Founded in 1880, in what is now Chaffee County, Colorado, St. Elmo is nestled in the Sawatch Mountain Range. When gold and silver mining took off, St. Elmo had a population of 2,000 people. When the mining started to decline, operations were shut down in the early 1920s. Some say inhabitants took the last train out of town and never came back. During its heyday, St. Elmo had dance halls, hotels, schools, and many other services, but as for now, it is mostly filled with dilapidated buildings, except for the general store which is still being run for tourists. All of the old mining roads are now used as Jeep and four-wheeler trails, and there are plenty of places to rent 4-wheelers and buy other items. Many visitors enjoy the fishing along Chalk Creek, which runs through the town of St. Elmo.