Tarryall, Colorado (ghost town)
Encyclopedia
Tarryall is a ghost town
in northwest Park County
, Colorado
, United States
. The town was located on upper Tarryall Creek
northwest of Como, Colorado
. It was once the county seat of Park County, but is now completely deserted.
The town was founded in 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush
after the discovery of placer
gold in Tarryall Creek. The "Tarryall diggings", as well as other discoveries, prompted a flood of prospectors into South Park
via Ute Pass
and Kenosha Pass
. Most newly arriving miners found that all available land for mining along the Tarryall Creek had been completely claimed by earlier arrivals, and much resentment ensued. It was thought that the earlier miners had claimed much more land than a man could reasonably work, and latecomers called Tarryall "Grab All". Another mining town, founded not far away on the Middle Fork of the South Platte River
, was named Fairplay
as a dig at Tarryall.
A US post office opened in Tarryall on 4 Jan. 1860. The town very briefly served as the county seat of Park County, from the organization of the county on 1 Nov. 1861 until the county seat was moved to Buckskin Joe
(now also a ghost town) on 7 Jan. 1862.
The town was located near the junction of North and Middle Tarryall creeks. At its height, Tarryall had a population of several thousand. A marker along U.S. Highway 285 near Como
where it crosses Tarryall Creek commemorates the Tarryall diggings and the former town. Decades later a new town named Tarryall
was founded 29 miles southeast of the original, and deserted, ghost town of Tarryall.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in northwest Park County
Park County, Colorado
Park County is the 17th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named after the large geographic region known as South Park, which was named by early fur traders and trappers in the area. The geographic center of the State of Colorado is...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town was located on upper Tarryall Creek
Tarryall Creek
Tarryall Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in Park County in central Colorado in the United States. It drains a rural portion of north and central South Park, an intermontane grassland in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver...
northwest of Como, Colorado
Como, Colorado
Como is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. The Como Post Office has the ZIP Code 80432.Located at the northern end of South Park, the town is a historic mining settlement founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1859. It sits approximately...
. It was once the county seat of Park County, but is now completely deserted.
The town was founded in 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush
Colorado Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861...
after the discovery of placer
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
gold in Tarryall Creek. The "Tarryall diggings", as well as other discoveries, prompted a flood of prospectors into South Park
South Park (Colorado basin)
South Park is a high intermontane grassland basin, approximately 10,000 ft in elevation, in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi southwest of Denver...
via Ute Pass
Ute Pass
Ute Pass is a mountain pass west of Colorado Springs, near Divide.The climate is arid, so many plants that grow here are adapted to low water usage. The pass at one time was used by stage coach and equestrian traffic. It is steep on the east side. The pass is traversed by U.S. Highway 24....
and Kenosha Pass
Kenosha Pass
Kenosha Pass, elevation , is a high mountain pass located in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.The pass is located in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, just northeast of the town of Fairplay, Colorado...
. Most newly arriving miners found that all available land for mining along the Tarryall Creek had been completely claimed by earlier arrivals, and much resentment ensued. It was thought that the earlier miners had claimed much more land than a man could reasonably work, and latecomers called Tarryall "Grab All". Another mining town, founded not far away on the Middle Fork of the South Platte River
Middle Fork South Platte River
The Middle Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, located in central Colorado in the United States...
, was named Fairplay
Fairplay, Colorado
The Town of Fairplay is a statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Park County, Colorado, United States. Fairplay is located in South Park at an elevation of . The town is the fifth-highest incorporated place in the State of Colorado. The population was 610 at the...
as a dig at Tarryall.
A US post office opened in Tarryall on 4 Jan. 1860. The town very briefly served as the county seat of Park County, from the organization of the county on 1 Nov. 1861 until the county seat was moved to Buckskin Joe
Buckskin Joe, Colorado
Buckskin Joe, also called Laurette or Lauret, is a deserted ghost town in Colorado, United States. It was an early mining town, and county seat of Park County, Colorado.-History:...
(now also a ghost town) on 7 Jan. 1862.
The town was located near the junction of North and Middle Tarryall creeks. At its height, Tarryall had a population of several thousand. A marker along U.S. Highway 285 near Como
Como, Colorado
Como is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. The Como Post Office has the ZIP Code 80432.Located at the northern end of South Park, the town is a historic mining settlement founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1859. It sits approximately...
where it crosses Tarryall Creek commemorates the Tarryall diggings and the former town. Decades later a new town named Tarryall
Tarryall, Colorado
Tarryall is an unincorporated town of cabins and old buildings in eastern Park County, Colorado, United States. The town is located on Tarryall Creek in the eastern edge of the South Park, between Lake George and Jefferson....
was founded 29 miles southeast of the original, and deserted, ghost town of Tarryall.