Boulder County Colorado

Boulder County ranks 9th among Colorado's gold producing counties. Boulder County has produced more than 1,000,000 ounces of gold. Most of that production came from lode mines.

Boulder

Northwest of Boulder 3-8 miles is the Gold Hill Sugarloaf district. This district is about 12 square miles and had a total production of 412,000 ounces 1859-1959. In the area creek beds, terraces, benches, etc. you can find placer gold over 3,000 ounces have been produced. Gold Hill Mine, largest producer, including several adjoining mines produced lode gold and silver. The old camps of Sugarloaf, Rowena, Salina, and Sunshine are great places to explore. There are many area mines that produced lode gold and silver. Southwest of Boulder 4 miles to Magnolia, reached by steep grades, numerous high-grade mines that produced lode gold in tellurides. The total production of 130,000 ounces was recorded. West of Boulder 17 miles and 4 miles Northwest of Nederland, is the Grand Island-Caribou district in southwest part of county. The Grand Island- Caribou district had a total production between 1932-59, of 10,006 ounces. There are numerous area lead-silver mines that produced a by-product of gold. The Cardinal and Eldora mines are in the area and produced lode gold.

Jamestown

Jamestown is in the Central district. Nine miles northwest of Boulder there were many area mines. Lefthand Creek, north of Gold Hill, Bummers Gulch, Coon Trail, North Beaver and South Boulder Creeks, southeast of Caribou contain placer gold. James Creek above Jamestown contains placer gold. Central Gulch, west of Jamestown contains placer gold. Upper Fourmile Creek, northwest of Sugarloaf contains placer gold. It had a total production of 207,000 gold ounces. There are many area mines that produced gold in pyrite and telluride minerals. The Jamestown, Gold Hill and Ward area mines all produced lode gold.

Nederland

North of Nederland on Route 160 toward Ward, turn east onto the Sugarloaf - Sunset road for 7 miles to the Oregon Mine. This mine produced gold in sulfide ores.

Ward

The Ward district is 9-13 miles northwest of Boulder. It covered 12 square miles in headwaters of Lefthand and Fourmile Creeks. The old camps of Sunset and Copper Rock, more than 50 lode mines in area, had a total production of 172,000 ounces of lode gold. The Niwot and Columbia mines were the largest producers of lode gold. In east part of district, many mines produced gold in tellurides.