Gunnison - Colorado Ghost Town

GUNNISON

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

COMMENTS: Current Town.
REMAINS: Many original buildings.

Nowhere near a ghost town today, Gunnison is included here because of its history as a fabulous frontier city of yesterday. The town was named after a Capt. John W. Gunnison who passed through here in 1853, leading a party of government topographical engineers in search for a central railroad route from the Mississippi to the Pacific. He was killed by Indians a few weeks later in Utah. By 1880, Gunnison was a roaring frontier town of nearly 10,000 people. Gold and silver was being mined in all directions from Gunnison. It was only natural the town would become a shipping and supply center. Trains came to take the ores to smelters when those in Gunnison were working to full capacity. After the gold and silver seekers drained the mountains dry of their metals, the cattlemen and ranchers took over. Then came the fishermen, the hunters, and the sightseers. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

Nowhere near a ghost town today, Gunnison is included here because of its history as a fabulous frontier city of yesterday. The town was named after a Capt. John W. Gunnison who passed through here in 1853, leading a party of government topographical engineers in search for a central railroad route from the Mississippi to the Pacific. He was killed by Indians a few weeks later in Utah. By 1880, Gunnison was a roaring frontier town of nearly 10,000 people. Gold and silver was being mined in all directions from Gunnison. It was only natural the town would become a shipping and supply center. Trains came to take the ores to smelters when those in Gunnison were working to full capacity. After the gold and silver seekers drained the mountains dry of their metals, the cattlemen and ranchers took over. Then came the fishermen, the hunters, and the sightseers. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

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