11/4/2013
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado was a company owned coal mining town that existed from approximately 1878 to 1956. In the 1920s Morley had a peak population of around 600. The Wikipedia article on Morley as of 11/2013 mentions an explosion that killed 300 miners in 1909 at the Morley mine. I've searched for information about this disaster elsewhere and come up with nothing. Lots of fatalities are documented at the Morley mine but most of them that I've found were from falling rock in isolated incidents. I'm curious about this supposed disaster. It seems a little weird that the many various organizations that study and document mining accidents would have no mention of it. The town of Morley is now completely abandoned. There are no occupied homes or other structures visible from anywhere within the townsite. There are enough surviving ruins and foundations to make Morley an interesting place to walk around but almost all of the buildings were intentionally leveled shortly after the coal mine closed in 1956.
Morley Colorado
The ruins of Morley are visible from interstate 25 on the west side of the highway about 3 miles from the New Mexico border. I stumbled on it by accident. I was driving South on I 25, saw the ruins and pulled over at the next exit. There is an access road that heads North from the last exit in Colorado as you head South. It's about a half mile of gravel until you reach a blocked off road. To get to Morley from the closure you have to trespass on railroad property for about 100 yards or so in order to cross the tracks and right-of-way. On the other side of the tracks are county gravel roads that go through the townsite. Fisher Peak Parkway is the name of the county road passing through the town site. I have no idea how to get to this road from 25. The townsite itself doesn't have any no-trespassing signs posted. Almost all of the buildings have been leveled but the foundations of rows of company houses are still clearly visible. The walls of the church were left standing as well as those of a few other mine related buildings.
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado Church
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Highway 25 from Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
Morley Colorado
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