(CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo.) — One person is dead and 12 people are currently trapped 1,000 feet underground at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine — one of the few mines that will actually take you underground to witness the evolution, sounds, and sights of mining. So what exactly is it and what do they do now?
The Gold Mine was discovered in 1891 by Mollie Kathleen Gortner (also known as Mary Catherine Gortner) — the first woman in Gold Camp to discover gold and claim it in her own name.
Since the early days, the mine conducted mine tours by candlelight. Miners would take turns taking people 1,000 feet underground to witness workers extracting gold ore. According to the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine website, demand for tours grew rapidly after people found out about them.
By 1949, the mine had passed to other owners after the Gortner family had passed away. A decision was made to conduct tours on the 700-foot level due to increased demand, which allowed workers to drill rounds and load explosives on the 1,000-foot level. However, the tours were then switched to dayside hours while miners worked overnight.
In 1961, the mine was forced to close due to the value of gold dropping — the Mollie Kathleen Mine was one of the longest-working mines and one of the last to close down. By that time, mine tours were doing “quite well,” so tours continued.
After a few miners struck gold in the ’70s, a layout came for the tours and now multiple groups can be spread throughout the area at one time, with a new 30-minute tour developed for the 10th (1,000 feet) level.
According to Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, the mine’s last incident was in 1986. Two years later, a new mining phase surfaced as new mine operators took over. With that, a new tour that combined all mining phases of Mollie Kathleen’s developed, which included a second nine-man skip elevator that was suspended below the existing skip, restoration of the steam hoist, and more.
Now, tours are an hour long and those who take the tour descend 100 stories into the ground and receive a free gold ore sample with their tour.
An incident at the mine on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 left one person dead and 12 others trapped underground after an elevator malfunction. The elevator is a two-minute ride and the descent in the shaft can be claustrophobic for some.
The Mollie Kathleen Mine’s last day of the season was set for Sunday, Oct.13.
