Interested in what it was like to be a prospector before the Colorado Gold Rush? Here’s the journal of the first U.S. person to discover serious gold in Colorado and then mine it. George Andrew Jackson was a big part of making the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859 into a success.
By the time George arrived in Colorado, he was already an accomplished prospector and outdoorsman. Indeed, his hunting skills served him very well until he could start mining in the spring of 1859. Obviously, his prospecting skills were excellent too. In fact, he was the first prospector to discover serious gold in Colorado and stick around long enough to make his personal fortune mining it. You could say his discovery, which also led to Gregory’s discovery of the first commercial scale hard rock claim, rescued the Colorado Gold Rush from being a “no-gold” rush! Here’s his story in his words:
https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/media/document/2018/ColoradoMagazine_v12n6_November1935.pdf
Want to learn a bit more about this pioneering prospector? Stop in at the Idaho Springs Heritage Museum & Visitor Center. It’s located between Exit 240 & 241 off of I-70, just 20 minutes west of Denver. Their free museum is well done and covers quite a bit of local mining history. They also sell my book! http://visitidahospringscolorado.com
Either the folks in the visitor center, or my book, can also direct you to the location of the monument to Jackson, near the site of his discovery. While at the museum, walk across the street to try gold panning in the city park to catch some of the gold Jackson missed 😉 (only dig the creekbed of course and leave no trace of your visit when done.) Want more places near here to dig? Grab a copy of my book at the visitor center or online of course via www.findinggoldincolorado.com/buy-the-book/
While the original publication of Jackson’s journal was in 1935, it was only put online recently!
This site costs money to keep up. The only way it makes money is shopping referrals. If you appreciate the info I’m sharing, please click thru one of my ads the next time you want to shop online. It won’t cost you anything extra and it keeps the site going. Of course, you can also just toss me a gift to say thanks at:
YOUR BEST ONLINE SHOPPING OPTION:
Buy Finding Gold in Colorado logo stuff here.
Buy the Finding Gold in Colorado: Prospector’s Edition book here.
Or just shop for whatever random stuff you need on Amazon; I’ll get a referral fee based on your total spending and it won’t cost you a penny more! Gold Prospecting on AMAZON
More fun around Idaho Springs:
Want more to do while in Idaho Springs? How about an underground mine tour with gold panning in the adjacent creek? (Free panning instructions if you want that too.) Check out the Phoenix Mine at the southwest edge of Idaho Springs. https://findinggoldincolorado.com/gold-tourism-the-phoenix-mine-tour/
The Argo Mill is another good option right in town. You really can’t miss it since it looms above town on the hill on the north side of the river. You’ll get to go through a very large, well-preserved mill, see the portal of the tunnel and get taught to pan. Check out their schedule and website here.
Here’s a great article about the history of the Argo Tunnel (click here)
Enjoy and “find your gold!”
2 thoughts on “Finding gold in Colorado! The George Andrew Jackson story.”
Hi Kevin – looks like your link to the Argo Mill tour is dead. They’ve changed it to a https site so you’ll need to add the ‘s’ in your link.
Thanks for the tip. Got it fixed!