Georgetown Valley, The

Abstract

Postcard of the Clear Creek Valley near Georgetown showing Georgetown Lake and James Peak in the background. Georgetown was established shortly after George Griffith discovered gold on Griffith Mountain in 1859. Prospectors were drawn to the area and located other deposits, and George and his brother David laid out George's Town (Georgetown). The gold-bearing quartz found in Georgetown had to be crushed to extract the gold, and the Griffith brothers built a toll wagon road to Georgetown in 1860 to transport the necessary stamp mill machinery. Although these newly discovered lodes were originally worked for gold, many were later found to be rich in silver. Georgetown became a silver camp with this discovery in 1864. By 1868 the town had a population of 1,500 and became the Clear Creek County seat. A rail line to the town was completed in 1877, transporting supplies to the nearby mining towns and ore from the mines to the smelters below. Between 1860 and 1893, it is estimated ...