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Como is located at the northern
end of South Park, the town is a historic mining settlement
founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1859. It sits
approximately one-half mile north of Highway 285,
approximately 8.5 miles northeast of Fairplay. Turning
off the Highway onto County Road 50 leading northwest you
can go through Como and over Boreas Pass (to Breckenridge)
in Summit County. The mountains northwest of town form a
dramatic background to the town site, which sits at the base
of Little Baldy Mountain. The town was named by prospectors
and miners from Como, Italy who came to work the gold fields
of the area, there is also a little pond next to the highway
called Lake Como.
In 1879 the town became the location of a roundhouse of the
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, which was extended
over Kenosha Pass to reach the silver mining areas during
the Colorado Silver Boom. The roundhouse served as a
junction for trains going northward over Boreas Pass and
southward toward Fairplay and over Trout Creek Pass at the
western end of South Park. The town has many historic
weathered structures, including the roundhouse, and has the
air of a ghost town that is still nevertheless populated.
There is a section of commercial buildings just off the
county road consisting of a post office (zip code: 80432),
Como Depot B&B and the general store. The roundhouse is
currently under renovation with intention of turning it into
a principal tourist attraction in the area.
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Como 1909
Roundhouse 1885
Allens Saloon Early 1900's |
