The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-07-06
DEAD COLORADO TOWNS.
Deserted villages That Were Once Alive
With Bristling Population.

Deserted Villages That Were Once Alive.
With a Bristling Population.
The other day representative Of
the Republican was on a Rio Grande
train when the brakeman yelled out in
stentorian tones: "Cleora." On look
ing ont of the window only two houses
could be seen.
What change time had wrought!
In Dune of 1879 this same town was by
far the largest place between Canon
City and Leadville. Almost every con-
ceivable branch of business was repre-
scented, and in most of them there was
active competition. Houses were going
up as if by magic, and lumber COM
manded almost fabulous price. Sa-
looms were found in almost every block,
and dance halls were scattered about
in profusion. But month later the
town concluded to move, and "a few
weeks later the majority of its resi-
dents had taken up their permanent
abode in what is now the hourishing
town of Salida.
Colorado has many places with his
tory something similar to that Of Cleora,
which, by the way, was named in honor
of the belle of the Arkansas Valley,
Miss Cleora Boyles.
Rollinsville, near Caribou, was a
booming place in 1871, and town lots
were at a premium. Hundreds of peo-
pie were proud to call it their home,
and it was thought to be founded upon
rock. To-day the rock is still there,
but the population has fled to the four
winds.
GLOW is that town of Iona on the
Rio Grande river getting on?" said a.
gentleman yesterday who left the State
in 1874. II visited it just before left
the Territory. and l thought it would
likely make good place" Jack rab-
bits have been jumping through the
few remaining adobe buildings for
years.
Kit Carson had a population of al
most 10000 people in 1869, and the
popularity about them was that the
great majority of them resided in dug
outs. When the railroad pushed on to
Denver the following year, the resi-
dents of Kit Carson headed the pro-
cession.
Sunshine in 1875 had population of
several thousand, while to-day there is
only a handful of people there.
Bucksl1in Joe and Hall Valley in
Park County were once flourishing
places, but about all that is left of them
is their name. Weston tried to put on
airs in 1879, at which time there were
about 5000 people there. The post
Office still remains, as do one or two
stores.
Along the old stage road between
Leadville and Aspen, at what was
known as independence in 1880 and for
few years thereafter, not single
soul is now living. Hundreds of de-
serted houses are standing tenant
less, and some of them are quite pre-
tentious. A newspaper was once pub
lished in the corporate limits of the
city, and the arm of the Washington
hand-press on which it was printed is
now sticking out of the Office window.
The proprietor was too much disguised
to take it away.
There was great excitement at b.
nanza, in Saguache County, in 1882. A
daily paper was published there by w.
B. Mckinney, now of the Pueblo Press,
and it was a good one, too. Every
thing doomed except the mines, and
the tenderfeet pronounced it another
Leadville. Four thousand people al
most broke their necks getting there,
and of all that number not a hundred
now remain.
There are many other places in Colo
RADIO with histories similar to the
towns mentioned. Some of them We're
killed by the onward march of rail-
roads and others because the mines
round about did not have the value
with which they were credited. Den
| YER Repuhlican