THERE’S GOLD IN DEM HILLS

Miners, gold, and fortune seekers have played a key role in Colorado’s history since before statehood. Just to the west of the Foothills, lies what was once the richest mining region in Colorado. John Gregory kicked the party off in May of 1859, when he struck gold near what is now Black Hawk and Central City. His party found the first gold lode in the Territory, and promptly named it the Gregory Lode. Word spread fast, and by early June more than 4,000 weary prospectors had stumbled into the hills, looking to get their fair share of the fortune. In 1859 alone, prospectors mined more than $1.5 million in gold from the Gregory Gulch lode.

As more and more folks flooded into town, small mining camps were erected up and down the valley. By the fall of 1859, a new town, Central City, was established, and soon became the county seat of Gilpin County. Central City was once known as the “richest square mile on earth”, and possibly the most important town in the newly created Colorado Territory. With their new found wealth, the residents upgraded their surroundings from shanty tents, to log cabins, and then to wood framed structures.

During the mid 1860s, the initial boom had slowed down, and most of the areas easy gold had been mined. Gold still remained, but the ores were much harder to process. Enter chemistry professor Nathaniel P. Hill, who introduced a new smelting -or metal extraction- process. His big brain figured out a way extract the gold from these ores, and the boom was back on.

The area hit full pandemonium in the 1870s, thanks to Hills smelting process and the arrival of the Colorado Central Railroad. There was finally an easier way to get the gold from the hills to the buyers east of town, and construction boomed. Many of the original brick buildings built in this era survive today.

Yet boom times come and go, and by the 1880s, Central City and Black Hawk lost some of its luster. Denver’s importance increased, and many of the wealthiest residents relocated down the hill. New silver booms in Leadville and Aspen lured fortune seekers away. While Gilpin County was still productive in gold, the big opportunities lay elsewhere. By 1918, nearly all mining operations were suspended, and the death spiral began. Residents moved, and abandoned buildings were used for firewood. Efforts were made to reverse course, like the Central City Opera House reopening and locals trying to play on its historic past as a way to bring tourism, but it wasn’t enough. Central City and Black Hawk faced the dire prospect of joining other ghost towns that once had a promising future.

Things got pretty gloomy and the towns’ population dropped 90% from its heyday. With their backs against the wall, the area turned once again to the insatiable human desire for quick riches and fortunes. In 1990, Amendment 4 was approved by the majority of the states voters, and allowed limited stakes gambling in the two towns. Money from gambling was to be used for historic preservation, and the first casinos opened in 1991. The pivot worked, and the towns survived, propped up by the gambling revenue generated, to both fan fare and also criticism. By the early 2000s, the towns had made more money from gambling than they ever did from mining. Today, Blackhawk and Central City generate a whopping $821 million buckaroos from gambling operations and fortune seekers continue to flock every weekend looking to strike it rich.

CELEBRATE MOM

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and if you’ve procrastinated (or forgot), well here’s some event ideas this weekend around the area to bail you out. You can thank me later, but make your reservations asap.

VOTE RESULT

It looks like we have some aspiring art collectors and enthusiasts in our ranks! 94% of you all want to see (and hopefully support) the works of local artists, so don’t let anyone tell us we’re uncultured around these parts!

My goal is two fold: Expose the community to some wonderful and inspiring art pieces from local neighbors, and give local artists a platform to share their story and some of their work. With that, I have two favors:

1. If you’re a local artist, and want to get in on the fun, reach out and let’s chat.

2. If you know of a local artist who we should check out, drop us some info.

Drop me a line: [email protected] 

Come on down and see the fishy folks at Golden Fly Shop for their annual spring BBQ. Live music, BBQ, drinks, and discounts on flies, clothing, fly rods, and much more. What could be better! Stock up your gear and get that fishing stoke going strong.

Want a Featured Event? Reach out and say hello.

