Colorado’s history is rich and complex, with significant contributions from various minority groups. Mining was one of the primary foundations for growth in Colorado and began here in 1859. Just as “Bleeding Kansas” helped spark the Civil War, an economic depression bore down on struggling Americans and mining in California began to cool, creating the very conditions for Colorado’s own gold rush.
African Americans
Many minority groups were key contributors to Colorado’s mining history. African Americans faced considerable challenges, including racial discrimination and segregation; however, they found ways to participate in the industry, often working in lower-paying, labor-intensive roles.
The daily life for an African American in a mining camp likely ebbed and flowed with the comfort and community that came from close friendships to the very opposite experience, perhaps moments later, of hostile individuals and intense discrimination. They navigated the transition to freedom with newfound hope and possibility, and their hard work in the mines often reflected that. Much like their European American counterparts, they sought to improve their lives through land ownership, homesteading, and creating strong community bonds. Building a life and caring for their families were of utmost importance for many African American men laboring in mining towns.
Chinese
This drive in the make of the West was not unusual. The Chinese, though they were encouraged and invited by the governor of Colorado to fill the labor shortage created once hard rock mining began in earnest, were often treated with hostility by Americans.
American miners would often comment that when the Chinese came into a mining town, this was indication that the mine was losing money. Many Chinese, however, came to Colorado having gained considerable skills in mining and agricultural work in California. More than 20,000 Chinese workers were hired to navigate the treacherous Sierra Mountains to build the western section of the Transcontinental Railroad between 1865 and 1869.
Their work ethic and unique perspective gave them a laser focus. The average stay in the United States for a Chinese man (called a bachelor population) was six years, and if they survived the dangerous and difficult work and saved enough money (most saved nearly $30 per month), they would return to China with more than $2,000 — enough to retire. This drive, alongside prowess, made many Chinese men extremely successful at finding gold left behind in mines already abandoned by American miners. During the winter months, Chinese miners would light small fires to melt the ice on frigid Colorado creeks and continue to placer mine. They also worked doing laundry, which was desperately needed because many American men refused to do “a woman’s job” and women were too scarce to fill the need. Chinese men took no offense in working hard this way and filling the gap, which brought them closer to home.
As the Chinese braved the hard and dangerous work of building railroads and working mines in a hostile foreign land away from their families, African American men and women began, for the first time, to try to build their lives and their homes as Americans, free from slavery. Meanwhile, Hispanic individuals and families found their homes changing nations right under their feet in just the span of a generation. For instance, a child born in 1800, in what is now southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley, would have been under the citizenship of Spain, France, Mexico, and finally, America, all before 1850.
Hispanics
Many Hispanic families had settled in what is the present-day San Luis Valley hundreds of years before. Many men worked in mines in Mexico and were highly skilled miners by the time they began working in the coal mines of eastern Boulder County. They often worked in the beet fields in the summer when the coal mines stopped running until demand picked up again.
Many Hispanic men who made their way to Boulder County came from the area around Trinidad where they mined until an economic depression forced expansion north to the coal fields of Lafayette.
Coal Mining
Coal mining was no less treacherous than hard rock mining. Despite this, many workers were children who were forced to give up schooling at around the eighth grade to help provide for their families. One man tells the story of being 9 years old and having to try to pass for 13 and work with a pickax for hours in the coal mines. His hands became one massive blister after the first day because the ax handle was so splintered it cut into his palms. He ate in the dark, dealt with frigid temperatures, and later went on to fight for fair working conditions as an adult alongside other men during volatile labor strikes. Though Hispanic populations had been in the area for hundreds of years, they often faced discrimination but maintained strong cultural ties, which helped them form tight-knit communities.
Natives
Finally, it is the Utes, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, that once lived throughout present day Colorado for thousands of years, who ended up suffering the most. For example, the Utes were not one tribe but rather three bands governed by their own chiefs. Despite this, Chief Ouray was appointed as the chief of all of the bands by a white U.S. government official because this Uncompagndre chief spoke great English and was considered a great leader by white men. It is speculated that Ouray was too friendly with the Americans, and, as a result, he often failed the bands in negotiating well on their behalf. The Brunot Agreement was one such arrangement, which sealed the fate of the Utes and relocated them to reservations with false promises for continued access to the western half of Colorado for hunting and foraging. Their once unfettered territory that met a need for each season was winnowed down to nothing as miners following veins of gold and silver deep into Ute territory and high into the mountains took precedence over any previously negotiated agreements. Ute reservations in southern Colorado and Utah are now just a tiny fraction of the lands they had once worked and lived.
Other Groups
Other immigrant groups, including Italians, Irish, and Eastern Europeans, also played essential roles in Colorado’s mining history. These groups often formed their own communities within mining towns and brought valuable skills and labor to the industry. They faced their own sets of challenges and discrimination but were integral to the development of the mining sector.
The impact of minorities and Natives on Colorado is undeniable. Mining towns supported, embraced, discouraged, and discriminated against a variety of cultures. Each of these cultures had their own sets of valuable skills, perspectives, and ultimately shared a drive with all who made their home in the West: to create a better life and care for their families and communities.
Despite the additional hardships minority groups faced in an already difficult climate and industry, their history and legacy is a testament to their resilience and contributions in spite of significant barriers. Minority communities in Colorado continue to be pivotal in the state’s strong cultural and economic fabric.