CENTRAL CITY – Stepping into 125 Main Street in Central City was like stepping back in time, literally and figuratively, as I was greeted by the sound of several dozen clocks ticking. Mostly older clocks adorned the wall, and Dutchman Ernst, locally known as “Dutch,” welcomed me into the store. 

Dutch recently moved into the retail establishment known as Mayor Willie’s on Main Street, which also houses Mayor Jeremy Fey’s collection of Stetson hats and luggage. An eclectic mix of goods now fills the space, befitting the unique town of Central.

But Dutch’s collection of odd things does not stop there. He also collects toasters and other antiques. And he recently purchased the nearby Coeur d’Alene mine in search of more storage space. 

The retired gold mine, situated at the town's entrance, was established in 1884 and closed around 1945. The story goes that the miners went home one day, and arrived the following day to find the mine was shut down. 

Sometime later, the Gilpin Historical Society took possession of the mine property. They offered it to the public for tours, and before the pandemic it saw a fair amount of interest.

In recent times, the Society has been facing a lack of revenue and began contemplating selling the mine, said Jim Crawford, the President of the Board of Trustees.

Meanwhile, Dutch had been looking for space nearby to store and work on his antiques. 

“I was looking for an auxiliary place to use for storage and a workshop, and so I was looking for acreage around here. And then about a year and a half ago, a woman at the historic society said they might be selling the Coeur d'Alene.”

Dutch relayed his excitement at the news. 

“I don’t need water, and it doesn’t have power, but I’m going to get power to it. So, it was perfect! And it’s right here.”

He said the historical society was going back and forth over selling it, and through the course of a year and a half, Dutch raised his offer from $150,000 to $212,500. 

Crawford said the mine was “pretty much just sitting there,” and bolstered little tourist interest.

“For weeks, we would have absolutely nobody stop by for a tour. And then we had problems over the years of it getting vandalized and broken into.

 “The society had been thinking about selling the mine and the revenue has put us in a much better position,” said Crawford.

Dutch had the 3-acre property surveyed, sought a title, and took possession of the mine on November 21, 2024. 

“It’s a cool space….I’m doing solar things in it,” he shared.

And now the Society has some funds to continue its operations. 

When asked what the funds will be used for, Crawford responded that the money will go into their investment account, where it can gain interest. 

“Before the economy crashed, we would just live off the interest. But then the shit hit the fan, and it was downhill from there,” Crawford expressed.

The assessor valued the property at a mere $30,000 and since Dutch is a well-known supporter of all things historic, I asked whether the purchase may have been based on goodwill towards the Society.

Crawford hinted that, yes, there might have been some goodwill involved in the sale.

This intersection of an antique dealer and a historic society’s need to sell a mining property has borne a fruitful outcome, and the City of Central will maintain part of its history, albeit in a new fashion. As a historic mining town and a legal gaming municipality, its reputation of having one foot in the past and one in the present marches on.

To learn more about the Gilpin Historical Society and take a tour, visit https://www.gilpinhistory.org/tours. Stop by 125 Main Street in Central to see the largest and oddest collection of clocks in the Peak to Peak region.