Mining Memory From Park County, Colorado

Led by the '59ers, the Pikes Peak Gold Rush brought new settlers West fulfilling the United States’ concept and execution of Manifest Destiny. In the Colorado Territory, mining was part of the lure of the journey. Staking claims and taking advantage of the abundant resources provided by the land they stumbled upon was the custom of these wealth-seekers. From Pikes Peak, prospectors made their way north west through Tarryall Creek to Fairplay, Alma, and Montgomery of current day Park County. The Park County area was ripe for gold and silver placer mining early in the boom, and later in the 20^th century, hard rock mining and dredge placer mining. Mining is effectively what established the Colorado Territory in 1861.