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 The
Alpine Loop - Scenic BywayOuray - Silverton - Lake City DESIGNATED BY road
signs bearing the blue Columbine (Colorado State
Flower), the Alpine Loop is unlike most national byways. It is a rugged
four-wheel drive ride over steep mountain passes that follows old
trails
laid out by miners over a century ago. Start your tour from any of the
three “live” towns on the loop—Ouray, Silverton or Lake City, and
travel
past “ghost” towns, mining relics, cascading waterfalls, masses of
alpine
wildflowers and some of the most spectacular scenery in the
world.
OURAY Originally named Uncompahgre after the Ute word for “hot water springs,” the name was changed in honor of Ute Chief Ouray, who signed the Brunot Treaty giving the San Juans to the United States. This “Gem of the Rockies” at 7,700 feet sits in a steep V-shaped valley surrounded by 13,000-plus-foot peaks. To the south is the rugged and wildly scenic Uncompahgre Gorge. Seven-hundred-plus permanent residents lovingly maintain many of the elegant Victorian structures within the town of Ouray. Many came as visitors, then made their stay a one-way trip. SILVERTON Called Baker’s Park after the first white man to discover this wide, flat valley before the Civil War, the name was changed to reflect what came out of the surrounding mountains: “silver by the ton!” At one time the town, located at 9,300 feet, boasted over 2,000 residents. It was one of the bawdiest, rowdiest mining towns in the San Juans. There were in excess of forty saloons and bordellos on notorious Blair Street. Three railroads originated here, leading into the nearby, even-higher mining camps. LAKE
CITY.
Named
after Lake San Cristobal, the second largest natural
lake in Colorado, and located at 8,761 feet, the town had one of the
first
telephone systems in the state, connecting it to Ouray, Silverton and
other
nearby towns. Another first was the Fourth of July celebration, which
soon
became one of the biggest holidays for San Juan mining towns.
GHOST
TOWNS. Red
Mountain Town
and the Red Mountain vicinity
once were home to over 10,000 people. The town hosted balls for people
from Silverton and Ouray. Over $30 million in ore was taken from one
area
alone. Otto Mears, “Pathfinder of the San Juans,” built his “Million
Dollar
Highway” to Red Mountain in 1883, and within five years his “Rainbow
Route”
had followed. The entire area was devastated by three major fires, and
today only a few headframes and mining structures survive. Animas
Forks,
at 11,160 feet and laid out in 1877, had the highest railroad in
America.
Still standing is a house, presumably owned by Thomas Walsh, whose
daughter
once owned the infamous Hope diamond.
Story, © Kathryn Retzler |
Recreation
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Published by San Juan Publishing Group, Inc., Colorado. Site design Kathryn Retzler No part of this publication may be reproduced in any means whatsoever without written authorization from SJPG. Queries for re-print rights, email editor@sanjuanpub.com. |
