About Me
I’m a rare breed these days that can call myself a “Native Coloradan”. I am a freelance writer, Op-Ed writer, historian, author and photographer. My work has appeared in the Denver Post, YourHub, and I am a regular contributor/writer to “Montana Ghost Towns and Beyond” magazine. I have published 6 books- 3 photgraphy books, 2 Colorado Ghost Town guide books, and 1 Colorado history book.
My goal is to help increase public awareness of the fragile and endangered status of so many of Colorado and the West’s historic sites. I want the reader to gain an appreciation or interest in the historic significance of an old building, and not just see it as an eyesore that should be torn down. But, mostly I would just like to share my photography and stories with the public.
I write what I see and feel when I visit a particular place. I try to present the historic facts to the best of my knowledge. That being said, I know not all of my background info will be entirely accurate. And, as in the case when writing in the public forum, I will have critics as well as fans.
Enjoy!
Life...Death...Iron 
You’ve got a great talent Jeff. Always knew you would do something great someday. Best Wishes and hope all goes upward and onward for you.
Thanks Uncle Brad! Great to hear from you, it’s been too long! Hope you’re doing well, stay in touch!
Hey Jeff, would appreciate it if you’d get in touch with me on a writing project i’m doing. Will explain offline. Thanks, Mike Allen, Wall Street Journal mike.allen@wsj.com
I enjoyed your piece about Model 1913. I lived there from 1970-1978, across the tracks and the highway. We warmed ourselves by the stove inside the Model Mercantile while waiting for the school bus. The dust would blow so much that the sand/pebbles would pelt your legs and you could hardly see 10ft in front of you. So many memories… Thank you for your article and pictures. I shared them on Facebook with my siblings and other relatives.
Hello Jeff, I have just become aware of your website and ghost town photos. Wonderful work you have done! I am one of the last charter members of the Ghost Town Club of Colorado, which began back in 1958. We are still a very active organization. http://www.ghostownclub.org If you are not aware of our club, we invite you to join in. I’m going to pass along your site to club members, as it is very worthwhile.
Ron Ruhoff
Ron – your link is missing the second t – http://www.ghosttownclub.org works.
Jeff, Your msg says: “Ron Your link is missing the second t-” that’s all I got.
Ron
Ron,
A note from an old friend. As I grow older I have an urge to contact old friends just to keep track of who is still alive.
I was listening to The Pines of Rome and it reminded me of you and your slide show of a railroad. Which of course reminded me of running into you on the Georgetown train.
Do you still live in Idaho Springs? I think of you every time I play Chopin’s second piano concerto also thanks to your gift of the cassette many years ago.
I’m in the process of putting my entire music collection on a thumb drive. Then it is handy for playing on my Yamaha system at home or in my Tacoma truck.
I googled you and found your picture on the ghost town website. Then there was an email to Jeff giving this link to you. Hope it works.
Your old friend,
Paul McKelvey
Pananmc@msn.com
My wife and I are too members of the Ghost Town Club of Colorado, We are friends of Ron Ruhoff I am also Vice President of the Club and in charge of finding programs for Club. Would you be interested in giving a program on the best unknown ghost towns in Colorado? We can’t pay you for your program, however you are welcome to bring your books and calendars for sale to the club.
Hi, Jeff, I’m also a Colorado chronicler, the author “Weird Colorado: Your Travel Guide to Local Legends & Best Kept Secrets.” Wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your post on Abandoned Faces of Colorado’s San Luis Valley and Northern New Mexico. Although we are not yet Friends on Facebook, somehow this post showed up in my newsfeed and I had to Share it with the good folks on the Facebook page Colorado Society of Hispanic Geneaology. Well, that post has been a BIG hit, especially with the folks who live or are descended from families in those areas. Several would love to thank you — so thought you’d like to see the page for yourself. You’d have to join because it’s a Closed group, but it’s well worth your time. Hope to see you there!
Have a few questions for you Jeff Eberle if you would be so kind to give me a few minutes of your time, please feel free to email me if possible. Thanks and hope to hear from you.
Hi Jeff, my name is Nick Johnson and I am the Editorial Assistant for the Colorado Encyclopedia, an online resource on the Centennial State currently in development. While editing an article, I came across your post on the Reynolds Gang and would like to discuss some possible collaboration with you. Please send me an email at your earliest convenience.
I look forward to hearing from you, and great work on the site!
-Nick
I am searching for a particular abandoned house in gilpin county. Unfortunately I only have a vague description of it being several miles down ad dirt road then down a trail. Inside the house is a stunning spiral staircase that I would like to photograph. I will not reveal the location of the house. I get a bug to find impossible locations and do photo shoots there. Last fall was a two day hike to a remote waterfall, three years ago it was a four day 30 mile trek to find the last Golden Trout in Colorado. Since you are a local and your page is a wonderful font of information on Colorado history I thought we would start our quest with you. I do have one photo of the staircase if that helps.
Hi Jeff- I just stumbled on your Denver Zephyrs blog post and I’d love to talk to you more! Could you please email me when you have a second?
