Creed Underground Mining Museum

It's not in an original mine, but a set of tunnels dug for the purpose of the museum. The guide is a real miner and all the gear in there was used in real mining. The people of creed were real big on mining most of the time during the last 100 years. Well almost everybody in the San Juan mountains area was into mining or into one of the jobs which went along with it: saloon owner, pick pocket, dancer girl.

In 1985 the last mine in creed closed shop, not because they had run out of ore. The tour guide miner made this very clear. "We have taken barely half of what is there over the last 100 years. If the price for silver rises again we could start right out again. We know where all the big vines are."

But until then the people of creed have to find other ways of making a living. It seems that the mining years have assembled a very unique people in this town. They have their own repertoire theater company which plays during the summer and expands its repertoire as they go along. Many shows are sold out early in the year and when they hold auditions as many as 400 actors show up for the 60 positions.

And when the silver price rises again, well then ...