Bonanza Highlights

Trail Overview

Bonanza has a rich history of mining beginning in 1880 and lasting until the 1930s. Many structures still remain.Rich silver ore was discovered in the mountains north of Saguache and west of Villa Grove in 1880, and the town of Bonanza sprang up that fall. The name comes from the optimistically named Bonanza mine; one of the prospectors told his friends, "It's a Bonanza, boys!" and the name stuck. In 1880-81, 40,000 people passed through the area, including former president and Civil War general U. S. Grant in August of 1880, drawn by rumors that Bonanza was "the new Leadville".Most of the mines in the Bonanza area closed by the 1930s. The end of the town of Bonanza almost came in the fire of 1937, when 30 buildings in the business section burned. The town has never been rebuilt, and just a few old houses, mine structures, and piles of rock remain from the boom days. Today, Bonanza is the smallest incorporated town in Colorado with one permanent resident. There is a pit toilet and picnic tables (9) along the Bonanza Access Road.