Relive the gold rush at these mine tours in Colorado
They once made millionaires. Now they make tourists happy. Take a step back in time at these mines:
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, Cripple Creek
The mine’s website recalls the story of Mollie Kathleen, who one day in 1891 “noticed an interesting rock formation that winked back at her.” The history goes: “With her heart racing, Mollie nonchalantly hid gold samples.” Your heart might race as well on the 1,000-foot drop of the underground tour.
Hidee Gold Mine, Central City
The tour enters a tunnel that spans an area once considered “the richest square mile on Earth.” That’s only half of the experience here. You also can test your skill at gold panning. The Hidee has a motto: “Always keep what you find, and you will find something.”
Argo Mill and Tunnel, Idaho Springs
This might be the most recognized attraction of its kind in Colorado — the red infrastructure impossible to miss on the drive along Interstate 70 through Clear Creek County. This was a site of technological ingenuity, responsible for processing an amount of gold ore worth billions in today’s dollars.
Country Boy Mine, Breckenridge
Just as the mine knew many enticing qualities of the late 1800s — gold, silver, lead and zinc — so it boasts many today. Your headlamp lights the way deep into the tunnel. Outside, families have panned for gold, met burros and hunted for treasure along a wooded trail.
Bachelor Syracuse Mine, Ouray
Guides take you on a dark walk spanning 1,500 feet and years of dreaming, toiling and risking it all as miners did in these San Juan Mountains. They provide the scenery from a stream said to still twinkle with those precious metals sought. A cafe is open on weekends to fill you up on pancakes.
Old Hundred Gold Mine, Silverton
In the heart of the San Juans is a tour through the heart of Galena Mountain, which still bears the mineral that three German brothers cherished. The Neigolds were the original owners, known to entertain the camp with song and performances. They’d probably be proud of the entertainment today.
Jon Northern leads a tour in the Hidee Gold Mine on July 26, 2016.
IDAHO SPRINGS, CO — MAY 10: This is the outside of the Argo Mill and old ore cars on May 10, 2017 in Idaho Springs, Colorado. In partnership with the Colorado Department of Health, The Environmental Protection Agency, The National Park Service, and The City of Idaho Springs, ARGO Holdings announced that they will be opening the Argo tunnel, an amazing piece of Colorado history, for tourism on May 17, 2017. The guided tours will educate visitors on the story of the entrepreneurs, industrialists, investors and miners who drove the 4.2 mile tunnel. The tunnel, in it’s heyday connected over 200 miles of rich gold mines in and around Idaho Springs and Central City. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)