The Museum of Northwest Colorado (http://www.museumnwco.org) recently added a permanent exhibit on the gold prospecting and mining history of that part of our state. This area is not well known for gold since there was no significant gold rush around these parts. The historical prospectors found gold but the lack of water and small gold particle sizes limited commercial options in the late 1800’s. So they left the gold for us!
The museum is extremely well done. There’s well researched info on the local gold history which I’ll be using in my book. I, of course, would have liked to see a bigger gold exhibit area (we always want to see more gold right?!) but the rest of the museum has its appeal as well. There is a stunning collection of cowboy and gun slinger items from the late 1800’s. The long guns, pistols, saddles, spurs and so on are gorgeous and many have interesting backstories.
I also found good gold in the Craig area but I don’t think I’ll tell you where to go. There are prospecting spots within a few minutes drive of the museum. I was surprised by how rich these easy-access sites were! To get the info on where to go dig, ask for Paul, the Assistant Director of the museum. Paul Knowles is a prospector himself who has owned claims and done lots of real exploratory prospecting himself. So when you go to Craig, visit the museum AND pump Paul for tips on where to dig 😉 (yes, he knows about this and is excited to show you the museum and talk prospecting!) Of course you could also just buy my book in the museum shop since it has all the Craig area dig sites included in it along with about 180 other public access dig sites across the state. To learn more about the book, check out this article: www.findinggoldincolorado.com/buy-the-book/
Between the museum and the good gold in public spots, this area is worth a road trip!
PS: Don’t go in late April or May, the waterways are all in flood stage due to snow melt. I had to balance on the bank and reach down into deep, fast, ice cold water to grab samples.
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 Amazon Search ads the next time you want to shop online. It won’t cost you anything extra and it keeps the site going. Check out www.findinggoldincolorado.com/shop-here/or just head straight to Amazon for anything you need. All of your shopping via my link will pay me a small commission without costing you a cent extra!
Toss me a gift to say thanks for the good info…at:
2 thoughts on “Museum of Northwest Colorado & prospecting In Craig”
I live in steamboat I need closer spots. I drive forever to cache creek and arkansas river. I drove to the great divide but wasnt sure which would be a better side road to take.
Starting in the Town of Craig, there are several good spots from there west. Stop into the Museum to chat with Asst Dir. Paul Knowles for some tips (he’s a prospector too!) or even better, buy a copy of my book from their bookshop.
Too impatient for a copy of the book to wait until they reopen the museum after the pandemic? Order a copy from Amazon via the links at http://www.findinggoldincolorado.com/buy-the-book/