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Argo Gold Mill & Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
2350 Riverside DrIdaho Springs, CO 80452
(303) 567-2421
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Argo Gold Mill & Museum
9 reviews in English
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Review from Peter G.
San Mateo, CA
3/10/2012
This place is another on the list of National Register of Historic Places. The Argo Tunnel, aliitle over 4 miles long, was dug as a drainage and entrance tunnel. It took 9 years of digging to reach this length and it ceased operation in 1943. Another interesting tunnel is the Sutro Tunnel, for the Comstock Lode in Virginia City.
What others here don't seem to appreciate is the fact that one is ALLOWED to view the inside of a mill from 1913. Very few if any mills today from that period remain standing and in addition have the equipment used in the operation remaining in situ. I can tell you the number of times I have illegally entered the property of a closed mine/mill just to get a glimpse of the bldg and equipment. -
Review from Linda R.
Denver, CO
3/25/2012
We visited the Argo Mill gift shop on a Saturday with five and six year old boys. They were excitedly looking at the merchandise trying to decide what they wanted to purchase. I stepped into the courtyard to look around, not realizing that the courtyard area was for tour guests only. We were treated quite rudely by a man in the shop who had very little tolerance for children or guests. So, instead of making our purchases and scheduling a tour - we left and decided our money was better spent at a shop that truly wanted our business. A little respect and tolerance go a long way. I will not visit the mine again.
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Review from Anthony F.
Astoria, Queens, NY
6/27/2011
When I first suggested to my girlfriend that we come here, I didn't realize I was thinking about a completely different mine that I had visited before. Unfortunately, that one was way cooler than Argo. Not to say that Argo is bad! It's just a little more lame.
The history of the mine and surrounding Idaho Springs is very interesting, but the drab monotone "I've done this a million times kill me now!" attitude of our tour guide made it feel like we were sitting in a horribly boring geology class in high school.
After the lecture was over, the guide showed us a pneumatic rock drilling device and then loaded us onto a bus to explore the mine entrance above. While the cave is cool, it's not very deep and there isn't much to see. So much so that they actually just send you off on your own into it!
Upon leaving the cave, we checked out the much cooler sealed entrance to the Argo mine, and then worked our way down through the gold extractor exhibit. Afterwards we were able to try our hand at panning for gold. This was the greater disappointment. Unlike the other mine I had originally been thinking of, here you are handed a bag of sand that has a fleck or two of gold in it. You then attempt to sift it out. Of course, your chances of finding anything are nil, but it's still fun to try. The other place I had been (notice I can't remember the name, but I think it was close to The Cave of the Winds), let you out onto a creek where you tried to pan for gold. There had been several people in the past who actually ended up with a nugget!!!
It's a little pricey ($15 per person) and kind of boring for anyone above the age of 12. We were with a dad and his 3 under age 9 kids who seemed fascinated by everything, so that may be the better demographic for this place! -
Review from M D.
Aurora, CO
1/5/2012
This is a self guided tour and a rather two sided review. Unfortunately as someone else stated, this is not the best Colorado mine to visit but in January the others nearest Denver were closed. $18 was rather expensive for about a one hour visit. The older man who gave the talk was very well informed and could answer many questions, was helpful and very nice. Although speaking a very quick canned talk, but the poor folks do this how many times a day?
The slide show was outdated except for the history having been made in 2006 but the front desk man explained that before the slide show started. The trip to the mine if you could call it that, just a tunnel really, is less than 5 minutes back and forth. You next have a brief walk and get to see the closed mine door of which there is a picture. A few steps further you go to the museum where all the old tools are in the old Argo Mine. Seeing that Mine building and all the old tools is creepy in a way and there were very few signs explaining what the equipment did.
The two sided part comes in that it would have been much better if it was actually a guided tour with someone explaining something like .... Here is where the cars came out of and put the rock in Here, then it went into this place where This happened. All you are really looking at is an old building with old stuff in it and not knowing the steps to process the rock vs. all the stuff in the building.
Other side of that coin is the massive history which is extremely interesting, thinking about how people back then did what they did with just candles for light, how many must have died, etc. So it was with mixed interest to see that old history but by the same token, no one explaining what you were really looking at.
