Granite, Colorado! Granite is one of those teeny tiny towns you may have driven through on your way to Aspen, Vail, Leadville or some other Rocky Mountain destination. Call it a "ghost town," the "middle of nowhere" or a mere "dot on the map," and you're in company with many others, but look at the beauty of this place.

Granite, Colorado was once the county seat of Lake County, which consisted of the land of both Lake and Chaffee counties in the late 1800's. It was once a bustling area for mining activity, but like many towns formed in this era, Granite was largely deserted after the mining playing out. At the time of this writing, there are six year round residents in Granite, although snow birds, vacationers and seasonal river rafting workers swell the town to probably 50 to 100 people in the summer months.

All the best, Steve

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	Granite, Colorado A view facing west. Other pages around Granite: Mountain Biking in Twin Lakes Gene's Yaks (Granite, CO) Autumn Foliage Independence Pass (2006) Independence Pass (2007) Mineral Belt Trail (Leadville) Snowy Mountains Mt. Elbert La Plata Peak Vicksburg & Winfield Lost Canyon Road Mt. Elbert Forebay Turquoise Lake Interlaken Site
	Up on a hill. My friends were below standing and in the truck. :)
	Many old structures remain in town on the "main road" (Chaffee County Road 397) adjacent to the river.
	The railroad used to run through Granite. Someday I plan to walk on those railroad track from the north border of Chaffee County to the south border. :)
	The view of the Arkansas River from the bridge.

The Schoolhouse Approaching the schoolhouse.
Ahhh the steeple and bell. The entrance room has a cord that shifts the bell. Go Kim go!
Another view of the schoolhouse. The extra section on the left was apparently added to the building at some point.

	December 2006 - Original Captions Remain This winter, I have gotten into the habit of smoking cigars in remote places and small Colorado mountain towns ... as a way to cope with my overwhelming sense of boredom during the winter. Today, I drove to Granite, Colorado (Population 9 Year-Round Residents) located 17 miles north of Buena Vista on Highway 24.
	One of the few landmarks in Granite is the bridge over the Arkansas River. That's where I decided to pull out my cigar! The bottom right photo is the view facing north, upstream on the Arkansas River.
	A portage area for the Arkansas River.
	This building served as a schoolhouse for many residents up until the 1950's. Personally, I think the building should be re-opened as an extension campus for Pueblo Community College or Colorado Mountain College. That would be so cool! :p)
	A railroad that ran north-south along the upper Arkansas River valley was in operation until a few years ago.
	I walked over to the Granite General Store, which sadly, was closed! :(
	Ah, but I did get a nice picture of the few residential homes of Granite. :) Granite likely meets the criteria of being listed as a "ghost town." My other ghost town pages: St. Elmo Hancock Independence Bonanza Vicksburg and Winfield Victor