Mining issue january 2009
ag in THe CLassrOOM - HeLPing THe neXT generaTiOn unDersTanD THeir COnneCTiOn TO agriCuLTure
1859-2009 – 150 Year Anniversary of the Colorado Gold Rush!
The true start of the Colorado
Gold Rush is attributed to a man
named George Andrew Jackson.
After Christmas 1858, Jackson
and two other men ventured up
Clear Creek on a hunting trip. On
the last day of the year, Jackson
left his companions and plowed
through the snow farther up the
creek. After six days and two
encounters with mountain lions,
Jackson and his two dogs, Kit and
Drum, made camp along the gravel
bars of a small creek near presentday Idaho Springs. Here his dogs
wrestled with a wolverine before,
with Jackson’s help, they were able to kill it.
On January 7, 1859, Jackson built a bonfire to thaw a
promising-looking gravel bar. He scraped out some of the
gravel with his hunting knife, and panned it in his drinking
cup. Soon he had recovered a gold nugget and
several flakes of gold. He wrote in his diary:
I jumped up and down…and I
dreamed all sorts of things, about
a fine house and good clothes, a
carriage and horses, travel, what I
would take to the folks down in
old Missouri and everything else you
can think of. I had struck it rich!
Fighting a snowstorm and
caring for his injured dogs, it
took Jackson a week to make his
way back to the others, who
vowed to keep his discovery a
secret until they could raise
money to return to mine the area
properly. The small mining party
Jackson assembled was
grubstaked (financed for a
portion of the findings) by a
group from Chicago and in
April of 1859 they returned to
the spot on what is now
Chicago Creek. After panning
for only one week, Jackson
returned to Denver, walked into a store, and placed
100 ounces of raw placer gold on the counter — worth
about $1,900.
Jackson must have immediately become the most
popular man in the Colorado Territory! News of the
Jackson Diggins’ spread quickly and by the end of May,
300 men were each panning about $5 worth of gold a day
in the mining camp called Spanish Bar at the west end of
present-day Idaho Springs. Jackson’s discovery sparked
the largest Gold Rush and immigration in American
history, and it all started in Idaho Springs!
To read and learn more about Idaho Springs and
Colorado’s mining history from Jack’s Journal “Summer of Gold,” just turn to page 2!
C O l O R A D O F O u N D AT I O N F O R A G R I C u lT u R e
/ www.growingyourfuture.com
1
a suMMer Of gOLD
Written by Christine M. Crouse/Clear Creek Watershed Foundation
The summer I turned 10 was very interesting. I was hoping
for the Ultimate Zone-Out T.V. Game Station, but when my
dad gave me a gift smaller than a baseball, I knew I was
going to have to keep saving my allowance. Although I was
disappointed, I became curious when my mom said, “Jack,
this year your present is your past.” I tore off the wrapping
paper and opened the velvet-lined box. Inside was a shiny,
gold pocket watch! It was really cool!
“Read the inscription inside,” said my dad. etched in fancy
writing were the words, “Happy 10th Birthday, July 10,
1944.” “That’s my birth date, but the year is 60 years off,”
I stated. “It should say 2004, not 1944.” “The inscription is
correct,” replied my dad, J.J. Miller. “This watch originally
belonged to your Grandpa Johnny. You and he were born on
the exact same date, but 60 years apart. The watch was given
to him on his 10th birthday by his father, Jonathan James
Miller. Then he gave it to me when I turned 10, and now it’s
your turn!” I only met my Grandpa Johnny once before he
died, so I barely remember him. I thought it was pretty neat to
have something that had been in the family for so long, and it
still worked! “It’s made of real gold, son, so be very careful
with it,” warned my dad.
After we finished our root beer floats my mom said, “That
watch is not your only gift from us, Jack. You get to go on a
special birthday trip, too!” “Really? Where?” I excitedly asked.
“A dude ranch? An adventure park?” My parents chuckled.
