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Nevadaville, Colorado

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American gold-mining town

Ghost town in Colorado, United States
Nevadaville, Colorado
ghost town
Nevadaville is located in the United StatesNevadavilleNevadavilleLocation of Nevadaville, Colorado.Show map of the United StatesNevadaville is located in ColoradoNevadavilleNevadavilleNevadaville (Colorado)Show map of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°47′43″N 105°31′57″W / 39.7953°N 105.5325°W / 39.7953; -105.5325
Country United States
State Colorado
CountyGilpin County
Elevation9,121 ft (2,780 m)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
GNIS ID181473
Nevadaville Masonic Lodge #4
Gold from Nevadaville

Nevadaville (also Nevada City and Bald Mountain) is an extinct gold-mining town in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. The community is now largely a ghost town, although not completely deserted.

History

Nevadaville, (circa 1860)

Nevadaville started in 1859, soon after John H. Gregory found the first lode gold in what is now Colorado. At the time, the townsite was in western Kansas Territory. The town grew to house the miners working the Burroughs lode and the Kansas lode. The population was predominantly Irish.

The town was one of the most important mining settlements in the area. A Masonic lodge was organized in 1859 from the Kansas Grand Lodge, becoming Nevada Number 36. After only one regular meeting, the lodge relinquished their charter and came under the jurisdiction of the new Grand Lodge of Colorado who had taken over the territory. The new charter was granted and the lodge became Nevada Lodge Number 4. The lodge still holds meetings as the only Ghost town lodge in Colorado.

The free Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28, 1861. In 1861 a large fire destroyed 50+ buildings, (including naturalist and taxidermist Martha Maxwell's boardinghouse). However, residents made effective use of TNT to save the remaining parts of the city from the fire. Nevadaville rebuilt after fire destroyed a large piece of the town. A more serious threat to the town was the fact that the near-surface oxidized portions of the veins were worked out in the early 1860s. The rudimentary ore mills had trouble recovering gold from the deeper sulfide ores. The continued prosperity of Nevadaville was assured by the construction of successful ore smelters in nearby Black Hawk. The Bald Mountain, Colorado Territory, post office operated at Nevadaville from December 16, 1869, until October 15, 1921. The Post Office Department chose the name Bald Mountain to avoid confusion with other Nevadas and Nevadavilles.

Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876. Nevadaville prospered until about 1900, after which the population declined sharply.

Geography

Nevadaville is south of Central City at coordinates 39°47′43″N 105°31′57″W / 39.7953°N 105.5325°W / 39.7953; -105.5325}, at an elevation of 9,121 feet (2,780 m).

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870973—
18801,08411.4%
1890933−13.9%
1900823−11.8%
1910367−55.4%
192051−86.1%
19302−96.1%
1940251,150.0%
19506−76.0%

See also

References

  1. "Colorado Counties". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  2. ^ "Nevadaville, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Nevadaville, Colorado
  4. Robert L. Brown (1985) The Great Pikes Peak Gold Rush, Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton, p.38.
  5. "Nevada Lodge # 4 A.F. & A.M. :: Website". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  6. Thirty-sixth United States Congress (February 28, 1861). "An Act To provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  7. Charles W. Henderson (1926) Mining in Colorado, US Geological Survey, Professional Paper 138, p.30.
  8. Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
  9. Ulysses S. Grant (August 1, 1876). "Proclamation 230—Admission of Colorado into the Union". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved December 24, 2024.

External links

Municipalities and communities of Gilpin County, Colorado, United States
County seat: Central City
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