Cabin in Idaho Springs

Abstract

Photograph showing a woman working in front of a cabin, tent and other structures, which were located in the Idaho Springs area. Gold placers were reported at a tributary of Clear Creek, Colorado in 1859 and the area was inundated with prospectors. A mining town was established near the site that went by several names but eventually became Idaho Springs in 1866. Idaho Springs' population reached a peak of around 12,000 during the 1860s and the town was the Clear Creek County seat for a time. Silver was discovered in the area in 1865 and lode mining largely replaced placer mining here. Idaho Springs was also an ideal milling town because it was downhill from most of the area's mines, easing ore transport, and had plenty of water from Clear Creek. The narrow gauge rail line reached Idaho Springs in 1877. The town's population declined after the 1860s but by 1902 it still possessed twenty-two operating mills. Mine tunnel projects kept some of the area mines operating into the ...