Fascinated by history? You're in luck because Colorado is home to some of the most interesting and fascinating historic towns in America, including these.
Silverton Credit: bigstock.com Silverton
Silverton (prices and hotel photos)
Situated on the southern side of the San Juan Mountains, Silverton is located along the famous 'Million Dollar Highway', known for its steep cliffs, narrow streets and lack of guardrails, as well as million-dollar views. One of the best ways to get here is to take a ride on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Once here, you will discover a town that looks like you could find it in Alaska, with its remote wilderness and towering mountains. It is home to a population of just over 500, with its Kendall Mountain Ski Area and Recreation Centre and summer recreational activities making it a popular year-round destination. Most of the town centre has been designated as a National Historic District and there are a number of places where you can discover its past, including the old county jail, the old gold mine, the San Juan County Historical Society and the Mayflower Gold Mill. Enhance your visit with a stay at the imposing Victorian Grand Imperial Hotel.
Cripple Creek 
Credit: wikimedia.org Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek (prices and hotel photos)
Cripple Creek is considered the site of Colorado's last great gold rush - and at one point became the state capital. Entering this mountain town on the west side of Pikes Peak feels like stepping back in time. Billed as 'The World's Greatest Gold Camp', not only do old mine shafts, their headframes and cabins dot the surrounding hills, but there are numerous accounts of spirits being experienced everywhere from the cemetery to the turn of the century hospitals turned B&Bs, hotels, casinos and more. The Cripple Creek District Museum, said to be haunted itself, offers guided ghost tours at night where you can learn about the town's unique history and its many ghosts. If that's not your thing, take a 1,000-foot underground tour of the Moline Kathleen Gold Mine, board the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, and enjoy a variety of live performances at the Butte Theatre.
Winner 
Credit: Wikimedia Commons Victor
Victor (prices and hotel photos)
Victor is just under five miles from Cripple Creek, but offers a completely different experience minus all the casinos and tourists. It was once a thriving gold rush town, home to some 20,000 residents at its peak in 1900. Today there are only a few hundred residents in this historic town, but it offers the chance to really feel like you've stepped back in time, with its many period buildings, most of which date back to the late 19th-century, such as the Victor Daily Record newspaper office, the Masonic Hall and the trolley depot. The 1899 Victor Hotel is still open for business, with its impressive Victorian-style lobby and authentic birdcage lift. Learn more about Victor's history and one of its most famous residents at the Lowell Thomas Museum.
Leadville 
Credit: www.bigstock.com Leadville welcome sign
Leadville (prices and hotel photos)
Leadville is a beautiful Victorian mountain town, and the highest town in the nation, situated at an elevation of 10,152 feet. It was once one of the richest and most reckless mining towns in the entire United States, with 70 square blocks of downtown designated as a National Historic Landmark of Victorian architecture, including the largest opera house west of the Mississippi, the saloon visited by Oscar Wilde, and two historic churches from 1879. Quaint shops and restaurants line the streets, intermingled with elegant B&Bs and hotels from the 1880s, and the surrounding area also offers a range of outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing, mountain biking, golf and four-wheeling.
Creede 
Credit: Jeffrey Beall Creede
Creede (hotel prices and photos)
One of Colorado's most scenic and historic towns, Creede lies within an ancient volcanic caldera at the eastern end of the San Juan mountain range. It was founded as a crude silver mining town in the 1890s, and evidence of its past as a silver mining town still lingers in the restored miners' shacks that line the streets, and the orange trees in the mountains that tower above the town. To explore its interesting past, head to the Creede Underground Mining Museum, where you can go underground and take a tour of the recreated hard rock mine. Former miners lead them, providing an exceptional insight into what it was like for silver miners in the late 19th century. While you're in the area, take a ride on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway for impressive views and the chance to visit historical sites such as the site of the Alferd Packer Massacre and the colourful Slumgullion Earthflow, a type of land glacier that advances about 20 feet a year.
Durango 
Credit: bigstock.com Durango
Durango (prices and hotel photos)
Located in southwestern Colorado, Durango has a rich western history and offers the chance to travel back in time more than 130 years by hopping aboard the historic Durango and Silverton steam train. The circa 1882 steam-powered, coal-fired train was purpose-built to handle the narrow mountain routes, blasting along at 18 miles per hour as it climbed the steep and magnificent mountain passes between Durango and Silverton, 45 miles to the north.Durango itself is a nationally registered historic district, home to boutique hotels and historic museums, as well as excellent restaurants, breweries, shops and art galleries.
Breckenridge 
Credit: www.bigstock.com Breckenridge
Breckenridge (prices and hotel photos)
The town of Breckenridge was founded in 1859 as an area dedicated to serving miners working in nearby towns. Today, while it is probably best known as a ski resort, its Victorian core is preserved as the Breckenridge National Historic District. Running mostly along Main Street, it features colourful painted buildings from the late 19th century that house shops, galleries and restaurants. Take a historical walking tour to learn about the families and businesses of its early days as you view some of the town's oldest buildings, from grand mansions to log cabins. Along the way, you'll hear tales of the gold hunters and wealthy socialites who lived here during its peak more than a century ago.
Idaho Springs 
Credit: Argo gold mine bigstock.com
Idaho Springs (hotel prices and photos)
While Idaho Springs is considered a gateway for Rockies for Front Range residents, it also offers much for the history buff. Its mining heritage lives on through the well-preserved buildings of Miner Street. A walk through town offers an in-depth look, although most have uses other than what they were originally intended, including a number of antique shops, sweet shops and gift shops. The Argo and Mill gold mine is right in town, and here, visitors can see what a working mill looks like and even try their hand at gold panning. At the end of the day, you may want to head to the Indian Hot Springs, just south of the centre, where therapeutic mineral pools are located. It has geothermal cave baths for him and her, a mineral water pool, private outdoor hot tubs and a day spa.
Central City 
Credit: Wikimedia Commons Teller House, Central City
Central City (prices and hotel photos)
Situated just down the road from Black Hawk, famous for its gambling, it is another gambling capital of the state, which has also been home to a historic mining settlement that once earned the nickname of the 'richest square mile on earth'. the gold rush here began in 1859 - and appears to continue in its modern casinos. It once had more culture than Denver, along with all that gold. A number of opera houses were built in the early 1860s, and the Central City Opera House remains the most enduring, holding performances today. The Teller House is the home of the famous 'Face on the Bar Room Floor. Unlike apparitions of the divine, it has no miraculous origin, it is simply an oil painting on a floor, but many believe it was the inspiration for a famous 1877 poem of the same name, about a drunkard who painted it to prove that he had once been a famous artist.
St. Elmo 
Credit: wikimedia.org St. Elmo, CO
St. Elmo (prices and hotel photos)
St. Elmo, is considered one of the best preserved ghost towns in the state, however, it is still home to a number of residents. In 1880, it was at its peak with a population of over 2,000, along with about 150 patented mine claims. In 1930, after the steady decline of the industry and the cessation of rail service, only seven called it home. Today, you can walk on the intact wooden pavements that pass more original structures such as a still functioning department store, a church, a school and other structures. A written narrative arrives, dealing with fires, minerals, tunnels and more. The Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort is just over 11 miles away and is a great place to stay and soothe aching muscles in the wonderfully warm waters.
