Omayra Acevedo, Peak to Peak. I’ve made a terrible mistake. Now, I have to live with the consequences of my choices. What do I do when this happens? I get in my truck and I go for a Rocky Mountain drive. Nothing makes me feel better or more alive than spending time with these glorious mountains. It’s how I clear my head.

As I was driving, heading out of Central City and toward more rugged terrain, I found myself in a place I had not visited in many years. I stopped for a while and recollected my last memories there. I remember getting out of my vehicle and becoming intrigued by the ruins. I also wondered how the heck a random sign got to where it was. It read something like: Rarin’ to go! Frontier…” I had no clue as to what it was, what it actually said or what it meant. That’s until I researched the history.

Apparently, in 1859, a gentleman by the name of John Gregory, was on his way to Pike’s Peak when he discovered gold while panning in what is today known as Black Hawk. Before he knew it, his diggings became so popular that many towns were founded nearby, hundreds of claims were being staked and in no time, mines and mills were used to extract ore from the junk rocks. Then, processed for shipment to Denver’s US Mint.

In order to transport ore from mine to mill, the Gilpin Tramway was built. Which would explain the random tracks across some of the local roads between Black Hawk and Central City. Fast forward to the mid-1920s. The number of mines dropped from 90 to less than 10. Why? Good question! Due to a natural process called weathering, gold found near surfaces tends to be higher quality than the stuff you find deep below. Yep, there was nothing else to dig for.

In 1928, Dr. William Mark Muchow bought out all the mines in the surrounding area and used whatever remained from the ore for dental applications. He patented his new claims as the Chain O’Mines. History states that he was very resourceful and even used old signs to mark his mill. After several trials and tribulations between the doc, his passing, new owners, the town and nature, mining was becoming unprofitable. Lesson learned, I guess. 

You can learn a lot about Colorado’s history by visiting one of our many ghost towns. Errors happen. I get that. It’s part of life. Perhaps soon, I’ll realize that my decision wasn’t as bad as I thought. Nonetheless, for a short while, I’ll be hoping to be as unnoticeable as a ghost in a town with no consequences and nothing to ruin.

For more information go to https://substreet.org/argo-tunnel-mines/3/.

(Originally published in the March 19, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)