Day 3 (D-58) Buena Vista / St-Elmo

Day 3 (D-58)  Buena Vista   /  St-Elmo, a ghost town

Buena Vista is 198 km (121 miles) from Denver, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive. 
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Denver,+Colorado,+États-Unis/Saint+Elmo,+Colorado+81236,+États-Unis/@39.2650129,-106.6203423,8.31z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x876b80aa231f17cf:0x118ef4f8278a36d6!2m2!1d-104.990251!2d39.7392358!1m5!1m1!1s0x87154e2a0eef9683:0xcbb521a89103b812!2m2!1d-106.346223!2d38.703365!3e0

The starting point's Denver elevation is 1596 m (5280 feet) from sea level. Destination point Buena Vista elevation is 2421 m (7942 feet) relative to sea level.

Take a two-minute look at this mountain town, if you like, or wait until we get there. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=127&v=TEifj7o68v4

We'll continue our drive in the mountains to the ghost town of St-Elmo.

The Rocky Mountains in Colorado have 53 peaks rising above 14000 feet.  In the mountaineering language of the Western United States, a fourteener is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet.  On this map we see Mt Yale which is 14,200 ft (4323 m) above sea-level. 

                                              St-Elmo

St-Elmo is approximately 9,961 feet above sea-level with about 2000 people living there in the 1880s.  The local mining industry (gold and silver) started to decline in the 1920s and in 1922 the local railroad line was discontinued.  The Post Office remained open until 1952, when the postmaster died.  There are still people living in nearby new homes, which is one reason why St-Elmo is unique among other ghost towns.  Mt. Princeton Hot Springs are not far away.

Here's a nice video of this ghost town, with easy English to read.  The students who will be taking the trip may prefer to wait until we get there.  As you wish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ3YjwwS_90

My best,
Jane
______

Remember that 1 foot is approximately 1/3 of a meter (0.3045), so you can quickly divide by 3.    (9,961 feet = 3036 meters).