%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Ashcroft http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ashcroft <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ashcroft</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2115--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2115.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/ashcroft-1935"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Ashcroft-Media-4_0.jpg?itok=xYsgEMwT" width="1000" height="596" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/ashcroft-1935" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ashcroft, 1935</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>By the 1930s, Ashcroft had at most a few residents left. But at the same time, interest in the area was spurred by the growth of skiing, with the Highland-Bavarian Corporation acquiring Ashcroft and planning an alpine ski resort nearby.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2118--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2118.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/ashcroft-hotel"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Ashcroft-Media-6_0.jpg?itok=tSjb1ezq" width="1000" height="667" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/ashcroft-hotel" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ashcroft Hotel</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In the winter of 1973–74, Ashcroft's surviving two-story hotel building collapsed, spurring new restoration and preservation efforts by Ramona Markalunas and the Aspen Historical Society.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2119--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2119.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/ashcroft-today"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Ashcroft-Media-7_0.jpg?itok=JeImJL2G" width="1000" height="750" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/ashcroft-today" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ashcroft Today</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ashcroft has nine surviving buildings arranged along a clearly defined main street. A parking lot and trail provide easy access to the town.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-12-19T13:31:49-07:00" title="Monday, December 19, 2016 - 13:31" class="datetime">Mon, 12/19/2016 - 13:31</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ashcroft" data-a2a-title="Ashcroft"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fashcroft&amp;title=Ashcroft"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Located about eleven miles south of <a href="/article/aspen"><strong>Aspen</strong></a> in <strong>Castle Creek Valley</strong>, Ashcroft was established in 1880 as a silver mining camp. It quickly grew to more than 2,000 residents and briefly rivaled Aspen, but it was already declining by the late 1880s because the veins of silver ore were shallow and no railroads extended lines up the valley. At least one resident hung on until the 1930s, but today Ashcroft is a ghost town with nine surviving buildings cared for by the <strong>Aspen Historical Society</strong>.</p> <h2>Boom Years</h2> <p>In the late 1870s prospectors from the silver boomtown of <strong>Leadville </strong>started to spread throughout the central Colorado mountains, seeking to strike it rich. Some explored Castle Creek Valley in 1879. In May 1880, Charles B. Culver and W. F. Coxhead found ore where two forks of Castle Creek met, at an elevation of about 9,500 feet. Culver staked out their spot, originally called Castle Forks, while Coxhead returned to Leadville for supplies. By the time Coxhead got back, Culver’s enthusiasm about the valley’s prospective mineral wealth had drawn nearly two dozen others to camp nearby.</p> <p>Early discoveries made in May and June 1880 proved promising. In addition, the new town had the advantage of being closer to the railroads at <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/crested-butte"><strong>Crested Butte</strong></a> and <strong>Buena Vista</strong> than its rival, Aspen, because the main routes into the area went over Taylor and Pearl Passes in the <strong>Elk Mountains</strong>. The town grew quickly; by August 1880 it had a post office, and the population hit 500 the next summer. It was briefly known as Chloride but in 1882 changed its name to Ashcroft, which may have been a misspelling of the name of early prospector and entrepreneur T. E. Ashcraft.</p> <p>By 1882–83 Ashcroft was booming. The mines initially produced 14,000 ounces of silver per ton, enough to induce Leadville silver millionaire <a href="/article/horace-tabor"><strong>Horace Tabor</strong></a> to invest in the nearby Tam O’Shanter–Montezuma Mine. The town bustled with more than 2,000 people, two newspapers, about twenty saloons, a school, a smelter, and several hotels. Stage service ran over Taylor and Pearl Passes, with three lines plying routes to destinations such as Crested Butte and <a href="/article/st-elmo"><strong>St. Elmo</strong></a>. At the time, Ashcroft boasted a larger population than Aspen and seemed to have a promising future.