Gold is still found in those hills, you just need to get out there and find it. Here are some of the i places in Colorado to learn about the mining heritage, get up close to gold in underground tunnels, and try your hand at panning for gold to strike it rich. The mine, with a 1,foot-deep shaft, was discovered by Iowa mother Mollie Kathleen Gortner in She became the first woman to strike it rich at the Creek. The mine operated until when it turned into a tourist attraction. Now miners lower you down the deep shaft for an underground mining tour. Guides point out gold veins, show mining techniques and tools, and sometimes let you push a one-ton ore cart. At the end, everyone ypu a free chunk of gold ore to take home. The easy trail, beginning on County Road 81, passes historic buildings and old mines including the Vindicator and Theresa. The mountainside was a hive of mining activity in the s. The Vindicator Mine had its own rail line, an ore-sorting house, and several head frames. Along...