IT'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.