Entry No. 2 — the Durango file — filed under: outdoor-weird
Christ of the Mines Shrine
In 1959, Silverton hauled twelve tons of Carrara marble—cut from the same Italian quarries as Michelangelo’s David—500 feet up Anvil Mountain and begged it to protect the mines. It apparently listened. On June 4, 1978, Lake Emma collapsed through the Sunnyside Mine’s ceiling, blasting equipment out the portals with enough force to kill everyone underground. It was a Sunday. Nobody was. A 1982 plaque beneath the statue quietly logs that as the miracle locals still say it is.
The story
In 1959, Silverton decided its hardrock underground needed an insurance policy. The town hauled twelve tons of Carrara marble—hewn from the exact Italian quarries Michelangelo used for his David—five hundred feet up the rocky flank of Anvil Mountain and faced the statue down toward the valley. The idea was simple enough: ask the stone figure to keep watch over the miners digging out silver and gold in the San Juans.
For nineteen years, it was just a striking piece of imported art standing guard over a rough mining town. Then came Sunday, June 4, 1978. Hundreds of feet below ground, the bed of Lake Emma burst through the ceiling of the Sunnyside Mine. Millions of tons of water and mud scoured through the stopes and shafts, blasting heavy machinery straight out the mine portals with enough violent force to crush anything in its path. Had a crew been inside, not a single miner would have survived.
Except nobody was down there. Because it was a Sunday, the entire mine was shut down and empty. A brass plaque mounted beneath the statue in 1982 quietly logs the event and the zero-person body count. If you ask locals, you'll hear the same thing: twelve tons of marble on Anvil Mountain did precisely what it was hired to do.
What it's like
Drive up County Road 6 (Shrine Road) right off US-550 or walk up from 15th Street to the dirt clearing below the statue. From there, it's a short, steep walk across loose rock to reach the base—skip the sandals and put on actual shoes. Standing at the base of the white marble figure, you get an uninterrupted, grid-level view of Silverton laid out below you. It's a quick, quiet stop during a Durango & Silverton train layover or off the Million Dollar Highway, especially near dusk when the town starts to glow.
The move: Walk the dirt Shrine Road up at dusk, read the 1982 miracle plaque to each other, then pick out Silverton’s whole grid glowing below.
📍 Before you go The shrine sits a few hundred feet above town on Anvil Mountain: take US-550 north out of Silverton and turn onto the first dirt road on the right (Shrine Road), or head up 15th Street to the unmarked lot just below the statue. The dirt road is fine for ordinary cars when dry, and from the parking area it is only a few minutes on rocky ground—wear real shoes, not flip-flops. Snow can make the road dicey in winter, though the shrine itself stands open year-round. Pairs naturally with a Durango & Silverton train layover or a Greene Street coffee before the drive back down the Million Dollar Highway.
- 📍 Silverton
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Shrine Road (County Rd 6) off US-550, Anvil Mountain, Silverton, CO 81433
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Grand Imperial Hotel — Head down Anvil Mountain into town for a drink at the historic hotel where 1890 miner Luigi Regalia died in Room 314.
- Hillside Cemetery — Pair the shrine's high-altitude lookout with this pathless, gridless cemetery where 3,000 early Silverton residents rest on Boulder Mountain.
- Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour — Head underground into an actual San Juan hardrock shaft to experience the exact environment the marble statue was built to protect.
- Sunnyside Mine — Trace the story back to its origin by visiting the mine where the catastrophic 1978 Lake Emma collapse took place.
Good to know
How do you get to the Christ of the Mines Shrine?
Take US-550 north out of Silverton and take the first right onto Shrine Road (County Road 6), or walk up 15th Street to the dirt lot right below the statue.
Do I need four-wheel drive to reach the parking area?
In dry weather, normal low-clearance cars can make it up the dirt road fine. Winter snow and ice, however, make the road track tricky quickly.
Is there an entry fee or set hours?
The shrine stands on open outdoor ground year-round with no ticket or entry fee. Just confirm road conditions before making the drive up in snow season.
What is the miracle listed on the plaque?
The 1982 plaque commemorates the June 4, 1978 collapse of Lake Emma into the Sunnyside Mine, noting that because the blowout happened on a Sunday when no miners were working, zero lives were lost.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · uncovercolorado.com · thecatholictravelguide.com · Roadside America
last checked: 2026-06-11