Ohio City Colorado - A Modern Day Ghost Town

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Ohio City is a “semi-ghost town”, in the Quartz Creek Valley;  just a few miles away from the more populated town of Pitkin Colorado. Many of the original homes remain, but the main street has suffered the loss of most of its buildings.  Like many Colorado ghost towns, Ohio City; has had a few declines and rebirths. The most recent of which happened in the 2010s. In fact, I would say this town has the potential to come back, but I’ll cover that a little later.

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Ohio City got its start in the 1860s when gold was discovered in the region. Interestingly, the location and source of the gold nuggets discovered remain unknown.  However, the elusive source of gold ran dry in just under a decade. At that time the town was left completely abandoned. 

Ohio City saw it's second coming in 1879 when an assayer named Jacob Hess found silver in the Gold Creek. Jacob promptly renamed the creek “Silver Creek”, and with that action, he kicked off a population boom in Ohio City.  Jacob was considered the first settler in the area despite the previous settlement. He took the opportunity to rename the settlement “Eagle City”; however, once the settlement grew into a town, it once again took the name “Ohio City”.  The very next year the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad was built through the town. In the process, they created the now-famous alpine tunnel.

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In 1893 the price of silver collapsed overnight and the town quickly followed suit. The population of Ohio City dwindled until 1895 when the town was once more declared deserted.  

Fortunately, in 1896 a new source of Gold had been discovered. This once again made Ohio City a lucrative investment and the town's population rushed back in.  One of the largest investments was the Willow Creek Mine, which still operates to this day. Although at a different capacity as it now mines for common gems, quartz, feldspar, graphic granite and the smallest imaginable flakes of gold.  This illustrates to me just how few people are needed to operate a modern mine. This is most evident when you consider that the mine is still open, but Ohio City is nearly deserted.

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That said; in 1896 three Harvard University students and brothers returned to survey the land once more. The carter brothers as they were known soon formed the Carter Mining Company. At about the same time a man named E.M. Lamont began the Raymond Consolidated Mines Company.  These two organizations began to mine in Ohio City in 1908 and continued work until 1912 when the profit dried up. This began the 3rd decline of Ohio City.

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In 1936 the entire region had a boost when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) issued a construction grant for $20,000 to build the Monarch Ski resort. Projects like this were common during the Great Depression and were a good way to put people back to work. Furthermore, the resort helped to stabilize the community for years to come.

​In 2012 Gunnison County applied for and received grant funds from the Colorado State Historical Fund.  The funds were primarily used to rehabilitate the Ohio City’s City Hall, Jail, and School House.

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By the 2010s the town hosted an operating bed and breakfast. And a new couple from Texas named John and Pat Swatzel, who purchased the Hendricks & Company General Merchandise building. This building had served as a general store in Ohio City since 1903. However, the original structure dates back to the 1800s. The Swatzels wasted little time in renaming the store the Mother Lode and that’s exactly what they intended it to be. To the point, that little of the original structure is visible due to all of the improvements and additions. They transformed this small rugged rural building into a huge multi-use property. One that acted as an oasis for the community, travelers, and campers.

Promotional Video for The Mother Lode

Once all of their improvements were complete the building was equipped with,  the general store, two apartments, a liquor store, a gift shop, a Restaurant, and Bar. Not to mention they added 10 RV hook-ups, a septic system, and outbuildings. This was and still is the single most equipped building within the next three towns.

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This wasn’t John and Pat’s first go at owning a western restaurant. In-fact before the opened up shop in Ohio City they owned the largest restaurant in Cheyenne WY, the Mayflower. John was able to leverage his contacts in Louisiana and Wyoming to develop a shipping method that delivered fresh fish to the Mother Lode every two weeks. To offer fresh seafood in the Rockies was a rare treat. Customers were quoted as saying “What an amazing and unexpected experience in the middle of the backcountry“, and raved about the fresh flounder and Jambalaya. For a time the Mother Lode was the heart of the community and is what kept Ohio City from being considered a complete ghost town.  Unfortunately, in 2016 the Mother Lode closed its doors and ushered in Ohio City’s first ghost town era in over 114 years. 

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On a personal note, I believe this town can come back. At least the Mother Lode could be brought back at a reduced capacity. The property is still up for sale and is in amazing condition. It had very healthy street traffic when I visited (and I visited off-season).  It’s literally move-in ready and is available for just under a million dollars. While this is a steep price, it comes with a boatload of potential. Today you can find souvenir keychains from the Mother Lode being auctioned off on eBay and are sold as collector's items on Amazon. People from the area still speak fondly of the Mother Lode and would welcome its return. Perhaps with a new set of products, new management, and a slightly less complicated LLC structure this business could once again succeed. And in the process lift this town out of ghost town status.

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Today, no active businesses remain, but there's a lovely walking tour available. The town is occupied by a few seasonal residents and visiting 4x4 enthusiasts. Much of Ohio City is either for sale, boarded up, or downright abandoned. You can find Ohio City on CR-76. If you are heading from Gunnison: Take US-50 East for 11 miles, turn left on CR-76, Follow for 8.8. From Salida: take US-50 West to CR-76 and continue for 11 miles.  ​

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