Souvenir Mining Spoons

Elkton - Mary McKinney Mines Cripple Creek Colorado | SOUVENIR MINING SPOON ELKTON & MARY MCKINNEY MINES CRIPPLE CREEK COLORADO - Sterling silver souvenir mining spoon, embossed donkey loaded up with mining equipment in bowl, donkey carries sign that says “I helped built P.P.RR” (Pikes Peak Railroad), handle depicts scenes of the Elkton and Mary McKinney Mines in Cripple Creek, Colorado, also features a gold pan and pick and shovel, reverse features a windlass and mine bucket marked mine and shaft, reverse marked Sterling with rare maker mark E.L.D. for Eugene L. Deacon Jewelry Co. of Denver, CO maker of Sterling spoons from 1900 to 1912, 5 1/8 in. long [Elkton Mine - Located in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Elkton came to life in 1891 after a blacksmith from Colorado Springs named William Shemwell staked a claim in the Cripple Creek area. The town sprung up around the mine to support the miners and their families. By 1892, the mine still had not produced results and Shemwell decided to sell the claim to three brothers: George, Douglas and Sam Bernard. By 1894, the Bernard brothers had also been unsuccessful and gave the mine only two weeks before they would consolidate their loses. Near the end of these two weeks, a vein of gold was discovered which produced $40,000 within a week. The mine had finally become a success. In 1899, a man by the name of Ed De LaVergne proposed to merge his mine located directly next to the Elkton with the Elkton. With this move, the Elkton mine became one of the largest mines in the Cripple Creek area. The mine would yield more than $16 million in gold and would be active until 1956. Several of the men involved, including Ed De LaVergne and the Bernards, became millionaires, but most of them were dead broke again by the time of their deaths. The town itself was never actually platted, but the area simply became known as Elkton, Colorado. It had its own post office for a while and grew to reach a population of 2900 people at its peak. Mary McKinney Mine - The Mary McKinney Mine was founded in May of 1891. An unusual feature of the mine was the large cribbing wall that was built to prevent the mine’s dump rock from falling onto the railroad bed. The Mary McKinney Mine which was located in Squaw Gulch in the Cripple Creek Gold Mining District was started by Frank Castello and the Houghton brothers. Banker and mining baron David H. Moffat heavily bought into the property and by 1894 the owners were able to turn the property into one of the most productive in the gold mining district. Mary McKinney Mine holdings comprised 144 acres on Raven and Gold Hills within the town of Anaconda. . Founded in 1894, the town was sprawled along a half mile of Squaw Gulch, about halfway between Cripple Creek and Victor. Anaconda was a composite of three other mining camps: Squaw Gulch, Mound City and Barry. Once a bustling town of over 1,000 persons, the town was supported mainly by the Mary McKinney Mine. During the winter of 1904, a fire started that pretty much annihilated the town. Unlike the massive relief efforts that rebuilt nearby Victor and Cripple Creek after their fires, Anaconda was left to die a slow death. While the mines were still in operation after the fire, most residents simply moved away. Anaconda’s population fell from 1,000 to 250 and continued a steady decline to today’s ghost town status. The mine eventually closed in 1953. Over its 62 year history the Mary McKinney Mine yielded more than eleven million dollars in gold.]

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