Buckskin Joe

Buckskin Joe is an extinct gold mining town in Park County, Colorado, with roots stretching back to 1860, when it was established under the name Laurette in what was then Kansas Territory. When the Territory of Colorado came into existence in 1861, Laurette took on administrative significance, serving as the Park County seat from early January 1862 through November 1867.

The town's identity shifted over time. In late December 1865 the local post office was officially renamed Buckskin, though residents had long called the place Buckskin Joe. Today the site is a ghost town, a reminder of a brief but consequential moment in Colorado's territorial era.

Visitors to this area of Park County will find a historic landscape shaped by that early mining period. As with most ghost towns of this age, physical remains are sparse, and the experience is defined more by the open high-country setting than by standing structures. No specific facilities or marked access points are documented here, so come prepared for a self-directed visit and check local road conditions before heading out, particularly outside the summer and early fall window.