In 1878, on the western edge of Chaffee County, prospector Nicholas Creede struck ore and named his mine ‘Monarch.’ Prospectors soon came from all over to try their luck, and the town of Chaffee City was born. To lessen confusion, the town was renamed Camp Monarch in 1879, and then just Monarch.
Monarch was located about a mile west of the town of Garfield and had mining camps all over. When the 1893 Silver Panic hit, the town took a hit. Today the Madonna Mine is the last vestige of Monarch.
This image of the Monarch Hotel is part of the Donna Nevens Collection.
