History Colorado

How did miners adapt in order to address the challenges of Colorado’s geography? Choose the

Engagement #2: Miner Adaptations

What do you already know? And what do you still want to know? Respond in the boxes about the following topics; Colorado History, Colorado Geography and Mining.

K-W-L: Know, Want to Know, Learn

How did mining impact Indigenous nations in Colorado?

What is the Story?

Read through the article (typed across these slides). 



How did Colorado change as a result of mining?

Reporting! News from Pike's Peak Colorado (1860)

What is one of the most interesting things that you learned in this Resource Kit?

K-W-L - What did you learn?

Pick one aspect of mining, explain why it would change the territory we now know as Colorado. Is it a POSITIVE change or a NEGATIVE change?

Engagement #3: Mining's Impact on Colorado

Miners had to adapt to overcome the challenges presented by Colorado's geography in order to find gold! Living in the Rocky Mountains wasn't easy - from the terrain, to transportation to weather. Look through the pictures to determine what miners did to adapt and overcome these challenges. Identify the challenge and the adaptation in each image.

Adapting to Overcome Challenges

Map showing routes of the Gold region across the Kansas territory (what is now Colorado).

Gold! Gold!! Gold!!! Gold!!!!

How did mining impact Indigenous groups in Colorado?

Look over the events that show changes to indigenous land in Colorado during the years of mining in the region.

Indigenous Land in the Mining Era

How did mining impact Indigenous nations in Colorado?  

 the quotes from the different indigenous nations

consider how the region they live in might impact their perspectives

Indigenous Perspective

Did mining have a positive or negative impact on the what is now the state of Colorado and the people who live here?

 Sort the images to answer this question.

Reflection

How did Colorado’s geography create challenges for miners?

Refer to Colorado Physical Map PDF below if needed.

Engagement #1: Colorado's Physical Geography & Mining

Men watch a miner pan for gold in Cripple Creek stream near Cripple Creek (Teller County), Colorado.

Types of Mining: Placer Mining and Hard-Rock Mining

Let's spelunk right into the history of mining in Colorado! From Gold to Silver and from the plains to the mountains, mining changed and evolved significantly from the 1860s to the 1930s. Join us to

how it connects to the physical geography, how technology and adaptations made it possible and how it had impacts on the land and people who were already in the region

Mining in Colorado (1860s -1930s); Educator Overview (1).pdf

Mining in Colorado_ Educator Answer Guide (1).pdf

Additional information about how to facilitate 

Mining in Colorado (1860s -1930s)

Geography

Social Studies

U.S. History

Photograph, Clark, Gruber & Co.

This albumen print on card mount was taken by an unidentified photographer in 1860. The photograph shows the original building for Clark, Gruber & Co. (later Clark and Company), a private mint in Denver, Colorado. In April of 1863, the United States government bought Clark, Gruber & Co. and used the building as an assay office until 1904 when they decided to begin minting coins at a new, more lavish building in Denver. The large signs on the building read "Bank & Mint" and "Clark, Gruber & Co." The smaller signs on the posts and windows read "City Treasurer's Office," "Office of the Territorial Treasurer," "Coin up for Gold Dust," and "Exchange, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Leavenworth, St. Joe."

Handwritten on the back "1860 Denver, Colo. Clark, Gruber & Co"

Photograph, Clark, Gruber & Co.

Description

Object Information

Appears In

Mining in Colorado (1860s -1930s)