“umm, not exactly,” my dad replied. “Now
that we’ve moved back to Colorado, your
Grandma Rose has invited you to spend a
week with her up in Idaho Springs, where
I grew up!” I tried not to
nday night
u
s
~
l
a
n
r
u
o
j
jack’s
d at her old
When we arrive
house,
Victorian-style
greeted us
Grandma Rose
ses. Later
is
k
d
an
s
ug
h
with
r my parents
te
af
,
ht
ig
n
t
tha
ft, I showed
le
h
na
n
a
H
d
my dad had
n
a
t
a
th
h
tc
a
w
t
ocke
spoke. “Your
he
Grandma the p
s
s
a
d
le
k
eyes twin
was special to
t
given me. Her
I
!
ch
t
a
w
t
ured tha
very hard to
grandpa treas
d
e
k
or
w
ts
n
s pare
th
him because hi
time for his 10
in
d
e
rib
sc
in
and
born son,
tirs
f
have it made
ir
he
t
s
a
Johnny w
birthday. Since
grand gift. Not
a
im
h
ve
gi
to
n, and this
they wanted
e
th
ck
ba
ch
a wat
everyone had
memories. Now
f
o
t
lo
a
s
d
h hol
particular watc
real antique.”
a
f
o
r
ne
w
o
ud
d
you’re the pro
iced two frame
t
no
I
,
d
be
to
As I climbed in
One was of a
d.
an
t
ts
gh
ni
n the
t to it was
x
e
N
photographs o
y.
p
up
p
a
olding
and white
boy my age h
a faded black
a young
photograph of
ckaxes and
pi
g
in
ld
ho
le
p
cou
could they
ho
“W
.
ls
ve
ho
s
d, as I
be?” I wondere
sleep.
drifted off to
make a face. Don’t get me
wrong, I love my Grandma, but
I couldn’t imagine spending a
whole week with her. “It’s a
golden opportunity!” gushed
my mom. “You can learn more
about Grandpa Johnny and our
family heritage!” I figured
visiting with Grandma Rose
would be better than having to
hang out with my little sister
all week!
2
Tuesday
using pickaxes, shovels,
sledge hammers, and
I didn’t think there would be much to do in an old-time
JA CK ’S NU G GE T OF
dynamite. They went down KN OW LE DG E!
mountain mining town like Idaho Springs, but we sure are
shafts, through drifts to the
keeping busy! Now I know why my parents chuckled when I
the early mining days
In
mine
face.
After
breaking
asked about what I’d be doing on my trip; Grandma Rose is
,
there was no electricity
up the rocks, they would
very energetic! Yesterday we went rafting in Clear Creek. Then
les
so miners brought cand
load them into carts. Then
we packed a picnic and hiked to Grandma’s favorite fishing
.
they would move the carts
spot.
into the mines for light
Today as we were walking through town, Grandma Rose told up to the surface of the
The candles also helped
mine—sometimes with the
me that Colorado has a very rich mining history and Idaho
ve miners’ lives. If the
sa
Springs was home to the Colorado Gold Rush back in 1859! She help of horses, donkeys, or
nt out, it meant
we
me
fla
mules.
Grandma
explained,
explained that gold was first found in streams and rivers by
that there was not
“This was very dangerous
placer miners. Some called this “easy mining” because the
work because the tunnels and enough oxygen for the
miners used specially-shaped pans to swish around the stream
water and gravel to look for gold flakes. Some were really lucky other underground workings
miners to breathe. Their
me
and found gold nuggets! If they found a place with lots of gold, could collapse or flood.
motto was, “If the fla
Sometimes dynamite
they would build a long wooden trough called a sluice (rhymes
out, you get out!”
es
go
exploded
unexpectedly.
with “juice”) to wash large amounts of gravel.