Thank you!
Kristin @beforethezoo
Re: Last Chance, Colorado
You might be interested in this: I’m obviously older than you because I remember Last Chance when it was full of life. It obviously matured in the early era of motor car travel and became a boom town until the interstate came along.
Last Chance. It was so named because it was at one time your “last chance” to fill up with gas,grab a bite to eat, or use the restroom for a long stretch of maybe 100 miles of dusty, unlit, narrow road. The town was far more than the crossroads that remained even 20 years ago. It was brightly lit and it spread out over probably a couple of miles, if not more. To a small child it was Las Vegas (then itself not so big yet). There were neon signs everywhere advertising dozens of brightly-lit all-night eateries, scores of gas stations, an abundance of motels, souvenir shops, and other services for travelers. Obviously it was a one-industry town and people lived there because they worked there.
But if there was a way to make a buck off cross-country drivers, somebody in Last Chance had it all figured out and marketed it from a little garage-sized box store or a tiny house with an attached storefront, and most likely had a lighted glass sign on a tall pole that competed with countless others.along the strip.
The little oasis always looked exciting to me, the bright lights so remote from any form of civilization, let alone commerce. But my mother hated the place and called it a “trap” meant to suck money out of the pockets of travelers. I never again saw the place after the interstate opened. But I never forgot it.
I went back to have a look in late 2008, nearly four years before the big brushfire. I posted some of the pictures at this site:
http://www.panoramio.com/user/1657946?comment_page=2&photo_page=1
Jeff – tangentially related, but perhaps you may know; along the Peak to Peak Highway, there are several concrete obelisks, about three feet tall. There are two near our place outside of Ward, with numbers, 70 on one and 80 on another. Haven’t been able to find out anything about them. Perhaps you or one of your readers can enlighten me!
New book Knights’ Gold tells how the KGC buried 5,000 gold coins in Baltimore, later discovered by two teen boys. The coins trace back to Baltimore’s Southern sympathizers and the plot to kill Lincoln. Booth lived four blocks from the treasure site and was a member of this group.
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Loved your account of the Toponas area — we own a small ranch right across the road from Toponas Rock on Hwy 134. My husband is in the process of transcribing journals of our years there from the mid-80s to the present.
Doing some Jeffery D.! Kudos.
Jeff, thank you so much for posting your account of Carrizo Springs. My grandmother had a brother whose grave is probably at Carrizo Springs. My great grandmother listed the place as “Creso”. I hope to explore the area of Carrizo Springs Cemetery in the Spring of 2018. Do you have any advice or guidance to accessing this area? Thanks again!
Jeff- I also have enjoyed researching the Reynolds Gang. I would like to talk to you about obtaining higher resolution copies of several images (the image of the Reynolds brothers, the map to the treasure, and the stagecoach holdup in Fairplay) for an article I have written about a mysterious sign that disappeared 60-70 years ago and reappeared recently. This sign, which was posted at Shaffer’s Crossing, referred to the Reynolds Gang and their activities. I also need permission to use these images, if they are protected by copyright. This article is to be printed in Historically Jeffco, which is published by the Jefferson County Historical Commission. I will also be preparing a poster soon on the Reynolds Gang for display in the Staunton State Park Visitor’s Center, which is under construction. So, again, I would need permission and better images, if possible. My e-mail is bscudder1@comcast.net. Thank you so much. Bonnie Scudder (June 6, 2018)
Bonnie, I’d love to be of assistance! I just sent you an e-mail.
Love your blog and your new book! I can’t wait for volume 2!
Thank You! Working on volume 2 right now, hope to have it done by February.
Did Volume 2 ever come out? I’m not finding it.
No Sarah, Volume II never materialized. I wasn’t real happy with how Volume I turnedout, and it didn’t sell hardly any copies, so I decided to fall back and regroup, and take some time off to pursue other projects. I am back to writing on that topic though, and do plan to continue the series here shortly. Best news is I now have a legit publisher and editor to handle that end of it. I had self-published the first, and that was so much work that it left me frazzled! I will keep you posted when new material is ready! Thanks foryour interest, Jeff
Is there a way that I could privately message & communicate with you about your article on the Reynold’s gang and the possible location of this treasure?
What a great hobby! I, too, enjoy just heading off out of the metro area and exploring old places. Maybe I’m getting old, but I feel afraid to explore alone as I used to do. Winter is a good time to explore those places that, in warmer weather, would feature rattlesnakes! Sounds like you met Stephen King’s “Cujo” in Model 13! Yikes!
Hi Jeff. ive been doing some reading on the Reynolds Gang. Can you help me pinpoint the location of where you found the horse bones?
You can email at colarussoa@gmail.com
Sorry, I wouldn’t be a very good treasure hunter if I spilled the beans about where I found the bones! Maybe in a few years when I am old and frail and can no longer get to the spot.
That’s fair!
I could probably be able to get you inside most of the buildings there in Pearl, Co. to get pics of inside the old town jail, the town barn which you have photos of already. But you don’t have any photos of the original board walk that ran through the town. It’s all family owned .
