Gold Hill

History

The community is located above Gold Run, the first lode discovery of gold in Colorado (at that time the area was part of the Nebraska Territory) on January 15, 1859. The discovery occurred nearly simultaneously with prospecting in Gregory Gulch and Clear Creek, but these latter discoveries were not exploited until later that Spring. On March 7, 1859, the Gold Run discovery became the first mining district in the region (named either the Mountain District No. 1, Mining District No. 1 of the Nebraska Territory, or the Nebraska Gold Hill Mining District, according to various historical sources). Word quickly spread among miners in the region, prompting a flood of new arrivals and the establishment of Gold Hill as the first permanent mining camp in present-day Colorado. By autumn, a quartz stamp mill was erected at the base of the hill, the first such piece of equipment in the region, one that had been transported by ox cart westward over the Great Plains. The first productive vein was the Scott, followed quickly by the Horsfal, Alamakee, and Cold Spring. Nearby placers were also worked for the gold in stream beds. By 1861, the year of the organization of the Colorado Territory, the surface deposits of gold in the vicinity of the town were largely played out, resulting in a temporary exodus of prospectors and a population decrease. The town was somewhat revived later that year by the construction of the Hill smelter at nearby Black Hawk, allowing the treatment of lower-grade ores. The discovery of tellurium in the area in 1872 prompted a second boom, bringing the population to nearly 1000 once again. At its height, the town had a newspaper and a number of hotels, including the Mines Hotel, built in 1872 and recently restored as a summer tourist destination. The Mines was…

Geography

The Gold Hill CDP has an area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  32,723
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  31,187
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  29,897
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,267
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  24,217
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  21,835
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,641
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,342

Largest nearby schools

• Boulder High School
  High · BOULDER · 2,074 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Centennial Middle School
  Middle · BOULDER · 567 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• Casey Middle School
  Middle · BOULDER · 452 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Foothill Elementary School
  Elementary · BOULDER · 437 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Crest View Elementary School
  Elementary · BOULDER · 435 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• University Hill Elementary School
  Elementary · BOULDER · 413 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Columbine Elementary School
  Elementary · BOULDER · 405 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Bear Creek Elementary School
  Elementary · BOULDER · 342 students · 20.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2025-11-30
  15 km SSW of Walden, Colorado
• M 2.7 — 2025-06-13
  7 km SE of Erie, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2020-10-24
  2 km ESE of Georgetown, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2019-03-30
  7 km NE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 3 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.7 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado