Ghost Towns and Gold Mines

“Went exploring around an old mineing camp yesterday. I'll put up some pics tonight, but it was neato.

We went to Nevadville, CO. Back in teh day, around 1860 to 1880 there were about 1,200 to 2,000 people that made home there. They pulled several hundred million in gold and other minerals out of the ground up there over the past 100 years.

Now though, only about 6 people have homes there. There is still a Masonic Lodge, a saloon and the "Bald Mountain Trading Post".

A sign on the trading post said that they were closed for winter, but if you called he'd be there in 10 minutes.

There's also the remnants of an old mill (to extract gold from the ore) and several mine tailings in big piles.

CO has a very rich history with the boom and bust cycle of old mineing camps/towns.”

“Very cool Roam Around.”

“even our kids thought it was pretty cool - they were convinced we were going to have them tramping all over a mountain, lol.

There's still a passable road to Nevadville, since a handfull of people still actually live there.”

“That's where I need to move when I get old.”

“i dunno bit - the closest grocery store would be about 20 miles away in Golden. Getting up and down in the winter would be quite a challenge.

Well, getting down would be easy....”

“Yah but it seems like it's pretty far away from most people. And you can adapt your shopping habits so that trips during the worst of it would be unnecessary.

Except maybe for ammunition.”

“well, actually, Nevadaville is about 1.4 miles uphill from Central City, which is a mile above Blackhawk. MAJOR gambling towns, casinos and the whole deal. In the summer, Blackhawk and Central City get pretty crowded - the run busses out of Denver to take people there all day and all night.

Nevadaville is cool, but theres other places just like that really are remote.

I'll be checking those out soon too.”

“How did that Brady Bunch episode go?”

“LOL, I vaguely recall that one.”

“Bobby and Cindy got lost in the mine.”

“did you find any gold???”

“In Breckenridge, they have an old placer mine where you can pan for a little gold and find some. My wife did that when we were there 5 years ago.”

“We were in Elijay Georgia doing some horse trail riding and we passed an old abandond mining cave. It was about 90 degrees out but air was blowing out of the cave and it felt like an Air COnditioner. Twas a really nice place to stop and take a break., The air comming out of the cave is 55 degrees all year around.”

“the kids found little pebbles of fools gold up in the demo pit by the museum in Central City.”

“That probably excited them more than the little specks of actual gold would, lol...”

“Hey Roam Around Remeber when you could go to Central City walk up the narrow streets and buy the best salt water tafy in the state. And watch them make it in front of you. Then walk over to the saloon have a beer and think for a moment you were still in the old west. The last time I was in Central City and Blackhawk I didn't even recognise it.”

“Central City is on its way to ghost town status - everything had moved to Blackhawk. Lots of empty buildings now in Central.

This was my first trip up there.

I put one dollar in the slots though, no luck.”

““That probably excited them more than the little specks of actual gold would, lol...”
bitpusher
2:04:41 PM
11/14/05

they had a blast with it. kept trying to figure out how much it would be worth if it were real gold. lol”

“Is that the place right off of 70 where there is a big sign on the right going up the mountain?”

“There's an exit off 70, around mm 241 or so, for Central City/Blackhawk. You drive up Hwy 119 for around 12 miles once you exit.”

“Wonder if I've been "in"/near Nevadaville? I've driven up above Central City. Remember being near a cemetery or two there... and the road went on and I didn't.

Also, took "Oh My God" road to Idaho Springs (remember Beau Jo's Pizza!!!)

I love ghost towns. Anywhere up around Cripple Creek/Victor is cool, although last time I was up -- before 2000, they were back to gold mining and this time around scraping the tops off the mountains. I think Victor is pretty cool, since Cripple Creek went the way of Central City and Blackhawk. There was a cool old Masonic Building there and a newspaper building where a famous reporter worked (of course, whose name escapes me now).

Also, there are -- or were at that time -- a lot of old cabins and mines just scattered around on the hillsides. Went on a fall 4x4 tour once and we went among them. I've got photos somewhere.. probably a good thing!

Not my fav. ghost town, but a hugely pretty spot with a few remodeled old pioneer cabins is Winfield. Access to a bunch of 14ers in the Collegiate Peaks in that vicinity. A gorgeous valley at around 10,000 ft. You go past the ghost town/remodeled cabins of Vicksburg on the way up. (Do I detect a Civil War naming trend here?? lol)

Ward was another neat town, up from Boulder. Hey, do a ghost town tour and I'm THERE!!!!!!!! (if you leave Bebo home!!! LOL)”

“http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/hyjg6ug6.php

LOL @ lizs.

I bought a guide book / history book to Ghost towns and mineing camps, it'd be fun to spend a few days tramping around, you'd need a 4x4 for sure though to get to most of them.”

“Nice man. Very cool.”

“Nice Roam, Thanks”

“If you show up in my ghost town, then its gonna be a rootin tootin wild west showdown!”

“LMAO. Bebo and lizs. Choice of weapons: waterguns. Twenty paces at high noon. May the loser die of hypothermia.

I just remembered a couple more cool ghost towns around Aspen: Independence, right near Independence Pass, and Ashcroft.”

“Old school on the way from Rollinsville to the Moffat Tunnel
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=135399

Cemetery near Winfield
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=129134

Ghost town of Winfield
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=112671

The Victor Record, where Lowell Thomas got his newspaper start.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=142296

Old mine beside new mine, which is tearing the top off the mountain and probably has a cyanide leach pond close by.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=142280

Shack in old gold mining town of Ward.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=142277
last edited: 11/14/05 11:22:27 PM”

“lots of red x's liz :(”

“hence the quick edit! lol

You'll just have to go to the website.”

“nice recovery!”

“great shots liz - i really like the color and contrast in the first one!”

“thankee... just trying to give you more locations to lust after (oops! watch the language on bebo thread, lizs!!O)”