Blue River Mining - Breckenridge, Colorado
Blue River Mining, Summit County, ColoradoBreckenridge and especially the Blue River became a hub of mining activity in the late 1800's long before skiing was introduced as the "cash cow" for the area. |
Blue River Mining, Breckenridge, CO
| Summit County, CO > Breckenridge, Colorado > Local > Blue River Mining | ||
Blue River MiningLong before the white man stepped into the Blue River valley, the nomadic Ute Indians called Summit County their summer home for many centuries. They hunted mountain Bison, bear, deer, elk, and other abundant game along the Blue River. White settlers, in search of gold, pushed onward through the Rocky Mountains and arrived in 1857 establishing a camp along the Blue River called Fort Maribeh. In 1859, General George E. Spencer pitched a tent alongside the Blue River and, with his small mining camp, began the movement towards civilization. An ambitious grid was platted for the 320 acre Breckenridge town site. Main Street was laid out parallel to the Blue River. Residences developed along Main Street, to the north and south of the commercial core, and also to the east. On the west side of the Blue River, industry, inexpensive housing, and a red light district were established. By June 1860, a row of log cabins, tents and shanties lined Main Street. In the 1880s, Breckenridge found itself an important mining location and prominent supply center. As the gold and silver mining days prospered, it was just outside the town of Breckenridge that Colorado's largest gold nugget, a 13-pounder dubbed "Tom's Baby", was found in 1887. By the turn of the century the population of Breckenridge dropped to fewer than 1,000 people. Homes and businesses were abandoned and the town dropped to fewer than 300 people. Breckenridge town administrators thought the Tiger Placers Mining Company would provide jobs and allowed the Tiger #1 Gold Dredge Boat to masticate its way through the Blue River. The two-story pontoon boat supported a skeleton that carried a line of moving buckets that dug up the ground to the depths of 48 feet. The dredge removed all vegetation and buildings in its path. Rock tailings were originally piled on the west side of the river, but today, these deposits have been leveled out, leaving the east bank higher than that on the west. Dredging was silenced at the start of WWII but today you can visit an authentic piece of mining equipment now know as The Dredge Bar & Restaurant located on the Blue River. |
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Summit County Information: SummitColorado.com ©2008
info@summitcolorado.com
106 N. French Street
Breckenridge, Colorado 80424