[5] A year later, on August 6, 1881, the Gunnison County court held a session and voted for the incorporation of Crystal City, made official as of June 8, 1881.

[3][4] During the 1880s and 1890s, when miners began to inhabit Crystal and the surrounding area, fire was used to clear the land in order to begin mining.

Thousands of acres were set ablaze, removing old growth trees and altering the pattern of vegetation in the area.

This allowed several mines near Crystal to become productive, the Black Queen, Lead King, and Sheep Mountain Tunnel amongst the largest.

Silver, lead and zinc were the primary metals produced, but getting the ore out of the valley was a constant problem.

Transporting ore to the depots in Crested Butte and Carbondale (via Marble) and bringing of basic necessities and mail into Crystal were a challenge in the snow-free months and difficult or impossible during the winter.

Water from the Crystal River was dammed and used to provide electricity for air drills and ventilation for miners.

This system was so efficient that soon after, a stamp mill was built to crush and concentrate the silver ore for shipping.

This innovation saved the mining operations for a few years, but Crystal continued to decline and soon the population had dwindled to just eight inhabitants by 1915.

[11] The rock in the Elk Mountain Range in the area surrounding Crystal is composed primarily of (90%) sedimentary material, including mostly coarse clastics, shale, and limestone.

The land is well drained, and the rock types, such as limestone, create very steep slopes, common in the Rocky Mountains.

Photography, hiking, peak bagging, mountain biking and four-wheel-drive and off-highway vehicle touring are common activities.