History of the Elkton Mine

There are many tales in western mining history of grocers who provided prospectors with a grubstake and made a fortune. Indeed, that is exactly what happened in the case of Leadville silver baron H.A.W. Tabor. What is unusual is how the Elkton Mine made millionaires of many men who worked it, and how, like the flamboyant Tabor, many of them died broke.

The original Elkton claim was staked in 1891 by Colorado Springs blacksmith William Shemwell. He followed Cripple Creek pioneer Ed De LaVergne onto the south slope of Raven Hill and placed his claim alongside De LaVergne's Raven claim. A tailor from Colorado Springs, C.C. Hagerty, bought one-eighth of the Elkton claim. In a highly unusual move for the era, a black man, Smith Gee, became an investor as well. He traded a mule for a one-eighth interest. Had Gee held his interest in the Elkton, his mule would eventually have been worth about $2 million.

By 1892, William Shemwell was on his last legs. The Elkton had not paid off as he hoped and he was ready to quit. Four new characters came on the scene. Colorado Springs grocers Sam, Douglas and George Bernard had staked Shemwell to $36.50 in supplies. In exchange for canceling his bill, the Bernard brothers received a half interest in the Elkton. George paid Smith Gee $50 for his interest, and with that, the Bernards committed themselves to the mining business. George and his part-time grocery clerk, a Fountain school teacher named Van Rouse, spent the next two years pouring money and elbow grease down the Elkton shaft.

As 1894 rolled around, it looked like Shemwell got the better of his bargain with the Bernards. Two years of labor and investment had not paid off. The brothers decided to work the Elkton for another two weeks and then close it down if no gold was found. Near the end of that time, Rouse discovered a vein that would yield nearly $40,000 within a week. The Elkton was on its way. Over the next few years, the Elkton Mine, like its neighbors, began to prosper.

In late 1899, Ed De LaVergne developed a bold plan. He proposed that his Raven Gold Mining Company merge with the Elkton and another neighbor, the Tornado Gold Mining Company. De LaVergne and his Raven stockholders received approximately 20 percent of the combined company. The Tornado stockholders, including stockbrokers Eugene Shove and Sherwood Aldrich, received approximately 17 percent. Another 46 percent went to the Bernards, Rouse and the other Elkton stockholders. With that big step, the Elkton became one of Cripple Creek's greatest mining enterprises.

The vignette on this stock certificate was made from an A.J. Harlan photograph.

Cripple Creek mining pioneer Ed De LaVergne.

The mine employed a great number of men and had a massive physical plant and presence in the District. Like so many other great mines in the District, the Elkton spawned its own town. The adjoining Arequa townsite filled to capacity and overran the hillsides. Although an official Elkton townsite was never platted, the area became commonly known as Elkton, Colorado. The hamlet had its own post office for a number of years and grew to a peak population of 2900.

The Elkton Consolidated complex in Arequa Gulch.

The grand Elkton Mine enjoyed a long life. She would eventually produce more than $16 million in gold. The end of the Elkton's glory days came in the mid-1910s, in spite of the drainage success of the Roosevelt Tunnel. The mine was worked principally on a lease basis after World War I. Operations were seriously impaired by a poison gas problem in the mid-1920s, but the mine continued to ship sporadically until 1956. The Elkton is commonly ranked as the seventh biggest producer in the District and among the biggest gold mines in Colorado.

The Elkton made millionaires of seven men -- Rouse, De LaVergne, Shove, Aldrich and the three Bernard brothers. Sadly, the Elkton fairy tale did not end happily for everyone.

The Bernard brothers retired from the day-to-day operations of the mining business in 1902 and started a variety of other enterprises. George Bernard purchased a large ranch near Colorado Springs. Its upkeep consumed his Elkton dividends and he died broke in 1933. Sam Bernard, who had once controlled the El Paso Mine and the Cripple Creek Drainage & Tunnel Company, was ousted as head of both firms. He operated a profitable thoroughbred horse breeding business but was bankrupted by a farming and irrigation project, the San Luis Valley Irrigation, Land & Power Company. He died penniless in a Colorado state hospital in 1937. Douglas did somewhat better than his brothers. He lost most of his fortune in building a ranch but was able to keep his livery business.

Fate dealt its cruelest hand to Ed De LaVergne. The visionary miner, who showed such incredible faith in the future of Cripple Creek, would die poor as well. The various business dealings of this mining pioneer and former state senator reduced his fortune to a mere $1519 at his death in 1917. Included in his estate were 56 shares in the Elkton Consolidated.