Silverton sits in a beautiful alpine valley, surrounded by 12,000 foot mountains, along the icy Animas River.

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Mining began in the region surrounding what is today Silverton in the 1860's. By 1874 Silverton’s streets had been laid out and it soon became a mining center. In July 1882, the first train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad rolled in to Silverton from Durango.

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By the 1990's, mining largely came to an end in the region. Tourism, in the form of nearby ski resorts, and the Silverton and Durango Railroad, is now Silverton's economic driver.