A Brief History Of Silverton
itting at 9318 feet and nestled in the caldera of an ancient volcano, Silverton is the perfect backdrop for the World's Highest Harley® Store. Settled in 1873 by men of adventurous spirit looking to make their fortunes in silver and gold, the town remains today as rugged and full of unique individuals as it was in those early days.
Early access to Silverton was from the east on a rough wagon road over Stony Pass. The road was so steep that wagons often had to be assisted with block and tackle equipment to make the grades. The railroad opened up the area in 1882. Ore was then hauled to the smelter in Durango for processing. At the height of productivity, mines like the Yankee Girl, the National Belle, the Silver Bell and the Genessee produced more than $25 million of gold and silver. Today a tour of gulches and passes around Silverton easily gives a traveler a sense of what those early miners experienced. The Old One Hundred Mine boarding house in Cunningham Gulch still clings to the summit of Galena Mountain. Tramways still sway high above rivers and roads outside of town.
A walk down Greene or Blair streets shows buildings that still stand from those glory days. With Banks and Bordellos, the community of Silverton was an early boomtown of the uncivilized west, where the likes of Wyatt Earp or Doc Holiday passed through.Although illegal, gambling and the bordellos were tolerated as long as they stayed east of Greene Street.