Preston, Colorado

Preston is a ghost town in Summit County, Colorado. It is located east of modern Breckenridge, between Jessie mine in Gold Run Gulch and the Jumbo mine.

Not to be confused with Preston Monument.

Preston
Mining ghost town
One of the remaining cabins in Preston
Preston Location within the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°29′45″N 106°01′16″W
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Summit
Elevation	10,371 ft (3,161 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	0
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes	80424 [1]
GNIS feature ID	203917[2]

Description

Preston is situated above Gold Run Gulch along Dry Gulch Road. The townsite is now National Forest property and is managed by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance. About 375 feet (114 m) west of the townsite are the remains of the Jumbo mine–consisting of abandoned minecarts, several mounds of tailings, and a few largely collapsed wooden structures. The remaining Preston town structures are scattered along a short stretch of road.[2] The Jessie mine is located roughly 444 feet (135 m) below Preston and is connected by the road.[3] There is another, unrelated mine named "Jumbo" that operated in the 1910s–roughly 30 years after the opening of the Preston Jumbo mine–near Montezuma several miles to the northeast.[4]

In the summer, the town is accessible by bike, car, and foot. In the winter can be reached by cross-country skis, snowshoes, and fatbike. There are several meadows that provide views of Breckenridge, Frisco, and the Dillon Reservoir. The residential area was part of a connected series of populated mining sites that also included the Prospect Complex to the northeast.[5] A sign for visitors to the Preston townsite displays historic photographs and information, as does a similar sign at the Jessie mine.[3]

History

The town existed by at least 1875, when the first post office was moved there from the nearby Delaware Flats. The post office was briefly closed in January 1884, reopening after a month, before its 1889 move back towards Delaware Flats to the town of Braddockville, where in 1881 there had been an ore discovery.[6][7]

In 1893-1894, the Jessie mine was constructed to extract gold, silver, zinc, and lead.[3][8] At its peak, the town was home to roughly 150 miners and their families, as well as a millinery and boarding house. It was depopulated completely by the late 1930s.[3][6]

References

1. "Preston (historical) in Summit County CO". CO HomeTownLocator. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
2. "Preston, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1 March 1995. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
3. "Preston Ghost Town". Trails Trekker. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
4. "Jumbo Mine". Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
5. "Prospect Complex Site 5ST1153" (PDF). Mine Sites. Mather Archives. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
6. Jessen, Kenneth (21 July 2011). "Summit County's picturesque Preston". Loveland Reporter-Herald. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
7. "Twenty Years Ago". Summit County Journal. Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. 27 April 1901. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
8. "Jessie Mine (B and B Mines Inc)". mindat.org. Retrieved 10 March 2020.