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SILVERTON |
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Journey's end for the narrow-gauge railroad from Durango comes at
SILVERTON , spread across a small flat valley surrounded by high
mountains. It's one of Colorado's most atmospheric mountain towns, with
wide, dirt-paved streets leading off towards the hills to either side of
its one main road. Silverton's zinc and copper mining days only came to
an end in 1991, and while the population has dropped since then, those
that remain have so far resisted suggestions that its future lies in
gambling to draw in the tourists. They are, however, extremely reliant
on the seasonal tourist train; so while the false-fronted stores along "Notorious
Blair Street" are a reminder of the days when Wyatt Earp dealt cards in
the Arlington saloon, the town is defined by the restaurants and gift
shops that fill up between 11am and 2pm when tourists are deposited in
town.
Although tourism makes Silverton tick, it's pretty quiet here in the
evenings as most visitors are on day-trips with the train. Bargain
accommodation is to be had at the Triangle Motel , 848 Greene St (tel
970/387-5780; $50-75), at the south end of town, which also offers good-value
two-room suites and jeep rental, though the old-style, central Grand
Imperial Hotel , 1219 Greene St (tel 970/387-5527 or 1-800/341-3340;
$75-100), with its forty creaky, antique-furnished rooms, is not much
more expensive. The tin-walled Silverton Hostel , 1025 Blair St
(check-in daily 8-10am & 4-10pm; tel 970/387-0015; up to $35), has $11
dorm beds. For food , there's the French Bakery , 1250 Greene St (tel
970/387-5976), serving sandwiches and soups through to full meals, while
Romero's , 1151 Greene St (tel 970/387-0123), is an enjoyable Mexican
cantina with a menu of tasty, authentic food, plus fantastic salsa.
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