Independence: A Gold-Rush Ghost Town Below Independence Pass

Prospectors struck gold at this spot around July 4, 1879, giving the camp its name. A tent city quickly gave way to log cabins and businesses, and by 1882 about 1,000 people lived and worked here, in the mines, the Farwell Gold Mill, freight and stage outfits, and the businesses lining Aspen Avenue. As at other camps in the area, the gold veins were shallow and soon exhausted.

The town's most famous chapter came in the winter of 1899, when record snowfall cut off supply routes and food ran short. According to the Aspen Historical Society, the last residents built roughly 75 pairs of skis and escaped en masse down to Aspen. Since 1975 the Society has maintained and interpreted the townsite under a U.S. Forest Service permit, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Independence sits at 10,900 feet, 16 miles east of Aspen on Highway 82, just below the summit of Independence Pass, with remaining structures including a stable, a general store, boarding houses, and the Farwell stamp mill. Because the pass road is seasonal and has vehicle-size limits, RV travelers should plan their route accordingly and may base a rented motorhome in the Roaring Fork Valley before the self-guided visit.