Unionville and How to Get There

Captain Hugo Pfersdorff shouted "Eureka" when in 1861 he spotted a green gully in the hills of the steep-walled canyon that overlooks Buena Vista Valley. He and his team of prospectors had come looking for rich ore ledges. The sight of the gully gave him hope. Enough hope, evidently, to yell "Eureka."

Journalists reported Pfersdorff's discovery, and in two months, prospectors descended like vultures. Their ranks ultimately formed a village, and the little canyon-nook town of Unionville was born.

Unionville's most famous early resident had to have been Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain). He too came seeking wealth, and in his book Roughing It he writes of the day that he thought he had struck it rich. The glittery stones he pocketed were not made of gold at all, however. As his fellow prospectors jeeringly informed him, he had stuffed his trousers with common, everyday mica. A humiliated Twain tucked his tail and left soon thereafter.

Folks who come to visit nowadays don't stay for long either. They travel the 17 miles from Interstate 80 to get here, but usually head back to civilization once they get a peek at Mark Twain's original cabin and the remains of Unionville's 19th-century mines. If you take a little time, however, undiscovered joys soon become apparent.

After a peak of about 1,500 residents, present-day Unionville counts its population at around 20. The solitude, combined with the old silver mines and other relics from pioneer America, creates a charm which makes Unionville more than just a temporary tourist attraction. The physical beauty of the land also contributes to the area's appeal.