Miners could also get sick
Grandma explained that after most of the placer gold was
from breathing too much rock and mineral dust, or from pockets
found, the miners had to look harder and deeper for the real
of ‘bad air’ or air without enough oxygen.”
source of the gold. They moved out of the streams and rivers
After the ore was mined, it had to be processed to get the
and began digging the land. Soon, large amounts of gold and
valuable gold and other minerals out of the rocks. The rocks had
other valuable minerals were found in underground rock
to be crushed at a mill. Sometimes the ore was heated to
deposits. To get the gold and other valuable minerals out of the
extremely high temperatures in a smelter. Other times chemicals
rocks, the miners had to dig and blast a lot of ore underground
like “quicksilver” (mercury) were used to float the minerals out.
where it was cold, dark and damp. This hardrock mining was
really hard work. Back in the 1800s, mining was done by hand
continued on page 4
Why was the prospector happy when he sneezed?
To discover the answer, solve these math problems. Then match the solutions to the
numbers on the lines below.
W
305
+508
D
92
-75
_ _ _ _ _
75 11
219 120 219
T
25
x3
A
60
–: 2
U
80
+95
H
22
–: 2
O
710
+280
_ _ _
813 30 205
R
40
x3
I
155
+37
S
122
+83
N
21
-6
_ _ _ _
9 990 240 17
C O l O R A D O F O u N D AT I O N F O R A G R I C u lT u R e
_ _ _ _
17 175 205 75
E
191
+28
_ _
192 15
_ _ _
75
11
219
/ www.growingyourfuture.com
G
75
-66
L
40
x6
_ _ _ !
30 192 120
3
continued from page 3
As we walked downtown, Grandma
explained that because so many new
people were coming to the area back then,
there was a growing need for more goods
and services. “It was a very exciting time,
Jack. Idaho Springs was one of the first
Colorado boom towns!” “Wow, that
sounds kind of dangerous,” I exclaimed!
Grandma laughed. “I don’t mean literally
exploding, Jack! The businesses were so
busy they said they were ‘booming.’” I
was looking at the plaques on many of the
historic buildings downtown and learned
that most of them were constructed in the
1880s. The business district was along
Miner Street. There were grocery and
clothing stores; blacksmith and hardware
shops; boarding houses and saloons;
pharmacies and a mortuary; schools and
churches; banks and a post office. There
even used to be a bowling alley, a
theatre, and a candy shop.” Houses were
built along Colorado Boulevard. The
biggest and fanciest were built for the
wealthy mine owners and mill
superintendents.
Here’s a sketch Grandma and I
made of an underground mine.
The Making of a
Mine
Head frame
Outcrop
Portal
Outcrop
Orebody
Orebody
vein
Drift
Shaft
Drift
Face
Stope
Sump
adit ~ a horizonta
l
mountain...if it cont passageway into the side of a hill
inues through to
the other side it or
is a tunnel.
drift ~ a tunnel dug
ho
riz
on
ta
lly
from the shaft;
“drift in” underneat
miners tried to
h the ore body.
face ~ any part
of a mine where wo
rk is underway.
hardrock ~ ore th
at can only be min
ed by blasting.
headframe ~ a st
ruc
down and bring up ture at the opening of a shaft,
used to take
people, tools, and
ore.
high-grading ~ when
miners would stea
l chunks of ore.
lode ~ a rock zone
minerals. When min that contains a large amount of
ers discovered a lar
valua
that they hit the
ge lode, they would ble
mo
exclaim
th
er
lode! Becaus
branching deposits
of ore, they are e lodes are usually long,
also called veins.
muck ~ ore and wa
st
The person who cle e rock that has been broken up
aned up the muck
by
was called the mu blasting.
cker.
Diagram from Minin
g: Colorado’s Herita
4
ge
ore ~ a mix of ro
ck and valuable mi
at a profit.
nerals that can
be mined
outcrop ~ a place
Earth’s surface. where a mineral deposit can be se
en on the
portal ~ a horizon
tal mine entrance.
raise ~ a shaft
driven upward to
connect two mine
levels.
shaft ~ a tunnel
dug straight down
into the ground.
stope ~ a large
underground room
mined.
or area where or
e has been
sump ~ a hole su
nk
waste rock ~ rock below a shaft or drift to catc
h water.
that does not co
is almost always
mixed in with the ntain valuable minerals; it
valuable stuff.
winze ~ an inclin
ed or vertical shaf
levels.
t or passage betw
een mine
Wednesday
Right now, Grandma Rose is doing some volunteer work at
This morning Grandma took me up to the Phoenix Mine—a the library. I thought she might like it if I had a story for her, so
while I was waiting, I did some more research. Here’s what I’ve
real underground gold mine that started in 1871. We went on a
tour and got to see hardrock miners in action. Al, who owns this learned so far about Colorado’s mining history (see page 6)...
mine with his brother, explained that what’s happening in the
world can affect mining and how much money the minerals are Thursday
worth.
