Thinking about the present ATV saga in Silverton, I was stopped dead in my tracks when I read that, before ATVs came to improve our economy, “... all we had was the train.” This is so untrue.
Newcomers to Silverton, since 2000, seem not to understand that Silverton was very alive and quite healthy before there were ATVs in our midst.
Even in the 1960s, many folks enjoyed the hunter’s/camper’s dorms at the Grand Imperial with its white, crisp linen tablecloths.
Also, gas, oil and auto repair shops were quickly available in the center of town. Haircuts, yes, right here in Silverton, were available at the Curtis Rooms, and delicious food was served at the Best Cafe.
Awed visitors respectfully toured the old mining roads in simple jeeps and 4-wheel-drive pickups. In fact, it was tourist demand that led to the remarkable movement to save the train. And more recently, Silverton has thrived without ATVs.
Tourism was strong. The promise of ever-more tourist visitors, from all parts of the U.S., plus several foreign countries, made possible an impressive growth in retail stores and restaurants.
Jeeping, not the same as riding ATVs, became so popular that a local author researched mining history and offered three detailed guidebooks that are still popular. The Mine Tour and the Mayflower Mill attracted many, as today.
And all this before ATVs came to town.
My point is that Silverton was known and loved the world over, and was a phenomenal tourist attraction, long before ATVs arrived, and Silverton came to be known nationwide as a destination ATV “fun center.”
This county has the absolute single-most impressive mountain view in the entire country. The scenery is stunning in every direction. Tourists have always known this!
Is Silverton losing its “True North,” its majestic scenery combined with its serious success in historic preservation and the feeling of being in an “Old West” remote village?
The town’s very appearance is its treasure. It is essential to keep alive this perception plus the individual’s inborn desire to escape civilization for a few moments.
Duane Murphy
Silverton and Cortez
