| In 1893 construction of the Argo Gold Mill and Museum began. It would be 17 years before it would reach Central City, over 4.5 miles away. The tunnel would provide water drainage, ventilation and economical transportation of the gold bearing ore from the many mines it would intersect along the way.The Argo Mill was constructed to process the gold bearing ore from these mines. When completed, the Argo would be the largest mill of its type in the world. The mill processed over 100 million dollars of gold ore at the old time prices of $18.00 to $35.00 per ounce and stands today as a memorial to the hard rock miners.With the closing of the tunnel, the Argo Mill ceased operations as well and sat abandoned for many years. In February 1976 the property was purchased by James N. Maxwell to preserve the quickly disappearing history of mining in Colorado and Clear Creek County. The five-story mill was renovated and opened to the public as a historic and educational tour. Most of the equipment used for processing the gold ore remains in place.The bottom level of the mill serves as a museum displaying mining and milling artifacts, old payroll records, milling receipts, and old photographs. Each year, the "Mighty Argo" tours guests from over forty states and over twenty foreign countries. The Argo Mill is a favorite educational and entertaining outing for many public schools who bring students from all grade levels including, engineering students from the Colorado School of Mines.The Argo Mill has been featured in many national publications and has been the set for several film productions. Because of the historic significance and impact that the Argo Tunnel and Mill played in local and state mining history, it was placed on the National Historic Register by the Department of the Interior in 1977. |
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