Cripple Creek Gold Rush

Last updated

The Cripple Creek Gold Rush was a period of gold production in the Cripple Creek area from the late 1800s until the early 1900s. Mining exchanges were in Cripple Creek, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Victor. Smelting was in Gillett, Florence, and (Old) Colorado City. Mining communities sprang up quickly, but most lasted only as long as gold continued to be produced. Settlements included: [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Cripple Creek, Colorado Statutory City in Colorado, United States

Cripple Creek is the Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 1,189 at the 2010 United States Census. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located 44 miles (71 km) southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic Landmark status in 1961, includes part or all of the city and the surrounding area. The city is now a part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Victor, Colorado City in Colorado, United States

Victor is a statutory city in Teller County, Colorado, United States. Gold was discovered in Victor in the late 19th century, an omen of the future of the town. With Cripple Creek, the mining district became the second largest gold mining district in the country and realized approximately $10 billion of mined gold in 2010 dollars. It reached its peak around the turn of the century when there were about 18,000 residents in the town. Depleted ore in mines, labor strife and the exodus of miners during World War I caused a steep decline in the city's economy, from which it has never recovered. The population was 397 at the 2010 census. There is a resumed mining effort on Battle Mountain.

Gold Belt Byway

The Gold Belt Byway is a National Scenic Byway and Bureau of Land Management Back Country Byway located entirely within the US state of Colorado. The byway received its name because it runs through Colorado's gold country. It connects the gold mining districts to each other and to the Arkansas Valley.

Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway United States historic place

The Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway was a 4 ft 8 12 instandard gauge railroad operating in the U.S. state of Colorado around the turn of the 20th century.

Midland Terminal Railway

The Midland Terminal Railway was a short line terminal railroad running from the Colorado Midland Railway near Divide to Cripple Creek, Colorado. The railroad made its last run in February 1949.

Cripple Creek miners strike of 1894

The Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894 was a five-month strike by the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) in Cripple Creek, Colorado, USA. It resulted in a victory for the union and was followed in 1903 by the Colorado Labor Wars. It is notable for being the only time in United States history when a state militia was called out in support of striking workers.

J. J. Hagerman American businessman

James John (J.J.) Hagerman was an American industrialist who owned mines, railroads and corporate farms in the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the most influential men in territorial New Mexico.

Eben Smith was a successful mine owner, smelting company executive, railroad executive and bank owner in Colorado in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Granite, Colorado Unincorporated community in Colorado, United States

Granite is an unincorporated community with a U.S. Post Office in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The zip code of Granite is 81228. According to the 2010 census, the population is 116.

Victor Downtown Historic District United States historic place

Victor Downtown Historical District is a 22 acres (8.9 ha) historic district encompassing several blocks of Victor, Colorado which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The listing included 55 contributing buildings out of 66 buildings in total. The district is bounded roughly by Diamond Avenue, Second, Portland and Fifth Streets.

Gold mining in Colorado Overview of gold mining in Colorado

Gold mining in Colorado, a state of the United States, has been an industry since 1858. It also played a key role in the establishment of the state of Colorado.

Cripple Creek Historic District United States historic place

Cripple Creek Historic District is a historic district including Cripple Creek, Colorado, United States and is significant for its gold mining era history. It developed as a gold mining center beginning in 1890, with a number of buildings from that period surviving to this day. The mines in the area were among the most successful, producing millions of dollars of gold in the 1890s and supporting a population of 25,000 at its peak. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.

Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad

The Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 2 ft narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates seasonal tourist trains between Cripple Creek and the city's outskirts to the south. The railroad uses a revitalized section of the original Midland Terminal Railway and the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad. The railroad's one station and around half of its route is located within the Cripple Creek Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.

Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad

The Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad (F&CC) was a 3 ft narrow-gauge railroad running northward from junctions with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad at the mill towns of Florence and later moved to Cañon City, Colorado, on the banks of the Arkansas River, up steep and narrow Phantom Canyon to the Cripple Creek Mining District, west of Pikes Peak. It was founded in 1893 and went out of business in 1915

Argo Gold Mine and Mill United States historic place

The Argo Gold Mine and Mill is a former gold mining and milling property in Idaho Springs, Colorado, featuring an intact gold mill built at the entrance of the Argo Tunnel. The tunnel was built between 1893 and 1910 to drain the gold mines in Virginia Canyon, Gilpin Gulch, Russell Gulch, Quartz Hill, Nevadaville, and Central City and allow easier ore removal. The success of the tunnel as an access route meant that a large volume of ore began exiting at the Idaho Springs entrance and a large mill was built to process it. At the time it was one of the largest such tunnels and milling operations in the world, directly recovering nearly $100 million in gold and sending another $200 million of high-value ores to smelters in Denver.

Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine

The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine, formerly and historically the Cresson Mine, is an active gold mine located near the town of Victor, in the Cripple Creek mining district in the US state of Colorado. The richest gold mine in Colorado history, it is the only remaining significant producer of gold in the state, and produced 322,000 troy ounces of gold in 2019, and reported 3.45 million troy ounces of Proven and Probable Reserves as at December 31, 2019. It was owned and operated by AngloGold Ashanti through its subsidiary, the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company (CC&V), until 2015, when it sold the mine to Newmont Mining Corporation.

Gillett, Colorado Town in Colorado, United States of America

Gillett, Colorado is a ghost town located near Cripple Creek in Teller County, Colorado, United States. It is famous for being the site of the only bullfight ever held in the US.

Rochford, South Dakota unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States

Rochford is an unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is not tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Company

Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Company was a mining company in Colorado City in El Paso County, Colorado. The company was incorporated in West Virginia and was listed on the Colorado Springs Exchange. Albert E. Carlton was part owner of the Golden Cycle. Directors included Carlton, Spencer Penrose, Richard Roelofs, H. McGarry, L.G. Carlton, Bulkeley Wells.

In the mid-19th century, Colorado Springs was a center of mining industry activity. Coal was mined in 50 mines in the area and towns, now annexed to Colorado Springs, were established to support residents of the coal mining industry.

References

  1. Feitz, Leland (1974). Ghost Towns of the Cripple Creek District. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Little London Press.
  2. Aldrich, John K. (1986). Ghosts of Teller County: A Guide to the Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Teller County, Colorado. Lakewood, Colorado: Centennial Graphics.