Download or read book Mines of Clear Creek County written by Ben M. Dugan and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2013-09-09 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1859, Pikes Peak or bust! spread across America and brought men and their families from all over to the Kansas goldfields seeking a new beginning. Thousands came to Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties and eventually settled all of Colorado. The mining communities of Idaho Springs, Georgetown, Empire, Silver Plume, Dumont, and Lawson all exist because of the pursuit of gold and silver. Gold was initially easy to get to, but in time, underground mineral development was necessary. New technologies and the Industrial Revolution made mining easier, but there was still work to be done to establish local fire departments, churches, schools, and governments.