Ward, Colorado

Ward, founded in 1860 near the big gold prospects at Gold Hill, was once one of the richest towns in Colorado. The settlement was named for Calvin Ward, and early prospector who worked a site known as Miser's Dream. Then Cyrus Deardorff discovered the Columbia vein close by and the town boomed. The population of the area fluctuated with every new boom and bust cycle as several more gold and silver strikes were made over the next several decades. The railroad arrived in 1898, climbing some 4,000 feet from Boulder over 26 miles. A huge fire in 1901 almost wiped out the town but with profitability still happening in the local mines, Ward was almost immediately rebuilt. However, by the 1920's the mines had run out of workable ore and the population mostly left the area. In the 1930's the Peak to Peak Highway was built and that brought back some business.