</p> <h2>Ghost Town</h2> <p>Ashcroft’s promise faded fast. Its mines ended up having shallow deposits and were soon played out. By the mid-1880s an improved road over <strong>Independence Pass</strong> and new silver discoveries near Aspen caused much of the town’s population to relocate their cabins to the growing <a href="/article/pitkin-county"><strong>Pitkin County</strong></a> seat. The final nail in Ashcroft’s coffin came in 1887–88, when the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande</strong> and <strong>Colorado Midland</strong> Railroads reached Aspen but made no plans to extend their lines up Castle Creek.</p> <p>Limited mining continued at Ashcroft until the repeal of the <strong>Sherman Silver Purchase Act</strong> in 1893 brought silver production to a halt. After that, the town’s remaining population gradually moved away. In November 1912 the post office closed for good, making Daniel McArthur’s bar the town’s only remaining business. A few single old men with mining claims continued to live in the area, but by the 1930s Ashcroft was a ghost town.</p> <h2>Ski Plans</h2> <p>Just as Ashcroft was fading into history, interest in the area suddenly revived as the sport of <strong>skiing</strong> started to become more popular in the United States. In 1936 investor Ted Ryan formed the Highland-Bavarian Corporation with two partners, T. J. Flynn and winter sports star <strong>William “Billy” Fiske III</strong>. They bought the Ashcroft town site and surrounding land at the base of <strong>Hayden Peak</strong>, where they hoped to build what would have been the state’s first alpine ski resort. In the late 1930s they constructed the Highland-Bavarian Lodge a few miles north of Ashcroft, received a <a href="/article/us-forest-service-colorado"><strong>US Forest Service</strong></a> permit for their resort, and even secured a state bond issue to build an aerial tram.</p> <p>The start of World War II derailed their plans. Fiske died in combat. Ryan invited the <a href="/article/tenth-mountain-division"><strong>Tenth Mountain Division</strong></a> to the area as a training site. When the war ended, it was Aspen—not Ashcroft—that became the center of the area’s ski development.</p> <h2>Restoration and Preservation</h2> <p>Starting in 1948, Ryan leased some of his land near Ashcroft to Stuart and Isabell Mace. The Maces built a lodge called Toklat, ran a dog sledding operation, and served as stewards of Ryan’s land. Ryan and the Maces worked to keep the area largely undeveloped, with Ryan eventually transferring much of his land to the Forest Service. In the 1950s the television series <em>Sergeant Preston of the Yukon</em> was filmed at Ashcroft using the town’s old wooden buildings and the Maces’ dogs. In 1971 Ryan opened Ashcroft Ski Touring, a small-scale cross-country skiing center that operated on trails around the old ghost town.</p> <p>In the winter of 1973–74 Ashcroft’s surviving two-story hotel building collapsed. The next year, the Aspen Historical Society, led by local preservationist Ramona Markalunas, started leasing the town site in order to reconstruct the hotel and preserve the remaining structures. This marked the first time that the Forest Service granted a permit to a historical society to preserve and interpret a ghost town. In 1975 Markalunas got the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p> <p>Today three restored buildings and six buildings in their original condition survive in Ashcroft, including the post office, the assay office, a mercantile store, two saloons, and a hotel. The buildings are mostly arranged along a clearly defined main street, and some contain historical artifacts and interpretive signs. A parking lot and trail provide easy access to the town, which receives as many as seventy-five visitors per day in the summer. The Aspen Historical Society offers guided tours during the summer and early fall, as does the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, which acquired the Maces’ Toklat Lodge in 2004. The Ashcroft Ski Touring operation started by Ryan continues to allow cross-country skiers and snowshoers to enjoy the area in the winter.