Argo Gold Mine and Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Argo Mill
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 Location in Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2517 Riverside Dr., Idaho Springs, Colorado |
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| Built | 1912 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000836 |
| Added to NRHP | January 31, 1978 |
The Argo Gold Mine and Mill is a famous old gold mining site in Idaho Springs, Colorado. It has a well-preserved gold mill right at the entrance of the Argo Tunnel. This tunnel and mill played a huge part in Colorado's gold rush history.
The Argo Tunnel was built between 1893 and 1910. Its main job was to drain water from many gold mines nearby. It also made it easier to bring out the valuable gold ore. Because so much ore came out here, a very large mill was built to process it.
At its peak, the Argo operation was one of the biggest in the world. It directly recovered about $100 million in gold. That's like nearly $1 trillion today! It also sent another $200 million worth of valuable ores to special factories in Denver.
The Argo property closed in January 1943 after a big water accident in the tunnel. It never reopened for mining. This was also because gold mining was stopped during World War II. In 1976, a group led by James N. Maxwell bought the property. They wanted to save a piece of Colorado's gold rush past.
The site was fixed up and reopened as a place for tourists to visit. It's now a mining museum that still offers daily tours. The Argo Gold Mine and Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in January 1978. This means it's an important historical site.
Visiting the Argo Mill Today
The Argo Mill is open for tours all year, depending on the weather. When you visit, you'll learn about its exciting history. You'll also see how gold was found and processed.
What to Expect on a Tour
- History Movie: You'll start by watching a short film about the mine's past.
- Mining Equipment: Guides will show you how mining tools and equipment worked. You'll even see a real ore sample!
- Tunnel Entrance: You can explore the reopened entrance of the famous Argo Tunnel.
- Mill Tour: You'll go down into the mill building. Here, you'll see the machines used to separate gold. These include gravity separators and froth flotation cells.
Museums and Gold Panning
- Indoor Museum: On the lowest level of the mill, there's an indoor museum. It's filled with many old mining tools and artifacts.
- Outdoor Museum: Outside, you can see even bigger historical equipment. These machines were used for different steps of gold extraction.
- Gold Panning: A fun part of the tour is getting to pan for gold yourself! You can also do the outdoor museum and gold panning as a separate activity.
