Ironton

Ironton is a ghost town in Ouray County, Colorado, located south of Ouray in the mountains. Many old buildings still stand in the landscape, showing the layout of a former mining settlement built on relatively flat terrain.

Ironton began as a mining settlement in the 1890s, originally called Copper Glen, when a railroad built by Otto Mears in 1889 connected it to other towns. The town peaked with about 1000 residents before mining declined and the population faded through the 1900s.

Ironton sits on Highway 550 between Ouray and Silverton and is accessible by regular vehicles year-round with maintained roads. The location is about 7 miles south of Ouray and allows easy exploration of the ruins and old building remains.

A bell cast in Ironton in 1890 was later transported to St. Michael's Church in Delta, where it has been installed in the tower since 1912. Milton Larson was the last known resident, appearing on a television game show in 1963 before his death a few years later.