Hard Rock Mining Tour: Arapahoe Lodes

Arapahoe Lodes

Getting There

This site is closed to the public for safety reasons

Herman Thulin, with his brother-in-law Walter Wilson, decided to take out a gold mining claim in the early 1900s. A doctor by trade, Thulin opened the Arapahoe Lodes as a hobby.

Near the town of Puzzler (close to Ward), the mill was steam operated and used no chemicals, making the site far safer than many former mine and mill locations. During World War II, the U.S. Government ordered all mines not essential to the war effort (including gold mines) to be closed, diverting work to the war. Because of this shut-down, no one was at the mine to look after the equipment, and every building was looted by thieves. The Arapahoe Lodes have not been operated since the 1940s.

Did you know?

The Arapahoe Lodes are unusual because their exploratory shafts were 300 feet deep. Typical exploratory shafts of that time were about half that depth. These shafts are used to test the ground to see if there is any good ore to be found. If miners find valuable ore, they may dig the shaft deeper.

Photos

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