Today was a rainy day, which I didn’t mind—I was kind of
While we were there I got to pan for gold in the nearby
tired after three days of non-stop activity. I found Grandma
stream, just like the early prospectors. It was exciting to find
busy cooking in the kitchen. As I ate my breakfast, I asked,
specks of real gold in the bottom of my pan! I can understand
“Who are the people in the pictures by my bed?” “I was
why so many people caught “gold fever.” I started to realize
wondering when you’d ask,” she replied. “Those are three very
how lucky I was to have a real, 14-karat gold pocket watch.
important people from your family. let’s bring our tea into the
One of Grandma Rose’s friends told me that the purity of gold
living room and I’ll tell you about them,” Grandma suggested.
is measured in karats. 24-karat is pure gold! Can you imagine
Once we got situated, she pulled out a really old, leather photo
how much gold you would have to find to make an entire
album and sat next to me on the couch. “Here are some
watch?
wedding photos of that same couple in the photo by your bed.
They’re your great-grandfather Jonathan James Miller and your
great-grandmother Ruth.”
LD
GO
R
FO
T
ES
QU
Back in 1932 they decided to become miners! The Gold
ient
anc
e
sinc
red
asu
tre
n
bee
s
Gold ha
Rush stories of mining adventure and riches captured their
the
ago
ars
ye
00
imaginations. After their wedding, they did some geology
times. More than 5,0
s
an
May
and
research and hiked all around Clear Creek County looking for
Egyptians, Greeks, Aztecs
,
elry
jew
certain kinds of rock outcrops that indicated that there was a
were mining gold to make statues,
people
vein of gold underground. After a few months, they staked
and coins. In the 1500s, the native
their claim on the “Honeymoon Mine.”
to
of what is now Florida mined gold
Developing the mine and having ore processed took a lot of
ors. The
trade with the Spanish Conquistad
their time and money. They both kept their regular jobs and
while
rado
Colo
d
sse
cro
ers
plor
ex
h
nis
Spa
lived in a small house in town, only working in their mine on
of
ies
Cit
ven
Se
led
fab
the
for
searching
the weekends. They were lucky, though, and found enough gold
was
get
nug
gold
d
oun
to give them “gold fever!” They saved the gold they found,
Gold. In 1799, a 17-p
the
was
s
were having fun, and even built a small picnic shelter up there.
found in North Carolina. Thi
the
in
When their son, Jonathan James II was born in July of 1934,
first documented discovery of gold
h began
they knew what they wanted to do with their gold — have it
United States. The U.S. Gold Rus
made into a pocket watch for him. They thought a gold pocket
in the 1800s.
watch would be a prized-possession for any boy! Over the next
few years they collected enough gold to make the pocket watch.
1803 North Carolina
When World War II began in 1939 their mine was ordered to be
1828 Georgia
shut down by the government, and Jonathan Sr. went overseas
1849 California
to serve in the war.
1859 Colorado
When he returned home his family was very happy to see
ota
Dak
uth
1874 So
him! To his amazement, Ruth had the gold pocket watch made
1898 Alaska
while he was overseas. “And that’s the story of how your gold
pocket watch came to be!” Grandma Rose concluded as she
1902 Nevada
gently closed the photo album.
continued on page 7
The Colorado Reader publication and Ag in the Classroom are projects of the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. educational projects are produced in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Agriculture,
other state and federal agencies, Colorado commodity groups, Colorado agricultural associations, state universities and colleges and interested individuals. Colorado Readers are provided free to educators requesting them.
