Lake Valley Townsite

The mining town of Lake Valley was founded in 1878 after silver was discovered. Almost overnight, the small frontier town blossomed into a major settlement with a population of 4,000 people. Today, silver mining has played out and all that remains is a ghost town. BLM has restored the schoolhouse and chapel. The restored schoolhouse provides a glimpse of what schooling in a rural area was like in the early 20th century. Other buildings in the town site have been stabilized to slow further deterioration.

It was a nice morning to take the trail around the town. Obviously it was not allowed to enter any of the structures, but you could get close enough to peak in through the windows to get an idea of what it would have been like back then. There was always something on the ground to inspect; old bottles, tin cans, car parts, etc. In fact the massive amount of man-made trash still populating the town will likely out last the buildings. Nonetheless, it was a ghost town that I have wanted to stop in on for some time, and I’m pleased I did. The drive out was just as spectacular.