MOUNT VERNON
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MOUNT VERNON |
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NAME: Mount Vernon COUNTY: Jefferson ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Snow in winter, hot in summer BEST TIME TO VISIT: All year |
COMMENTS:
Just south of the Morrison exit on Interstate 70, just north of Red Rocks. Currently in Matthews/Winters Park. REMAINS: Only the Cemetery. |
| Dr. Joseph Castro founded the town of Mount Vernon in the Jefferson Territory in 1859 as a supply stop for the mines. He offered building lots in the town at no cost for those who would build on them. The territory governor Robert W. Steele settled in the town, which became the de facto capital of the territory. There was no capitol building and legislature had to meet in various buildings, including the stage stop. The capital of the territory moved to Golden in 1860. The town also staged a stop on the Wells Fargo Express and was part of the Mount Vernon Canyon toll road that leads to Park County. The political power of the town shifted away toward Denver. Steele moved to Georgetown and founded the Belmont Mine on a silver vein. With that, the town of Mount Vernon slowly faded away. By 1885, only the Matthews family was official residents of Mount Vernon. The town sits in the confines of Matthews/Winters Park, part of Jefferson County Open Space. (Information found on the Jefferson County Open Space website.) Submitted by: Mark Oldfield |
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