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Inside of a geode

Welcome to a new perspective

Explore The Wonders Found Underground

Monday | Closed

Tuesday-Sunday | 10:00AM – 4:00PM, last entry at 3:15PM

Purchase Tickets

Monday | Closed

Tuesday-Sunday | 10:00AM – 4:00PM, last entry at 3:15PM

Purchase Tickets
Inside of a geode

Welcome to a new perspective

Explore The Wonders Found Underground

National Mining Museum logo

National Mining Museum

 Matchless Mine Logo

Matchless Mine

 National Mining Hall of Fame logo

National Mining Hall of Fame
New Temporary Exhibit

Sesquisemiquincentennial

(America 250, Colorado 150)

 

Celebrate Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood by learning about the people of early Leadville and the mines around the Mineral Belt Trail! This gallery opens August 1st, 2026.

This exhibit highlights what was happening in Leadville slightly before and after statehood from the discovery of gold in 1860 to the transport of silver bars in 1890. The city of Leadville was founded in 1878. Many of the Leadville firsts are shown in black and white photographs through the accomplishments of our early pioneers. A short documentary video, paid for by the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, shows the transformation of the ore transport railway in the Leadville Mining District into our recreational Mineral Belt Trail (MBT). Photographs show a few of the mines that are visible from the MBT then during the height of production and now as mostly ruins today.

image of the Colorado 150, America 250 logo, a map of the Leadville, Colorado Mineral Belt Trail, and a wooden plaque recognizing the Leadville Trail 100 Foundation for awarding a grant to the exhibit
Background gray gradient
UV light shines on rock fluorescent colors
Education and Group Visits

Learn with Us

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum offers learning opportunities for all levels of learning. Explore how history informs the future, how science and math combine to form the framework of the Earth, how humans have been collectors of form and function long before us. Between guided and self-guided tours as well as activities and take-home lessons, we have something for everyone!

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  • Geology of the Earth

    New! Minerals A-Z

    Join us on a journey through the chemistry, crystal habit, color, and processing of minerals. How does environment play a key role in formation? What is double refraction? What chemicals do we process from the Earth? All of these questions and more will be answered in Minerals A-Z.

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  • The Future is Now

    Mining Technology in a New Age

    Curious about how mining equipment has changed from a shovel and pickaxe to hydraulic drills and monster trucks? Come to the museum to see how technology has changed from panning, to placer mining, to open pit mining. 

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  • Gold Boom

    The Gold Rush

    Gold, valuable, vaulted, and venerated, remains one of the most sought after metals to this day. Our Gold Exhibit details westward expansion, extraction of gold from remote places, and discusses how the mines up Leadville’s California Gulch made the town a true boom and bust story.

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  • Historic Places

    Locations Rich in History

    Come and visit the Matchless Mine Historic Site and see the location of one of the most prolific silver mines of the late 1800s. A steam-powered hoist raised and lowered miners and ore buckets hundreds of feet, dynamite exploded precise passages into the silver vein under the Matchless Claim, and even the famous author Oscar Wilde visited the miners here while in Leadville. While the historic site is closed from Labor Day to Memorial Day, you can also learn more at the Matchless Mine Exhibit in the National Mining Museum.

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Support Our Mission

We educate the public about mining and its people, promote understanding about its role in the development of our modern society, and inspire curiosity about the future of mining and mining practices. Help us achieve our goals to enlighten the world about how mining impacts our lives.

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