Drive by Morley, Colorado, once a thriving mining town powered by coal workers and mules hauling coal for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company.
Morley grew as its mining operations expanded, housing hundreds of residents, a school, local businesses, and a YMCA. When miners decided to build St. Aloysius, the owner of CF&I, John D. Rockefeller, contributed to its construction.
After 50 years, the mine closed. While the town was being razed, crews thought it sacrilegious to tear down a holy building; St. Aloysius Church was spared.
While the site isn’t accessible to the public, the church ruins are visible from I-25.