The Colorado Town That Vanished After Murder, Fire, and a Deadly Mine Explosion

Once upon a time, there was a town in southeastern Colorado named Hastings. Hastings was home to a coal mine and a handful of residents, but tragedy struck multiple times, and today, nothing is left of the town.

Family Feud Turns Deadly in Hastings, Colorado

The first notable tragedy in Hastings, Colorado, took place in 1903 when two families, the Tomacias and the Campicias, who were feuding at the time, learned that they had been secretly united by marriage.

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Despite the fact that the Tomacia and Campicia families did not get along, Frank Campicia and Angelica Tomacia secretly got married, and when the families found out about the nuptials, things turned violent.

The father and brother of the bride, Salvatore and Joseph Tomacia, barged into the home in which the wedding was taking place and shot two members of the Campicia family, including the groom.

After leaving the scene, the Tomacias were pursued and shot as well.

The Hastings, Colorado Mine Explosion

Roughly 14 years later, another tragedy took place in the Victor-American Fuel Company coal mine in Hastings. On April 27, 1917, David Reese, a mine inspector, attempted to light an oil-burning lamp in the mine with matches he had brought with him and triggered an explosion.

The blast took the lives of a total of 121 people.

This explosion and subsequent fire occurred just five years after another, smaller explosion occurred in the mine where twelve lives were lost.

Read More: This Colorado Lake Has History + is Allegedly Haunted

Today, nothing remains of Hastings, Colorado, except a roadside monument.