Buckskin Joe, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Buckskin Joe, also called Laurette or Lauret, is a deserted ghost town
in Colorado
, United States
. It was an early mining town, and county seat of Park County, Colorado
.
was discovered along Buckskin Creek, on the east side of the Mosquito Range
. At the time of its first settlement, the town was in the western part of Kansas Territory
.
The town was formally organized in September 1860 and named Laurette, a contraction of the first names of the only two women in the camp. But it was always more popularly known as Buckskin Joe, after Joseph Higginbottom, an early trapper and prospector. Little is known for certain about Higginbottom. Some accounts refer to him as an African-American, and others not; some accounts say that he was the one who first discovered gold in the vicinity of the town.
Mining shifted to rich hardrock deposits in the Phillips lode and other vein
s. By 1861, when the Laurette/Buckskin Joe Post Office opened, in the newly formed Colorado Territory
, the town boasted two hotels, fourteen stores, and a bank. On January 7, 1862 the county seat
of Park County moved to Buckskin Joe from Tarryall
, now also a ghost town. At its peak, the town was credited with a population of 5,000, but historian Robert L. Brown considers this number far too large.
The placer
and vein gold deposits were rich, but were quickly exhausted. By 1866, the town was reported to be deserted, and the courthouse building was moved down the valley to the new county seat of Fairplay
. In the late 1950s, Horace Tabor's general store was dismantled, hauled away, and reassembled at the tourist attraction and movie set also called Buckskin Joe
, 70 miles (112.7 km) away from the original site.
, at 39°17′35"N 106°05′17"W, at an altitude of 10761 feet (3,280 m) above mean sea level
.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was an early mining town, and county seat of Park County, Colorado
Park County, Colorado
Park County is the 17th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named after the large geographic region known as South Park, which was named by early fur traders and trappers in the area. The geographic center of the State of Colorado is...
.
History
The area was first settled by Americans in 1859 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, when goldGold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
was discovered along Buckskin Creek, on the east side of the Mosquito Range
Mosquito Range
The Mosquito Range is a high mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The peaks of the range form a ridge running north-south for approximately 40 miles from southern Summit County on the north end, then along the boundary between Lake and Park counties...
. At the time of its first settlement, the town was in the western part of Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
.
The town was formally organized in September 1860 and named Laurette, a contraction of the first names of the only two women in the camp. But it was always more popularly known as Buckskin Joe, after Joseph Higginbottom, an early trapper and prospector. Little is known for certain about Higginbottom. Some accounts refer to him as an African-American, and others not; some accounts say that he was the one who first discovered gold in the vicinity of the town.
Mining shifted to rich hardrock deposits in the Phillips lode and other vein
Vein (geology)
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation...
s. By 1861, when the Laurette/Buckskin Joe Post Office opened, in the newly formed Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado....
, the town boasted two hotels, fourteen stores, and a bank. On January 7, 1862 the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Park County moved to Buckskin Joe from Tarryall
Tarryall, Colorado (ghost town)
Tarryall is a ghost town in northwest Park County, Colorado, United States. The town was located on upper Tarryall Creek northwest of Como, Colorado. It was once the county seat of Park County, but is now completely deserted....
, now also a ghost town. At its peak, the town was credited with a population of 5,000, but historian Robert L. Brown considers this number far too large.
The placer
Placer deposit
In geology, a placer deposit or placer is an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by gravity separation during sedimentary processes. The name is from the Spanish word placer, meaning "alluvial sand". Placer mining is an important source of gold, and was the main technique used in the early...
and vein gold deposits were rich, but were quickly exhausted. By 1866, the town was reported to be deserted, and the courthouse building was moved down the valley to the new county seat of Fairplay
Fairplay, Colorado
The Town of Fairplay is a statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Park County, Colorado, United States. Fairplay is located in South Park at an elevation of . The town is the fifth-highest incorporated place in the State of Colorado. The population was 610 at the...
. In the late 1950s, Horace Tabor's general store was dismantled, hauled away, and reassembled at the tourist attraction and movie set also called Buckskin Joe
Buckskin Joe
Buckskin Joe is a Western-style theme park and railway west of Cañon City, Colorado, USA. It is located south of U.S. Route 50 along the road to the Royal Gorge Bridge. Features of the park include gun fights, 30 authentic buildings from the Colorado 19th century frontier, themed entertainment,...
, 70 miles (112.7 km) away from the original site.
Notable residents
- Silverheels (proper name unknown) was a popular dance hallDance hallDance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...
girl at Buckskin Joe, and the subject of many apocryphal stories. Mount SilverheelsMount SilverheelsMount Silverheels is a mountain in Colorado, one of the 637 peaks above in elevation in the state . It is located in the Front Range in Park County, Colorado between Breckenridge and Fairplay, within the Pike National Forest...
is named after her. - Horace Tabor, later a mining millionaire and U.S. senator, arrived in Buckskin Joe in 1861 and ran a store.
Location
The site of Buckskin Joe is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Alma, ColoradoAlma, Colorado
The historic Town of Alma is a Statutory Town located in Park County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 179 at the U.S. Census 2000....
, at 39°17′35"N 106°05′17"W, at an altitude of 10761 feet (3,280 m) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
.