Drive across a fortune in precious metals on this Colorado highway

Otto Mears’ Legendary Toll Road Through Red Mountain

Otto Mears, a Russian-Jewish orphan, built the road that made him a legend.

In 1883, his crews cut 8.5 miles through solid rock at $40,000 per mile, linking Ouray to Silverton and the rich Red Mountain Mining District.

Just a year before, John Robinson had struck it big at Yankee Girl Mine, which soon churned out silver worth $10,000 per ton.

By 1920, miners had pulled $850 million in precious metals from just four square miles of land. Later, in the 1920s, Colorado rebuilt Mears’ toll road using 900,000 cubic yards of mine waste that held $22 million in gold and silver.

Today, the Million Dollar Highway truly lives up to its name as you drive across literal gold.

From Russian Orphan to Colorado Road King

Otto Mears came to America as a Russian-Jewish orphan with nothing but grit.

He built himself up from scratch, working odd jobs until he found his calling in Colorado’s rugged mountains.

People called him the “Pathfinder of the San Juans” because he could find ways through tough terrain. Mears built a network of toll roads and railways that opened up Colorado’s mining country.

By the 1880s, he became one of the most powerful men in Colorado transportation, with political connections that got him contracts others couldn’t get.

Silver Strikes Made Red Mountain Famous

John Robinson struck it rich in August 1882 when he found the Yankee Girl Mine. The silver ore was so rich that it tested at up to $10,000 per ton.

Over 16 years, the Yankee Girl produced nearly $12 million in ore, making everyone involved very wealthy.

News spread fast about the riches in Red Mountain, and miners rushed in by the hundreds. The problem was moving the heavy ore out of the mountains to market on the rough trails.

Mears Spotted a Golden Opportunity

The Ouray and San Juan Wagon Road Company tried and failed to build a proper road connecting the mining towns.

Their money ran out before they finished the job.

Mears bought the struggling company, seeing what others missed. Bankers loaned him money because he had already turned rough paths into money-making roads in the area.

He could charge tolls to the steady stream of miners, suppliers and ore wagons that would use a good road.

Blasting Through Mountains Cost a Fortune

Workers tackled 8.5 miles of the hardest terrain, blasting through solid rock at a cost of $40,000 per mile.

Teams drilled holes by hand, packed them with dynamite, and ran for cover. One wrong move meant death on the narrow ledges.

Rockslides and snowstorms often wiped out progress. Engineers carved a road into almost-vertical cliff faces.

They built stone walls by hand and created switchbacks that could handle heavy wagons safely.

Toll Booths Started Collecting in 1883

Mears opened his road in 1883, connecting Ouray and Silverton to the rich Red Mountain Mining District.

He set up toll stations where travelers paid using special tokens he made himself, which collectors value today.

Wagons paid more than horseback riders, with higher fees for commercial freight. Mears often rode the route to check conditions and order repairs.

His road turned a dangerous multi-day journey into a reliable day trip.

Four Square Miles Yielded Unbelievable Wealth

Miners pulled $850 million worth of minerals from just four square miles between 1860 and 1920. The Red Mountain Mining District alone gave up over 30 million ounces of silver.

Mining camps popped up overnight, with names like Red Mountain Town, Ironton, and Guston. Saloons, boarding houses, and supply stores lined the muddy streets.

The mountains glowed red from iron oxide in the soil, giving the district its name.

A Tunnel System Stretched Five Miles Underground

The Idarado Mine started in 1939 and grew into the biggest mining operation in the district.

Workers dug a massive tunnel system that stretched 5 miles through the mountains, connecting all the way to Telluride.

The mine produced lead, zinc, and silver that became bullets, vehicle parts, and electronics during World War II.

Miners worked around the clock, traveling miles underground on small rail cars. The Idarado kept producing until 1978.

Colorado Needed a Modern Highway System

State officials looked at Mears’ old toll road in the 1920s and knew they needed to upgrade it. Cars and trucks had replaced horses and wagons, and the narrow road couldn’t handle the traffic.

The state bought the toll rights and started planning a modern highway. They wanted a route that would work year-round, even in heavy snow.

Engineers decided to widen and improve the old road rather than find a new route.

Road Crews Used Gold-Laced Mining Waste

Construction teams needed lots of material to build up the roadbed. They found it at the nearby Sunnyside Mine, which had piles of waste rock outside its tunnels.

Crews moved about 900,000 cubic yards of this mining waste to form the foundation of the new highway.

This “waste” rock still contained gold and silver worth about $22 million in today’s money.
Trucks dumped precious metals along the route to form the road surface we drive on today.

The Million Dollar Name Stuck for Good Reasons

Workers finished the rebuilt highway in 1924, following much of Mears’ original route but with wider lanes and better safety features.

People started calling it the “Million Dollar Highway” both because of its expensive construction and the valuable minerals in its foundation.

The road gained fame as one of America’s most spectacular drives, with views that seemed worth a million dollars on their own.

Newspapers wrote about the marvel of engineering that conquered some of Colorado’s most challenging terrain.

Ghost Towns Line Today’s Scenic Route

Travelers on the Million Dollar Highway today can spot old mine buildings clinging to mountainsides along the route.

The ghost town of Ironton sits just off the road with its weathered wooden structures slowly returning to the earth.

Old headframes that once lowered miners into the depths stand like sentinels above abandoned tunnels.

The Environmental Protection Agency has worked to clean up acid drainage from the mines, capping waste piles and treating water that once ran orange with minerals.

The road itself remains a monument to both mining history and Mears’ vision.

Visiting Million Dollar Highway (Colorado)

You can drive the 25-mile stretch of US Highway 550 between Silverton and Ouray, following Otto Mears’ original 1883 toll road path through Uncompahgre Gorge.

The route climbs to 11,018 feet at Red Mountain Pass with great mountain views.

Take County Road 31 if you have a 4×4 to see old mines in the Red Mountain Mining District, or book guided Jeep tours from either town.

The highway is part of the 236-mile San Juan Skyway loop.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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