For more information contact: Bette Blinde, Director, Colorado Foundation for Agriculture, P.O. Box 10, livermore, CO 80536 or phone (970) 881-2902. Financial support for this reader has been graciously provided by:
State of Colorado, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. excerpted from the full Student Workbook “A Summer of Gold.” For a copy of the complete workbook,
contact the Clear Creek Watershed Foundation at 303-567-2699 or [email protected]. Written by Chris Crouse. lllustrated by Carrie Jordan
C O l O R A D O F O u N D AT I O N F O R A G R I C u lT u R e
/ www.growingyourfuture.com
5
Going for Gold! by Jack
Miller
Back in 1858, a man na
present-day Denver. Ne med William Green Russell found gold in Cherry
ws
Creek, just south of
who believed in the pros of this goldpanning discovery spread like wil
dfire. Many prospectors
pect
(people
One such prospector wa or possibility of “striking it rich”) came to
th
s
is
Ge
ar
or
ea
ge
.
An
dre
w Jackso
was setting up his camp
site near where Chicago n. On a cold, winter day in January of 1859,
Springs. He had left his
he
Creek and Clear Creek
gold pan at the main
me
et
,
in
wh
at is now
gold in the stream. Wh
camp, so he used his
knife and tin cup to se Idaho
ile swishing around the
gravel and water, he fo
arch for
nuggets! Soon after, th
und gold flakes and se
e Colorado Gold Rush
veral gold
began!
Shortly after the disco
ve
ry
of
“J
ac
ks
on’s Diggins,” another
large underground gold
miner na
lode near present-day
Central City. Gregory’s med John Gregory found a
finds led to the area’s
“Glor
nickname of “the riche
st square mile on Earth y Hole” and other nearby
At the peak of mining
.”
in this area, more than
had interesting names
2,0
00
mi
ne
s
cr
iss-cros
like French Flag, Hercule
s, Two Brothers, Whale, sed under the ground! They
Gem, Silver Cycle, Trea
sure Vault, Boodle, and
General Herkimer, Little
Dixie.
Nell,
News of these gold dis
co
ve
rie
s
brought tens of thousa
to Clear Creek Canyon
nds of people to Color
. Many of the original
ado, many of
mining camps became to
like Idaho Springs, Bla
ck Hawk, Central City,
wns and cities which st them
Silver Plume, Empire, and
ill
Nevadaville, Alice, and Fre
Georgetown. Some, like exist,
edland, are now desert
tourist mines like the
ed ghost towns. And old
Hidee Mine.
towns like Russell Gulch
have
Before heading up the
ca
ny
on
to
Id
ah
o
Springs, lots of prospe
up on supplies. Golden
ctors
City (Golden) was the
Colorado Territorial Capit stopped in Golden to stock
Territorial Capitol was
ol from 1862-1867. In 186
moved to Denver wher
e they eventually built
dome! In 1870, railroads
a new capitol building wit 7, the
from the east reached
h a gold
Colorado Territory beco
Colorado and brought lot
me the 38th state ~
s more people. In 1876,
Colorado.
the
No one knows for sure
, but it is estimated th
nearly $200,000,000 (th
at
at’s 200 million dollars)
wo
of gold and other mine
rt
rals were mined from th h
e
Clear Creek/Gilpin Minin
g District ~ that’s eq
ual to
over a billion dollars to
day!
Besides being used as
jewelry, gold is used fo a form of money and for
r me
procedures. Gold is used dical and dental
to make aircraft and
aerospace products. Go
ld is a great conducto
r. Th
means that electricity
can easily pass through is
wire made of gold. Keys
a
on computer keyboard
s
strike gold circuits that
relay the data. Teleph
have a small transmitt
on
er in the mouthpiece th es
at is
made partly of gold. Ca
r airbags are signaled
to
deploy (open up) by go
ld-covered sensors. Go
ld is
also used in telescope
s, lasers, and television
s.
THE END
6
continued from page 5
friday
Today we went to some local museums.
