Alpine, Colorado (ghost town)

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This article is about a ghost town in Chaffee County, Colorado. For the populated place of the same name in Rio Grande County, please see Alpine, Colorado.

Alpine was founded in the 1860s as a mining town. When the mines played out [The Mary Murphy mine about 4 miles from St Elmo was the last to close in 1910]both Alpine and St Elmo became 'ghost towns'. There were still a few pioneers and characters who continued to live in the two towns but they were generally empty of folks for half a century. Then in the 1950s-1960s folks 'rediscovered' the quiet beauty of Chalk Creek gulch and built summer homes. Some of the salvageable buildings in Alpine and St Elmo were fixed up and still stand as strong as ever! The current residents are immensely proud of their community histories and take great pride in maintaining the character and appearance of both these old mining towns. The San Isabel national forest completely surrounds Alpine and St Elmo and provides a safe haven from unwanted development. Elk, deer, big horn sheep, and bears share the forest with their human guests as well as the odd mountain lion and moose. St Elmo remains a local tourist attraction as a 'ghost town' with a part time general store and some year round residents. Alpine is more residential and has no tourist interest. Alpine has about 10 families who live there year round and a summer resident population of several hundred. Alpine and St Elmo are located in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.