If you take people from another country as I did, not the best option. They can not understand the meaning of The Wild West or what the Gold Rush created in America so that was lost on them. I would have rather paid more money to have a guided tour or just sit and talk to the man asking him questions.
If it is winter, you need a quick place to take someone, it would be just an Okay but there are much better ones further out. -
Review from Anna T.
Denver, CO
10/13/2011
I took my students on a field trip here to learn more about the history of the Colorado miners. We had a great guide and the students had fun. I don't think I'd recommend this for adults, but it was fine for the kids.
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Review from Jenna S.
Chicago, IL
6/29/2009 2 photos
Located in the historic Clear Creek Canyon of Colorado, the Argo Gold Mill was built between 1893 and 1910 in order to mine the canyons in the area for their rich ores. The tour is $15 and you start with a description of the types of ores and minerals found in the mountains of Colorado and a brief video about the Argo Mine history. Our tour guide was a little weird but she explained enough about the mine to let us know what we were looking for. The movie was a bit slow but it did the job - it explained the founder of the mine, how it was built, how long it took, why it was built, etc.
The tour guide takes you up the mountain a bit so you can get in one of the mines and the mill. The tour is self-guided, which is awesome, because you can take your time looking at everything at your own pace. The mill is pretty cool but also pretty dilapidated, so prepare yourself to not see much inside. Nothing is functioning and it's obvious it was out of service for a lot of time before someone decided to make it a museum. There's a lot of cool artifacts and photographs to see at the end of the tour before you exit, so make sure you pay attention.
You also get to pan for your own gold at the end! The girl who gave us the demonstration was kind of attitude-y, but she explained everything and our admission included a bag of dirt with some gold included. We only found like three tiny flakes in each bag so we didn't even bother putting them in a baggie to save, but they were there! And it was pretty fun to actually do the panning. If you have kiddies with you, you can buy different bags of minerals (up to $6/bag) so they have other things to find like gemstones, minerals, etc. Definitely better if you have kids because it'll be easier and more fun for them.
Visit if you're ever passing by Idaho Springs on your way to/from Denver. It was a good time and Idaho Springs is a great town to check out if you've got the time.Listed in: My First Time, The Centennial State, Get Your Culture On!
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Review from Chris L.
Antioch, CA
6/14/2011
this was a pretty fun trip, a very relaxed enviorment where I don't feel so touristy. All the guides were very helpful and knowledgeable. You learn alot of the history and get to see old mining equiptment as well. I'd definitly go back again
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Review from Andrea Z.
Englewood, CO
7/28/2011
My parents were in town from Indiana, and one of the places my dad wanted to see the most was a gold mine. We found Argo online and decided to check it out. There is a lot of old mining equipment outside to check out, and the gift shop was interesting as well. The $15 tour started with an informative session about the history of mining on Colorado. It was great to hear about these things before we went into the actual mine! The guide was very informative. Afterwards, there was a demonstration of some of the mining equipment, and then we went up to the top of the mine and were given the opportunity to explore on our own. At the end of the tour, we were able to pan for gold using our sandbags that were given to us. It was cool to learn how the miners did it and what to look for. We found little pieces of actual gold - nothing actually worth any money, but still very cool!
I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking to learn about the history of mining and get some hands-on experiences! -
Review from Mary Jo S.
Denver, CO
9/25/2009 1 photo
The husband and I are touring all the mines of Colorado because he likes things underground and I like gold (and panning). The Argo is a short drive from Denver and well worth the drive. The Argo Gold Mill opened in 1913 and stayed in business as a mill until a disastrous flood of 1943; today it is a tourist attraction. We learned all about the history of the mill and mining from our tour guide and a movie in a classroom like setting; after the movie we continued our education as we went outside for a demonstration of mining equipment. We were then put on a brand new bus (we were on its maiden trip) and driven up a hill to the Double Eagle Mine. From this point, you are on your own and the tour is self guided. We went into the Double Eagle wearing hard hats to see a gold-producing mine up close and personal. You see the mine waste dump, Argo Tunnel, and then into the mill and down through eight different levels until you get back down the hill and into the office where your tour guide is waiting to give you a gold panning lesson. The inside of the mill not only provides a history lesson but a great photo opportunity as well. Again another fun diversion close to Denver.
Listed in: Colorado Road Trip
