| Crystal, Colorado |
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Information AboutCrystal, Colorado |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CRYSTAL, COLORADO | |
| ghost towns in colorado | |
| gunnison county, colorado | |
| unincorporated communities in colorado | |
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Crystal, Colorado is a Ghost Town in a valley on the upper Crystal River in Gunnison County, Colorado , on a Four-wheel-drive gravel road between Marble and Crested Butte . Many buildings still stand in Crystal, but its few residents live there only in the summer. Crystal is surrounded by excellent mountain biking and 4x4 terrain, and can be reached via tours from the town of Marble. THE MILL Crystal is best known for one of the most photographed sites in Colorado, the Crystal Mill , which was listed on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1985. The most interesting thing about this picture is that is not actually the mill at all. The remains of the mill can barely be seen to the right of the structure referred to as the mill. That structure is actually the hydroelectric power plant used to power the mill and other structures in the town of Crystal. ROAD ACCESS TO CRYSTAL A warning to those who use (via Schofield Pass ) is not displayed as "4WD Only" or "Closed in Winter," although in fact these warnings do apply to it. CR 317 is essentially impassable except for ATVs, short-wheelbase high-clearance 4WD vehicles, offroad motorcycles, or mountain bikes. The section between Crystal and Schofield Park is particularly dangerous, due to an annual snowslide called "The Snowbridge" and the cliffside section of road past "Devil's Punchbowl". It is recommended that drivers park their vehicles at the head of the canyon section, and walk the road first, before committing themselves, as there are few if any places to pull over and/or turn around. Towing fees to retrieve stuck or crashed vehicles are extremely expensive, if the vehicle can be rescued at all. Gunnison County Road 3 between Crystal and Marble also should be considered a 4WD road, although the hazards are not as severe as on CR 317. HISTORY Crystal (sometimes called ''Crystal City'') was founded in 1880, but Mined as early as the 1860s. At its peak, Crystal had 400+ residents, two newspapers (the ''Crystal River Current'' and ''The Silver Lance''), a Pool hall, a men's club, a barber shop and two hotels. In 1915,only eight people lived there. EXTERNAL LINK |
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