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ashcroft" hreflang="en">Ashcroft</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/castle-creek" hreflang="en">Castle Creek</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/castle-creek-valley" hreflang="en">Castle Creek Valley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ghost-town" hreflang="en">ghost town</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/silver-mining" hreflang="en">silver mining</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/aspen-historical-society" hreflang="en">Aspen Historical Society</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>John K. Aldrich, <em>Ghosts of Pitkin County: A Guide to the Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Pitkin and Northern Gunnison Counties, Colorado</em>, rev. ed. (Lakewood, CO: Centennial Graphics, 1992).</p> <p><a href="https://aspenhistory.org/tours-sites/ashcroft-ghost-town/">“Ashcroft Ghost Town,”</a> Aspen Historical Society, n.d.</p> <p>Kenneth Jessen, <em>Ghost Towns, Colorado Style</em>, vol. 2: <em>Central Region</em> (Loveland, CO: J. V. Publications, 1999).</p> <p>Ramona Markalunas, “Ashcroft, Colorado,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form (August 27, 1974).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Sandra Dallas, <em>Colorado Ghost Towns and Mining Camps</em> (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985).</p> <p>Malcolm J. Rohrbough, <em>Aspen: The History of a Silver-Mining Town, 1879–1893</em> (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986).</p> <p>Muriel Sibell Wolle, <em>Stampede to Timberline: The Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Colorado</em>, rev. ed. (Chicago: Swallow Press, 1974).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>Located about eleven miles south of Aspen in Castle Creek Valley, Ashcroft was established in 1880 as a silver mining camp. It quickly grew to more than 2,000 residents and briefly rivaled Aspen. It was already declining by the late 1880s. The veins of silver ore were shallow and no railroads extended lines up the valley. At least one resident hung on until the 1930s. Today Ashcroft is a ghost town. It has nine surviving buildings cared for by the Aspen Historical Society.</p> <h2>Boom Years</h2> <p>In the late 1870s, prospectors from the silver boomtown of Leadville started to spread throughout the central Colorado mountains. They were seeking to strike it rich. Some explored Castle Creek Valley in 1879. In May 1880, Charles B. Culver and W. F. Coxhead found ore where two forks of Castle Creek met. This was at an elevation of about 9,500 feet. Culver staked out their spot, originally called Castle Forks. Meanwhile, Coxhead returned to Leadville for supplies. By the time Coxhead got back, Culver’s excitement about the valley’s prospective mineral wealth had drawn nearly two dozen others to camp nearby.</p> <p>Early silver discoveries made in May and June 1880 proved promising. In addition, the new town had the advantage of being closer to the railroads at Crested Butte and Buena Vista than its rival, Aspen. The town grew quickly. By August 1880, it had a post office, and the population hit 500 the next summer. It was briefly known as Chloride. In 1882 it changed its name to Ashcroft. This may have been a misspelling of the name of early prospector and entrepreneur T. E. Ashcraft.</p> <p>By 1882–83 Ashcroft was growing. At first the mines produced 14,000 ounces of silver per ton. This was enough to convince Leadville silver millionaire Horace Tabor to invest in the nearby Tam O’Shanter–Montezuma Mine. Ashcroft now had more than 2,000 people. It had two newspapers, about twenty saloons, a school, a smelter, and several hotels. Three stagecoach lines covered routes to destinations such as Crested Butte and St. Elmo. At the time, Ashcroft had a larger population than Aspen, and it seemed to have a promising future.</p> <h2>Ghost Town</h2> <p>Ashcroft’s promise faded fast. Its mines ended up having little silver and were soon depleted. By the mid-1880s, people relocated their cabins to Aspen, the growing Pitkin County seat. There was an improved road over Independence Pass. Also, more silver was found near Aspen. The Denver &amp; Rio Grande and Colorado Midland Railroads reached Aspen in 1887-88 but did not extend their lines up Castle Creek. This signaled the end for Ashcroft.</p> <p>The repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 brought silver production to a stop. After that, Ashcroft’s remaining population slowly moved away. A few single old men with mining claims stayed, but Ashcroft was a ghost town by the 1930s.</p> <h2>Ski Plans</h2> <p>Just as Ashcroft was fading into history, interest in the area increased. The sport of skiing started to become more popular in the United States. In 1936 an investor named Ted Ryan with two partners, T. J. Flynn and winter sports star William “Billy” Fiske III bought the Ashcroft town site. They also bought the land at the base of Hayden Peak. They hoped to build what would have been the state’s first alpine ski resort. In the late 1930s, they constructed the Highland-Bavarian Lodge a few miles north of Ashcroft. A US Forest Service permit was given to them for their resort. There was even a plan to build an aerial tram.