One of the greatest gold rushes in North American history began in July 1858 with a group of gold seekers, who came to the area of mountain range Pike’s Peak.
The boom known at the beginning as Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, later became called Colorado Gold Rush from the name of the new territory created in 1861.
It is estimated, that during the period of the rush good one hundred thousand gold prospectors were looking for the bright future and luxury life promised by the nuggets, that in the beginning were found in local rivers and springs. Soon the water has been cleaned out of the precious metal, and everything was slowing down, but the prospectors discovered the gold deposits in the surrounding mountains. The Rockies were hiding different ores, besides of gold, silver, quartz and iron ore were excavated there, and still they are, but not in such large quantities as at the beginning of the boom.
The first camps were build on the spot, or near the mine. One of the first miners camps, Denver has developed into the bigger town, and the national mint privileges granted in 1906 speed up rapid already town’s development. Most of the other sites did not have enough luck ant changed into the ghost towns, or became abandoned, like a mill at the Santiago Mine [on photo]. Several boomtowns have been renovated and exists merely for visitors only.
More informations about the Gold Rush are on display in Denver museums. Interesting is also one day trip from Denver to three of the mining towns restored with saloons and other Wild West style buildings, Golden, Idaho Springs and Georgetown.
[photo courtesy of gamp]
