Eureka is an extinct mining town in San Juan County, Colorado, United States, along the Animas River, between Silverton and Animas Forks.[2][3] The town derives its name from the Greek interjection Eureka![4] The Eureka post office operated from August 9, 1875, until April 30, 1942.[5]
Eureka | |
|---|---|
Mining ghost town | |
 Remains of the Sunnyside Mill in Eureka, in May 2018 | |
  Eureka Location within the state of Colorado  Eureka Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 37°52′47″N 107°33′54″W / 37.8797°N 107.5650°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | San Juan |
| Elevation | 9,863 ft (3,006 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 187402[1] |
History edit
Charles Baker's group of prospectors found traces of placer gold in the San Juan Mountains in 1860 at Eureka. Forced out by the Ute Tribe in 1861, who had been awarded the area in a US treaty, the prospectors returned in 1871, when lode gold was found in the Little Giant vein at Arrastre Gulch near Silverton, Colorado. The miners were allowed to stay after the Brunot Treaty of 13 September 1873. In exchange for giving up 4 million acres, the Southern Ute Indian Reservation received $25,000 per year.[6]: 49
The original mill was closed (reasons unknown) but to replace it, the Gold Prince Mill from Animas Forks was deconstructed and moved to the Eureka townsite to become the Sunnyside mill. In 1896, Eureka was connected to the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad via the Silverton Northern Railroad. Although the community grew steadily — not like a boomtown — it quickly declined after 1939, when the Sunnyside Mill closed for the last time. Today, the original townsite gravel roads remain, and debris litters the area. The only remaining structure is the Eureka jail, which has been restored. Foundations of the Sunnyside Mill and various remains of other structures still exist today.
Geography edit
Eureka's elevation is 9,863 feet (3,006 m).[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Eureka, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
- ^ Eureka History
- ^ The Silverton Railroads
- ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 20.
- ^ Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
- ^ Voynick, S.M., 1992, Colorado Gold, Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, ISBN 0878424555
External links edit
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Quotations from Wikiquote
Travel information from Wikivoyage
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