Entry No. 79 — the Boulder file — filed under: outdoor
Boodle Mine
The Boodle Mine is a historic late-19th-century gold mine and processing mill located just west of Central City along Eureka Street. It operated primarily during the gold rush era and into the mid-20th century, producing gold, silver, and other metals. Today, the rehabilitated wooden exterior of the mine and mill buildings stands as a striking landmark, though the underground workings remain sealed and off-limits.
The story
Drive west up Eureka Street past Central City's casino strip and you will climb right into the quiet, dry air of Eureka Gulch. At an elevation of 8,921 feet, the Boodle Mine sits in an area that 19th-century prospectors famously dubbed the 'Richest Square Mile on Earth.' While early gold rushers in 1859 scooped up easy surface placer gold in local creek beds, hard-rock operations like the Boodle spent decades driving shafts deep into hard subterranean rock, extracting gold alongside silver, copper, lead, and zinc well into the mid-20th century.
Most wooden mining mills across the Front Range eventually succumbed to mountain winters, fire, or modern casino re-development down the hill. The Boodle survived because its multi-story wooden exterior received a dedicated timber rehabilitation, preserving its looming silhouette against the pine-studded slope. But don't plan on exploring the interior—the underground portal is sealed shut, and the decaying timber superstructure remains locked down behind private property boundaries.
What it's like
You will catch your first sight of the towering wooden mill directly along the narrow curve of Eureka Street. Because the building sits on private and city property and remains unsafe inside, your view is strictly from the public roadside. Pull off carefully without trespassing, then cross Eureka Street on foot to explore the quiet, aspen-shaded paths of the Knights of Pythias and Central City Cemeteries. The elevated cemetery grounds give you a clear, unblocked view of the timber mill facade framed against the gulch.
The move: Take a scenic drive up Eureka Street to view the historic exterior of the Boodle Mine and Mill from the road, then walk across the street to explore the peaceful, aspen-shaded paths of the historic Knights of Pythias and Central City Cemeteries.
📍 Before you go The mine and mill buildings are located on private/city-owned property and are structurally unsafe to enter, but they can be easily and safely viewed from Eureka Street or the adjacent public cemeteries.
- 📍 Central City
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Boodle Mine, Central City, CO 80422, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Old Town Mine — Located just two miles away in Russell Gulch, this site offers another close-up look at Gilpin County's historic hard-rock mining legacy.
- Stage Stop (Historic Rollinsville Stage Station) — Head eight miles north to Rollinsville to see a preserved 1868 stagecoach toll station built eight years before Colorado became a state.
- Nederland Mining Museum — Follow the Peak to Peak corridor up to Nederland to inspect the massive 1920s Bucyrus steam shovel and heavy machinery used in regional ore extraction.
- Train Cars Coffee & Kava — A great refueling spot nearby in Nederland, where you can grab coffee inside a trio of century-old railroad cars parked at 8,236 feet.
Good to know
Can you go inside the Boodle Mine or Mill?
No. The underground mine shafts are sealed shut, and the wooden mill structure is on private/city-owned land and structurally unsafe to enter.
Where is the best view of the mine structure?
You get a direct view straight from Eureka Street or from the higher vantage point inside the Knights of Pythias Cemetery directly across the road.
What metals were mined at the Boodle site?
Federal mine data documents gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc extracted from the underground workings.
Is there a fee to visit?
No. Viewing the mine exterior from Eureka Street and walking through the adjacent public cemeteries across the road is completely free.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com · westernmininghistory.com
last checked: 2026-07-20