Continuing on the Ghost Town theme, here’s a 2023 photograph I made in the Colorado Ghost Town of Como.
Como is a ghost town located in Park County, Colorado, approximately 6 miles southwest of the town of Jefferson. The town was founded in the late 1800s and was initially established as a hub for the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, and was once a thriving part of Colorado’s gold rush. Today, remnants of the past linger in Como and it offers a bit of a ghostly feel. There are still some residents living in Como and there are still some businesses operating there.
Como was primarily a railroad town on the line to Breckenridge. There was a little coal mining done here, mostly by Italians. There were may saloons and gambling houses and even 2 newspapers as the railroad led to a more cosmopolitan life. The town’s population was only about 500 people but there were always thousands there due to the railroad. In 1909, many of the buildings burned down and were not rebuilt. In 1937, the railroad was shut down and so was the town. Today a few residents still live in the area.
Colorado Preservation Incorporated has been renovating several of the abandoned structures in Como. The train depot restoration is in it’s final stages now, and is in pretty good shape. Financial support for the depot restoration includes numerous funders including the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad Historical Society, Park County and the Park County Tourism Board.
