Silverton: A view of Silverton, Colo. seen from a viewpoint on Highway 550, the Million Dollar Highway, which passes through the southern end of Silverton. The town sits at 9,313 feet elevation and is surrounded by high peaks of the San Juan Mountains. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Greene Street: Greene Street is the main street in Silverton, Colo. as it stretches the entire length of town. Greene Street is also one of the only paved streets in town as most streets are dirt and gravel. The colorful exterior paint of the old mining era buildings create a colorful street scene. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Sitting high in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, a little town of less than 1,000 residents is Silverton, Colo. That doesn’t mean it is a sleepy little town where nothing ever happens. Silverton is as active today as it was during the gold and silver mining years in the late 1800s.
Today Silverton, Colo. is well known as the northern city where the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The popular railroad loads with passengers daily in Durango from about the first week in May until the last week in October and travels north on the narrow tracks to Silverton, Colo. where passengers enjoy a two hour break before returning to Durango.
Silverton is a gateway to backroad four-wheel drive roads which lead enthusiasts to many areas in the beautiful San Juan Mountains as well as about any outdoor or mountaineering activity you can think of during the bustling summer months. During the winter months, downhill ski areas as well as cross-country skiing are popular around this mountain town.
Silverton, Colo. was established in 1874 during the gold rush days in the Colorado mountains. The town grew quickly as it was the hub for many gold camps in the mountains around the area. In the 1880s, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad arrived in Silverton to transport gold and other precious metals to Durango, Colo. further growing the economy.
During the mining boom years throughout the late 1800s, Silverton grew and became a center for miners and other related jobs. There were hotels, saloons, banks, and many other establishments that sprang up during this period of Silverton’s history.
Mining began to dwindle in the early 1900s and so did the little town in the San Juan Mountains. There was mining activity but Silverton was no longer the booming mining town that it was years before.
However, what is now Highway 550, the Million Dollar Highway, was improved in the 1930s making it a little easier to reach Silverton. While it was still a dirt road, it was widened in sections which allowed for more travel. This helped the tiny town of Silverton to revive itself as a tourist destination. By the 1950s, the first section of asphalt was installed and over the next few years the highway became more accessible to family travels. By the 1950s, Silverton was attracting tourists and becoming a tourists destination. That trend has continued until today.
The entire town of Silverton was designated a National Historic Landmark, the Silverton Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the buildings in Silverton were built well over 100 years ago when the town was booming. The structures have been carefully updated and restored and that is evident when one views the main street and neighborhoods of town today.
Silverton’s population is just a few hundred but the activity in the community reflects the effects of tourism. Hotels, restaurants, bars, general stores as well as outdoor related businesses and others can be seen along Greene Street, the town’s main street. The train continues its daily tours which drop hundreds of visitors into the town right around midday which continues to contribute greatly to the local economy.
While the mining days may be over, Silverton, Colo. has established itself as a major tourists destination in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado for years to come.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Silverton Camera: I was pleasantly surprised to see Silverton Camera Co. while looking around town. The shop stocked many vintage cameras and film as well as modern digital cameras. I plead guilty to spending too much time talking with the owner and possibly spending a few dollars in the store. The sights along the walls and on displays was a walk down memory lane for this photographer! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Shops and Restaurants: Shops and restaurants make up the majority of businesses in Silverton, Colo. Shown is a gravel side street with restaurants and shops in historic buildings which make up most of the structures in town. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Harley-Davidson: The world’s highest elevation Harley-Davidson store sits on Greene Street in downtown Silverton. I did not spend any money at this establishment but I really appreciated their presence on the main street in town. The walkway outside had two custom made benches which featured parts from Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a Harley was parked right in front of the shop when I took the photo. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
End to End: A view of Greene Street taken on the north end near the San Juan County courthouse shows the main street in town from one end to the other end. The quaint town of Silverton, Colo. has really established itself as a great place for tourists to stop and stay awhile when traveling in western Colorado. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com