Aspen Historical Society/Special to The Denver Post
Today, the Ashcroft ghost town is mostly silent, save for the crunching of snowshoes, the clip-clopping of horse hooves, the trickle of Castle Creek and the breeze blowing through aspens and evergreens.
But in the 1880s, this region of Colorado’s scenic Castle Creek Valley, located 12.5 miles south of Aspen in the shadow of the Elk Mountains, was a lively, bustling town where upwards of 2,500 silver prospectors hoped to strike it rich.
Though the 1893 silver crash thwarted those plans, later, in the early 1930s, Ashcroft became the site of another big dream: a sprawling, downhill ski resort meant to rival those in Europe. That plan never came to fruition, either.
But, as the experts at the Aspen Historical Society note, these failures ultimately helped stave off development and preserve the region’s history and natural environment for us to enjoy today. Ashcroft is a serene, all-season destination for cross-country skiing, hiking, cycling, snowshoeing, birdwatching, horseback riding, photography, fly-fishing, nature tours, historical exploration and other pursuits.
“It’s a fortune of failures,” said Nina Gabianelli, the historical society’s vice president of education and programs. “There are a few successful operations going on out there today, but very little development. Because of all the failed commercial, capital developments, we have this beautiful pristine valley and can interpret all the different pieces of its history.”
Read more via The Denver Post.
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