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Even if you don't know exactly where it is, or how to get there, chances are you've probably at least heard of Tin Cup. It's a breath of fresh air, photogenic, pastoral, and the quintessential "get away from everything" kind of place that is fun to find.
The western flank of the Continental Divide had for centuries been
home to the Ute Indians. Captain Zebulon M. Pike reportedly
reached the area in 1806 while exploring territory acquired by the
United States in the Louisiana Purchase.
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 There
are only a couple businesses in Tin Cup, a small store/gift shop in
the middle of town, and Frenchy's, a small log cabin restaurant
(with a colorful past!) where you can enjoy a great burger, or
dessert. They're not always open; but the sign out front
will clearly let you know whether they're Open or Closed. |
  Take
a few minutes to visit the old cemetery. It contains Protestant,
Catholic, and Jewish sections.
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Tin Cup
can be accessed from Cottonwood Pass west of Buena
Vista, from Taylor Canyon east of Almont, and from
the beautiful Cumberland Pass which exits from the
north end of Pitkin. |
 Tin
Cup has a colorful past, and for an excellent account of the history
of the area as well as some entertaining reading, we recommend you
pick up "Colorado's Alluring Tin Cup" by Conrad F.
Schader; it provides an entertaining account of the Tin Cup
District, its settlements, people, and mines.
The
book is available in the small store across from
Frenchy's, as well as many book stores throughout Colorado. |
But
contrary
to what you might have thought, Tin Cup is not a ghost town.
This misconception is probably a result of the fact that almost all
local residences are very old cabins that have been restored to
original condition—giving it the appearance of a town
that has not changed in the last 150 years.
But it wasn't until the
1850's as prospectors were returning east after being discouraged in
efforts to find their fortunes in the California goldfields, that the
Rockies began to attract non-Indian visitors. James Taylor, an
18-year-old Georgian is the first reported white man to settle in the
Taylor Park area, which makes up most of the Tin Cup District's land
area.