The Trail of Gold and Silver: Mining in Colorado, 1859-2009

Photographic Essay: Nineteenth-Century Colorado Mining

173 The following photographs provide all that Cicero hoped, except, perhaps, “guidance in daily life.” Historians and Coloradans are fortunate that the development of Colorado mining paralleled the development and improvement of photography. Photographersmanaged,itseemed,tobeeverywheretorecordColorado mining at its nineteenth-century acme. The result is an amazing heritage of a vanished day and time, of places that no longer exist, of mines that poured forth millions or cost their owners more money than they ever took out of the ground, of dreams that died and of dreams that lived. The result is a fascinating look at a long-departed era, in which the subjects remain ever young. Nineteenth-Century Colorado Mining “History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity.” —Cicero (Roman statesman, orator, and philosopher) Photographic Essay The Gregory Lode, where it all started. By 1861, many small mines and claims crowded the lode. The large building at the lower left is the Gregory Store and Bank. Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection Sluices crisscross this Gilpin County ravine, and an unidentified small mining camp clings to the hillside in the background of this 1860s-vintage photograph. Courtesty of Denver Public Library, Western History Department The ore sorting room at the Caribou Mine. Young boys started work here, often joined by injured miners who could no longer work underground. Courtesy of Duane A. Smith Nathaniel Hill brought Colorado mining up to date at his Black Hawk smelter. Courtesy of the Pettem/Raines Collection Burros and mules hauled freight to isolated mines high in the mountains and brought ore out; they were continuously used well into the twentieth century. Courtesy of Colorado Mining Bureau The arrival of the railroad promised better days for local mining. The “highline” between Durango and Silverton was a major construction project for the Denver & Rio Grande. Courtesy of La Plata County Historical Society Hydraulic mining allowed working of low-grade deposits, but left an environmental mess for later generations. Courtesy of Mark and Karen Vendl Most Colorado mines did not “pan” out a bonanza. This is the Argentine Mine at Leadville. Courtesy of Mark and Karen Vendl The hoist operator was one of the most important individuals at any mine. Miners depended on him to lower them safely and to bring ore to the surface. Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Department Miners on the cage, waiting to be lowered to the working level for the start of their shift. This crew worked at Central City’s Saratoga Mine in 1889. Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Department Kokomo, in Summit County, was one of many small camps that dotted the Colorado mountains . Most of these camps had a short lifespan and few profitably producing mines. Courtesy of Duane A. Smith The burro could be used for many things besides hauling freight and ore, as this Ouray scene clearly displays. Courtesy of Ouray County Historical Society Cripple Creek’s Battle Mountain and the famous Independence Mine. Winfield Scott Stratton’s home is in the foreground. Courtesy of Mark and Karen Vendl The Strong Mine was blown up during the 1894 Cripple Creek strike. Courtesy of Cripple Creek District Museum The heart and soul of any mining enterprise: the miners. This group posed at Sneffles in Ouray County. Courtesy of Colorado Mining Bureau The stuff of legends: A lone prospector sits with his dog. Courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Department ...