Trails of Gold | Victor, CO 719-689-2675 | visit our website The Trails of Gold is a series of hiking trails & interpretive sites through Victor's 1890s gold rush mining country. Located as a side trip off the Gold Belt Tour National Scenic Byway, the trail passes by historic mines, mill sites, and railroad routes.  Although privately owned, many of these sites are open and accessible to the public.

The Mineral Belt Trail | Leadville, CO 719-486-8409 | visit our website The Mineral Belt Trail is one of Colorado's highest and most spectacular paved pathways. Dedicated on July 29, 2000, the trail loops the city of Leadville, one of the greatest mining districts in the world and one of Colorado's 21 National Historic Landmarks. The Mineral Belt Trail was designated a National Recreation Trail in June, 2002.

Town of Creede | Creede, CO 800-327-2102 | visit our website Welcome to the historic Town of Creede, Colorado! Creede.com is the official site of the Creede/Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, your connection to vacations, recreation, attractions, and the Arts in southern Colorado.

Telluride Historical Museum | Telluride, CO 970-728-3344 | visit our website Located in the Old Miner's Hospital, the Telluride Historical Museum provides visitors with a view into the life of early twentieth century hard rock miners who lived and worked in a harsh and often dangerous mountain environment.  The museum retains the hospital's original operating room and nurses' station and interprets Telluride's boom-bust-boom history with interactive dramatic exhibits.

Historic Downtown Salida | Salida, CO 719-539-4555 | visit our website Located adjacent to the scenic Arkansas River, Salida's downtown streets are lined with interesting historic structures and a variety of independently-owned galleries, bicycle shops, restaurants and other retail businesses. Founded as a railroad town, Salida is now evolving into a lively center for tourism, arts and recreation.Downtown Salida features one of the state's finest collections of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture and is a designated historic district.

Hinsdale County Courthouse | Lake City, CO 970-944-2515 | visit our website The Hinsdale County Courthouse is important for its association with the settlement and development of Lake City during the late 1800s mining era. Constructed in 1877, the building is significant as the state's oldest courthouse still in use for its original purpose. The first year of its operation as a courthouse was marked by the appearance of suffragette Susan B. Anthony.

The Leadville Historic Walking Tour and Heritage Museum | Leadville, CO visit our website In the late 19th century, Leadville was the richest mining district in the world. Leadville's mining history began in 1860 with the discovery of gold south of town. About 8,000 prospectors soon arrived, and during the next five years, unearthed more than $4 million worth of gold. Once the gold played out, most of the prospectors moved on. A few remained and discovered the area was also rich in silver and lead. Prospectors once again swarmed the town. By 1880, Leadville was home to more than 30,000 residents, along with stores, hotels, saloons, dance halls, gambling joints and brothels.

Town of Georgetown | Georgetown, CO 303-569-2555 | visit our website Founded in 1860, Georgetown grew to become one of the most important early mining settlements in the state.  Although gold brought the initial rush of settlers, it was silver that made the fortune of many Georgetown residents.  They built homes, churches, schools and commercial blocks using a range of late nineteenth-century architectural styles, from Greek Revival to Italianate and Second Empire.  The construction boom ended sharply after the silver crash of 1893.

Town of Crested Butte | Crested Butte, CO 970-641-7992 | visit our website The Town of Crested Butte, a registered National Historic District and turn of the century Victorian mining town is located just 28 miles north of the City of Gunnison and south of the famous Kebler Pass, known as the home to the second largest living organism in the USA…an aspen grove!

City of Durango | Durango, CO 970-247-3500 | visit our website Nestled between red sandstone bluffs in the lush Animas River Valley, Durango, is blessed with natural beauty matched only by its colorful history. As miners flocked into Southwest Colorado in the 1870s, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company purchased land from homesteaders to establish Durango's charming downtown. With the quick mining money came grand hotels, fine Victorian buildings and even a 3 story "skyscraper," all of which still stand in Durango's historic district. Along Main Avenue, the big red trolley runs daily past the brick and stone buildings that still bear the names of the frontiersmen who built them.

Trinidad History Museum | Trinidad, CO 719-846-7217 | visit our website Explore the past and present of the American West at the Trinidad History Museum.  The museum features several attractions on one block of Trinidad's acclaimed historic district, "El Corazon de Trinidad."  Historic homes, local treasures, and lovely gardens make the Trinidad History Museum a great place to spend the day.  The Trinidad History Museum is a property of the Colorado Historical Society.

This project is paid for in part by a State Historical Fund grant
from the Colorado Historical Society.