Founded in 1873, Belleville flourished by milling ore from the Northern Belle Mine in Candelaria. The mill just east of here made its first bullion bar shipment, worth $9,200, in April 1875. Belleville became famous for murders, drunken brawls, sporting, and practical jokes. It was also the terminus and work camp of the Carson and Colorado Railroad when the line reached town in 1882. At that time the population peaked at about 500 and included an assay office, an express office, a telegraph station, a livery stable, a schoolhouse, two hotels, several restaurants and blacksmith shops, and seven saloons. By the late 1880s, pipes delivered water to Candelaria and allowed local mills to begin operation, reducing the need for shipping costs. Belleville could not survive the competition and was deserted by 1892.