TOUR STARTING POINT GHOST TOWNS AND MOUNTAIN SPOTS PAGE No. 1. CENTRAL CITY Nevadaville, American City, Kingston 8 2. IDAHO SPRINGS Alice, North Empire 14 3. GEORGETOWN Waldorf, Sts. John 20 4. BOULDER Caribou 24 5. ESTES PARK Ward 26 6. GRAND LAKE Lulu City 28 7. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Hahns Peak 32 8. GLENWOOD SPRINGS Fulford, Crystal City 34 9. ASPEN Lenado, Ashcroft 40 10. LEADVILLE Independence, Stumptown 44 11. FAIRPLAY Buckskin Joe, Como, Mudsill, Leavick 48 12. CRIPPLE CREEK Altman, Bull Hill Station, Goldfield 52 13. CANON CITY Rosita, Silver Cliff 56 14. SALIDA Turret, Bonanza 59 15. BUENA VISTA St. Elmo, Winfield 63 16. GUNNISON Tin Cup, Gothic 66 17. LAKE CITY Capitol City, Carson 70 18. CREEDE Spar City, Bachelor 75 19. DEL NORTE Summitville 82 20. SILVERTON Eureka, Animas Forks 84 21. OURAY Red Mountain, Ironton 88 22. TELLURIDE Pandora 92 From Central City [Illustration] Nevadaville is unique for many reasons. It was part of the historic 1859 “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush. In 1861 the town was larger than Denver. In 1863 one of Nevadaville’s mines, the Pat Casey (later the Ophir), was sold by its illiterate Irish owner in New York to Wall Street speculators for a fancy sum which started a boom in Gilpin County mines. Stock shares of Nevadaville’s mines were thus the first of Colorado corporations to be quoted on the “big board.” When John H. Gregory found the first lode gold of Colorado in Gregory Gulch on May 6, 1859, other prospectors immediately pushed up all the tributary gulches. By the latter part of May a number of good claims had been staked on Quartz Hill above Nevada Creek. This creek joins Spring Creek at Central City and together they join Eureka Creek to make the mile-long Gregory Creek. It, in turn, joins the North Fork of Clear Creek at Black Hawk. The closest source of water for the mines on Quartz Hill was Nevada Creek. A camp sprang up immediately, and was named Nevada City.