Richard’s Cabin – Chinese in Gold Hill
Tucked away in Gold Hill, CO, is Richard’s Cabin. Its hand-hewn timbers date from the 1870s, when the town was alive with miners chasing the promise of gold in the newly framed Colorado Territory.
Gold Hill was founded in 1859, the site of one of the first major gold discoveries in Colorado. By the 1870s, its streets were lined with saloons and small log homes. At its height, the population reached nearly a thousand, a mix of miners from across the country. There was also a group of Chinese laborers who had made their way East from California after the first gold rush waned.
Richard’s Cabin is believed to have been one of these workplaces: A Chinese laundry serving miners in Gold Hill and nearby claims. The cabin stood above a natural spring, providing a steady supply of water essential for washing.
Long after the miners drifted away and the laundry closed, the natural spring continued, and wildlife found its way back. A family of foxes now used the cabin as a den. Richard’s Cabin is a relic of the Gold Hills mining days and carries the story of immigrants who found purpose on the margins of a rough frontier town
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