Winfield

Winfield is an abandoned mining settlement in the Sawatch Range where wooden structures from the 1880s silver rush still stand in the thin mountain air. The buildings show how miners and their families lived and worked at this remote elevation.

The settlement emerged in the 1880s during the silver rush when prospectors pushed into the Sawatch Range seeking ore. After silver prices collapsed in 1893, most residents left quickly, and by the 1920s the town was nearly empty.

Winfield offers a rare glimpse into the social world of late 19th-century mountain mining communities. The buildings that remain reveal how families and workers created daily routines in extreme isolation—the general store served as both supply center and gathering place, while cabin arrangements show how neighbors relied on each other during long winters. Walking through the site, you notice details like hand-hewn timbers and stone foundations that reflect the resourcefulness needed to build at this altitude. The town's layout also hints at the optimism of the silver boom years, when people believed these remote camps would grow into permanent settlements.

The site sits above 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and is reachable only by a rough mountain road requiring careful driving. The area can be explored on foot as you walk among old wooden cabins, the former general store, and other structures.

Miners used the freezing winters to store meat and supplies in snow-packed chambers between buildings, creating natural coolers whose remains are still visible today among the wooden ruins.