Burrows Park, Colorado

Burrows Park, Colorado Road by Mike Sinnwell, Rocky Mountain Profiles

Burrows Park, Colorado Road by Mike Sinnwell, Rocky Mountain Profiles

Burrows Park is situated at the head of the valley in which the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River rises, along the Hinsdale-San Juan County line. It gained its name from Charles Burrows, who prospected the area in 1873.

Today, this high five-mile-long grassy meadow area encompasses what was once several mining camps, including Burrows Park, Whitecross, Tellurium, Argentum, and Sterling. Their exact locations are difficult to establish since almost all signs of the camps have disappeared. All the mining camps sprang to life between 1875 and 1880 following the rich ore strikes in the vicinity.

The first camp to be established was Tellurium City in July 1875. It was named after an ore found in the area. A post office was established the same year. The camp was located near the junction of Adams Creek and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River near the head of Burrows Park. The Silver World newspaper described it in July 1875 as having: “a population less than 500 men and enough valley vocalists (burros) to make the night hideous.” During its heyday, an expensive mill was built, and an elaborate townsite was laid out. But, by 1880, it was already a ghost town.

Argentum was creatively named for the argentiferous ores found in the area. By 1876, it had a post office. The camp had two stores, three hotels, a blacksmith shop, and 12 cabins. Nearby was a sawmill and the Whitecross Mine. Its post office closed in 1882. It was located on the northeast side of the Lake Fork, just above its confluence with Silver Creek and at the lower end of Burrow’s Park.

Burrows Park, Colorado Buildings by Mike Sinnwell, Rocky Mountain Profiles

Burrows Park, Colorado Buildings by Mike Sinnwell, Rocky Mountain Profiles

The mining camp of Burrows Park was located in the valley, and the Whitecross camp was located about a quarter of a mile above it. A post office was established in 1880 as Burrows Park, but it was actually at Whitecross. The name of the post office was changed to Whitecross in 1882. Mail was delivered daily from Lake City by pack animal. The community even had mail service in the winter, when a man named Tom Byron crossed Cinnamon Pass daily on snowshoes or skis carrying mail to Animas Forks and Mineral Point. Whitecross boasted the Hotel de Clauson, the favorite meeting place for all neighboring camps. Whitecross was named after a nearby mountain with a noticeable white cross in a geological formation. In 1900, Whitecross had a store, saloon, hotel, boarding house, and two stables.  At that time, around 300 men received mail at the White Cross post office.

There was another mining camp called Sterling in the area, but we could not find any information on the community.

The Park Mining District located at Burrows Park flourished in the mid-1870s when the Gunnison Mines Company built a mill. There were about 30 mines in the area, including the LaBelle, Bon Homme, Champion, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Great Ohio, Japanese, Isolde, Undine, Napoleon, Oneida, and Premier. About a mile above Burrows Park was a sizable reduction works to separate the minerals from the rock. During this period, the mines employed about 200 miners.

On average, Burrows Park’s communities maintained a summer population of about 200 but were nearly always deserted in the winter due to its elevation of 10,700 feet. Three 14,000-foot peaks are nearby: Red Cloud and Sunshine to the north and Handies to the southwest.

A stagecoach line from Lake City served the area for $3.00. The stage also made its way to Animas Forks, and the cost of that hair-raising ten-mile ride was $1.50 either way.

Poor roads, remote location, elevation, and limited ore in the area all contributed to the demise of the mining camps.

Ruins at Whitecross, Colorado courtesy Colorado Ghost Town Photography

Ruins at Whitecross, Colorado ,courtesy Colorado Ghost Town Photography

Along this meadow once stood clusters of hotels, blacksmith shops, saloons, roadhouses, meat markets, general stores, sawmills, homes, and mining ventures. Today, there is little left in this picturesque setting. Two cabins, restored by the forest service, are the starting point for the hike to several nearby fourteeners. In the mountains are traces of foundations and the remains of fallen buildings.

Burrows Park is located along the Alpine Loop Back Country Byway, about 20 miles southwest of Lake City, Colorado.

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2024.

Also See:

Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway

Byways & Historic Trails

Colorado Ghost Towns

Lake City, Colorado

Sources:

Brown, Robert L.; Jeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns, Caxton Press, 1963
Lake City, Colorado
Lake City Historic District
Western Cover Society; Western Express. July 1975