Some of the richest mines in the USA are located in these old camps. Gold and silver was abundant enough to sustain many of these towns for decades. Mining may be overshadowed by tourism nowadays, there are still active mines in some of these areas.
Colorado was one of the most prolific producers of both gold and silver in the United States. There was a time not so long ago when thousands of men scoured the mountains in search of rich ores.
Literally thousands of mines and prospects were once scattered across Colorado. Remnants of the early mines are still quite evident today and give us a tiny glimpse back in time.
Indeed, this article is admittedly only going to scratch the surface. There are still hundreds of old mining towns a person can explore in Colorado, and many of them are relatively unknown with little evidence that they every existed. Time has all but wiped out the buildings that once stood.
Many of these 14 towns are now major destinations for tourism. Hikers and skiers have replaced the crusty old miners that once resided here. Let’s take a look a a handful of Colorado’s most well-known mining towns.
1. Central City
This town became known as the “richest square mile on Earth” because of the exceptionally rich ores found around Central City. It became the supply hub for countless mines in the surrounding mountains. There were over 10,000 people here during the height of the gold rush in the 1860s. Today you can easily get there with an easy drive west of Denver. There are still lots of amazing old structures to see.
2. Idaho Springs
When you visit Idaho Springs it will be impossible to miss the Argo Mill and Tunnel. It was a huge tunnel constructed to help the mines from Central City transport their ores to the mill. It is truly a marvel of engineering. Rather than bringing ores up out of the mines and then transported over mountains and down to the mill, they could be pushed from carts directly through the tunnel to the mill located on Clear Creek. The Argo Tunnel is no longer in operation, but you can take a tour of this amazing facility after you explore downtown Idaho Springs.
The entrance to the Argo Tunnel. You can take a tour of the mill and even go inside the entrance to the tunnel.
3. Breckenridge
Miners first came to this area during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, after extensive ores were being discovered throughout Central Colorado. Placer deposits were worked on the Blue River, Snake River and Swan River and ancient exposed gravel bars were washed with giant hoses to release gold through their sluice boxes. Today, there are several old mines that you can tour, including the Country Boy Mine, Washington Mine, and the Lomax Placer Mine.
4. Aspen
Of course nowadays Aspen is full of skiers and celebrities, but did you know this town was also founded on mining? The mountains around Aspen had many mines that produced primarily silver ores. In fact, the Smuggler Mine just north of town has the distinction of producing the single largest chunk of high-grade silver ore on Earth!
The Rocky Mountain region directly west of Denver and Colorado Springs contain some exceptionally rich ores. Many of the states richest mines are located here. Most of the mines are now inactive, but I know several prosectors who hunt old mining tailing with metal detectors and find some really amazing specimens. Just make sure you are on public ground and the areas are not actively claimed.
5. Leadville
Leadville is an amazing town. It’s situated above 10,000 feet in elevation, one of the highest incorporated towns in the USA. This region grew into the the world’s leading silver/lead producer. In the 1880s it had a population of over 15,000 people and annual production that was over $15 million. The crash of silver prices in 1893 was a death blow to the mining industry in town.
6. Fairplay
When miners started exploring Colorado, one of the first places that gold was discovered was along the South Platte River. The gold was fine textured but very abundant. As time progressed the river placers depleted, but additional discoveries were made in the surrounding area that helped to sustain the town of Fairplay. Years later in the early 1940s, Colorado’s largest bucket-line dredge was built to work the deep gravels of the South Platte River. For prospectors today there is a very good access called the Fairplay Prospecting Park where you can pan and sluice on the river surrounded by these old historic dredge tailings.
Bucketline dredges had a huge impact on gold production along the South Platte River.
7. Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek was primarily a lode mining district, and the extensive ore bodies were enough to sustain mining in the region for many decades. The first prospects were established in the 1890s. Colorado’s gold production shot up as mines were established at Cripple Creek. They were productive through the early 1920s.
8. St. Elmo
The Mary Murphy Mine was the largest and most productive in St. Elmo. It is credited with over $60 million dollars in gold since the 1890s. The town once boomed with hotels, saloons, blacksmiths and everything else a major mining town would have during that time. The completion of a rail line to St. Elmo help this region grow and prosper well into the next century. Today the town is only a shadow of what it once was.
9. Summitville
Summitville was one of the richest areas in the San Juan Mountains. The major mine here were the Little Annie, which produced the largest gold specimen in Colorado history. A massive chunk of quartz with gold weighing 114 pounds (containing an estimated 316 ounces of gold!) was found here. You can see this spectacular specimen if you visit the Museum of Nature & Science in Denver.
10. Creede
This area change drastically with the discovery of a rich silver veins on Willow Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande River. The rush was on, and it wasn’t long before 10,000 people were in Creede looking to strike it rich. Many of them came from established towns like Silverton and others in the San Juan Mountains. The town is tucked in a narrow canyon at the mouth of Willow Creek and now relies mostly on tourism.
The Last Chance Mine. Creede, Colorado. circa 1883.
11. Ouray
This is easily one of the most beautiful mining towns in all of Colorado. Situated in a canyon right alongside the Uncompahgre River, the first miners here panned gold from the river. But it was the valuable ores in the surrounding hills that really attracted the attention of miners throughout the state. And while it never grew to the size of some other rich mining towns in Colorado, it was still a rich camp that sustained itself for decades. Like so many others, a drop in silver price put a stop to most of the mining.
High-grade ores being hauled to the mill from Ouray mines.
12. Silverton
Silverton was a tough place to do business in the early days. First, there were troubles with the Ute Indians who pushed miners out of the area. After a treaty eventually opened the San Juans to development in the 1870s, miners got to work in the Silverton area. The climate was harsh and life in the mines was even harder. Nonetheless, the rich ores were enough to attract men from around the world to this remote corner of Colorado.
13. Animas Forks
Situated high in the San Juan Mountains (above 11,000 feet) is the old mining camp of Animas Forks. The history of this town was directly tied to Silverton due to the close proximity, and because many of the miners would head to Silverton to wait out the winters.
14. Telluride
The first gold discovery was made in nearby Marshall Basin in 1875. This was a rowdy mining camp that would rival any in the West. Thousands of men made a living from the mines, and spent their money just as quickly as they could earn it in the saloons and brothels. Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch robbed the bank here in 1889. It is also noted for being the first town in the country to become electrified.
The San Juan Mountains also hold some of Colorado’s richest mines. Numerous old gold and silver camps are scattered throughout this rugged terrain.
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