Crystal, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crystal, Colorado
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The Crystal Club building, 2015
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 Crystal, Colorado
Location in Colorado
Crystal, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Gunnison |
| Elevation | 8,950 ft (2,728 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 175564 |
Crystal (also known as Crystal City) is a ghost town on the upper Crystal River in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. It is located in the Elk Mountains along a four-wheel-drive road 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Marble and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Crested Butte. Crystal was a mining camp established in 1881 and after several decades of robust existence, was all but abandoned by 1917. Many buildings still stand in Crystal, but its few residents live there only in the summer.
The Crystal Mill
Crystal is best known for one of the most photographed historic sites in Colorado, the Crystal Mill, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Road Access To Crystal
Gunnison County Road 3 connects Crystal to Marble. Much of the road is a very rocky shelf road, suitable for four-wheel drive only.
Forest Road 317 (a.k.a. Gothic Road) connects Crystal to Crested Butte via Schofield Pass. It traverses the Devils Punchbowls, considered among the most dangerous four-wheel drive trails in the state (entire families have died when their vehicles went over the edge).
History
Crystal was incorporated on July 8, 1881, but mined as early as the 1860s. At its peak, Crystal had 400+ residents in Crystal and the surrounding mining claims, two newspapers (the Crystal River Current which was later called The Silver Lance), a pool hall, a men's club, a barber shop and two hotels. In 1915, only eight people lived there. Despite the reduction in population, the United States Board on Geographic Names still lists Crystal as a populated place.
Mining in the area included silver, lead, copper, iron, and zinc. Very little gold has been discovered.
Today, most of the town of Crystal is owned by the relatives of Emmet Gould. Mr. Gould bought lots, cabins, and several claims in and around Crystal during the 1940s. In 1948, the family of Welcome Joe Neal began vacationing in Crystal. Joe Neal's family owns three cabins. Rob Anderson owns the house that his grandfather built in the late 1800s. Richard Beamon also owns a cabin. These owners live in Crystal during the summer months only. There is a small general store, public outhouse, and Crystal related books sold by the local author/historian, Roger A. Neal. Some of the cabins are available for short term rental.
Transportation
Gunnison County Road 3 connects Crystal to Marble. Much of the road is a rocky shelf road, suitable for four-wheel drive only.
Forest Road 317 (a.k.a. Gothic Road) connects Crystal to Crested Butte via Schofield Pass. It traverses the Devils Punchbowl, considered among the most dangerous four-wheel drive trails in the state.
Images for kids
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Town of Crystal, Gunnison County Colo. Shows street names, lot numbers, and family names, and mining claims, between about 1880 and 1917.
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Crystal mill (foreground) and town (behind), 1890s
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Crystal mill, 2012
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The Crystal Mill, among the Elk Mountains in 2016. Crystal, CO
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