Location: Gilpin County, CO Map
Found: 1859
Nestled in the rugged foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Gilpin County, Colorado, Nevadaville is a haunting remnant of the wild Gold Rush era. Often referred to as "Nevada City" during its heyday in the 1860s and 1870s, this ghost town sits at an elevation of approximately 9,121 feet (2,780 meters), just south of the bustling historic districts of Central City and Black Hawk. Coordinates place it precisely at 39°47′43″N 105°31′57″W, in the heart of Gregory Gulch—a narrow, steep valley that was once teeming with miners chasing fortunes in gold and silver veins. Today, Nevadaville evokes a sense of eerie timelessness, with its cluster of weathered wooden structures, overgrown dirt streets, and scattered mine ruins dotting the pine-covered hillsides. Unlike more commercialized ghost towns, it remains largely untouched and privately owned, offering visitors a quiet, atmospheric glimpse into 19th-century frontier life. At its peak in the late 1800s, the town supported around 4,000 residents—though U.S. Census records conservatively estimate 1,084 in 1880—making it a vibrant, if short-lived, hub of industry and community in one of Colorado's most storied mining regions.
Nevadaville's story begins with the explosive Pike's Peak Gold Rush
of 1859, when prospector John H. "Jack" Gregory struck the first
significant lode gold deposit in what was then western Kansas Territory
(Colorado wouldn't become a territory until 1861 or a state until 1876).
Gregory's find in Gregory Gulch triggered a frenzy, drawing thousands of
fortune-seekers to the area. Almost overnight, a makeshift mining camp
sprang up on the slopes of Bald Mountain, initially dubbed "Nevada"
after the Spanish word for "snowy" or "snow-clad," reflecting the area's
high-altitude, often blizzard-prone landscape. By the early 1860s, it
was commonly called Nevada City to distinguish it from other "Nevada"
locales, though residents persisted in using "Nevadaville" informally.
The U.S. Post Office formalized this distinction in 1869 by naming it
the Bald Mountain Post Office, which operated until 1921.
The town's
early growth was fueled by its rich placer and lode deposits. Miners,
predominantly Irish immigrants seeking work in the harsh conditions,
flocked to extract gold from key veins like the Burroughs Lode and
Kansas Lode, which ran through the gulch. By 1860, additional strikes at
the Sullivan and Forks lodes had expanded operations, supporting about
30 quartz stamp mills in the vicinity—making Nevadaville a crucial
milling center for processing ore from the broader Gregory District.
These mills ground the rock to separate gold, but early technology was
rudimentary, leading to inefficiencies with deeper sulfide ores that
required more advanced smelting.
Community life took shape quickly.
In 1859, the Nevada Masonic Lodge was established as Nevada Number 36
under the Kansas Grand Lodge, transitioning to Nevada Lodge Number 4
when Colorado organized its own Grand Lodge. This lodge became a
cornerstone of social and fraternal life, hosting meetings in a sturdy
log building that still stands today. Other early institutions included
boardinghouses, saloons, and stores catering to the working-class miners
who called Nevadaville home—distinguishing it from the more affluent
Central City (the social and economic hub) and industrial Black Hawk
(the smelting center).
A pivotal event came in June 1861: a massive
forest fire ignited on Bald Mountain during a dry spell and gale-force
winds, sweeping down into the town and razing over 50
buildings—including hotels, saloons, stores, and Martha Maxwell's (later
a famed naturalist) boardinghouse. Desperate residents used dynamite
(TNT) to create firebreaks, saving the remaining structures and most of
the quartz mills on the gulch's south side. The blaze, which threatened
to engulf neighboring Central City, caused widespread looting amid the
chaos and dealt a heavy economic blow, especially to laborers during a
lean season. Remarkably, the town rebuilt swiftly, its resilient spirit
emblematic of Gold Rush tenacity.
