The Saga of COLORADO GOLD - 53 Million Troy Ounces and Counting
Rock&Gem Magazine|January 2021
Colorado has been mining gold even before the region became a territory and is still mining it today.
STEVE VOYNICK
The Saga of COLORADO GOLD - 53 Million Troy Ounces and Counting

In fact, some of Colorado’s newly mined gold was refined to .9999 purity and milled into 140,000 sheets of gold leaf just 1/8000th of a millimeter thick to regild the 250-foot-tall dome of the state capital building in Denver.

When Colorado’s capital was built in 1898, the dome was clad in copper. But in 1908, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pikes Peak gold rush, the state fathers ordered the dome gilded with gold. Mine owners at the then-booming gold camp of Cripple Creek donated the required 200 troy ounces of gold. Cripple Creek miners also provided the gold for the recent regilding of the dome. However, this time, it took only 65 troy ounces, thanks to the ability to create an ever-thinner gold leaf. Another sign of changing times is the price of the gold itself: The 200 troy ounces needed to gild the dome in 1908 cost $4,000; today, the necessary 65 troy ounces cost $127,000.

Speaking at the completion of the regilding project, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper called gold “a true Colorado treasure that symbolizes its past, present, and future.” Indeed, Colorado opened with a gold rush; today, it still produces 300,000 troy ounces of gold each year. As for its future, the former governor and now U.S. senator, a geologist himself, referred to the ability to economically extract gold from very low-grade ores that will enable Colorado to produce gold for decades to come.

Colorado’s historic gold production is now nearing 53 million troy ounces. That amounts to 1,648 metric tons, which would occupy a 14-foot cube and be worth $100 billion at today’s gold prices.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2021 من Rock&Gem Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2021 من Rock&Gem Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من ROCK&GEM MAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
This News is for the Birds
Rock&Gem Magazine

This News is for the Birds

The amazing range of the would-be birds!

time-read
1 min  |
July 2024
CALIFORNIA MAGNESITE PLASMA AGATE
Rock&Gem Magazine

CALIFORNIA MAGNESITE PLASMA AGATE

California magnesite plasma agate is a kaleidoscope of minerals. Much like its neighbor from Clear Creek, it contains chalcedony, serpentine, jadeite and chromite.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
HOW TO CREATE A CABBING MATERIAL
Rock&Gem Magazine

HOW TO CREATE A CABBING MATERIAL

Even though Mother Nature creates almost unbounded types and numbers of beautiful materials for cabbing, often I struggle to find a slab that will work for the project that I want to do.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
PINWHEEL - VIET GEMS 149
Rock&Gem Magazine

PINWHEEL - VIET GEMS 149

I am frequently asked what my favorite gemstone designs are and where to find them. After my trip to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, I updated my list of favorites to include gemstone designer, Phan Thanh Trung.

time-read
1 min  |
July 2024
Copper Minerals: My Favorite
Rock&Gem Magazine

Copper Minerals: My Favorite

I have lived in the “Copper State” of Arizona for 65 years so it should not surprise readers that copper minerals are among my favorites to collect.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
OPPENHEIMER, TRINITY SITE AND TRINITITE
Rock&Gem Magazine

OPPENHEIMER, TRINITY SITE AND TRINITITE

The widely acclaimed, 2023 Hollywood biographical movie Oppenheimer recently won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy).

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
Clearing ,Smudging & Setting Intentions for Stones
Rock&Gem Magazine

Clearing ,Smudging & Setting Intentions for Stones

Why do you believe what you believe? Are your beliefs true because you choose to believe them? Whether it is religion, science or the metaphysical, your belief and faith make it real to you in mind, body and soul.

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2024
Rhode Island's Hobbit Stone Age
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rhode Island's Hobbit Stone Age

Rhode Island may be 22nd out of 30 states in miles of total coastline but when you compare coastline length to land acres, it ranks second only to Maryland.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
Black Range Amethyst
Rock&Gem Magazine

Black Range Amethyst

Amethyst in Southwest New Mexico

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2024
EQUINE Bling!
Rock&Gem Magazine

EQUINE Bling!

How an Oklahoma Saddle Maker Uses Moissanite, Gold, Silver Turquoise tc to Adorn Saddles Jewelry

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024