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Holy Cross City, Colorado

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Coordinates: 39°24′54″N 106°28′41″W / 39.4150°N 106.4781°W / 39.4150; -106.4781 (Holy Cross City)
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Not to be confused with Holy Cross City Trail.

Holy Cross City
Ghost town
Cabin in Holy Cross City
Cabin in Holy Cross City
Holy Cross City is located in Colorado
Holy Cross City
Holy Cross City
Location within the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°24′54″N 106°28′41″W / 39.4150°N 106.4781°W / 39.4150; -106.4781 (Holy Cross City)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyEagle
Elevation
11,428 ft (3,483 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
0
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
81645[1]
GNIS feature ID179537[2]

Holy Cross City (also known as Holy Cross) is an extinct town located in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. Holy Cross City got its name from Mount of the Holy Cross, located nearby. The Holy Cross post office operated from January 23, 1882, until February 8, 1899, and from December 7, 1904, until August 7, 1905.[3] Presently, the former townsite is located along Holy Cross City Trail within Holy Cross Wilderness, part of White River National Forest.[4] The Mount of the Holy Cross is not visible from the townsite.[5]

History

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Mount of the Holy Cross in 1900, the mountain for which the city is named.

Discovery of valuable deposits of lead, manganese, and trace amounts of gold made the Holy Cross Mining District a densely mined region in the 1880s.[6] The town was populated between 1880 and 1884, with a peak population of 300, though the mines ceased being profitable in 1883. A brief repopulation of the town occurred in the 1890s as the mines were worked for a short time.[5]

At its peak, the city contained a post office, boarding houses, a hotel, as well as other amenities. Only small remnants of the town remain, with four scattered cabins comprising the largest standing structures as of 2017.

The trail–constructed in 1883–remains accessible, but by road is difficult to reach by car due to rocky conditions. The trail is rocky, provides vistas of the Mount of the Holy Cross, and terminates at two lakes.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Holy Cross City (historical) - Populated Place Feature (Populated Place) in Eagle County". CO HomeTownLocator. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Feature Detail Report for: Holy Cross City (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
  4. ^ "Holy Cross City, Eagle County, Colorado". Bud Werner Memorial Library. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Otte, Mike. "Holy Cross City". Ghosttowns.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "Holy Cross City (historical), Eagle County, Colorado, United States". mindat.org. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "Holy Cross Wilderness Area". PeakVisor. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
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