Gold Hill, Colorado

Gold Hill is a census-designated place located in Boulder County, Colorado. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 210. The town is located in the foothills northwest of Boulder, perched on a mountainside above Left Hand Canyon at an elevation of 8500 feet. Originally a mining camp, it was the site of the first major discovery of gold during the 1859 Colorado Gold Rush and remained an important mining camp throughout the late 19th century, with a population approaching 1500 at its height, before falling into decline. It has revived somewhat in recent years as a quiet isolated haven, with no paved streets and accessible on on gravel roads. The town contains numerous historic wooden structures, some restored in recent years, as well decaying ruins from its mining heyday. It has a post office, a small museum, and a school that serves a community building. Other businesses include a general store as a well a restored inn listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is laid out on a small grid on gravel streets. It is accessible by a steep county road from nearby Lefthand Canyon Road, as well as from Colorado Highway State 7 south of Ward. Both of these roads are suseptible to heavy snows throughout the winter rendering the town at times inaccessible by vehicles not equiped with chains or snow tires. The town is sometimes erroneously labeled a ghost town.

Contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 External links 5 References

History

The town is located above Gold Run, the the first lode discovery of gold in Colorado (at that time the area was part of the Nebraska Territory) on January 15, 1859. The discovery occurred nearly simultaneous with prospecting in Gregory Gulch and Clear Creek, but these latter discoveries were not exploited until later that Spring. On March 7, 1859, the Gold Run discovery became the first mining district in region (named either the Mountain District No. 1 or the Nebraska Gold Hill Mining District, according to various historical sources). Word quickly spread among miners in the region, prompting a flood of new arrivals and the establishment of Gold Hill as the first permanent mining camp in present-day Colorado. By autumn, a quartz stamp mill was erected at the base of the hill, the first such piece of equipment in the region, one that had been transported by ox cart westward over the Great Plains. The first productive vein was the Scott, followed quickly the Horsfel, Alamakee, and Cold Spring. Nearby placers were also worked for the gold in stream beds.

By 1861, the year of the organized of the Colorado Territory, the surface deposits of gold in the vicinity of the town were largely played out, resulting in a temporary exodus of prospectors and a population decrease. The town was somewhat revived later that year by the construction of the Hill smelter at nearby Black Hawk, allowing the treatment of lower-grade ores.

The discovery of tellurium in the area in 1872 prompted a second boom, bringing the population to nearly 1000 once again. At its height, the town had a newspaper and number of hotels, including the Mines Hotel, built in 1872 and recently restored as summer tourist destination. The Mines was immortalized in verse by poet Eugene Field, who stayed at the hotel while working as a newspaper man in Denver. The town population dwindled in the early 20th century as the mining tapered off. The town has experienced two major firest in its history, but it nevertheless retains many of its historic wooden structures.

Geography

Gold Hill is located at 40°3'50" North, 105°24'43" West (40.063785, -105.411911)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²). 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 210 people, 90 households, and 47 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 40.3/km² (104.7/mi²). There are 114 housing units at an average density of 21.9/km² (56.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 89.05% White, 0.48% African American, 3.33% Native American, 1.90% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 7.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 90 households out of which 33.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% are married couples living together, 2.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% are non-families. 35.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 1.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 3.00.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 2.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 114.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 116.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $48,750, and the median income for a family is $76,850. Males have a median income of $48,929 versus $12,105 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $24,675. 0.0% of the population and 0.0% of families are below the poverty line.

External links

Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale

References

• Jeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns