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Alma, CO. sits at the feet of five 14,000-foot peaks. Located along Route 9, north of Fairplay and south of Hoosier Pass, the current town lies downstream from the original Alma, or Buckskin Joe, as it was known during the mining heyday. At one time, area mines produced over $1,500,000 annually, before the ore petered out and a smallpox epidemic all but wiped out town residents.
Relics and spirits remind Alma visitors of the town's mining history. The Sweet Home Mine still produces world-class specimens of rhodochrosite, a mineral known for its beautiful pink rose color.
Today Alma welcomes mountain-hiking enthusiasts, ghost hunters and tourists from Leadville and Breckenridge. Must-sees include Kite Lake, at a crisp 12,400 feet, the ghost town of Buckskin Joe and Alma's spooky cemetery.
Three explaniations for the name exists according to "Colorado Place Names" by William Bright: that it was named for Alma James, wife of a Fairplay merchant who opened the first store there, that it was named for Alma Graves, wife of Abner Graves, who operated the Alma Mine, and that it was named for Alma Jaynes, popular daughter of an early settler.
Map: Alma
Region: Colorado South Central Regional Information
County: Park
Proximity to other towns: Located 5.9 miles from Fairplay, 14.1 miles from Breckenridge, 20.4 miles from Frisco, 43.6 miles from Buena Vista
Population: 181
Elevation: 10353 feet
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