</p> <p>The start of World War II upset their plans. Fiske died in combat. Ryan invited the Tenth Mountain Division to the area to train. When the war ended, it was Aspen—not Ashcroft—that became the center of the area’s ski development.</p> <h2>Restoration and Preservation</h2> <p>Starting in 1948, Ryan leased some of his land near Ashcroft to Stuart and Isabell Mace. The Maces built a lodge called Toklat. They ran a dog sledding operation and took care of Ryan’s land. Ryan ended up giving much of his land to the Forest Service. In the 1950s, the television series <em>Sergeant Preston of the Yukon</em> was filmed at Ashcroft. The show used the town’s old wooden buildings and the Maces’ dogs. In 1971 Ryan opened Ashcroft Ski Touring. This was a small cross-country skiing center. It had trails around the old ghost town.</p> <p>Ashcroft’s remaining two-story hotel building collapsed in the winter of 1973-74. The next year, the Aspen Historical Society started to reconstruct the hotel and preserve the remaining structures. This was the first time that the Forest Service granted a permit to a historical society to preserve a ghost town. The efforts were led by local preservationist Ramona Markalunas. In 1975 Markalunas got the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p> <p>Today three restored buildings and six buildings in their original condition survive in Ashcroft. These include the post office, the assay office, a mercantile store, two saloons, and a hotel. The buildings are mostly arranged along a clearly defined main street. Some contain historical artifacts and interpretive signs. A parking lot and trail provide easy access to the town. The Aspen Historical Society offers guided tours during the summer and early fall. In the summer, the town site has as many as seventy-five visitors per day. The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies bought the Maces’ Toklat Lodge in 2004 and they also give tours. The Ashcroft Ski Touring operation, started by Ryan, continues to allow cross-country skiers and snowshoers to enjoy the area in the winter.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>Located about eleven miles south of Aspen in Castle Creek valley, Ashcroft was established in 1880 as a silver mining camp. It quickly grew to more than 2,000 residents and briefly rivaled Aspen. It was already declining by the late 1880s because the veins of silver ore were shallow and no railroads extended lines up the valley. At least one resident hung on until the 1930s, but today Ashcroft is a ghost town with nine surviving buildings cared for by the Aspen Historical Society.</p> <h2>Boom Years</h2> <p>In the late 1870s, prospectors from the silver boomtown of Leadville started to spread throughout the central Colorado mountains. Some explored Castle Creek valley in 1879. In May 1880, Charles B. Culver and W. F. Coxhead found ore where two forks of Castle Creek met, at an elevation of about 9,500 feet. Culver staked out their spot, originally called Castle Forks, while Coxhead returned to Leadville for supplies. By the time Coxhead got back, Culver’s enthusiasm about the valley’s mineral wealth had drawn nearly two dozen others.</p> <p>Early discoveries made in May and June 1880 proved promising. In addition, the new town had the advantage of being closer to the railroads at Crested Butte and Buena Vista than its rival Aspen, because the main routes into the area went over Taylor and Pearl Passes in the Elk Mountains. The camp grew quickly.&nbsp; By August 1880, it had a post office, and the population hit 500 the next summer. It was briefly known as Chloride, but in 1882 it changed its name to Ashcroft, which may have been a misspelling of the name of early prospector and entrepreneur T. E. Ashcraft.</p> <p>By 1882–83 Ashcroft was booming. The mines initially produced 14,000 ounces of silver per ton. This was enough to induce Leadville silver millionaire Horace Tabor to invest in the nearby Tam O’Shanter–Montezuma Mine. The town bustled with more than 2,000 people, two newspapers, about twenty saloons, a school, a smelter, and several hotels. Stage service ran over Taylor and Pearl Passes, with three lines plying routes to destinations such as Crested Butte and St. Elmo. At the time, Ashcroft boasted a larger population than Aspen and seemed to have a promising future.</p> <h2>Ghost Town</h2> <p>Ashcroft’s promise faded fast. Its mines ended up having shallow deposits and were soon played out. By the mid-1880s, an improved road over Independence Pass and new silver discoveries near Aspen caused much of the town’s population to relocate their cabins to the growing Pitkin County seat. The final nail in Ashcroft’s coffin came in 1887–88, when the Denver &amp; Rio Grande and Colorado Midland Railroads reached Aspen but made no plans to extend their lines up Castle Creek.