A Walking Tour of Crested Butte

Summary

fe IO © OO@|. so Ks = TOWN © iS A : RK = ‘ g : Ae ote O J eee : 4~ To KEBLER. PASS WHITE ROCK AVE. : ar Vr lf rr MH {72 BG Minne \\ TOWN HISTORY Hy Crested Butte's first inhabitants were the Ute Indians, who came here during the summers. When mining I : ested Butte served as the supply town for in this area, the Indians were squeezed out. In the late Lda es stad SUSE sae ey and Rio. Grande all the surrounding mining areas. The Town was incorporated laid a narrow gauge railway from Gunnison to Crested Butte. Towns like Irwin, Pittsburg, Elkton, Ashcroft, Gothic, and Aspen utilized the railhead at Crested Butte. rel Colorado Fuel and Iron Company owned the largest coal mines here but other smaller operat oe alee Sete ed, In the 30's and 40's, the C.F. & I. began finding coal closer to their steel mills in Pue ae Ak Crested Butte mines began shutting down. In 1952, the last mine (Big Mine) was closed and Crested Butte s mining days were essentially over. At that time, many families were forced to leave town to seek work. The few who remained, saw the Phens ing of the Keystone Mine up Kebler Pass and were able to continue mining. But this was sporadic, and the