Chalk Creek
Encyclopedia
Chalk Creek is a 27.3 miles (43.9 km) river
flowing east from the Collegiate Peaks
mountain range in Chaffee County, Colorado
. Mount Antero
borders the southern side of the river, while Mount Princeton
borders the northern side. The headwaters of the river are located at the Continental Divide. The river empties into the Arkansas River
at the town of Nathrop, Colorado
.
The river is named after the magnificent white kaolinite
cliffs that stand at the entrance to the Chalk Creek valley, and are a result of hot spring
deposits. These white cliffs are visible for miles in all directions, and stand in stark contrast to the otherwise wooded surrounding mountains. Stands of aspen
trees and evergreens of various species surround the river for its entire length.
The river is surrounded by a mix of privately owned and US forest service land. Campgrounds and public trails, including the Colorado Trail
, are located along the length of the river. Several hot springs emerge in this valley.
, Hancock, and Alpine
are towns that were founded and flourished with the gold rush. The Mary Murphy Mine
, one of the most productive mineral mines in Colorado, is located in Chalk Creek canyon.
The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
had a rail route that wound up Chalk Creek canyon into the Alpine Tunnel
. The tunnel was built to allow trains to transport ore and supplies to and from the town of Gunnison, Colorado
, located on the western side of the Continental Divide. The rail route was closed once the gold rush declined, and the Alpine Tunnel has since been sealed to prevent injury.
With the decline of the gold rush
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the towns in Chalk Creek canyon withered and became ghost town
s. St. Elmo, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, has been transformed into a tourist destination and has several intact historic buildings.
, cutthroat trout
, brown trout
and rainbow trout
. Camping is available at local commercial campgrounds and free public National Forest campgrounds.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
flowing east from the Collegiate Peaks
Collegiate Peaks
The Collegiate Peaks is a name given to a section of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains located in central Colorado. The Collegiate Peaks include some of the highest mountains in the Rockies...
mountain range in Chaffee County, Colorado
Chaffee County, Colorado
Chaffee County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 16,242 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Salida.-History:...
. Mount Antero
Mount Antero
Mount Antero is the eleventh highest peak in Colorado, with an elevation of . Also known as Antero Peak, it is named for Chief Antero of the Uintah band of Utes. It is located in the central Sawatch Range in Chaffee County between the towns of Buena Vista and Salida...
borders the southern side of the river, while Mount Princeton
Mount Princeton
Mount Princeton is one of the fourteeners of the US state of Colorado. It lies in the Collegiate Peaks, in the central part of the Sawatch Range, just west of the Arkansas River. While not one of the highest peaks of the Sawatch, it is one of the most dramatic, as it rises over 6,500 feet from the...
borders the northern side. The headwaters of the river are located at the Continental Divide. The river empties into the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
at the town of Nathrop, Colorado
Nathrop, Colorado
Nathrop is a ghost town and a U.S. Post Office located in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The Nathrop Post Office has the ZIP Code 81236....
.
The river is named after the magnificent white kaolinite
Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a clay mineral, part of the group of industrial minerals, with the chemical composition Al2Si2O54. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra...
cliffs that stand at the entrance to the Chalk Creek valley, and are a result of hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
deposits. These white cliffs are visible for miles in all directions, and stand in stark contrast to the otherwise wooded surrounding mountains. Stands of aspen
Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
trees and evergreens of various species surround the river for its entire length.
The river is surrounded by a mix of privately owned and US forest service land. Campgrounds and public trails, including the Colorado Trail
Colorado Trail
The Colorado Trail is a long trail running from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States. Its highest point is above sea level, and most of the trail is above...
, are located along the length of the river. Several hot springs emerge in this valley.
History
The river has a history tied to the gold and silver rush in Colorado in the 1800s. Along the river, several towns sprouted along with the influx of gold prospectors. St. ElmoSt. Elmo, Colorado
St. Elmo is a ghost town in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1880, St. Elmo lies in the heart of the Sawatch Range, 20 miles southwest of Buena Vista. Nearly 2,000 people settled in this town when mining for gold and silver became evident. The mining industry started to decline...
, Hancock, and Alpine
Alpine, Colorado
Alpine is a populated place located in Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States. ZIP code 81154 serves Alpine, but mail must be addressed to South Fork....
are towns that were founded and flourished with the gold rush. The Mary Murphy Mine
Mary Murphy Mine
The Mary Murphy Mine was the principal gold mine of the Chalk Creek mining district of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States, near St. Elmo, Colorado. The Mary Murphy Mine operated continuously from 1870 to 1925, and produced 220 thousand ounces of gold, worth $4.4 million then , plus...
, one of the most productive mineral mines in Colorado, is located in Chalk Creek canyon.
The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad was a historic narrow gauge railway that operated in Colorado in the western United States in the late 19th century. The railroad opened up the first rail routes to a large section of the central Colorado mining district in the decades of the mineral boom...
had a rail route that wound up Chalk Creek canyon into the Alpine Tunnel
Alpine Tunnel
Alpine Tunnel is a narrow gauge railroad tunnel located east of Pitkin, Colorado on the former Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad route from Denver to Gunnison. At an elevation of , it was the first tunnel constructed through the Colorado Continental Divide, and according to the U.S. Forest...
. The tunnel was built to allow trains to transport ore and supplies to and from the town of Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
, located on the western side of the Continental Divide. The rail route was closed once the gold rush declined, and the Alpine Tunnel has since been sealed to prevent injury.
With the decline of the gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the towns in Chalk Creek canyon withered and became ghost town
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...
s. St. Elmo, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, has been transformed into a tourist destination and has several intact historic buildings.
Fishing and camping
Chalk Creek provides habitat to several species of fish, including brook troutBrook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
, cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
, brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
. Camping is available at local commercial campgrounds and free public National Forest campgrounds.