Ore bin at the Mollie Kathleen mine.

The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is a historic vertical shaft mine near Cripple Creek, Colorado.[1] The mine shaft descends 1,000 feet (300 m) into the mountain, a depth roughly equal to the height of the Empire State Building in New York City.[2] The mine currently gives tours, and is visited by around 40,000 people annually.[3] The addition of the mines and subsequent tours of this mine and others in the area had considerable effect on the economies of both Victor, Colorado and Cripple Creek.[4][5][6]

History

The mine was started in 1891 on a mining claim staked by Mollie Kathleen Gortner, after whom the mine was named.[7][8]

Other than a government-ordered hiatus during World War II, the mine operated continuously until 1961; since then it has continued as a tourist attraction.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Acord, Deb (August 13, 2006). "Mining with monster trucks Tours of Victor mine give passengers golden ticket to region's rich history". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012.
  2. ^ "Go deep in the Molly Kathleen Mine". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. August 13, 2006. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012.
  3. ^ "Man's fund-raising idea is a gold mine Leasure may reside for a year in shaft beneath Cripple Creek". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. June 27, 1992.
  4. ^ "City of Victor". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. October 17, 1999. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012.
  5. ^ "Cripple Creek sees gold in mining town's history". The Gazette. Colorado Springs, Colorado. July 22, 1998.
  6. ^ "Colorado Driving Tours: Scenic Golden Loop Historic Parkway: Cripple Creek and Victor, Colorado". Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  7. ^ MacKell, Jan (2003). Cripple Creek District: Last of Colorado's Gold Booms. Arcadia Publishing. p. 134. ISBN 0-7385-2413-1. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  8. ^ Casewit, Curtis; Lindberg, Eric (2007). Colorado Off the Beaten Path (9th ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-7627-4412-1. Retrieved November 14, 2009.[dead link]
  9. ^ Hall, Loretta (2004). Underground Buildings: More Than Meets the Eye. Sanger, California: Quill Driver Books. p. 189. ISBN 1-884956-27-0. Retrieved November 14, 2009.

External links

38°45′11″N 105°09′38″W / 38.75306°N 105.16056°W / 38.75306; -105.16056

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