North of Silverton stand the remains of three mining towns: Howardsville, Eureka, and Animas Forks. The first two, at 3.9 miles and 7.6 miles northeast of Silverton, respectively, have rather scant remains. Howardsville has the tram terminus of the Little Nation Mine and a couple of cabins. Eureka features a restored water tank, which later was modified to become a firehouse and jail, and the immense foundations of the two mills of the Sunnyside Mine.
If you are a bit disappointed with the remains at Howardsville and Eureka, you will be well rewarded by continuing north from Eureka 4.2 miles to see the considerable remnants of Animas Forks.
Personally, I will always have a special fondness for Animas Forks, given a somewhat adventurous trip I once made there. In late July 1989, several companions and I rode mountain bikes from Lake City to Silverton. At Cinnamon Pass, we hit a lightning-filled sleet storm and practically slid down to Animas Forks, where we found shelter and huddled together for warmth.
Animas Forks was founded in 1873 when prospectors built log cabins near their claims. Because three rivers met nearby, the camp was called Three Forks, or Forks of the Animas. The name was simplified to Animas Forks by the U.S. Postal Service when a post office was granted in 1875.
At almost 11,200 feet, the town suffered from severe winters. Most of the miners retreated in the fall and return the following spring. The hearty few who stayed were subjected to avalanches and isolation. In 1884, the year Silverton endured ten weeks without relief supplies, Animas Forks was snowbound for twenty-three days. Provisions had to come from Silverton, which had none to spare.
Animas Forks emptied in 1891 as mining declined. A brief resurgence occurred in 1904 with the construction of the Gold Prince Mill, which was connected to its mine by a 2.4-mile tramway. The mill caused Otto Mears to extend his Silverton Northern Railway from Eureka to Animas Forks, further raising expectations for the town. But the mill closed in 1910, and Animas Forks lost its post office in 1915. In 1917, the mill was largely dismantled for use at Eureka’s Sunnyside Mill.
At this writing, ten buildings stand completely or partially under roof around the townsite. As you cross the Animas Forks River entering town, the foundations of the Gold Prince Mill will be on your right.
The William Duncan House, built in 1879, has been stabilized thanks to the attention of the San Juan County Historical Society.
One of Colorado’s more photographed ghost town buildings is the 1879 William Duncan home, featuring a dramatic bay window. Historical signs at the site describe several other structures, among them the unusual jail. The jail is one of four in the area built using the same construction method: boards laid flat and stacked log-cabin style, so the structure has a stockade’s strength. Similar structures stand in Silverton, Red Mountain, and Telluride. The door to this one is now housed in the museum in Silverton.
WHEN YOU GO
Animas Forks is 12 miles northeast of downtown Silverton on Colorado Highway 110. It is 8.1 miles north of the turnoff at Howardsville to the Old Hundred Mine.