</p> <p>Limited mining continued at Ashcroft until the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 brought silver production to a halt. After that, the town’s remaining population gradually moved away. In November 1912, the post office closed for good, making Daniel McArthur’s bar the town’s only remaining business. A few single old men with mining claims continued to live in the area, but Ashcroft was a ghost town by the 1930s.</p> <h2>Ski Plans</h2> <p>Just as Ashcroft was fading into history, interest in the area suddenly revived as skiing started to become more popular in the United States. In 1936 investor Ted Ryan formed the Highland-Bavarian Corporation with two partners, T. J. Flynn and winter sports star William “Billy” Fiske III. They bought the Ashcroft town site and surrounding land at the base of Hayden Peak. They hoped to build what would have been the state’s first alpine ski resort. In the late 1930s, they built the Highland-Bavarian Lodge a few miles north of Ashcroft, received a US Forest Service permit for their resort, and even secured a state bond issue to build an aerial tram.</p> <p>The start of World War II derailed their plans. Fiske died in combat. Ryan invited the Tenth Mountain Division to the area as a training site. When the war ended, it was Aspen, not Ashcroft, that became the center of the area’s ski development.</p> <h2>Restoration and Preservation</h2> <p>Starting in 1948, Ryan leased some of his land near Ashcroft to Stuart and Isabell Mace. The Maces built a lodge called Toklat, ran a dog sledding operation, and served as stewards of Ryan’s land. Ryan and the Maces worked to keep the area largely undeveloped, with Ryan eventually transferring much of his land to the Forest Service. In the 1950s, the television series “Sergeant Preston of the Yukon” was filmed at Ashcroft using the town’s old wooden buildings and the Maces’ dogs. In 1971 Ryan opened Ashcroft Ski Touring, a small-scale, cross-country skiing center that operated on trails around the old ghost town.</p> <p>In the winter of 1973–74, Ashcroft’s surviving two-story hotel building collapsed. The next year, the Aspen Historical Society, led by local preservationist Ramona Markalunas, started leasing the town site in order to reconstruct the hotel and preserve the remaining structures. This marked the first time that the Forest Service granted a permit to a historical society to preserve and interpret a ghost town. In 1975 Markalunas got the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p> <p>Today, three restored buildings and six buildings in their original condition survive in Ashcroft. These include the post office, the assay office, a mercantile store, two saloons, and a hotel. The buildings are mostly arranged along a clearly defined main street. Some contain historical artifacts and interpretive signs. A parking lot and trail provide easy access to the town, which receives as many as seventy-five visitors per day in the summer. The Aspen Historical Society offers guided tours during the summer and early fall, as does the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, which acquired the Maces’ Toklat Lodge in 2004. The Ashcroft Ski Touring operation, started by Ryan, continues to allow cross-country skiers and snowshoers to enjoy the area in the winter.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>Located about eleven miles south of Aspen in Castle Creek valley, Ashcroft was established in 1880 as a silver mining camp. It quickly grew to more than 2,000 residents and briefly rivaled Aspen, but it was already declining by the late 1880s because the veins of silver ore were shallow and no railroads extended lines up the valley. At least one resident hung on until the 1930s, but today Ashcroft is a ghost town with nine surviving buildings cared for by the Aspen Historical Society.</p> <h2>Boom Years</h2> <p>In the late 1870s, prospectors from the silver boomtown of Leadville spread throughout the Colorado mountains. Some explored Castle Creek valley in 1879. In May 1880, Charles B. Culver and W. F. Coxhead found ore where two forks of Castle Creek met, at an elevation of about 9,500 feet. Culver staked out their spot, originally called Castle Forks, while Coxhead returned to Leadville for supplies. By the time Coxhead got back, Culver’s enthusiasm about the valley’s prospective mineral wealth had drawn nearly two dozen others to camp nearby.