Sublunar Photography

The area in which these mines reside is one of the most significant locations in Colorado in terms of gold deposits, having helped spur the gold rush of 1859. Within two months of the first reports of gold discovered here, 10,000 people had moved into town. All the veins in the region were initially easy to mine as they were already oxidized and decomposed at the surface and as a result the gold output here surpassed that of all other mining districts in Colorado combined, up until the 1880s, and 100 years later it still ranked second highest overall in terms of gold production. There were also substantial amounts of silver, lead, copper and zinc mined here. In the 100 years spanning 1859 to 1959 this county produced roughly 4,255,000 ounces of gold which would be worth $7.2 Billion today. And much of that gold came from the the very mines I explored and photographed here.

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Long after the remaining gold and other resources became increasingly diffcult and costly to extract, a sudden interest in uranium in the mid 1950's briefly revived some mining operations in the area. From the late 1950's onward, however, mining had mostly ceased which led to a rapid population decline resulting in the near complete exodus of several nearby towns leading to their current status as ghost towns.

Early stamp mills (which crushed the gold containing rock and then used mercury to separate the gold from the ore) by some accounts saved only ~1/4 of the gold from the ore and wasted all the other metals therein while smelters used other chemicals along with intense heat generated by burning coal to burn off sulfides that needed to be removed from the ore. This all produced large amounts of pollution which contaminanted the environment with mercury, arsenic and coal ash, let alone the ecological impact of stripping the hills of their trees for lumber to build mines and housing as well as the large pits and cavities the drilling operations left behind. One problem in particular facing deep subsurface mines is the fact that when the ore located deep underground, which is still rich in sulfides, is exposed to oxygen, the sulfides in the rock break down into sulfuric acid which then dissolves the metals and leaks out into the waterways. Due to the massive environmental impact early mining had on this county in particular, much of the area that was heavily mined is now considered an EPA superfund site.

The mines presented below represent some of the earliest and most prominent such mines not only in this county but in all of Colorado mining history. While they certainly contributed to the destruction of the environment from which they profited, they also represent the blood sweat and tears of the working people upon whose backs and by whose hands untold riches were dug up and hauled out of the ground some 150 years ago. Great cities rose pracitcally overnight and many fell just as quickly as a result of these dwindling relics of 19th and early 20th century industry. Now these crumbling shells of once massive mining operations and the scars which they inflicted upon the earth simply lie discarded by the small numbers of wealthy businessmen who ravaged the hillsides when it was profitable and disappeared overnight when it was no longer feasible to make money here. I am simultaneously in awe of the history of these industrial relics and saddened by the amount of damage the business owners and other wealthy investors wrought upon the very environment which contributed to their financial successes.

Colorado Gold Mine #1

The first mine here was especially awesome. There was an old engine visible on the hill and as I got closer I realized the large pile behind it was situated above one of the partially collapsed entrances with the main pit still higher up the hillside. This was originally a large number of smaller independent mines but was later organized to a single gigantic entity. There wasn't much left of what I assume is the grinder or the ore loading buildings, but what was left was old as hell and thus pretty damn cool. To me, this is the kind of stuff that makes an entire trip worthwhile.

Colorado Gold Mine #2

The second mine here is a large mill which was built much later than the above. It was originally advertised as being able to process 10,000 tons of ore per day. The property this sits on is currently active and mining operations were in full swing at the time of my visit.

Colorado Gold Mine #3

This is one of the 1859 era mines that is now just barely standing today.

Colorado Gold Mine #4

This mine operated from the 1860's until the 1930s and was one of the best producing mines in the area.