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Capitol City

Ghost town · Hinsdale County, Colorado

Lake City quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1903, 1:62,500)
Lake City quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1903, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Capitol City is a ghost town in Hinsdale County, Colorado. It is one of 2 former communities in Hinsdale County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 30th among the 48 Colorado counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Capitol City as a historical populated place on the Uncompahgre Peak topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 38.0072° N, 107.4667° W.

In old newspapers

The earliest digitized newspaper pages printed in Colorado before 1931 that mention “Capitol City”, from the Library of Congress. A page may use the name for something else; open it to read the context. 467 pages in all.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleUncompahgre Peak
Elevation9,723 ft
Nearest living townLake City, CO
Distance to it8.6 miles
GNIS feature ID203896
Coordinates38.00722, -107.46672

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Capitol City is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Lake City, CO (population 474), about 8.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 9,723 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Capitol City, Colo. This ghost town once had a population of 400; its founders wanted it to become the capitol of Colorado. The post office, some outbuildings,
Capitol City, Colo. This ghost town once had a population of 400; its founders wanted it to become the capitol of Colorado. The post office, some outbuildings, · robert thigpen from diboll, texas / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Capitol City?

Capitol City is in Hinsdale County, Colorado, at 38.0072, -107.4667.

How many ghost towns are in Hinsdale County?

Hinsdale County, Colorado has 2 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.