History of Crested Butte
Crested Butte is rich in history!
The town was officially incorporated July 3, 1880 with a population of 400 people plus 1,000 miners living in the surrounding mountains. Howard F. Smith was the founding father of Crested Butte. Smith was brought to the area for coal and hard rock mining and would eventually become our first mayor.
Town of Crested Butte
Crested Butte, also known as Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town, lives up to its name. Crested Butte is located off the beaten path so getting here isn’t by luck but rather by choice. Endless miles of mountain scenery seen right from town make this mountain gem worth the visit! Sitting at an elevation of 8,900 feet and with a population estimated at 1,700 year-round residents, there are no stop lights or fast-food chains so keeping the charm of our rich history comes easy.
Mt. Crested Butte
Mt. Crested Butte is located 3 miles up the road from Crested Butte. Known for its downhill skiing and snowboarding during the winter months and its epic bike park during the summer months, Crested Butte Mountain Resort is a playground for all to enjoy. The resort itself offers restaurants, shops, hotels, a climbing wall, zip lining, bungee trampoline and summer archery course to name a few.
Rural Crested Butte
There is much to discover outside the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Rural Crested Butte offers a variety of areas and neighborhoods to explore. A few miles north of Mt. Crested Butte lies the ghost town of Gothic, Colorado. In the early 1900’s a Western State Professor visited Gothic and acknowledged that the area had a very diverse ecosystem. In 1928, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) was born and is now home to one of the largest annual migrations of field biologists.