Submerged in the past
A late 1890s submarine, built in the area, claims the title of "mountain submarine."
Main Street
A recreation of a typical Main Street charms visitors at the Gilpin History Museum.
Central City is the place to be for history buffs! The Gilpin Historical Society offers tours of the Teller House, the Opera House, the Thomas House, St. James Methodist Church, and more. Tours are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day. They begin at 117 Eureka Street, which offers a free mini-museum focused on gambling and law.
A couple of blocks away is the multi-level Gilpin History Museum, which is filled with a myriad of historical items, including a submarine!
Though the first working submarine dates back to the 1770s, no one else can claim to have built the first mountain submarine—except Central City. Known as the Central City Submarine, it was designed by Rufus T. Owen, a talented engineer responsible for building the area's early water systems and mining structures.
Owen was serious about his creation, and in 1898, he and a group of friends hauled the sub up to Missouri Lake, where they loaded it with three tons of rocks as ballast. Unfortunately, the experiment didn’t succeed—the submarine sank and stayed submerged for nearly 46 years before being recovered in 1944. Many joked it was the longest crash dive ever!
Central City
Gilpin History Museum
Earth Treasures Tours
Gilpin County Arts Association
Teller House
Central City Opera House
Lanny and Sharon Martin Foundry Rehearsal Hall
Central City Visitor’s Center
Idaho Springs
Historical Society of Idaho Springs
Nederland
Carousel of Happiness
Nederland Mining Museum
Gillaspie House Museum
Estes Park
Estes Park Museum
Stanley Home Museum and Education Center
Reliance Fire Museum
Lula W. Dorsey Museum
