# Eureka, Colorado

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**Eureka** is an [extinct mining town](/source/Ghost_town) in northeastern [San Juan County](/source/San_Juan_County,_Colorado), [Colorado](/source/Colorado), United States, along the [Animas River](/source/Animas_River), between [Silverton](/source/Silverton,_Colorado) and [Animas Forks](/source/Animas_Forks,_Colorado).[3][4] The town derives its name from the Greek interjection [Eureka!](/source/Eureka_(word))[5] The Eureka post office operated from August 9, 1875, until April 30, 1942.[6]

## History

Charles Baker's group of [prospectors](/source/Prospecting) found traces of placer gold in the [San Juan Mountains](/source/San_Juan_Mountains) in 1860 at Eureka. Forced out by the [Ute Tribe](/source/Ute_people) in 1861, who had been awarded the area in a US treaty, the prospectors returned in 1871, when lode gold was found in the Little Giant vein at Arrastre Gulch near [Silverton, Colorado](/source/Silverton,_Colorado). The miners were allowed to stay after the Brunot Treaty of 13 September 1873. In exchange for giving up 4 million acres, the [Southern Ute Indian Reservation](/source/Southern_Ute_Indian_Reservation) received $25,000 per year.[7]: 49 The Eureka, Colorado Territory, post office operated from August 9, 1875, until April 30, 1942.[6] The [Silverton, Colorado](/source/Silverton,_Colorado), post office ([ZIP code](/source/ZIP_code) 81433) now serves the area.[2]

The original mill was closed (reasons unknown) but to replace it, the Gold Prince Mill from Animas Forks was deconstructed and moved to the Eureka townsite to become the Sunnyside mill. In 1896, Eureka was connected to the [Denver and Rio Grande Railroad](/source/Denver_and_Rio_Grande_Railroad) via the [Silverton Northern Railroad](/source/Silverton_Northern_Railroad). Although the community grew steadily — not like a [boomtown](/source/Boomtown) — it quickly declined after 1939, when the Sunnyside Mill closed for the last time. Today, the original townsite gravel roads remain, and debris litters the area. The only remaining structure is the Eureka jail, which has been restored. Foundations of the Sunnyside Mill and various remains of other structures still exist today.

## Geography

Eureka was located in northeastern San Juan County at coordinates [37.8797°N 107.5651°W](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?params=37.8797_-107.5651&title=Eureka%2C%20Colorado) and elevation 9,863 feet (3,006 m).[8]

## See also

- [List of ghost towns in Colorado](/source/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Colorado)
- [List of municipalities in Colorado](/source/List_of_municipalities_in_Colorado)
- [List of populated places in Colorado](/source/List_of_populated_places_in_Colorado)
- [List of post offices in Colorado](/source/List_of_post_offices_in_Colorado)

## References

1. ["Colorado Counties"](https://dola.colorado.gov/dlg_lgis_ui_pu/publicCounties.jsf). [Colorado Department of Local Affairs](/source/Colorado_Department_of_Local_Affairs). Retrieved December 4, 2025.

1. ["ZIP Code Lookup"](https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm?bycitystate). [United States Postal Service](/source/United_States_Postal_Service). Retrieved December 4, 2025.

1. [Eureka History](http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/co/eureka.html)

1. [The Silverton Railroads](http://www.narrowgauge.org/ncmap/excur2_silverton_northern_railroad_history.html)

1. Dawson, John Frank. [*Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin*](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015051116740;view=1up;seq=26). Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 20.

1. Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). *Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989*. [Golden, Colorado](/source/Golden,_Colorado): [Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation](/source/Colorado_Railroad_Museum). ISBN 0-918654-42-4.

1. Voynick, S.M., 1992, Colorado Gold, Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, ISBN 0878424555

1. 187402. Retrieved December 4, 2025.

## External links

- [State of Colorado](https://www.colorado.gov/) - [History Colorado](https://www.historycolorado.org/)
- [Eureka Ghost Town, Historic Site Photos by Coloradopast.com](http://www.coloradopast.com/index.php?category=ghosttowns&subcategory=sanjuans&selection=Eureka)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Eureka, Colorado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka%2C_Colorado) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka%2C_Colorado?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.