I was curious about a tool I saw at the
Idaho Springs Visitor Center & Heritage
Museum called the “widow-maker.” A
volunteer at the museum told me that this
mining tool was used for the first time up in
the Burleigh Tunnel in Silver Plume in
1869. It is a drill that uses compressed air
to make the holes for dynamite — ten times
faster than by hand! “If it helped the
miners,” I wondered, “why did they
nickname it the widow-maker?” He
explained that the early models of the drill
created a fine dust that the miners breathed.
They got sick and often died from the
terrible lung disease called silicosis. If a
miner had a wife when he died, she became
a “widow.” After this danger was realized, a
new kind of drill was invented that used
water to keep the dust down.
“even though it was dangerous, I bet it
was exciting.” I said. “Too bad there isn’t
any more mining going on now.” “Hold on
there, fella,” he laughed. “Mining is still big
business! To make things like cars,
computers, and even jewelry, you still need
rocks and minerals. even the materials used
to make your house were mined! Some of
those minerals are mined at the big
Henderson Mine outside the old mining
town of empire - west of Idaho Springs.
That’s what mining is all about.” He
continued, “Nowadays, though, mining is
much different. Faster machinery is used,
such as conveyor belts, front-end loaders,
and shuttle vehicles. Mining is safer
because miners use equipment that helps
them avoid breathing in harmful dust.
“Wow,” I exclaimed, “before this visit, I
just thought a rock was a rock. I didn’t
know that valuable stuff was inside it.”
Grandma sighed, “Most people don’t
realize how different life would be without
mining.” (As usual, she’s right — check out
the activity below!)
After lunch, we went on a bike ride.
Along the way we passed several old,
historic mining structures that you can see
from Interstate 70 — the Stanley Mine, the
Maude Monroe, and the Argo Mill. We
took a break and Grandma pointed out
more old mining sites. “They’re easy to
spot, Jack,” she said. “In the old days, there
weren’t any laws to protect the
environment. The waste rock and tailings
were dumped down the mountain or into
nearby streams. “Why are the piles and
ponds orange?” I asked. “Because when the
minerals in the rocks are exposed to air and
water they turn a rusty, orange color from
the iron oxide that is formed.”
“Remember how I told you that there
were about 2,000 mines around here?”
Grandma asked. “Now most of those mines
are abandoned. The miners just packed up
and left. When it rains or snows, water goes
through waste rock and tailings and gets
polluted with minerals that can hurt the
nearby streams. Natural groundwater seeps
out of the mines and is usually polluted,
too. That’s why there is a lot of work being
done now to clean up the old mine and mill
sites. Now at the Argo, instead of an
operating mill, there is a Water Treatment
Plant to clean the water draining from the
mines before it goes into Clear Creek.”
“That’s good,” I said, “since people get
their drinking water from the creek, and use
it for fishing and rafting.”
“Are miners more careful now?” I
asked. “Oh yes, there are still minerals to
be found and there are lots of laws to
protect the environment and people. Our
society uses these resources for almost
everything we do. We use the fossil fuels of
coal and natural gas to make electricity.
Almost everything we use is made from
minerals. When the supply runs out, what
will we do? These are important things for
your generation to think about, Jack!”
continued on page 8
What’s Your Your Daily Dose of Minerals?
Minerals are really important to our everyday lives. Without minerals we would not have things like houses,
cars, skateboards, bikes, computers, t.v.s, CD players, drinking glasses, windows, light bulbs, even
toothpaste, and shampoo! Take a look around — almost everything we use is made from minerals that
were mined from Earth. Even our bodies contain minerals that keep us alive! Go online and research what
the following common items are made from and draw a line from the mineral ingredients to these
everyday items.
1) concrete =
2) toothpaste =
3) stainless steel =
4) shampoo =
5) window glass =
C O l O R A D O F O u N D AT I O N F O R A G R I C u lT u R e
/ www.growingyourfuture.com
7
For your dad’s 10th birthday, he wanted to come up here — it
was his favorite place in the world! We were having a wonderful
time when suddenly Buddy, the family puppy, chased a rabbit into
the mine. He started barking and digging after the rabbit. Then we
heard a rumbling sound from inside the mine. Buddy barked wildly.
