On the Telluride side is the remains of an old mining Town, not camp, but a true town. This town, called Tom Boy once had over 900 residents, complete with tennis courts. The town closed in 1927 when the ore at the Tom boy mine ran out.
(This is the remains of the Bullion Tunnel Mine–on your way into Tomboy from the Telluride side)
You can only reach this site, about 2 -3 months out of the year, the rest of the time the road is closed because of weather.
This looks like it might have been a rooming house or hotel.
Just for the record Imogene Pass is rated a 4 out of the possible 5 as far as 4-wheel drive difficulty and is the second highest pass in Colorado.
Whenever I see old mining towns, camps and mines in these hills mountains I am reminded once more….living here is not for the faint hearted.
Life on a Colorado Farm 
You are so right! Those are mountains and not hills!
Thanks for sharing some of the history in your area.
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and don’t we wish those walls could talk!
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Greetings from a very sunny Brisbane.
The scenery is very spectacular and forbidding. However, it looks vaguely familiar! Was it in this area of the USA, that the film “Hombre” (Paul Newman) was filmed? Some of your viewers may know if this is so.
The ruins remind me what I recently saw at a place, which also was a mining town in the 1850’s, called Burra, in South Australia. It still has all the ruins of the old homes – just clumps of stone. Also has the places where the poorer miners lived – holes in the river bank and the trunks of huge trees! An amazing place to visit – could be called the town which has “Stood Still In Time”. It, Burra, has an amazing history – worth trying to find by “google”.
Cheers
Yellow Mellow
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A true ghost town!
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I love this kind of thing. That second photo is beautiful. Don’t know if I’d be able to make it living up there in the “rough”… but I sure do like it! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!
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Wow, thats really neat!! It certainly isnt for the faint of heart. I cant imagine what it would have been like without all of our modern technology!! Just amazing!! Thats for sharing those neat pics! I just love it!
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People call the local Smokies the “Mountains”. I can’t call them that, coming from out west. I still see only hills. LOL
Beautiful. 🙂
~Faith
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You are right, you have to be pretty hearty to live there. It would be lots of fun to poke around the old towns. I would suppose they are really picked clean and no “treasures” remain. Very fun field trip, I’m glad you did it for those of us who aren’t able to see it in person. Thanks for sharing.
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Amazing trip you took. Amazing people who would endure that environment even for a season or two. The lure of wealth from the ground must be a strong one for some people.
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This for follows of your wonderful blog is Burra, South Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burra,_South_Australia
I hope it works – note the river bank homes?
Cheers
Colin
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How strong people must have been in those days. Being able to live on a place like this (even tennis courts ?!) without any communication with the outside most of the year, and without 4×4 vehicles…
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This is so cool! We have a mine up by Swood, its closed now but used to be a Mica Mine. It is located on the other side of our mountain and you can only get there by long hike and guide. I have not yet found a guide who will hike it with me! When I do, I will surely post the pictures. Thank you for sharing this!
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First off, that last picture; “I could afford that.”
Second off, two words – altitude sickness. I wouldn’t have made it. I’ll have to see it from your lovely photos though.
Have fun with Kath and Daryl.
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This is so fascinating!! Can you IMAGINE living at that elevation where you’re snowed it 9 mos. out of the year? I’d be so interested to know how they laid inprovisions for so long. Great story and Great pictures! Thanks for the tour!!!
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This looks like the kind of place that Far Guy would like to visit! You have to really stop and wonder what their daily life was like..such strong people..but they had to be strong of body and spirit to survive:)
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Great story and photos. Very fascinating!
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Awesome photos. I can just imagine the scrappy people who eked out a living in this town. Like you said, not for the faint-hearted!
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I’ve also had the chance to experience Tomboy. I recommend reading Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fish Backus. You’ll really understand the hardiness of the miner families from a first person account. I’ll be taking this trip again to share with my boyfriend in two weeks.
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My mother and uncle spent their early childhood living at the Tomboy mine. My Grandfather was the town electrician, and my grandmother was the school teacher. They left, to start a new life in Oregon, in 1926, when my mother was only 5. She says that she vaguely recalls the tram ride from the mine.
In the 60’s, my mom and uncle took my grandmother back for a nostalgic visit to the mine, and surrounding area. Mom’s account of the Imogene Pass is consistent with the dire warnings from the various online sites that I have visited, so far … indeed, not for the feint of heart.
Thank you for the photographs, and information.
Caty,
San Francisco
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My father lived at or near the Tomboy briefly around 1912. His stepfather, John Patton, was some sort of mine security and I have been told one of his principal tasks was to stop the miners “high-grading”, the practice of trying to smuggle gold dust in their hair, body cavities etc. Would love to have any further documentation of the times they lived there.
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