Summitville Mine - Summitville, CO

Summitville is one of Colorado’s oldest gold mining sites dating back to 1870 when prospector J.L. Wightman made the discovery of gold at the base of South Mountain. The town is located at an elevation 11,500 ft in a large mountain meadow. In 1876, Summitville became the largest gold mining camp in Colorado and lasted until 1886 when the high-grade ore ran out. The town was abandoned until 1934, when production low grade ore resumed and the town swelled to a population of 1,500. Mining lasted at Summitville until 1992 when it was taken over by the EPA and became a superfund site.