As the silver mines began to close due to the continued drop in silver prices, unemployed miners and other workers from the Colorado mountains flooded into Denver in hopes of finding work. Because of the city's inability to take care of the jobless, some train companies began offering reduced or free fares for people wanting to travel from Denver.
With silver mines closing in the Colorado mountains due to falling prices, a large number of unemployed miners and other workers moved to Denver seeking jobs.  Denver was unable to accommodate all these people, so some train companies began providing reduced or free transportation for those traveling from Denver.