High up in the mountains of San Juan County, rushing waters of creeks in canyons provide access to and through the fortress of peaks surrounding Silverton Colorado. Previously Baker’s park, Silverton represents the mining heart of Southwest Colorado. Mineral Creek from the west, Cement Creek from the northwest and less than five miles upriver from the town of Silverton, Cunningham Gulch empties into the Animas River, the “River of Lost Souls.” Through lush and harsh terrain, the Animas River flows south from Baker’s Park toward Durango. As early as 1860, prospectors including Charles Baker began looking for gold in the Animas River and tributary creeks. News of success brought hundreds more searching for gold deep in the San Juan mountains and Ute territory. But within a year, trouble with the Utes, a harsh winter and disappointment drove prospectors out. For nearly a decade, San Juan County remained in the hands of the Utes and untouched by the goldrush.

Yet, by 1870, prospectors were crossing Stony Pass from the Rio Grande River east of the Continental Divide, descending into Cunningham Gulch, and spreading out along the Animas in violation of the Treaty of 1868. A cluster of log cabins, known as Howardsville, grew up at the mouth of Cunningham Gulch. In the summer of 1872, a member of the original Baker party discovered the rich Sunnyside, Washington, and Belle Creole veins near Lake Emma at the head of Eureka Gulch. These discoveries proved to be some of the richest in the history of mining. By 1874, the Silverton area was crawling with prospectors. The bustling mining camp that sprang up near the diggings was named for the massive silver deposits that were found mixed with the gold ore. Nicknamed the "Silver Queen of Colorado", the mining camp became known as Silverton.

After silver prices stabilized, Silverton saw a general shift in its economy. The mines in the Red Mountain District, which had been so successful in the past, were all struggling with water. As the mines in the north went deeper, they encountered under-ground water that could not be removed at an affordable price. Simultaneously, the mines to the south of Silverton were doing very well. These mines did not have the underground water problems but still had one problem to overcome. They needed the same economical transportation that the mines to the north enjoyed.

In 1895, Mears built Silverton's second railroad, the Silverton Northern. The new railroad extended the short branch line that went to the Silver Lake Mill up to Eureka. Eureka was the home of the very rich Sunnyside Extension mine. The new railroad enjoyed great success. The completion of the large Sunnyside mill in Eureka gave the line plenty of traffic. The Sunnyside was one of the biggest producers in the entire area and was one of the last to close.

Progress cannot be stopped, and the Industrial Revolution brought efficiency not only to the cities, but to the mountains. Mechanical mining saw the end to large crews of workers, by the mid-twentieth century a few dozen miners and millworkers could maintain the same level of production. In the 1920's a road was built to link old toll roads together from Ridgeway, Ouray, Silverton and finally to Durango. Known as Highway 550 or the Million Dollar Highway, this road is hard on the squeamish with all the tight turns and steep drop offs. This highway climbs and descends three passes on its way from Ridgeway to Durango, Red Mountain pass, Molas pass, and Coal Bank pass.

In 1991 closure of the last big mines and mill at Baker’s Park may have marked the end of mining in the San Juan Mountains for decades or centuries to come. Silverton today is a monument to its long-lived and very recent mining past. Its citizens are determined to preserve the remnants of the mining era which surround the town. Silverton's future may well be as the place where the world comes to see and to understand the mining history--thus, the foundation of the modern history--of the San Juan Country.