Monday, January 19, 2026

The Argo Gold MIne and Mill and the Argo Tunnel in Idaho Springs Colorado


Every other month, a group of our friends---we jokingly call ourselves "The Motley Crew"-- take turns to plan an outing where we all visit a local place of interest or have dinner together at the host's home.  In September, we visited the historic Argo Mine and Mill, located at 2350 Riverside Dr. in Idaho Springs, Colorado. 

On January 5, 1859, during the Colorado gold rush, prospector George A. Jackson discovered placer gold at the present site of Idaho Springs, where Chicago Creek empties into Clear Creek. It was the first substantial gold discovery in Colorado,
and the town became the center of the region's mining district throughout the late nineteenth century.


We took a pre-reserved tour. The tours are professionally guided and last about an hour and a half.


While we waited for our tour to begin, we were able to look at a few exhibits inside the visitor center. The drawing above shows the Argo Mine and Mill on the left and the Mighty Argo Cable Car on the right, which is under construction and is expected to open this year.With only a 10-minute ride, the cable car will reach an elevation gain of 1,300 feet and will provide access to more than 500 acres of hiking and biking trails.


There were old photos of the mining operation on display...


...and examples of minerals and artifacts found in the mine and on the grounds.

The photo will enlarge for easier viewing when clicked on.


A photo of a group of Cornish Miners and examples of the pay in 1927 for men working different jobs in the mine, earning from $3.50 to $7.50 a day in wages.


The first stop on the tour was the Argo Tunnel, which extends over four miles from Central City to Idaho Springs, under an area of extensive mining. The purpose of the tunnel was to drain problematic water from overlying mines and to provide a direct route to ship ores from the mines to the Argo Mill. The tunnel took 17 years to complete and was the world's longest tunnel when it was completed in 1910.  It operated until January 1943, after a major hydraulic accident in the tunnel killed four miners. World War II closed all gold mines, and the Argo Tunnel never reopened. 

You can read more about the Argo Tunnel and Mine and Mill on the website at this link. 



Next, we entered the mill, where we walked from station to station as the tour guide told us the extensive step-by-step process of extracting gold from the ore that contained it.
Various techniques were used to extract gold and other minerals, requiring different machines to process the ore diversity.

The Argo Mill extracted pure gold and minerals from raw ore. At its peak, the mighty Argo processed ore from more than 30 nearby mines, playing a major role in shaping the economy and growth of Idaho Springs and the state of Colorado as a whole.


An example of a gold ore.


The end of the tour lead into a large museum area that had mnay mining displays and artifacts..



As part of the tour, we also had a chance to pan for gold flakes, similar to how placer gold was panned from the creeks during the Gold Rush days.


After leaving the Argo Mine and Mill we all visited the charming town of Idaho Springs...



...and enjoyed pizzas at the popular Beau Jo's Pizza, which is known for its distinctive "Mountain Pie" hand-rolled crust.

It was a fun outing to learn more about Colorado's Gold Rush history and end with a delicious treat!

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