Ghost Town Photography in Colorado

Want to know a little bit about one of Colorado’s biggest mining towns in the mid 1800’s that is now a ghost town? On the outskirts of a casino town of Black Hawk, there are remnants of mining ruins encapsulated by mountain neighborhoods throughout the area. I spent a few days in town and took one of those mornings to myself to visit a couple of the ruins for moody black and white film photography. While making sure I got good and lost I came across a “ghost town” nearby. Here are the black and white photographs taken just outside of Black Hawk, Colorado.

The Nearby Ghost Town

There was a town next to Black Hawk called Nevadaville that was also a bustling mining town during the gold rush with a population of 3,000 but it wasn’t revived by the Casinos like Black Hawk was after the gold  rush ended. It has some abandoned buildings and small mines that have mostly been reduced to weathered ruins today but there are indeed some residents that occupy the area. UncoverColorado mentions there are 6 now, so be mindful if you go. Some of those private properties would be trespassing, however there is an area that is used as a disk golf course. I stuck to this area mostly and didn’t get stopped. The only person I had encountered was the owner of the general store, who was very kind to invite me into his shop and tell me a few things about the town’s history. He seemed more than happy to share these details so I figured the town was quite important to him and I’ll always remember that personable transaction. Though this isn’t truly an abandoned old ghost town it still a very quiet place that has an eerie vibe and I was lucky to have fog on that morning was as nice addition for creating moody ghost town photography.

Historic Relics of Black Hawk

If you walk through a couple of the nearby backstreets there are still houses that create the “time-capsule” atmosphere that is fairly typical of the rockies. These types of smaller towns seem more preserved with historic value and are ideal for explorers of outdoor photography as well as history.

The Casinos

In Black Hawk, I liked the downtown stretch that still has the appearance of an old saloon expedition, but not far away are casinos that light up the area so I felt a bit removed from the vibe of the rockies when driving through it. Though it might be a cause for excitement for some folks, it still seems out of place in my personal opinion. They also seemed to dominate the dining market as well since I could only find a couple of places to get good food outside of the casinos. I did stay at a hotel in a casino while I was there since I was also in town for a guys trip but the food was quite overpriced with subpar quality.

On the plus side, the casinos do come with a higher end of luxury accommodations and lodging. This way you have the option of a comfortable stay out of the elements, or you can rough it with primitive backpacking route if that’s your thing. If I were to go back I’d personally go with primitive backpacking so I could be closer to some of the mining ruins I didn’t get to explore which surround the area. Also, the ghost town in Navadaville spans about 1 mile and doesn’t take long to get a few quiet moments photographing and then move on. If you’d like to see more photos in addition to the ones below you can check out my blog and print store.

Pitfalls of photographing the Ghost Town

Caution… Seriously: According to a local radio station, the area has a few undesirable surprises that can be quite risky. No, not ghosts. I said “undesirable”. Near the mines, such as Glory Hole (not kidding) are hidden or closed off sink holes that can open up anywhere from 500 to 1400 ft drop to the bottom of old mine shafts. The station compared that to the size of the Sears tower, or Willis tower. in Chicago. If I go back to this area I’ll definitely be doing thorough research online and contacting the local visitor center to make sure I know where I can and can’t go.

Collection

Thanks for reading – my website can be found here: Lancemcfee.com

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