By the 1870s and 1880s, Nevadaville had blossomed into a
self-sustaining boomtown. Its population swelled to around 4,000 at its
zenith, though census figures show 973 in 1870 and 1,084 in 1880, likely
undercounting transient miners. The economy thrived on gold and silver
extraction, with nearby Black Hawk's smelters processing the refractory
ores that local mills couldn't handle efficiently. Daily life was a
gritty mix of labor and leisure: Irish miners toiled in deep shafts and
adits (horizontal tunnels), enduring cave-ins, floods, and avalanches,
while women and children managed boardinghouses, laundries, and small
farms. Saloons like the BonTon offered respite with whiskey and
gambling, and the Masonic Lodge provided a sense of order and
brotherhood.
The town's layout followed the gulch's contours: Main
Street wound along dirt paths flanked by log cabins, false-front stores,
and assay offices. Over 40 stamp mills hummed nearby by 1861, their
rhythmic pounding a constant backdrop. Culturally, it was a melting pot,
but Irish influences dominated, from Catholic churches to fiddle music
in the taverns. No major legends of buried treasure or ghostly
apparitions are prominently tied to Nevadaville—its stories are more
about human endurance than supernatural lore—but the 1861 fire and the
lodge's longevity add layers of intrigue.
Prosperity peaked into the 1890s, but cracks appeared early. By
the early 1860s, shallow placer deposits were exhausted, forcing
miners deeper into sulfide-rich veins that resisted simple
amalgamation processes. While Black Hawk's smelters extended
viability, the inevitable depletion of high-grade ore around 1900
triggered a mass exodus. Population plummeted: 933 in 1890, 823 in
1900, 367 in 1910, and just 51 by 1920. Economic shifts, including
the rise of larger corporate mining elsewhere and the lack of
diversification, sealed its fate. By the 1920s, Nevadaville was
largely abandoned, its streets silent save for the wind whistling
through abandoned shafts. The post office closed in 1921, marking
the end of formal operations.
Unlike Central City and Black Hawk,
which revived in the 1990s through legalized gambling, Nevadaville
slumbered on, spared commercialization but left to gentle decay.
Nevadaville's remnants are modest yet evocative. A handful of
original 19th-century buildings endure, including the Nevada Masonic
Lodge #4—a two-story log structure built in 1859 that still hosts
monthly meetings, making it the only active Masonic lodge in a Colorado
ghost town. Other survivors include the weathered facade of the Bald
Mountain Trading Post and the old BonTon Saloon, though both are closed
to the public. Scattered along the hillside are tailing piles, collapsed
adits, and rusted machinery from defunct mines like the Burroughs. Old
gravesites dot the periphery, some marked with simple wooden crosses,
adding a somber touch. The town's dirt streets invite quiet strolls,
flanked by aspen groves and wildflowers in summer, while winter snows
blanket the ruins in a pristine hush. All structures and land are
private property, so exploration is limited to roadside views and short
walks—respect "No Trespassing" signs to avoid fines.
As of recent
counts, only about six full-time residents remain, living in restored
homes amid the ghosts. The Masonic Lodge occasionally opens for events,
preserving a thread of living history.
Access is straightforward and rewarding for history buffs. From
Central City (about 35 miles west of Denver via I-70 and CO-119), head
south on Nevadaville Road (a left turn just before downtown Central City
off the Central City Parkway). The 2-mile gravel-and-dirt road is
navigable by standard 2WD vehicles in good weather, though
high-clearance is ideal for snowy months—visit year-round, but summer
offers the best visibility. Park in the small lot at the town center
(address: Nevadaville Road, Central City, CO 80427) and wander the main
drag for 20-30 minutes. Combine it with a trip to nearby Central City
for casinos and museums. Be bear-aware in the woods, watch for uneven
terrain, and depart before dusk as lighting is poor. No entrance fee,
but donations to the lodge (if open) are appreciated. For deeper
context, read Caroline Bancroft's Gulch of Gold, a classic on the area's
mining saga.
In essence, Nevadaville stands as a poignant footnote to
Colorado's Gold Rush—a town born of greed and grit, felled by geology's
indifference, yet enduring through the quiet vigil of its last
guardians. It's not the grandest ghost town, but its authenticity makes
it profoundly moving.