The Gilpin County Library was started in the 1970s as a non-profit with an all-volunteer staff who made it into a community hub. The original library was a log cabin off Gap Road that was built in the 1930s and had no indoor plumbing. The Wednesday story hour for small children started at the cabin and continues to this day.
Tireless fundraising events and their carnivals, which eventually became the Gilpin County Fair, kept the library going until 1986 when a small mill levy ($15/year) was approved by county residents and the library became a department in the Gilpin County government. In the early 1990s the library moved into what is now the Underground Liquors building while the now existing library was being constructed. This was the period when George Blevins drove the famous Gilpin Bookmobile around the county delivering books and joy to bibliophiles of all ages.
The new library building at its present location was dedicated on August 13, 1995. Over the years it has expanded and evolved to meet the needs of a digital generation. From meeting rooms to high-speed Internet, the Gilpin County Library is a place for all people.
Today Michael Carlson is the Gilpin County Library Director. You can contact the library at gilpinlibrary.org or call 303-582-5777.
McCollum’s Excavating has been operating out of the Gilpin mid-county area since 1996. Steve McCollum is the owner, and the company currently does mine reclamation work all around the state of Colorado. McCollum said that they travel to historic areas like Telluride and seal off mines that can sometimes be 600 feet deep. In some cases, they use iron grates at the entrance to a mine so that bats can still fly in and out.
McCollum Excavating LLC can be reached by calling 303-582-1500 or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mccollumexcavating.