Jeff, I would like to share some new information by way of photographic images. Can you please provide a Email address by contacting me at Historicalheadstones@aol.com. Thank you! Mark
Hello Fellow Native (I’m 4th generation CO),
Just came across your post on Bordenville. Paragraph under the cemetery pictures is the most concise and nice way of putting it, about my great-great grandfather, Benjamin Ratcliff, protecting the honor of his daughter.
~ Thanks and Happy Trails.
My great great grandfather Robert Leo Walker died here in 1925. He was struck by lighting while rounding up cattle. He took refuge in a home and lightning struck and came down the chimney and killed him.
When we lived in Conifer, our next door neighbors’ chimney was struck by lightning. It blew up the ceiling of their living room and travelled down to the basement. Had they been home, undoubtedly one or both of them would have been killed.
Hi there. My Grandmas grew up in Tierra Amarilla New Mexico and I havent been there in ages. I was wondering if maybe you have any pictures of their house by any chance. I have a genealogy blog (that isnt public right now) called http://www.harvestingpinons.com
I do have an old picture on there of the house taken in the 80’s and can set it to public so you can view it. The house is on that main hwy that has a row of houses on it. It has a small store in front near the driveway and a barn in back. It is set on approx 10 acres
Thank you for your books and web site. I just purchase a few and love them. Plan to buy more as gifts.
I envy you. I too am a native Coloradoan and love Colorado mountains and history.
Living in Leadville in the 80’s planted the seed for learning the history and stories of mining towns in Colorado. Montana, Idaho and Wyoming along with many trails and 4W roads (which today are way overrun.) I love the discovery of hidden places.
Keep doing what you do so those of us transplanted Coloradoans can enjoy your travels!
Thank You.
Kathy
Jeff, I am really loving your work! Do you know about the abandoned Mormon settlement outside Conifer? The cabins won’t last much longer but it’s a fascinating place!
HI, Jeff.
I am with the Frisco Historic Park and Museum. We would love to host you for a lecture presentation if you would be interested. Let me know what is the best way to get in contact with you.
My email is paigea@townoffrisco.com
Thanks
My parents had lived in the modern day deer creek ranch, which i was told use to be the stage stop, and post office, supposedly the property where the shootout happened. i would love to tell you about a paranormal experience that i witnessed, i dont usually share to everyone. Ive never seen anything else like that since then about 10 years ago.
Awesome man, I wanted to be a traveling freelance photojournalist myself. I love writing, photography, and writing memoirs. I love your shares. Thank you for what you do! I’m right there with you on the purpose of such. Nice!
Jeff, just got back from a quick trip to Breckenridge and Vail. Tried to find Buckskin Joes and couldn’t find the turnoff. Got to the Paris Mill and turned back. Same with Dyersville. Drove all the way up Boreas pass and didn’t see anywhere that led to Dyersville. Are there any better maps or directions to some of these places?
TewinFlame gallery seeking permission to use your image of Victor CO 1899
For this Christmas weekend
TFGArt Facebook page
Hi Jeff….First I would like to give you a great big thank you for your amazing research and work on these awesome stories that scream to be told….The Reynolds story I would really love to include in a documentary that I have been working on for a while called Too much Blood and Treasure….The scoundrel Chivington’s version needs to be disputed ….THANK YOU!!!!
Realize this is old, but maybe still active. Happened to run across your Cameltown story and I was there in the 1960’s. Much more intact then and the history was graphite was a nuisance during the gold and silver mining days but was actively mined in the 30s and 40s (?) . Maybe WWll needs related? Back then there were still newspapers and magazines from the 40s in a couple of the houses that were still in good shape.
Hi. I live in golden. For many years, I have frequented all the ghost towns you have featured in your book, including a bunch not mentioned. I religiously use the gazetteer map book. I also have a metal detector. I have numerous tokens and artifacts, i.e. Sligo, and arriba. I took have had numerous encounters with unfriendly residents. I would like to chat and share experiences with you. I do not use Facebook. My number is 303-549-0071. If you feel unsure of me, send me a text first or use my email. derald.jones66@gmail.com Thanks Derald
Jeff,
I saw your pics and story about the village of La Manga New Mexico. Not much I can tell you. My grandfather was born in La Manga in 1892. His brothers lived in the old houses till they were unable to take care of themselves (around 1980ish). The Capilla was built in 1942 by my grandfather. He promised to build the church if his father with throat cancer lived. My wife and we’re married there in 1987.
My great great grandmother Eva Aurora Barton ran a boarding house in dragon Utah up until the time the Unita railroad stopped running there. I am very interested in any information you may have found about her or her boarding house. Thank you!
Jeff! It’s luke Stanley.. email me back I am starting a high school rugby team and I need coaches!
My husband and I stumbled across Burdock today whilst out driving dirt roads close to our SD land. After researching Burdock, I came across your blog and enjoyed your articles.
Sadly, so much history is lost when we lose generations such as your grandmother, who remembered the little town of Burdock.