Capitol City

Colorado's high-country ghost towns sit at altitudes that would give a flatlander nosebleeds — silver camps killed by an 1893 vote in Washington.

Capitol City is an extinct silver mining town located in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. Founded as Galena City in 1877, the townsite is located on the Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway.

Calling it Capitol City was either optimism or a very good joke — boomtowns were never modest about their ambitions.

Little stands at Capitol City today beyond foundations and scattered traces. Foundation-only sites reward visitors who enjoy reading a landscape — bring an old plat map or historic photo if you can find one, and the vanished streets start to reappear.

Public access makes Capitol City one of the easier ghost towns to actually stand in — though "public" in ghost-town country can still mean miles of dirt road, so check recent trip reports first.

Capitol City is publicly accessible — but give the word "accessible" some respect. Out here it can still mean miles of unmaintained dirt road. Check recent trip reports, carry extra water and a spare tire, download offline maps, and let someone know your route. The mapped point for Capitol City is roughly 37.9800, -107.6300 — use it as a starting point and cross-reference a current topographic map before leaving pavement.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.

The ground itself demands respect: open mine shafts, collapsing floors, and old wells hide in tall grass, cell service is often nonexistent, and help can be hours away. Tell someone your plans, pack more water than you think you'll need — and save the early morning or late afternoon light for your camera.

Want the full story? The Wikipedia article on "Capitol City, Colorado" covers Capitol City in more depth — find the link in Sources below. County archives, historic newspaper collections, and the state historical society are the next stops after that: plat maps, census rolls, and old photographs fill in what a short visit can't. If you make the trip, consider sharing your photos and notes — firsthand reports are how the record of Capitol City gets better.