The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-29
C0LORADO'S DESERTED TOWNS.

introducing a subject drew their chairs little closer. Irwin, along with a dozen other towns l might name, Is an abandoned town. If one could only dig up all the history connected with the life of the camps when they were centers of hustle and activity some mighty interesting stories could be found. I fancy that one New Yorker
 would swear long and earnestly if one were to suggest to him to relate his experiences in the town of Irwin. He lost about $250,000 in that camp, be- sides the money a scapegrace of a son made away with while living there. It
 was early in the spring of 1879 that the Gunnison excitement waged at it's worst. Thousands of men climbed ov- CT the snowy summits and broke trails through the passes to get into the Gunnison country and money was ready for investment in almost any scheme. High up in isolated districts prospectors discovered silver and gold leads, and with every discovery town was formed. If camp was so for tunate as to make two discoveries of pay dirt 1t blossomed forthwith into city of some pretensions. Such a town was Irwin, which at one time boasted of 5000 residents, besides a tributary population scattered all over the mountains prospecting for wealth in the rocks.
 J,xy e4 in the place, and but one mine is pro- ducing ore. Down below the town about half mile are the ruins of a great mill Great excavations were made In the mountain side, stone was quarried, shaped and hauled to the spot and foundations that might last for ages were laid for the superstruc- ure of a great ore reduction plant. Ex- pensive machinery was drawn from salida over Marshall Pass and up the steep trail by teams. and after 1t was all set up ready for work it was dis covered that the mill could make flour as successfully as it could extract the silver from the ores of that camp. The son of the man who furnished the mon- |ey had been sent out to superintend the work, and he spent the old mans cash with a lavish hand. He went a fast pace, for Irwin was a fast city in those days. Other parties bought the mill for a song; took what machinery was available and carted it off to oth- CT camps, leaving the remainder to rust away in the midst of the ruins.
 ''The mill was located near the town of Ruby, which later succumbed before the more rapid growth of Irwin, higher up in the gulch. Town lots in Irwin sold as high as $3,000; a dozen hotels were erected; a bank was established, business houses of considerable preten- sions were put up, and many neatly constructed frame cottages ornament ed the residence district A church with a tall steeple was placed on an eminence back of the main business street, and a school-house was set up across the wide gulch opposite the church. An enterprising citizen ap- peared before the town council in those
 bustling days and secured franchise to place in the city a system of water
 works. He secured a contract to fur nish the town with water for fire pro lection at $150 month, and laid mains and set fire hydrants at every corner.
 The fire department of Irwin became
 noted for it's prowess, and at several annual tournaments captured valuable prizes.
 Stages and freighters' trains con veyed the passengers from Salida, the terminus of the Denver and Rio Grande road, across the pass and up
 the trails to Irwin, and all the com forts of civilized living were to be had
 in the town. But the camp lasted on- ly a few years. Several mines, 1t is | true, were developed, and considerable ore was produced, but the prospectors at last deserted the field for more se- ductive fields and the city of Irwin
 gradually ceased to officially exist. The
 mayor of Irwin was about the last to
 go. When every saloon, variety thea tre and business house had disappear ed when the postmaster had died and
 the government had discontinued the
 office; after the mines had closed down
 and the shaft houses had begun to
 show signs of decay, the mayor one SbtIilllS EeluT0eQ to HIS DdcHelOT quar-
 ters over the only remaining hotel of- fice-which really was no more than
 boarding house for the few miners who worked in the Mountain Gem mine
 and in the morning he was found dead in his bed.
 Tt is an odd sight to walk along the streets of Irwin over weIl-preserved plank sidewalks and observe the signs of once prosperous community. A sign, Bank of Irwin still creaks in
 the wind; other signs indicate that
 about every line of trade was once
 represented; still others show that the
 town was deemed worthy of attention
 by advertisers of patent nostrums. The
 water still flows through the. mains and fire hydrants, free to all corners. All
 supplies for the families now residing
 there are brought from Crested Butte, which has since the founding of Irwin
 become a lively coal mining camp. fur
 nishing anthracite coal and coke, be- sides soft coal.
 ''Then there Is the town of Gothic,
 over the mountains from Irwin, which