COME TO LIFE | Experience Colorado’s History & Cultural Heritage can get a firsthand look at how mining equipment worked, spot gold veins and learn about Colorado’s notorious mining characters. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine Tour provides a historical overview of the Gold Rush, as well as a tour of the modern gold mine. If you take the Georgetown Loop Railroad, opt for a tour down into an 1870s mining tunnel to see veins of silver. On the Country Boy Mine Tour, take a pic with a burro, pan for gold, go on a hayride and see a mineshaft cut 1,000 feet below Breckenridge. Don’t despair if you can’t make it to the mountains while you’re here. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science boasts a replica mineshaft complete with precious stones and stalactites hanging from the ceilings. Find more experiences at Colorado. com/GoldRushTowns. by miners in 1899, as well as Ashcroft’s restored remains of a saloon, post office and hotel. Southeast of Walden, Teller City was a silver-mining camp that boomed in the early 1880s but was busted by 1902. You can take a three-quarter-mile loop trail through the scattered cabin remains and artifacts. Colorado.com/GhostTowns Colorado is home to a variety of museums that provide immersive Wild West learning experiences. History Colorado Center in Denver has an incredible collection of artifacts dating back to Colorado’s earliest days, as well as diverse rotating exhibitions. At the Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, visitors can explore life in an 1800s Army fort, including five original adobe buildings. Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta features a reconstructed 1840s adobe trading post where historians recreate the past with tours, demonstrations and special events. Colorado.com/Museums Another great way to partake in Wild West culture is to dress the part. Cowboy boots are always in style here, and there are lots of places you can get your own pair, along with other Western-apparel staples. In Steamboat Springs, stop by F.M. Light & Sons, a family-owned outfitter that’s been in business since 1905. Or shop at historic Goodman’s Department Store in Pagosa Springs, established in 1899. If you’re in the market for a classic Western shirt, Rockmount Ranch Wear in Denver is a must. They invented the snap-button style and have dressed the likes of Willie Nelson and Chrissy Teigen. Colorado.com/WesternWear Your adventure won’t be complete until you belly up to the bar of a saloon. Several different establishments have Barney Ford House Peek Into the Wild West One of the top ways to appreciate Colorado’s heritage is to experience a bit of the Wild West yourself. It’s been a long time since cowboys and miners ruled the roost, but you can still get a taste of the frontier lifestyle. For every Gold Rush town that survived, there’s a once-booming settlement that went bust, leaving just a ghost of itself behind. Exploring these ghost towns gives you an amazing glimpse into the era. The Aspen Historical Society hosts tours of the ghost town of Independence, which sits near 11,000 feet on Independence Pass and was abandoned Argo Gold Mine & Mill 54 1-800-COLORADO
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