Gilpin observer., 1919-03-13
MINING BASIC INDUSTRY OF THE STATE
On. T. Chestnut, Jr.)

(M T. Chestnut, Jr.)
Denver was built by the successful
miners from every mining camp in the
state OF Colorado and the West. 1t Is
the International Capitol of the mining
industry and the very life blood of its
existence is furnished by the new wealth
produced annually by the miners Of the
state and Of the west. Not only does
it drain all the mining camps Of Colo
rado, but 1t reaches out into the adjoin-
ing states and much of the money made
in the mining camps OF these states
flows into Denver in an ever ending
stream. At one time nearly every
building in Denver was owned by min
ing men. At the present time 1t is safe
to say that every fourth house and
building in the town has been erected by
men who made the money to build with
out Of mines.
The same is true OF nearly every
town or city in the state of Colorado.
1t was the mining men who, having
made money in the mining camps, built
the towns and cities. the homes and the
business blocks.
Mining is the basic industry of the
state Of Colorado. 1t always has been
ard in all probability will continue to
be for many years to come. This used
70 be a recognized fact in years gone
by and there can be no doubt but that
it will again be SO, and probably more
clearly realized within the next few
years. than 1t ever was before. Owing
to the war, Colorado has had unusual
prosperity for its agricultural products
and in fact for it's products of all kinds
the markets Of the country and of the
world without having to contend with
or overcome competition. There was
such an enormous demand for food
articles Of all kind, that the question of
price did not enter into consideration
with the consumer at ALL 1t was a
question of getting what was needed at
ended this condition and from now on
the agricultural and manufactured pro-
ducts Of the state will and must con-
tend with competition which in the
future will be more keenly felt by these
industries than 1t has been in the past
1t has always been a recognized fact
that when the mining industry Of the
state was prosperous, all other indus
be true. for when the mining camps are
busy and prospering as they should,
there are thousands of men working in
the mines. who must be fed, clothed,
shod' ETC.. men who are working for
high wages which is spent in the min
ing camps from which the money flows
to the cities. or in the cities themselves.
Everything that is produced in the
mines or mining camps is sent out and
everything consumed in them is sent in.
Nothing is permanent in a mining camp
and no one who has made money in ono
wants to live in 1t. This is the reason
"Ao ehe oHiy ieaSoH tHat al mining
camp towns are more or less disreput-
able looking. The surrounding towns
and cities. located at a lower elevation
with better climatic and living condi-
tions, have drained the mining camps Of
the wealth they produced. and this
wealth has been the means Of building
nearly every town and city in the state
of Colorado.
Owing to the entry of the United
States into the world war. causing the
price of metals to be fixed with no re-
gard to the cost OF labor and supplies,
which the mines consumed. the mining
industry of Colorado has. for the last
two years. been at low ebb. 1t has
passed through the worst crisis It has
ever been called upon to weather. a
crisis far worse than the silver panic OF
1898. That this is true is shown by the
statistics Of mineral production for the
past year. which show that the produc-
tion Of precious and base metals was the
lowest recorded for many years. But
these figures do not tell all the facts
in the case. They do not Indicate how