Lomax Mine, Colorado

The Lomax Mine is the best place to learn about the early placer mining boom that occurred in Summit County. It was a hydraulic placer mining operation that operated during the 1860s near the town of Breckenridge.

The Lomax Mine is a great place to visit to view the equipment used in a standard hydraulic mining operation. At the mine guides are available to explain how these types of mines worked during the 1860-1900 mining period, and there is even a fully equipped assay office from the past. This office is where the gold and silver content of samples brought in would be determined.

Gold is very heavy, so it usually sinks to the lower layers of gravel and other sediments in the stream. Miners at this location used equipment that took advantage of this factor to separate and recover gold from stream deposits. This means the mining was performed above ground; placer mines are unique because they didn't involve any underground operations.

The mine also has a miner's log cabin on display, if you're interested. The cabin has several artifacts on display to show how miners lived in the past.