Ironton, shown during its heyday in the early 1890s, served as the supply point for the silver mines in the Red Mountain Mining District south of Ouray. Photo courtesy Ouray County Historical Society
History column: Ironton was once a bustling mining town
By Don Paulson
The townsite of Ironton, founded in March of 1883, is located eight miles south of Ouray along County Road 20D parallel to Highway 550. There were over 100 buildings constructed in Ironton in 1883 alone. The business district was located on the north end of this area, although no structures remain there today. Ironton served as the supply point for the rich silver mines in the Red Mountain
Mining District. By the mid-1880s Ironton’s population fluctuated from 200 during the winte...
