Lesser known than the gold and silver mines of Western lore, Southern Colorados extensive coal mines fueled the engines for Western industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the numerous companies operating the mines, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was king. With a total of 62 mines, the majority of them in Colorados Las Animas, Huerfano, and Fremont Counties, CF&I ruled the lives of countless miners in company towns scattered throughout Southern Colorado. Working long hours, often in cramped underground caverns, the workers emerged to families living in lonely mountain landscapes completely provisioned with company homes, stores, schools, and churches. Images of America: Mining Towns of Southern Colorado gives an intimate glimpse into the lives of these pioneer mining families.

Mining Industry Overview How Are Mining Towns Similar To Other Towns 10 Authentic Old West Towns in Colorado History Of Mining: Mining Towns American West Explore Colorado's most fascinating gold rush towns Lesser known than the gold and silver mines of Western lore, Southern Colorado's extensive coal mines fueled the engines for Western industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the numerous companies operating the mines, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was king.

Mining Industry Overview How Are Mining Towns Similar To Other Towns 10 Authentic Old West Towns in Colorado History Of Mining: Mining Towns American West Explore Colorado's most fascinating gold rush towns Lesser known than the gold and silver mines of Western lore, Southern Colorado's extensive coal mines fueled the engines for Western industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the numerous companies operating the mines, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was king.

Mining Industry Overview How Are Mining Towns Similar To Other Towns 10 Authentic Old West Towns in Colorado History Of Mining: Mining Towns American West Explore Colorado's most fascinating gold rush towns Lesser known than the gold and silver mines of Western lore, Southern Colorado's extensive coal mines fueled the engines for Western industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the numerous companies operating the mines, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was king.

Images from the archives of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I).

The area of focus for this study is the coal towns in Las Animas and Huerfano counties.

Depicts the history of more than one hundred Colorado towns abandoned after the end of the mining boom