On Main Street (Mt. Thomas Drive) at Gegory Street on Main Street (Mt. Thomas Drive).
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Take an adventure in & around this venerable, most informative lithograph:
This bird’s-eye view of Black Hawk shows Gregory Gulch at the top of the map’s center – and Chase Gulch to the right . . . — — Map (db m51885) HM
On Main Street, on the right when traveling north.
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Discover the City’s Raucous and Civilized Past in Our Lively History Tour.
Amaze your friends—with fun facts to know and tell—as you discover the City’s raucous and civilized past via our . . . — — Map (db m287400) HM
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Business
Businesses flourish in the late 1800s as the population of Black Hawk peaks with a population of 2,000.
Latest by Telegraph! Black Hawk Taken, John Armor Evacuates! Martin & Robb in . . . — — Map (db m287397) HM
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Fire Department
Miraculously, the town of Black Hawk was spared the devastating fires that destroyed many early mining camps.
“As we go to press (2 a.m.) a terrible fire is raging on the . . . — — Map (db m287338) HM
On Gregory Street at Selak Street, on the right when traveling west on Gregory Street.
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Floods
Mining activities, the construction of mills, homes and access roads, together with the tremendous use of wood for fuel deforested the surrounding hillsides and caused frequent flooding in . . . — — Map (db m287402) HM
On Gregory Street, on the left when traveling west.
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Gold & Silver
First by ore wagon, and later by train, tons of precious rock were sent to Black Hawk for various processes designed to extract the maximum amount of gold from the quartz ores. . . . — — Map (db m287407) HM
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Main Street
“A sudden turn in the road discloses a view of Black Hawk, with its charming church perched above the town, on the extremity of the headland which separates Gregory Gulch from that of . . . — — Map (db m287341) HM
On Richman Street, on the left when traveling north.
Historically, miners worked six hours at a time in four core shifts: forenoon core, 6 am to noon; afternoon core, noon to 6 pm; night core, 6 pm to midnight, last core, midnight to 6 am.
Mining Scars
“Two miles of rapid descent, and we . . . — — Map (db m289480) HM
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Public School
Prominently situated on the hillside overlooking the commercial downtown, the classically-detailed wood frame and clapboard schoolhouse proclaimed education to be highly valued in . . . — — Map (db m287336) HM
On Main Street at Miners Mesa Road, on the left when traveling west on Main Street.
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Railroad Trestles
To reach Black Hawk, the railroad constructed the open framework of diagonal braces or trestles to span the region’s gulches. The steep slopes required the train to reverse . . . — — Map (db m287337) HM
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Transportation
Early miners reached Black Hawk by any means possible–on horseback or on foot tugging pack mules, later via supply-laden wagons and eventually by time-saving train.
“…the . . . — — Map (db m287340) HM
On this site stood the Colorado Central Railroad’s “Quartz Mill Depot”. The structure was constructed by William Loveland from the remnants of the New York Mill. To accomplish this, large doors were built into the building. The tracks, . . . — — Map (db m93084) HM
Long operated by William Fick and his family, this blacksmith shop turned out a superior brand of rugged, durable quartz wagons that hauled ore from the mines to the mills along Clear Creek. The Bull Durham sign was painted by traveling artists for . . . — — Map (db m51883) HM
On Gregory Street, on the right when traveling west.
Standing the Test of Time
Founder’s Clock
Black Hawk History Gold Mining Co. Mylo Lee, Dr. Frederick H. Judd, & William L. Lee
Principals of the Black Hawk Gold Mining Company and Founders of the City of Black . . . — — Map (db m287428) HM
One of Black Hawk’s newer buildings, the 1896 structure was built by Julius Kline (or Klein), replacing an earlier wood building that was the site of Black Hawk’s first school. It operated sporadically throughout the 20th century under a variety of . . . — — Map (db m51882) HM
On Gregory Street, on the left when traveling west.
John H. Gregory first discovered gold in Colorado in 1859. The narrow ravine in which he panned the free or surface gold, was hailed as “the richest square mile on earth.” Within months, as the word Gold! spread, Gregory Gulch filled with . . . — — Map (db m287421) HM
On Gregory Street, on the right when traveling west.
Gregory Street’s
Floods and Flumes
Although Black Hawk was spared the devastating fires that afflicted some of Colorado’s early mining communities, the City was unfortunately plagued by yearly floods, some quite destructive. . . . — — Map (db m287430) HM
On Gregory Street at Selack Street on Gregory Street.
Gilpin County, Colorado
Black Hawk History
Gregory Street Crossing
The Colorado Southern Narrow Gauge Railroad (originally the Colorado Central Railroad) was vital to Black Hawk. During the late 1800’s aside from rugged wagon roads, it . . . — — Map (db m51886) HM
On Gregory Street, on the right when traveling west.
Gregory Street
Gregory Street was home to two of Black Hawk’s early breweries, the Chicago and the Excelsior. These two breweries were both located at the intersection of Gregory and Church Streets. The breweries flanked Church Street, with . . . — — Map (db m287426) HM
On Gregory Street, on the right when traveling west.
Rogers Tramway
In the 1880s, the Bobtail Mining Company had the largest and most complete ore processing mill in Colorado. Known as a quartz stamp mill, it had 125 stamps that pulverized gold-bearing quartz rock, known as ore, from the . . . — — Map (db m287424) HM
