ZZYZX

NAME: Zzyzx COUNTY: El Paso ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Snow common in winter and cold. Summers very hot with sunshine. BEST TIME TO VISIT: All year

COMMENTS: To get there: Go to the town of Ramah in eastern El Paso county on highway 24. Get onto paint mines rd. Go down paint mines rd for 1 miles until there's a four-way intersection. Take the right. You will now be on CR-14A. Continue on CR-14A for 1/2 mile until there's a break in the fence running along the left side of the road with a somewhat rough(but accessible by 2 WD) dirt track going throught the break. Follow this track to the ghost town. You'll probably have this place all to yourself beacuse hardly anyone knows about it(one of the reasons it's so well preserved). REMAINS: Four cabins, a town hall, two mine shafts. Very well preserved.

This odd-named ghost town lies 2 miles SW of Ramah, CO. This town was once home to nearly 1000 miners before its mysterious abandoning in 1899. There were two things mined in Zzyzx, copper and gold. Some people think the town may have been abandoned due to lack of findings of precious metals. Local people who know about it say the founder of the town wanted his town to stand out above all the rest so that it would attract more people which equals more $. This is one of the most well-kept, mysterious, and interesting ghost towns in Colorado. It's worth the trip. Submitted by: Bob Gaugherty

Zzyzx Courtesy Bob Gaugherty

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