Unexpected find

We went into Creede to have lunch at a place we like, Kip's Grill.  There is one in Pagosa Springs as well as Creede.  After a good lunch we were going to take a ride into the Rio Grande Reservoir up north, but decided to drive into the north end of town where our map showed a couple of roads.  Now we have been through Creede before, primarily on the motorcycle, but we had never been up these roads to the north of town.  What a find!  We should have known in retrospect, as Creede is a mining town.  In fact, Creede was the last silver boom town in the 19th century.  Creede went from a population of 600 in 1889 to over 10,000 in 1891 down to the present population of 290!
The boom lasted until 1893 when the Silver Panic hit and prices plummeted and most of the mines in Colorado were closed.  Characters such as Bob Ford (who killed Jesse James), Frank James, Martha Cannary ("Calamity Jane")  and her pal Poker Alice, Bat Masterson and bunco artist "Soapy" Smith gave the town its reputation as one of the wildest camps in the state.
So it comes as no surprise that there are many, many mine ruins around the area that we had never discovered.  They are mostly up a couple narrow canyons to the north of town where we went exploring.

Just north of town

Narrow road between towering walls

As we proceeded we saw more and more evidence of mining everywhere we looked.  Amazing how mines could be operated so high, high up the steep walls.  The road we went up was very steep, and to imagine how they dealt with the terrain, not even considering the extreme weather is phenomenal.

Peering around

Last Chance Mine

You can see they are in remarkable shape.  Most of the mines are private property now.  We passed many mines up the winding road as we climbed up high above Creede.  Creede never became a ghost town, as even through the Panic, Creede's silver ore was very high grade, and the discovery of lead, zinc, copper, and gold kept the town alive.
As we continued around the road came out way above the town and afforded us fantastic views.

That's our campground right in the middle!

Creede

A little closer

It was a totally unexpected find and made for another fantastic day of sightseeing and enjoying the area.  In fact, we are planning to extend here another day if we can.