The Colorado and Central Railroad passes over the main street in Black Hawk, ca 1878-1885. (Courtesy, Library of Congress)

The availability of a plentiful water supply made Black Hawk a milling and smelting center, ca 1878-1885. (Courtesy, Library of Congress)

The railroad is long gone and the two main streets in Black Hawk are now lined with modern casinos.  Only a few of the original structures from the boom times remain.

A mill located just north of Black Hawk is a reminder of the town’s mining, milling, and smelting past.  It operated intermittently in the late-1900s.

(Above)  Several restored houses from the mining heyday sit above the road between Black Hawk and Central City.

The mines of Nevadaville, located a mile and a half west of Central City, produced much of Gilpin County’s mineral wealth.  Only a few historic structures remain.

This well preserved mine headframe in Nevadaville is sheathed in corrugated iron.