Entry No. 38 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: outlaw-history
Virginia Dale Overland Trail Stage Station
Jack Slade built this home station in 1862, then allegedly robbed a stage of $60,000 in gold that was never recovered — the station still stands on its original footprint, the last of its kind on the entire Overland Trail. It's private property now, owned by the Virginia Dale Community Club, which means the building is quietly occupied rather than roped off and museumified. Drive 45 miles up US-287 toward Wyoming and you'll pass it on the east side of the highway looking exactly like a 164-year-old ranch outbuilding, because it is. Mark Twain met Slade's boss at a nearby station and wrote about it in Roughing It — this is the one that came after the famous meeting.
The story
In the summer of 1862, Jack Slade built a home station for Ben Holladay's Overland Trail line in the far northern reaches of Colorado, just miles from the Wyoming border. Slade was a notoriously volatile frontier figure—the kind of man Mark Twain wrote about in *Roughing It* after meeting Slade's boss at a nearby station. Not long after setting up the Virginia Dale station, Slade was accused of orchestrating the robbery of one of his own stages, making off with $60,000 in gold split boxes that were never recovered.
What makes this single, low-slung log structure remarkable isn't just the buried gold rumors—it is the sheer luck of its survival. Virtually every other stage station along the entire Overland Trail was dismantled, burned, or converted into modern sprawl over the past century and a half. Virginia Dale is the last remaining home station on the entire route still resting on its original 1862 footprint.
You won't find state park rangers, velvet ropes, or a gift shop selling plastic arrowheads here. The building survived because the Virginia Dale Community Club bought it and kept it working as an active neighborhood hall rather than letting a government agency turn it into a sterile museum exhibit. From the highway, it still looks precisely like what it was built to be: a rugged, 160-plus-year-old high-country outpost sitting in the dirt.
What it's like
Drive 45 miles north of Fort Collins up US-287 toward Wyoming and keep your eyes peeled on the east side of the highway near County Road 43F. The catch is that the station rests on private property, so you can't simply pull up and start wandering around the grounds unannounced. Your options are to call or email the Community Club to arrange a private peek, or time your drive for their annual public open house in June. If you get inside, you'll be standing on the original dirt floor where stagecoach passengers scarfed down quick suppers before rolling back out into the frontier night.
The move: Contact the Community Club to arrange a visit or time your trip around their annual open house, then walk the same dirt floor where Overland stagecoach passengers ate supper in 1862 and speculate aloud about where Slade hid the gold.
📍 Before you go Private property — contact the Virginia Dale Community Club before visiting (970-217-5705 or vdcc8922@gmail.com). Annual Open House held each June with free admission. No gate info published; road is Co Rd 43F off US-287, standard passenger car.
- 📍 Virginia Dale
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 844 Co Rd 43F, Virginia Dale, CO 80536
Hours: Added 2026-06-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Deadman Butte Mine — Pair an 1860s Overland stage stop with an early 20th-century gypsum prospect just 12 miles down the road near Livermore.
- Lindenmeier Paleo Site at Soapstone Prairie — Follow up 19th-century outlaw trail history with a trip to one of North America's most significant Folsom-culture Paleo-Indian sites on the nearby prairie.
- Gnome Road (Elf Lane) — Trade gritty stagecoach legend for bizarre modern folklore hidden in the trees near Red Feather Lakes.
- Manhattan Ghost Town & Cemetery — Extend your frontier history drive by heading southwest to the remains of an 1880s gold rush town high above Poudre Canyon.
Good to know
Can I visit the station anytime?
No. The station sits on private property owned by the Virginia Dale Community Club. You must contact them in advance (970-217-5705 or vdcc8922@gmail.com) to coordinate a visit, or attend their annual public event.
When is the best time to see inside?
The best opportunity is during the Virginia Dale Community Club’s annual Open House held every June, which offers free admission to the public.
Is the $60,000 in stolen gold actually buried nearby?
Local legend insists Jack Slade hid the gold somewhere in the surrounding hills after the 1862 robbery, but no treasure has ever been officially documented or recovered. Keep in mind that metal detecting on private property without permission is trespassing.
Do I need a 4WD vehicle to reach it?
No. The station sits just off US-287 on County Road 43F and is easily reachable in a standard passenger car.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · historycolorado.org · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-21