Alpine is a small community, sometimes considered a ghost town, in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. It was founded as a mining town. The Alpine post office operated from October 26, 1874, until June 30, 1904.
History
When the mines played out, the Mary Murphy Mine about four miles from St. Elmo was the last to close in 1910, and both Alpine and St. Elmo became ghost towns. There were still a few residents who continued to live in the two towns, but the towns were nearly empty for half a century. Then in the 1950s and 1960s people rediscovered the quiet beauty of Chalk Creek gulch and built summer homes. Some of the salvageable buildings in Alpine and St. Elmo were fixed up and still stand.
The San Isabel National Forest completely surrounds Alpine and St. Elmo and prevents more extensive development. St. Elmo remains a local tourist attraction as a ghost town with a part-time general store and some year-round residents. Alpine is more residential and has no tourist interest. Alpine has about 10 families who live there year-round, and a summer population of several hundred.
Geography
Alpine is located at 38°42′40″N 106°16′37″W / 38.71111°N 106.27694°W / 38.71111; -106.27694 (Alpine) at an elevation 9,269 feet (2,825 m).
See also
References
- ^ "Alpine (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
External links
| Municipalities and communities of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States | ||
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| County seat: Salida | ||
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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- 1874 establishments in Colorado Territory
- Former populated places in Chaffee County, Colorado
- Geography of Chaffee County, Colorado
- Ghost towns in Colorado
- History of Colorado
- Mining communities in Colorado
- Pre-statehood history of Colorado
- Populated places established in 1874
- Colorado geography stubs
- United States ghost town stubs