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Ironton
![[Ironton]](images/ironton1.jpg) Ironton, located along the road between Ouray and Silverton (the "Million Dollar Highway"), began in 1883 as a supply point for the mines in the Red Mountain Mining District. The Silverton Railroad reached Ironton in 1889. As happened to so many of the great Colorado mining towns, the silver crash of 1893 destroyed Ironton's economic base. By 1910 the population had decreased from a peak of more than 300 to 48. There were other large towns at the turn of the century on the "Million Dollar Highway," but they are mostly gone now. Ironton remains because it is set back from the highway, so passers-by can't see it. |