Nevadaville, Colorado facts for kids
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Nevadaville was a town in Gilpin County, Colorado, where people mined for gold. In the 1860s and 1870s, it was also known as Nevada City. To avoid confusion with other places named Nevada, its post office was called Bald Mountain. Today, Nevadaville is mostly a ghost town, meaning most people have left, but it's not completely empty.
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A Town Built on Gold
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| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 973 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,084 | 11.4% | |
| 1890 | 933 | −13.9% | |
| 1900 | 823 | −11.8% | |
| 1910 | 367 | −55.4% | |
| 1920 | 51 | −86.1% | |
| 1930 | 2 | −96.1% | |
| 1940 | 25 | 1,150.0% | |
| 1950 | 6 | −76.0% | |
The Start of Nevadaville
Nevadaville began in 1859. This was soon after John H. Gregory discovered the first gold in what is now Colorado. At that time, the town was part of western Kansas Territory. The town grew to house the miners who worked at the Burroughs and Kansas gold veins. Many of the people living there were Irish.
The Masonic Lodge
Nevadaville was one of the most important mining towns in the area. A group called the Masons started a lodge there in 1859. It was first called Nevada Number 36. Later, it became Nevada Lodge Number 4 under the new Grand Lodge of Colorado. This lodge still holds meetings today, making it the only "ghost town lodge" in Colorado.
Facing Challenges: Fire and Gold
In 1861, a large fire destroyed more than 50 buildings in Nevadaville. This included the boardinghouse of naturalist Martha Maxwell. However, the residents cleverly used TNT to stop the fire from spreading further and saved the rest of the town. Nevadaville quickly rebuilt after this fire.
A more serious problem for the town was that the easily found gold near the surface ran out in the early 1860s. The simple mills used back then had trouble getting gold from the deeper rocks, which contained different types of ore. The future of Nevadaville was secured when successful gold smelters were built in nearby Black Hawk. These smelters could process the harder-to-reach gold, allowing the town to continue thriving.
The Town's Decline
Nevadaville prospered until about 1900. After that, the number of people living there dropped sharply.
Where is Nevadaville?
Nevadaville is located south of Central City. It sits at an altitude of 9,050 feet (2,760 meters) above sea level.
