13. Animas Forks, Colorado
Animas Forks is a ghost town located high in the San Juan Mountains at 11,200 feet. Only a few cabins remained intact in the city which was once a prosperous mining town in Colorado. At its peak, Animas Forks had 30 cabins, a hotel, a general store, a saloon, and a post office. Interestingly, they even had a local newspaper, the Animas Forks Pioneer.
The city’s first cabins were built in 1873 by prospectors. The town was called “Three Forks of the Animas” originally but was eventually changed to a shorter version. The high altitude and because it got really cold in the winters, people were forced to migrate south to warmer places like Silverton. In 1884, a blizzard which lasted 23 days, covered the whole town with 25 feet of snow. Inhabitants had to dig tunnels so they could get from one building to another.
By 1920, the town was abandoned because the mining had stopped in that area. The mining town is visited by 100,000 people each year.
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