Rocky Mountain Ramble - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 408

13. Georgetown
No time capsule could have preserved the historic mining village of Georgetown as well
as did a single turn of economic fate: Silver, which built the town in the 1870s, plunged
in value when America adopted the gold standard in 1893. The boomtown went bust, and
its fine Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, and Italianate buildings were saved from the wreck-
ingballofmodernization.Morethan200ofGeorgetown'soriginalstructuresremainintact
today, many beautifully and authentically restored. The Hamill House, built by the town's
richest silver miner and now a museum, dazzles the eye with ornate walnut woodwork,
gleaming gaslights, original wall coverings, and Renaissance Revival furnishings.
A ride on the nearby Georgetown Loop Railroad affords breathtaking views down the
narrow, rugged valley—especially from Devils Gate Bridge, perched on stilts 100 feet
above Clear Creek. The chugging steam locomotive and open-air excursion cars recall the
days when miners sought and made their fortunes here. Nestled against the wooded moun-
tainsideinthedistancesitsGeorgetown,wherethelegacyofanothereralivesoninthecity
still known as the Silver Queen of the Rockies.