Story by Kathryn Retzler
All content © San Juan Publishing Group, Inc, All rights reserved.

T'S A RARE FIND, this town, one of the last remnants of the true old west. Not Hollywood hype, but the real thing. On any given day you might rub shoulders with a miner, a cowboy, a back-country guide, a hippie, a yuppie, a preacher, a shop keeper, and a school teacher...and they all get along...for the most part.

Once dependent on mining, and way too familiar with its boom and bust heritage, Silverton is above all a survivor. Today’s boom is visitors who come here to take a break from the present and experience a glimpse of the past. Silverton is a tiny pocket of nostalgia  tucked into a valley surrounded by incredibly tall, heartbreakingly beautiful mountains. Yes, your cell phone will work here and you will find a high-speed hookup for your laptop. But you won’t need them. Silverton is really about escape.

Hundreds arrive every day from May to October by bus or car or the still-steaming Silverton train from Durango. The town graciously welcomes them. From over a dozen restaurants, delicious smells waft through open doors, accompanied by the tinkle of honky-tonk piano. Shopkeepeers greet guests with a friendly smile and an historical anticdote.

After the trains and buses leave, the town settles into a mood familiar to those who grew up in rural America or have happy memories of a time when things were less complicated. On a summer Saturday evening you can amble along from place to place, slurp up an ice cream cone, ogle the shops, and treat yourself to a trinket or fine art. After dinner, take in a live theatre performance or vaudville act, or make the rounds and dance the night away to one of several live bands. Next day, head for the hills (big hills; several  top 14,000 feet!) and soak up their unrelenting beauty by foot, bike, jeep, horseback, or in winter, strap something onto your feet and go for the powder.

Silverton is a special place, filled with special people. It is truly a step back in time, one that will let you recharge your civilization-coping batteries for as long as you care to stay.