SILVER QUEEN

Forty-five miles up Clear Creek Canyon from Denver sits a town that was once the third-largest city in Colorado. Today Georgetown has about 1,000 residents and is most known for cars driving the frozen lake in winter. In the 1870s, it had 5,000 people, two newspapers, a telegraph office, an opera house, and serious ambitions about becoming the state capital.

The difference? Silver.

Georgetown's mining story started with gold in 1859, but in 1864 everything changed when rich silver deposits were discovered in the surrounding mountains, triggering a flood of miners, investors, and fortune seekers into the valley. Georgetown became the commercial hub of the whole operation — supply depot, smelting center, social scene. They called it the Silver Queen of Colorado. At its peak, it eclipsed nearby Golden and became briefly the third most populous city in the state.

Two miles up the canyon sat Silver Plume — the working-class counterpart, home to over a thousand miners from Ireland, Cornwall, Germany, Italy, and Scandinavia. Two miles and 640 feet of elevation separated the two towns. Getting ore between them efficiently required a railroad. But that 640-foot climb over just two miles meant a punishing grade, steeper than most locomotives could handle.

The solution was audacious. Engineers designed a corkscrew route that traveled nearly twice the straight-line distance, slowly gaining elevation through horseshoe curves and four bridges across Clear Creek — including the massive Devil's Gate High Bridge. Construction was a mess from the start — incompetent survey crews, harsh winters, constant delays. When the bridge was finally assembled, the chief engineer discovered the entire structure had been installed backwards. Crews tore it apart and reassembled it — a six-week job in the dead of winter.

The line opened in 1884. After all the worry, expense, and drama — $254,700 to be exact — it turned out to be the railroad to nowhere. Union Pacific had already found an easier route to Leadville. The railroad pivoted to tourism instead, becoming one of Colorado's first major visitor attractions. Then silver crashed in 1893, and the whole thing eventually went dormant. By 1939 it was abandoned, the famous bridge sold for scrap at $600.

It sat quiet for 35 years. In the 1970s, Colorado decided it was worth saving. The loop was rebuilt, the bridge reconstructed, and in 1984 — exactly 100 years after its original completion — trains ran again.

The Georgetown Loop Railroad still runs today. Worth the drive up the canyon. The Silver Queen isn't done just yet.

THE BRIEFING

SUNRISE 6:56 AM
SUNSET 7:17 PM

SNOW FORECAST: Honestly, lets just start looking toward next year 😢 

PROPERTY: So… this is what $7.5 million bucks gets you

CREW CONTRIBUTION

Foothill Crew runs on curiosity, strong coffee, and the occasional delusion that people actually want to read about local history on a Tuesday morning. Turns out, some of you do. Your contributions go directly toward keeping Foothill Crew alive and well — a few bucks goes a long way. We appreciate any and all support!

Want a Featured Event? Reach out and say hello.

Care to submit an event? Send it here.

TUESDAY

Deep Roots Winery, Golden- Tera Mia Pizza Pop Up, 4-8pm. Authentic

White Ranch, Golden- Jeffco Mountain Bike Club Weekly Ride, 5:30pm. Big ride

Green Mountain Brewery, Lakewood- Weekly Run Club, 6pm. Run, then beers

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Succulent Kokedama Workshop, 6-8pm.

WEDNESDAY

Miners Saloon, Golden- Live music Wednesdays, 6-9pm.

Echo Mountain, Idaho Springs- Mom’s Tubing Night, 7-9pm. Take a break

THURSDAY

Golden Public Library- LEAP Into Science: Mirror Maze, 1-2pm. Explore science

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Golden Startup Happy Hour, 4pm. Get out there

Golden Mill, Golden- Apres Thursday Season Send Off Party, 5-8pm. Have fun

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

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

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

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Music by the Mesa: Sugar Britches, 6-9pm. High brow honky tonk

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Succulent Garden Candle Workshop, 6pm. Few tickets left

FRIDAY

Evergreen Nature Center, Evergreen- Morning Birds & Brews, 8:30-10am. More info

Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli, Golden- Fondue Friday, 5pm. Yummy

Barrels & Bottles, Golden- Live music with Emily Rose, 5:30-8:30pm.

Little Bear Saloon, Evergreen- Tonewood String Band, 7:30-11pm. Bluegrass

The Woodcellar, Evergreen- Ramblin Band: Rocky Mountain Allman Brothers Tribute, 8pm. Jam out

SATURDAY

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Saturday Morning Yoga, 10-11am. Stretch it out

Evermore Wine Bar, Evergreen- 2nd Anniversary 4- Course Dinner, 5pm. Great food

Goosetown Station, Golden- The Ridgeliners live music on the patio, 6:30-9:30pm. Boot stompin’

Ganrly’s Theater, Golden- Back to the 80s Comedy Night, 8-9:30pm. Tickets

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Mr Majestyk’s 8 Track Revival: Music of the 70s, 8pm. Find tickets

SUNDAY

Long Lake Park, Arvada- Free Yoga in the Park, 12-1pm. All levels welcome

Luki Brewery, Arvada- Hobby Board Gaming, 12-8pm. Relaxing Sunday

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

MONDAY

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

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

🤝 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!