Colorado Ghost Town Books/Maps
Fulford Colorado Townsite - Ghost town
Short drive off I-70 to this isolated Ghost Town. Several things to see in the area, upper and lower Fulford and the Fulford caves. This town was originally known as Nolan's camp. Apparently there are several stories of lost treasure in the area. Some miners found gold, mined it until their provisions gave out and then headed for supplies. They stored their gold in the mine only to discover upon returning that a slide had covered the mine. Another lost mine in Colorado filled with riches. Today the town is occupied and many of the original buildings have been "restored". I use that term loosely as they really have been converted to summer homes. If you go, don't forget to hike up to the cave. We all need a little exercise. Apparently it is one of the largest caves in Colorado. People were taking the ladders down and exploring. I was alone and did not have lights or ropes so I stayed on the surface. Scroll down to see some photos from the 1960s and 70s.
Photos courtesy of Mike Sinnwell July 2007
A viewer writes - My name is Bob, I have enjoyed hunting in the Fulford area for the last ten years or so. Every once in a while I hear an old story about the old town when I am there. I just returned last week, and upon leaving I looked at the Sylvan Visitor Center and "The Everything" store in Eagle, for a book on the town and the old days. I found nothing. Is there any books of the history of the town? I would be curious to know if the stories that I have heard are stories, or true, or a little of both! Thanks for any info. Bob Thompson-WI.
Rocky Responds - THANKS for visiting my site. I appreciate it.
I am not aware of any books written specifically about Fulford. I did a quick search with the Denver Public Library and the Historical Society in case they might have one. I did not find any. The CHS does however have a manuscript and some newspapers from the late 1890’s to early 1900’s. Several books mention Fulford as a Ghost Town and they have their stories. The most predominate ones are the prospector named Nolan that shot his tongue off and bleed to death. Fulford was originally named Nolan’s Camp. There are several stories about a gold mine lost in a snow slide and the prospector, Buck Rodgers, who was sent for supplies and drank the supply money. Various other stories about the location of the mine, A Dr was told the location, A bartender was given the location and a prospector actually claimed to have found it and then was killed in a barroom brawl. In any case no one has ever found the “lost” gold mine with its riches estimated in the 1890s as $60K to $100K. Maybe I should go back up there with my metal detector???? So what you heard was probably a little of both like you stated in your note.
A viewer writes July 2008 - My husband and I used to visit Fulford in the middle 1970's when we were first married. We loved exploring the cave. It's quite a hike to get there but well worth it. You need ropes to climb in and out and it helps a lot to have helmets with lights on them. We used helmets from Army surplus and rigged head lamps on them. You should take a couple flashlights with extra batteries. It's very dark, you don't want to be without light. We took nothing but photos and left nothing but footprints . . . well, except for my husband's bright red water bottle that fell down a l-o-n-g crevice in the cave. It brought back a lot of great memories when I came across your website of Fulford. Thanks for taking the time to record the history and post the photos.
Hi,
Mike - I don't mind if you post my comments. In the mid 1970's the first part of
the cave had a lot of mud and not much else, but parts of it were amazing with
the stalactites and stalagmites. There was a stream running through it with the
BEST water! And if you ventured far enough and crawled through a tunnel, in some
places on your stomach, for what seemed like forever, you came to a perfectly
round room. The tunnel dropped off at the top of the room and it was about 25
feet to the floor with straight sides. The room was dry. We didn't venture into
the room because it looked like it would be a bear to get out of. We weren't
prepared to be stuck in there until someone came to rescue us if we couldn't get
out! That room I think was quite a way back into the mountain. It was a little
creepy to think of being stuck in there. My husband gets claustrophobic and he
still wanted to visit the cave over and over again. It's the ultimate
get-away-from-it-all experience! Thanks again for your website. -
Laura
Rocky
Mountain Profiles Colorado Ghost Towns and Colorado Photos – Niwot Colorado