Check Out the Remnants of One of the Highest Mines in Colorado

Because of Colorado's rich history of mining, the state is now full of abandoned ghost towns and mines. One of these old, abandoned mines is located just outside of Telluride in a beautiful area that was once known as Tomboy, Colorado.

What Was Tomboy Colorado?

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Tomboy, Colorado was an old mining town just outside of Telluride that was founded in 1894 when gold was discovered. The Old Tomboy Mine is one of the highest in the nation and sits at 11,509 feet above sea level.

While there's little left of the actual ghost town of Tomboy today, in its prime the town had a general store, a school, several residences where the miners lived, and even a YMCA with tennis courts.

The mine was bought by the Rothchilds family in 1897 and became a zinc mine from 1908 and 1914 and eventually closed in 1928.

What's at the Old Tomboy Mine Now?

First of all, the land that once had the Old Tomboy Mine on it is privately owned and while people do visit it, it's likely that doing so is technically considered trespassing.

In addition, the road that leads to the site of the old mine is rather treacherous and can really only be navigated using Jeeps or other all-terrain vehicles of some sort.

The site is rather barren nowadays, but there are several old concrete foundations still sitting around as well as some structures, rubble from the mining days, pieces of rusted metal, and other remnants that have been sitting abandoned for almost a century.

Keep scrolling to take a virtual tour of the Old Tomboy Mine: