1. Unit 4: Miners

4. SPRING OF 1859 No time to organize governments-miners formed their own mining districts, laws and courts Mining camps led to many other businesses (storekeepers, Blacksmiths, saloonkeepers, bootmakers, carpenters, lawyers, doctors, teachers and ministers)

5. MINING TOWNS Sprung up overnight Colorful names-Whiskey Creek, Poker Flat Crammed into small narrow valleys Towns were made of wood and tents; few of brick

6. MINING TOWNS Needed volunteer fire dept Most burned at least once Many types of business Predominance of saloons-Leadville had 82 at one time Gambling was the vice

7. What kinds of people were needed to support miners? Blacksmiths Bakers Saloon keepers Butchers Bankers Retailers Barbers Gunsmiths Lawyers Hotel owners

8. MINERS Dreamers Risk takers Lived in hope Most knew nothing about mining Most were not rich (long hours for $1.85/day Former 49ers All types of people (lawyers, priests) Hopeless situations left many despondent Not glamorous Few independent miners Suicide epidemic in Denver

9. GOVERNMENT Pioneers had created their own mining districts and now decided to create their own territory instead of belonging to Kansas and Nebraska. Congress refused to accept this territory called the Jefferson Territory Slavery kept this from becoming a territory because the South did not want Colorado to become a free state. When the South seceded, Colorado was made a territory on February 28,1861. President Lincoln selected William Gilpen as the first governor

10. Leadville

14. DENVER

15. WHAT WERE THE REASONS FOR DENVER’S GROWTH?

16. LOCATION –Last outpost before the Rockies –Supply and service trade center for the gold rush –Junction of Cherry Creek and the Platte River as well as being close to Clear Creek County

17. QUALITY LEADERS Experienced city founders selected the best location Organized formal town companies and had a civil engineer stake out their settlement They were interested in founding a city, not in searching for gold

18. OTHER FACTORS Transcontinental railroad to go through Wyoming; Denver leaders, led by John Evans, built the Denver Pacific Railroad to connect Denver with Cheyenne Silver Boom (1864-1894) brought silver kings to Denver and brought Denver a new social class-Molly Brown, Baby Doe Tabor

19. OTHER FACTORS Sheep and cattle ranching and farming- packing houses and stockyards Marketing, distribution and coinage center (Denver Mint-1860) Stages came to Denver and freight trains brought supplies here

20. EARLY SETTLEMENTS Russell-Englewood Montana City-5 miles south of the capital St Charles-Cherry Creek and Platte Denver-Jumped St Charles claim Auraria-South side of Cherry Creek

21. St Charles Denver (Larimer) Auraria

32. SURVIVED DISASTERS 1863-Fire destroyed the center of Denver (70 buildings rebuilt in brick) 1864-Cherry Creek flooded-buildings, including Rocky Mountain News were washed away. 11 killed