There is a famous old building located along the Crystal River, along a hellish and brutal 4X4 trail seven miles above Marble, Colorado. Nestled in a remote and remarkably beautiful canyon is the Crystal City turbine house and the accompanying ghost town of the same name.
The turbine house is a favorite target of photographers and tourists in the area and it is truly a fantastic structure dating back to 1893. The turbine house has graced the pages of many Colorado ghost town books and travel brochures, but few actually know what the odd building sitting on the edge of the cliff overlooking the turquoise waters below is. Some identify it as a pump house, others say a water wheel used to accompany the structure.
Actually, the photogenic building was a hydroelectric power plant built in 1893. The “ladder” (as described by many) that leads down to the Crystal River below housed a shaft that was in turn spun by the current of the river. The rotation of the shaft spun a turbine which generated electricity inside the building sitting on the cliff. The electricity produced provided power for the isolated town of Crystal City.
Today, most people stop at the turbine house take a few photos and turn around to brave the harrowing 7-mile 4X4 trek back to Marble, Colorado. But continuing on past the turbine house you’ll find the remains of Crystal City, and even one or two summer time residents.
Below is a “then” and “now” photo of the turbine house at Crystal City, Colorado as well as photos of the little known ghost town above the turbine house. All photos were taken by me last fall.
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The mill in Crystal was not hydroelectric. It was used to harness compress air for use in powering drill for the nearby mines.