Golden Gate Canyon in Jefferson County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Pay Dirt
Photographed by Leslie Eudy, September 24, 2026
1. Pay Dirt Marker
Smelting
Finding Colorado’s gold was one thing; extracting it profitably was another problem entirely. Most of it was locked up in maddeningly complex ores, and there existed no efficient, cost-effective means of distilling out the paydirt. Not, that is, until 1867, when a professor named Nathan P. Hill perfected smelting. Adapting a Welsh ore treatment process, Hill used high heat and pressure to draw out the precious metals. His innovation threw open the West’s mineral vaults and launched the era of industrial-scale, hard-rock mining; it also established Colorado as America’s nineteenth-century ore-processing center. Mines throughout the West shipped their output here—first to Hill’s Boston and Colorado Smelter (which opened at Black Hawk in 1868), later to massive refining complexes in Denver, Leadville, and Pueblo. Hill eventually became Colorado’s third U.S. senator—and smelting emerged as one of the state’s most important industries.
Until 1859 gold existed mainly in rumor in Colorado—but it was a persistent rumor, dating back to the 1500s. Rumor became reality for thousands of doubters when, in
this page online
(Photo Captions:)
Though John Gregory struck his “mother lode” in Clear Creek Canyon—the dream of every 59er—the fame he earned for his strike far exceeded his fortune.
Placer mining returned to Clear Creek Canyon in the 1930s when large dredges like this one created huge gravel piles while sifting streambeds for gold. Dredging stopped in the area at the outset of World War II, though, and has not
Photographed by Leslie Eudy, September 24, 2026
2. Pay Dirt Marker Wide View
Marker on the Left
The Gregory Diggings in the early twentieth century. The spot where John Gregory made his strike, in the right mid-ground, had by this date been gouged from the hillside and sifted for gold by eager miners. A Colorado Central engine—the first line to penetrate the central Rockies—chugs uphill at the upper rim of the gulch.
Smelting provided thousands of jobs and brought a skilled population of workers and technicians to the state, like these men taking a break near an ore-crusher at the Colorado and Ohio Smelting and Refining Company at Salida, Colorado, in the early 1900s.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 39° 44.163′ N, 105° 22.747′ W. Marker is near Golden, Colorado, in Jefferson County. It is in Golden Gate Canyon. It is on Clear Creek Canyon Road, on the left when traveling west. On U.S. Highway 6 between Black Hawk and Golden. A few miles south of where CO 119 branches off to Black Hawk. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: US-6,
circa 1876
3. Pay Dirt Marker - Family Photo up Close
Nathaniel P. Hill surrounded by, clockwise, his wife, Alice, and their three children, Crawford, Isabel, and Gertrude, about 1876.
Regionally, this marker is in the Front Range. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Clear Creek Country (here, next to this marker); Chinese in Colorado (here, next to this marker); Black Hawk History - Public School (approx. 7 miles away); Black Hawk History - Railroad Trestles (approx. 7.1 miles away); Windy Saddle Park / Connecting to the Past (approx. 7.1 miles away); Colorado Central Railroad (approx. 7.2 miles away); Black Hawk History - Fire Department (approx. 7.2 miles away); Black Hawk History - Transportation (approx. 7.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Golden.
Other markers no longer nearby. Recreation: Past to Present (was approx. 7.1 miles away but has been permanently removed); Water Carves Canyons (was approx. 7.1 miles away but has been permanently removed); Play in the Wind (was approx. 7.1 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2026, by Leslie Eudy of Golden, Colorado. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 10, 2026, by Leslie Eudy of Golden, Colorado. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
