How Did Keystone Colorado Get It's Name?
Keystone Real Estate
Keystone Colorado has been in existance since the 1800s. During the gold boom legend states that a prospector from Pennsylvania (the Keystone State) came west to seek his fortune. To this day Keystone Colorado is still not a "true town" by definition as it has never been incorporated. If you were looking to purchase Keystone Real Estate you would have to search under the Dillon zipcode of 80435.
The gold and silver boom in the late 1800's was important to the history of the majority of towns in Colorado including Keystone Colorado. Other towns in the area include Montezuma, Argentine and Sts. John to name a few. Each with a unique start and some with an ending known as ghost towns.
One of the first discoveries of Silver was in the town of Sts. John around 1863. A prospector by the name of Coley discovered silver on a glacier ridge which was the start to this silver mining town, originally named Coleyville. Sts. John can still be visited today via snowshoe in the winter on a 1.3 mile trail from Montezuma. I had the pleasure of snowshoeing this trail last year. It is steep hike in but an easy hike out. There is old remenants of a town but history states the town ceased to exist after several avalanches kept taking out parts of the town. To this day Sts. John does have a few residences but they are still under fear of avalanche danger.
After the discovery of silver in Sts. John, the town of Montezuma came to life. Founded in 1865 and incorporated in 1881, Montezuma was the place to live if you were mining for silver. At the height of the silver boom Montezuma is said to have had several hotels, restaurants, saloons, blacksmiths, shoemakers and more. Montezuma took its name from the emporer of the Aztec's. Today there are still several residences and old buildings from the silver boom that can be seen. However, Montezuma is listed as a ghost town.
Argentine, the name of a pass, ski runs and condo complex in Keystone Real Estate used to be a mining town as well. Located not far from Montezuma, Argentine had a large mining operation and company. To this day visitors can take a 4x4 trip up over Argentine Pass and view some of the old mining buildings and take in panoramic views of the Continental Divide and surrounding mountains.
Each of the three smaller towns mentioned above, Sts. John, Montezuma and Argentine have a special place in Keystone history. There are currently three condo complexes in Keystone Real Estate named after each of these towns. To learn more about the history of Keystone Colorado or to discuss Keystone Real Estate, Contact Krystal Knott with Ten Peaks Sotheby's International Realty.
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