Lawson, Colorado
At 8000ft, just off I-70 west of Denver; formerly directly on US6/US40
Located just east of the present-day I-70/US40 split west of Denver, local mines were established in the area in 1876. The town was established as "Free America" - a community intended for families. When the Colorado Central Railroad came through in the mid-1870s, a site within Free America was selected for the depot which was named for the landowner, Alex Lawson. The population was about 300 in the 1890s but the collapse of the silver market in 1893 closed the mines and the town began to fade. The construction of I-70 in the 1960s destroyed much of the town and the oldest business - the Anderson store - shut down at the same time. The post office closed in 1966.
The abandoned Anderson store is one of the very few remnants of the old town.






There are currently over 1900 recorded producing mines - albeit minor amounts - still in the area. The town is 30 miles west of Golden - Golden being at the face of the mountains. The town is small enough that it is lumped with two other towns along the I-70 corridor of which the combined population is about 500-600. The region grows as people expand beyond the Denver metro area but there is no significant commercial activity and no direct exit from I-70.
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