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About CarsonCarson is located above Lake San Cristobal, one of the largest natural lakes in Colorado. Lake San Cristobal is shown in the opening scene in the virtual tour. Carson was named for Christopher Carson, who filed a claim on the Bonanza King Mine in 1881. Carson boomed with its Bachelor Mine from 1905 to 1915 and remains very well-preserved, principally because new steel roofs were put onto the primary structures. The largest building, featured in the virtual tour, is the boardinghouse, now plastered with graffiti. According to Philip Varney, author of Ghost Towns of Colorado, Carson at one point experienced a horrible outbreak of the flu that scared three women residents out of town during the dead of winter. The women found a cabin to inhabit about ten miles away, but unfortunately suffered even greater hardships than the flu, and the two died of starvation and the cold. Silverton and Ouray can be reached from Carson by crossing Cinnamon Pass, which is very close to Engineer Pass. The road to Silverton passes through Animas Forks. The photo below was taken on the road between Carson and the gradual ascent to Cinnamon Pass, so-named because of dominance of the cinnamon color above timerberline covering the mountains around the pass in the fall. ![[Carson]](../images/carson2.jpg) |