Name/Title
PerigoEntry/Object ID
2024.10.89Description
Eight photos of abandoned Perigo Mill in Gamble Gulch, Gilpin County, in 1948. Scans from negatives. Located in Kemp Collection Blue Binder.
1. Perigo Mill in Gamble Gulch, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #206 in Kemp Collection blue binder
2. Interior of Perigo Mill, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #207 in Kemp Collection blue binder
3. Top of Perigo Mill, Gamble Gulch, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #187 in Kemp Collection blue binder
4. Rocker at Perigo Mine, Gamble Gulch, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #245 in Kemp Collection blue binder
5. Interior of Perigo Mill, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #242 in Kemp Collection blue binder
6. Top of Perigo Mill in Gamble Gulch, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #244 in Kemp Collection blue binder
7. Rocker at Perigo Mill in Gamble Gulch, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #247 in Kemp Collection blue binder
8. Perigo Mill in Gamble Gulch, 1948. 4"x5" print and 2"x3.25" negative, #246 in Kemp Collection blue binderContext
The Independent Mining District is one of Colorado's oldest mining districts. Gold dust was discovered at Gambell Gulch in 1859 by A.C. Gambell of Ohio. John M. Dumont and his partner Perigo uncovered the Gold Dirt and the Perigo lodes, on opposite sides of the gulch. The Gold Dirt produced somewhere between $30,000 and $2 million, depending on which sources one prefers to believe. John Q.A. Rollins sold a 33-foot-long claim on the Gold Dirt vein for $250,000. The best days of the town of Gold Dirt, population about 500, were between 1862 and 1864. Log cabins, saloons, and stores popped up. Later, a mining revival in the 1870s and 1880s met with success, and the name of the earlier town was changed from Gold Dirt to Perigo. Three different stamp mills were built, and Perigo became known as a particularly social place. An exclusive Perigo Social Club grew up and flourished for many years. Frequent community dances were held, and efforts were made to attract road shows from Denver and Central City. A.C. Gambell moved to Nevadaville and Middle Park and died in 1908. --excerpted from Ghost Towns of the Colorado Rockies by Robert L. Brown, 1969.
Perigo is located in Gamble Gulch in Gilpin County. No one knows if the gulch's name is the victim of misspelling over time, or if it references John Gamble, a notable miner in the Nederland area.Collection
Donald C. Kemp CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2024.10Source or Donor
Donald C. Kemp