“A rockslide!” cried J.J. as he started to run in after Buddy. “I’ve got
to save him!” Grandpa chased after J.J. and stopped him. “I know
you love Buddy, but it’s too dangerous to go in after him.” At just
that moment, the headframe collapsed and the mine caved in. We
lost Buddy, but thanks to Grandpa, your dad was all right. It
frightened all of us terribly, but your dad was especially upset about
losing Buddy. He never wanted to come back here after that. The
following weekend Grandpa Johnny came and boarded up the mine.
“So my dad is the boy in the photograph, “ I said. “It all
makes sense now. Dad never told me about this place because it
reminded him of losing Buddy.” “I think you’re right, Jack,” she
said. “Now that your dad works for the Colorado Division of
continued from page 7
Reclamation, Mining and Safety, his job is to study old mining
saturday ~ My last day with grandma rose
areas and help make them safe. Abandoned mines that once
early in the morning, Grandma Rose announced that she had a brought riches are now extremely dangerous and can bring great
special surprise for me. “Follow me!” she said. We went out to
tragedy. every year people get hurt or die in abandoned mines.
the back yard and she opened the door to a large shed. Inside was That’s why you should keep out.”
the oldest, dustiest jeep I had ever seen! “Does it run?” I asked.
“Well, we’d better head back home and see if there are any
“Well, it’s been a while, but hop in and let’s give it a go,” said
more surprises!” teased Grandma Rose.
Grandma. “Where are we going?” I inquired. “up to the
When we got back to Grandma’s house, mom, dad and
Honeymoon Mine!” she answered with a twinkle in her eye. “The Hannah were on the front porch waiting for us. They were trying
old family gold mine?” I said, “I didn’t know it was still around!” to hide a large box with a
We drove west of
giant ribbon on top. “Hurry
town and up a
sTay OuT &
up and open it!” my sister
sTay aLiVe!
steep canyon.
a
cc
or
ding to the Col
giggled. I ran up and opened
orado Division
“We used to
of
r
ec
lamation, Min
the lid — inside was the
ing, and safety,
there are more
come up here on
than 23,000
cutest puppy! “I hope you
abandoned min
weekends when
es in Colorado,
don’t mind, Jack, but I’ve
with
m
ore than 2,000
your dad was a kid
in the idaho
already named the puppy...
springs/Central
about your
City/ georgetow
meet Argo!” “Since we’re
n
area alone. un
fortunately, ab
age.We’d pack a
andoned
going to be staying put in
mines are very
dangerous and
picnic and spend
every
year people ge
Colorado, we figured it
t injured or die
all day
from
exploring them
was time for a family
—by falling in
‘rockhounding.’
to
deep
shafts, cave-ins,
dog!” said mom. This gift
bad air and poi
so
Your dad sure had
nous
ga
s, drowning in
was way more interactive
flooded tunnel
s,
discarded explo
a knack for finding
sives, poisonou
than Ultimate Zone-Out,
s
snakes in the sh
the most beautiful
afts and tunnel
and as my mom had
s, and
m
ore. Please do
rock and mineral
not explore
predicted, finding out
abandoned min
specimens. That must be why he became a geologist.” When we
e shafts or tun
about my past was a
nels.
There are num
erous tourist m
finally got up to the Honeymoon Mine, it was all boarded up.
ines and
great present! I learned a
mining museu
ms throughout
“Can we go exploring in the mine?” I eagerly asked. “Oh no,
th
e state
with experience
lot about the past in
d and knowled
Jack. It’s much too dangerous to go inside. No one has been in
geable
staff to guide yo
Colorado, too. I’m glad
u safely through
there for years. But we can take a hike around.” I was amazed, “I we’re staying here so I
the
fascinating wor
ld of mining.
exploring aban
wonder why Dad never told me about these family trips?”
can discover more about
doned mines is
no
game—stay ou
“Although we had a lot of good times here,” Grandma began,
t
and stay alive.
the state and my family.
“there is a sad memory, too...”
8