</p> <p>Early discoveries made in May and June 1880 proved promising. In addition, the new town had the advantage of being closer to the railroads at Crested Butte and Buena Vista than its rival, Aspen, because the main routes into the area went over Taylor and Pearl Passes in the Elk Mountains. The town grew quickly; by August 1880, it had a post office, and the population hit 500 the next summer. It was briefly known as Chloride but in 1882 changed its name to Ashcroft, which may have been a misspelling of the name of early prospector T. E. Ashcraft.</p> <p>By 1882–83 Ashcroft was booming. The mines initially produced 14,000 ounces of silver per ton, enough to induce Leadville silver millionaire Horace Tabor to invest in the nearby Tam O’Shanter–Montezuma Mine. The town bustled with more than 2,000 people, two newspapers, about twenty saloons, a school, a smelter, and several hotels. Stage service ran over Taylor and Pearl Passes, with three lines plying routes to destinations such as Crested Butte and St. Elmo. At the time, Ashcroft boasted a larger population than Aspen and seemed to have a promising future.</p> <h2>Ghost Town</h2> <p>Ashcroft’s promise faded fast. Its mines ended up having shallow deposits and were soon played out. By the mid-1880s an improved road over Independence Pass and new silver discoveries near Aspen caused much of the town’s population to relocate their cabins to the growing Pitkin County seat. The final nail in Ashcroft’s coffin came in 1887–88, when the Denver &amp; Rio Grande and Colorado Midland Railroads reached Aspen but made no plans to extend their lines up Castle Creek.</p> <p>Limited mining continued at Ashcroft until the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 brought silver production to a halt. After that, the town’s remaining population gradually moved away. In November 1912, the post office closed for good, making Daniel McArthur’s bar the town’s only remaining business. A few single old men with mining claims continued to live in the area, but Ashcroft was a ghost town by the 1930s.</p> <h2>Ski Plans</h2> <p>Just as Ashcroft was fading into history, interest in the area suddenly revived as skiing started to become more popular in the United States. In 1936 investor Ted Ryan formed the Highland-Bavarian Corporation with two partners, T. J. Flynn and winter sports star William “Billy” Fiske III. They bought the Ashcroft town site and surrounding land at the base of Hayden Peak, where they hoped to build what would have been the state’s first alpine ski resort. In the late 1930s, they constructed the Highland-Bavarian Lodge a few miles north of Ashcroft, received a US Forest Service permit for their resort, and even secured a state bond issue to build an aerial tram.</p> <p>The start of World War II derailed their plans. Fiske died in combat. Ryan invited the Tenth Mountain Division to the area as a training site. When the war ended, it was Aspen—not Ashcroft—that became the center of the area’s ski development.</p> <h2>Restoration and Preservation</h2> <p>Starting in 1948, Ryan leased some of his land near Ashcroft to Stuart and Isabell Mace. The Maces built a lodge called Toklat, ran a dog sledding operation, and served as stewards of Ryan’s land. Ryan and the Maces worked to keep the area largely undeveloped, with Ryan eventually transferring much of his land to the Forest Service. In the 1950s the television series <em>Sergeant Preston of the Yukon</em> was filmed at Ashcroft using the town’s old wooden buildings and the Maces’ dogs. In 1971, Ryan opened Ashcroft Ski Touring, a small-scale cross-country skiing center that operated on trails around the old ghost town.</p> <p>In the winter of 1973–74, Ashcroft’s surviving two-story hotel building collapsed. The next year, the Aspen Historical Society, led by local preservationist Ramona Markalunas, started leasing the town site to reconstruct the hotel and preserve the remaining structures. This marked the first time that the Forest Service granted a permit to a historical society to preserve and interpret a ghost town. In 1975 Markalunas got the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p> <p>Today three restored buildings and six buildings in their original condition survive in Ashcroft, including the post office, the assay office, a mercantile store, two saloons, and a hotel. The buildings are mostly arranged along a clearly defined main street, and some contain historical artifacts and interpretive signs. A parking lot and trail provide easy access to the town, which receives as many as seventy-five visitors per day in the summer. The Aspen Historical Society offers guided tours during the summer and early fall, as does the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, which acquired the Maces’ Toklat Lodge in 2004. The Ashcroft Ski Touring operation, started by Ryan, continues to allow cross-country skiers and snowshoers to enjoy the area in the winter.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 19 Dec 2016 20:31:49 +0000 yongli 2114 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org