Sunset History
Sunset was established in 1883 when the Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific Railroad completed a line from Boulder up Fourmile Canyon. The railroad was built to reach the mining camps of western Boulder County, transporting ore, supplies, timber, and passengers into the mountains. A post office was established the same year, reflecting the growth of a small community around the railroad depot and nearby mining properties.
Sunset's importance increased further in 1904 when a branch line was built connecting Sunset with the mining town of Eldora. The junction made Sunset the operational center for rail traffic serving two of Boulder County's principal mining districts. Freight trains carried ore from the mountain mines to mills and smelters while returning with mining machinery, lumber, coal, and other supplies essential to the camps.
Although transportation was the town's principal function, mining also contributed to Sunset's economy. Numerous prospects and small gold mines were scattered through the surrounding hills, and several reduction mills operated nearby. One of the most promising properties was the Dolly Varden Mine, located near Sunset. The mine had been worked during the 1890s before falling idle near the end of the decade.
A revival began in late 1905 when the Annuity Mining and Reduction Company acquired the Dolly Varden Mine and began preparations to resume operations. Work commenced in early 1906, bringing renewed optimism to Sunset after years of declining activity. The Boulder County Miner reported on January 11, 1906:
Nat Freeman, manager of the Annuity Mining and Reduction company, which has recently acquired the Dolly Varden at Sunset, says that the old camp of Sunset is showing more life than for many years. Mr. Freeman says that during the winter his company will prosecute work on the Dolly Varden, which is showing good ore continuously, and that as soon as the weather will permit, the old Gold Coinage mill at Sunset will be remodeled to treat this ore.
The reopening of the Dolly Varden briefly restored activity to the community. Miners returned to work the property, and plans to modernize the Gold Coinage mill promised additional employment and investment. Although the revival generated considerable enthusiasm, it proved relatively short-lived, and Sunset never experienced the sustained growth enjoyed by larger mining camps elsewhere in Boulder County.
As production from the surrounding mines gradually declined during the early twentieth century, railroad traffic also diminished. The Colorado & Northwestern struggled financially as freight revenues fell, and sections of the line were abandoned during the 1910s. The rail line in Fourmile Canyon was scrapped in 1919, removing the economic foundation on which Sunset had been built. The post office closed in 1921, marking the end of the town's brief period of significance.
Today, only a handful of historic buildings remain at Sunset, along with traces of the railroad grade that once carried trains through Fourmile Canyon. Much of the former Colorado & Northwestern right-of-way is now preserved as the Switzerland Trail, a popular recreation route that follows one of Colorado's most historic mountain railroads.
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