HAMILTON

NAME: Hamilton
COUNTY: Chaffee
ROADS: 4WD
GRID: 5
CLIMATE: Cold winter with snow, cool summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
Summer
COMMENTS: Near Winfield.
REMAINS: The ghost town of Hamilton can be accessed only on foot - it is in a wilderness area and vehicles are prohibited. If you keep going past the banker mine on the 4x4 road, you'll come to the US Forest gate and have about a 1.5 hour hike to the ghost town of Hamilton (or what's left of it). It is only about 1/2 of the mining camp office composed of maybe 8 or 9 logs and it sets across the creek where you really can't get to it.

Hamilton was founded after prospectors from Leadville camped out in Clear Creek Canyon and their burros wandered down to the creek. The next day the prospectors found their animals and also found good float in the creek. Many towns sprang up along the creek including Hamilton. Hamilton was mainly a company mining camp of the Hamilton Mining and Tunnel Company. It consisted of only four or five log structures, and the operation closed down in 1905. It is the most remote mining camp of Clear Creek Canon.


Hamilton
Courtesy John Cys


Hamilton
Courtesy John Cys

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