anyone could get to her she had vanished.

Nearby Buckskin Joe circa 1864
Courtesy Colorado State Historical Society

Alma
Courtesy Dolores Steele

BACK