Day #20 features Summerville, Colorado
A view down Gold Run Road as it cuts through the center of Summerville
Summerville is a seldom mentioned ghost town on Gold Run Road between Salina and Gold Hill in Boulder County, Colorado. Dating to around 1870 when gold deposits were discovered, Summerville eked-out an existence on low grade ores for a few years until it became unprofitable. In the early-1900s when better refining and extraction practices were developed, Summerville came to life again, albeit shortly.
One of the first ghost town photos I ever took was of this, of a Summerville shack
Summerville shacks, some are still used seasonally, others appear to be vacant
One of the vacant shacks at Summerville
Embossed tin siding on this miner’s shack
Summerville was abandoned for a time, then peope returned restoring the small cabins and shacks for seasonal use. An impressive two-story, part log, hotel was built in 1877 and had served as a private residence in its final form. Sadly, a devastating forest fire swept through Summerville in 2004, and the historic hotel burned to the ground, today only an empty lot marks the spot. In 2013 Summerville was hit by a flood, but its position at the high head of the canyon limited damage. A handful of shacks, cabins, and out buildings in varying stages of decay remain today, all are private property.
The historic Summerville Hotel, built in 1877, before it burned to the ground in a 2004 forest fire. Photo Credit: www.rockymountainprofiles.com
One of the seasonally occupied cabins at Summerville
Sandbags piled high, remnants of the massive floods of 2013 that swept through Summerville and the canyon below causing much damage and devastation the length of its path
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Have you ever heard of a town in Colorado in Arapahoe County called Salem?
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No Terry, I have not heard of salem. I will have a look at some of my old maps and see what I can find.
I visited Summerville about 5 years ago. A underground folk singer/guitarist named Karen Dalton rented a shack up there in the late 60’s. There is video footage by French film makers of her in her shack and hiking up a mountain. She was quite a lady who lived a hard and tragic life. Sadly her quarters were lost in the fire but I ran into the son of her landlord. A fine album of hers titled 1966 was recorded in Summerville I believe
Thanks for your cool photos of the forgotten Summerville, CO. There is an old mining road that goes up the mountain at the curve in the road. I built and lived in a tipi at the top of the mountain in 1970-71. I had to haul water on my back from a community well at a small house there in Summerville.