Although this replica mine never produced any ore, it still remembers the traditional mining techniques of the Colorado silver rush.

Dug out of the side of a mountain by a handful of local miners using the same blasting techniques that a true mine would employ, the Creede Mining Museum and Community Center was built in the early ’90s to attract visitors and celebrate the town’s history of silver mining. The museum features a number of corridors leading back into the rock and speckled with mannequins performing the various roles fulfilled in 19th century ore collection. In addition to the authentic museum displays, the site also houses a large community space that is used for weddings, bingo, and other social events.

The mash-up of tourist display and community center may seem out of place, but given the debt the Creede community owes to the mining of yesteryear it may not be such a strange match after all.