Gold Rush - Clear Creek County, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 44.096 W 105° 21.988
13S E 468597 N 4398402
Historical and Educational marker located in a pull-off area near Clear Creek on US HWY 6.
Waymark Code: WM42NV
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 06/28/2008
Views: 38
This is a case of a very well done educational marker in a very poor location. This pull-off is on US Hwy 6 which is the road to Black Hawk/Central City which features limited stakes gambling. Many years ago when gold had reached a high price, people were living in the canyon panning Clear Creek for the trace gold the original miners missed during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of the 1860s. These squatters caused the county to prohibit parking in the canyon for more than 30 minutes. This pull-off is most often used by overheating cars or courteous buses and semi-trailers. Rarely does one stop to read the sign.
The marker records both the history of the Gold Rush in Clear Creek County (Central City was at one time the 'Richest Square Mile on Earth' due to the amount of gold taken from the area--it almost became Colorado's capital!) and the people who were involved and exploited in the Gold Rush. Stories include Clara Brown, Colorado Central Railroad and the Chinese Immigrants during the Gold Rush (highlighted is Chin Lin Sou).
Group or Groups Responsible for Placement:
State of Colorado and Clear Creek County
County or City: Clear Creek County
Date Dedicated: Unknown
Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new or if you were able to take any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark. If possible, please post a photo of you at the marker OR your GPS at the marker location OR some other creative way to prove you visited. If you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Colorado history, go ahead and include that in your log!