Discover 8 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Idaho Springs (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Argo Gold Mine and Mill, Phoenix Gold Mine, and Methodist Episcopal Church. Also, be sure to include Hose House No. 2 in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Idaho Springs (Colorado).
Table of Contents
Argo Gold Mine and Mill
Museum in Idaho Springs, Colorado. The Argo Gold Mine and Mill is a former gold mining and milling property in Idaho Springs, Colorado, featuring an intact gold mill built at the entrance of the Argo Tunnel. The tunnel was built between 1893 and 1910 to drain the gold mines in Virginia Canyon, Gilpin Gulch, Russell Gulch, Quartz Hill, Nevadaville, and Central City and allow easier ore removal. The success of the tunnel as an access route meant that a large volume of ore began exiting at the Idaho Springs entrance and a large mill was built to process it. At the time it was one of the largest such tunnels and milling operations in the world, directly recovering nearly $100 million in gold and sending another $200 million of high-value ores to smelters in Denver.
The property was closed in January 1943 after a major hydraulic accident in the tunnel, and never reopened after a federal moratorium was placed on gold mining during World War II. In 1976 it was purchased by a local investment group led by James N. Maxwell, who wanted to preserve an example of the Colorado gold rush mines. It was renovated and reopened as a tourist attraction and mining museum, and presently continues to offer daily tours. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in January 1978.[1]
Address: 2350 Riverside Drive, 80452 Idaho Springs
Phoenix Gold Mine
Mine, Museum, Theme park
Address: Trail Creek Rd., 80452 Idaho Springs
Methodist Episcopal Church
Building in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Th Methodist Episcopal Church in Idaho Springs, Colorado, also known as the Idaho Methodist Episcopal Church, or the First United Methodist Church, or the Methodist Church of Idaho, is a historic Methodist Episcopal church building at 1414 Colorado Boulevard. It was built in 1880 and expanded in 1905. It was added to the National Register in 1998.
The church's design includes elements of Gothic Revival style.
The church's former parsonage, located to the north, has been modified and is not included in the listing.[2]
Hose House No. 2
Hose House No. 2, at 600 Colorado Blvd. in Idaho Springs, Colorado, was built around 1882. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
It is a one-story 16 by 20 feet (4.9 m × 6.1 m) building. "It was built to house a fire hose cart associated with early volunteer fire fighting efforts in the west end of Idaho Springs." It served in that way until 1929.
It has also been known as the West End Hose House and as the 6th and Colorado Hose House.[3]
Elks Lodge No. 607
Elks Lodge No. 607 is a historic building in Idaho Springs, Colorado. It was built in 1907.
Before the site was the Elks Lodge, it was the Beebe House Hotel. President Ulysses S. Grant stayed there in 1873.[4]
Idaho Springs Downtown Commercial District
The Idaho Springs Downtown Commercial District includes Early Commercial architecture in Idaho Springs, Colorado. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The listing includes 46 contributing buildings on 9 acres.
The district is roughly bounded by Center Alley, 14th Ave. Riverside Dr. and Idaho St. in Idaho Springs. It is less than.5 miles (0.80 km) from where George A. Jackson discovered gold in Chicago Creek on January 7, 1859, setting off a gold rush which brought people to Denver and Colorado.[5]
The Gypsum Rose - Crystals
Address: 1800 Miner St, Idaho Springs
Argo Tunnel
The Argo Tunnel is a 4.16-mile mine drainage and access tunnel with its portal at Idaho Springs, Colorado, USA. It was originally called the Newhouse Tunnel after its primary investor, Salt Lake City mining magnate Samuel Newhouse, and appears by that name in many industry publications from the time period when it was constructed. The tunnel intersected nearly all the major gold mines between Idaho Springs and Central City, and is the longest such drainage tunnel in the Central City-Idaho Springs mining district.
The mines along the Argo Tunnel are no longer active or maintained, but continue to exfiltrate ground water. The drainage from the tunnel was a major source of pollution in Clear Creek, until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began treating it with a facility, built near the tunnel entrance. Large drainage tunnels in other mining districts include the Sutro Tunnel on the Comstock Lode in Nevada, and the Leadville Tunnel and the Yak Tunnel at Leadville, Colorado.
The associated gold ore mill is open to public tours. As of 2017, the tunnel's front portal was re-opened to the public and included on the tour circuit.[6]