Care to submit an event? Hit the button below 👇️ 

TUESDAY

Amano Coffee & Plants, Kittredge- Paint Cub, 5-7pm. Have fun

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Nomadic Fire Mobile Sauna on site, 5-9pm. Sweaty

Apex Park, Golden- Jeffco Mountain Bike Club weekly ride, 5:30pm. Good lungs required

Over Yonder Brewing, Golden- Open Bluegrass Pick Night, 6-9pm. Jam w/ friends

Green Mountain Beer Co, Lakewood- Run Club Tuesdays, 6pm. Run then beer

The Golden Mill, Golden- Trivia Night 6:30-8:30pm. Show off your smarts

WEDNESDAY

Center for the Arts, Evergreen- Painting in Peace: Oil Painting Class for Veterans, 12:30-3:30pm. Learn more

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Bike Demo Days w/ Spot Bikes, 2-7pm. Try before you buy

Mountain Area Land Trust, Evergreen- Wildfire Awareness Workshop Part 1, 3-5pm. Get educated

Mountain Home, Evergreen- Mother’s Day Floral Arrangement Workshop, 5:30-8pm. Celebrate

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Open Bluegrass Jam, 6-9pm. Join the fun

Miner’s Saloon, Golden- Live Music Wednesdays, 6-9pm.

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Live music with Chrispy, 4-8pm.

Miner’s Alley Performing Arts Center, Golden- Opening Night of Ring of Fire, 7:30pm. Walk the line

Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge, Arvada-Whiskey Wednesday: Bardstown. Tix

THURSDAY

PranaTonic, Golden- Free Community Yoga Class, 10:30-11:30am.

Cactus Jack’s Saloon, Evergreen- Thank you Thursday. Locals get 10% off all day while the kitchen is open, and a great warm up for Open Mic Night 👇️ 

Cactus Jack’s Saloon, Evergreen- Almost Famous Open Mic Night, starting at 7pm

Runner’s Roost, Golden- Weekly Run Club, meet at 6pm

BP Run Co, Wheat Ridge- Weekly run club, starting at 6pm. Lace ‘em up

Goosetown Station, Golden- Hazel Miller & the Collective, 6:30pm. Rockin Stages

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Music by the Mesa: Jackie Straw, 6-9pm. Honky Tonk Tears

Over Yonder Brewing, Golden- Little Feat Live Stream, 6-8pm. American fusion rock

Evergreen Lake House, Evergreen- Senior Line Dancing, 6:30-8:30pm. Dance the night away

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Forever Man & Creedence Colorado Revival, 7pm. Bad moon rising

FRIDAY

Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli, Golden- Fondue 🫕 Friday. Call by Thursday to reserve your pot. Say Cheese

Impact Chiropractic, Golden- Mom’s Night Out: Wine, Snacks, & Self Care, 6-8pm. Treat yo self

Over Yonder Brewing, Golden- Live music with Jokerville, 5:30-8:30pm. New Denver Jam band

The Woodcellar, Evergreen- Tony Trahan & BlueKrewe bringing their swampy Louisiana roots music, 8pm. Cajun Jams

Little Bear Saloon, Evergreen- Wendy Woo’s Girl Crush band, 8pm. Rock out

SATURDAY

BP Run Co, Wheat Ridge- Citrus Run Club, 7am. For the speedy folks

Dinosaur Ridge, Golden- TriceraTOTS Preschool Program, 9am. Explore

Center for the Arts, Evergreen- Artful Pairings Series: Bubbles & Blinis, 10am-12pm. 21+

Mountainside Bakery, Evergreen- Mother’s Day cookie decorating event, 10:30am-12:30pm. Sweet

The Golden Mill, Golden- Something Style Bouquet Class, 9:30am-11am. Last minute gifts

Ralston Road Shops, Arvada- Grand Opening Event with ice cream and karaoke, 12-8pm. Support local

Mines Museum, Golden- Tarryall Gold: Book Launch Party, 5-7:30pm. History

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Live music w/ Mile High Cattle Cult, 6pm. Dirty Blues

SUNDAY

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Board Game Night, 5pm-close. Have fun

Bivouac Coffee, Evergreen- Evergreen Run Series w/ Norrona, 9:30am. Get out there

MONDAY

Rise Yoga & Wellness, Golden- Baby and Me Yoga, 11am-12pm. Go with the flow

New Terrain Brewing Co, Golden- Yoga on Tap 🧘 Yoga from 6-7pm, beers anytime. Get your ticket

Golden Game Guild, Golden- Teach Me to Play Mondays, 6-9pm. Learn new games

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Speed Jigsaw Puzzling, 6:30pm. Race for glory

Clear Creek Miners, c. 1890-1900

🤝 If you think someone else would enjoy these updates, please pass along. The more the crew grows, the better it gets for everyone.

💌 If you have good friends who were kind enough to forward this to you, skip the middleman and join the crew directly! 👇️ 

See you around the next bend!