Situated in Historic Idaho Springs in the heart of Colorado Gold Country sits the Mighty Argo Mill and Tunnel, one of the most striking and prominent Heritage Landmarks in the American West. The Argo is a central character in the story of the Colorado gold-rush, and remains one of the largest, most well-preserved historic gold mills in the world.
The tunnel operated until January 1943, when miners attempting to construct access and drainage for the Kansas Lode mine group near Nevadaville critically weakened a wall between the Argo and a flooded mine works. The section was holding back water at a later-estimated pressure of 500 psi (approximately 1,155 feet of hydraulic head), and a large slug of water was ejected through the tunnel and out the entrance, killing the four miners at the blasting site. A fifth person near the portal suspected trouble when the lights suddenly failed and ran for the entrance, narrowly escaping. Water was ejected for several hours.
The property was closed in January 1943 after the major hydraulic accident in the tunnel, and never reopened after a federal moratorium was placed on gold mining during World War II.
The Wandering Cryptid 
Leave a comment