Early photograph of Silver Plume, Colorado

Abstract

Very early photograph of Silver Plume, Clear Creek County, Colorado which was probably taken around 1870. During the mid 1860s, silver was discovered in Brown, Cherokee, and Willehan gulches off Clear Creek, and a large number of miners moved into the area. The mining camp of Silver Plume was founded around 1870. The area was actively mined through the 1870s and 1880s, producing millions of dollars in silver and gold. Mines also contained lead, zinc, and copper ores. The completion of the Georgetown Loop in 1884 brought the rail line to Silver Plume, and a daily freight train carried supplies to the town and transported ore from the mines to the smelters. The Georgetown Loop also became a popular tourist attraction and transported passengers to Silver Plume during the summer months. Most of the town's business district was rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in 1884. Between 1885 and 1905, about 2,000 people lived in the Silver Plume area. The collapse of the silver market led to the decline of mining in the area.