{"id":794522,"date":"2019-04-04T16:56:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T22:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/breckenridges-historic-country-boy-mine-has-new-owners-and-big-plans-for-the-future\/"},"modified":"2019-04-04T16:56:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T22:56:00","slug":"breckenridges-historic-country-boy-mine-has-new-owners-and-big-plans-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/breckenridges-historic-country-boy-mine-has-new-owners-and-big-plans-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Breckenridge\u2019s historic Country Boy Mine has new owners and big plans for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.8849557522124\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-364028-814\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Water rushes down inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"Water rushes down inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Water rushes down inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Visiting from Grand Rapids, Mich., Emersen Roodvoets, 10, far left, and her younger brother, Gage, 8, and her father Levi, pan for gold at the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"12.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-4.jpg\" alt=\"Visiting from Grand Rapids, Mich., Emersen Roodvoets, 10, far left, and her younger brother, Gage, 8, and her father Levi, pan for gold at the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"20\">\n<p><strong>Visiting from Grand Rapids, Mich., Emersen Roodvoets, 10, far left, and her younger brother, Gage, 8, and her father Levi, pan for gold at the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | A closed collapsed pathway due to the wooden planks softened by water inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-5.jpg\" alt=\"A closed collapsed pathway due to the wooden planks softened by water inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>A closed collapsed pathway due to the wooden planks softened by water inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-6.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-7.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-7.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-8-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-8.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-8.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-9-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-9.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-9.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen inhales before blowing out the candle light Wednesday, April 3, inside the mine near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen inhales before blowing out the candle light Wednesday, April 3, inside the mine near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen inhales before blowing out the candle light Wednesday, April 3, inside the mine near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen takes a look around in the old standing mill Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen takes a look around in the old standing mill Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen takes a look around in the old standing mill Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/CountryBoy-SDN-040519-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Country Boy Mine guide Paul Hintgen leads a tour inside the mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/breckenridges-historic-country-boy-mine-has-new-owners-and-big-plans-for-the-future\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/breckenridges-historic-country-boy-mine-has-new-owners-and-big-plans-for-the-future\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taking a tour of the <a id=\"N0x11781e0N0xff2b60:N0x11781e0N0x10ce7b0\" href=\"http:\/\/countryboymine.com\/\">Country Boy Mine<\/a> in Breckenridge means donning a hardhat, getting dripped on and embarking on a cultural experience made possible by rich local history and a few modern comforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The old mine at 542 French Gulch Road had been up for sale for some time before a group of investors led by Mike Shipley purchased the property for $2 million in late February, according to local property records.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The mine that once pulled gold, silver, zinc and lead from a 20-acre plot only minutes outside downtown Breckenridge stands as a monument to the town\u2019s past. Mining, and not skiing, is what made Breckenridge famous. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing about the Country Boy,\u201d said Paul Hintgen, who recently returned to work there as the general manager. \u201cIt\u2019s the reason Breckenridge is on the map \u2014 because of these mines, because of gold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Gold was discovered in Colorado in January 1859 in Idaho Springs. The man who found it, Hintgen said, found quite a bit, was pretty proud of himself for it and couldn\u2019t keep his mouth shut.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With that, \u201cthe Gold Rush of 1859 was on,\u201d Hintgen continued. \u201cAnd within that summer, there were 50,000 miners all the way from Idaho Springs, over the pass, all the way into Blue River and Breckenridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Having managed the Country Boy Mine a decade ago, Hintgen knows the property, its history and the layout of the mine well. He was working out of another mine in Georgetown when the Country Boy Mine sold and the new owners recruited him to come back as the manager.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">During a Wednesday tour, he also revealed the new owners are planning a series of enhancements \u2014 such as year-round operations, building work, increased community connections and even some mine work \u2014 as they continue operating the property as a local attraction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI can\u2019t tell you about all the plans that are going to happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">However, Hintgen did say the changes involve being more community-centered, including taking advantage of the trails on the property to be a part of the 2019 Gold Run Rush mountain bike race set for June 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s a big party,\u201d Hintgen said of the race. \u201cWe\u2019ll have a big bonfire, the tents up and it will be catered. The race will finish here, and the kids will get to roast marshmallows. We\u2019ll have two miniature burros wandering around. There\u2019s a lot going on here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That might be an understatement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In the coming weeks, a group of miners will come into the mine to replace some of the timbers with steel supports so the mine won\u2019t have to be continually re-timbered like it was back in the day. Other projects include pursuing year-round operations and stabilizing an old mill that resides on the land.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">More than a half dozen old buildings remain on the property. A compressor house holds the gift shop, old mining artifacts, a few hands-on exhibits and, of course, the old air compressor, an essential piece of any mining operation. The machinery not only pumped fresh air into the mine but powered the air drills, and at least one of those drills, known as \u201cwidow makers,\u201d remains on-site and is still working today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Not far from the compressor house rests the old mill that\u2019s going to be stabilized this summer and a log cabin where the black smith\u2019s shop used to sit. There are a handful of other historic, old-timey structures, a covered space for outdoor events and an old ore chute that\u2019s been turned into a 55-foot slide, in addition to other mining artifacts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Even with all the ancillary programs, the tunnel that cuts 1,100 feet into the side of the mountain remains the main attraction. Inside, the mine is lighted, and what amounts to a small creek has been covered with boards so people don\u2019t have to get their feet wet, like the men who used to work the mine once did. As one might expect, mines can produce a lot of condensation inside and that water has to go somewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The lead and zinc pulled from the Country Boy Mine were important pieces to the war effort during World War II, and the mine was in production on and off until after World War II, Hintgen said. It reopened as a tourist attraction in 1994, and Hintgen recalled there were about eight collapses that had to be cleared before that could happen. He also said that is one reason people should avoid going into abandoned mines and stick to tours like his.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In the summers, hundreds of people pan three ponds on the property for gold, but the panning was shut down in the winters due to the cold. The act is now being recreated inside the log cabin where the original black smith\u2019s shop once was so that panning can continue as a year-round activity, like the tours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One family from Michigan that toured the mine on Wednesday seemed to greatly appreciate that addition, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cFound another piece of pyrite,\u201d shouted 10-year-old Emersen Roodvoets as she panned a couple tubs with her brother and parents inside the heated cabin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAnd another,\u201d she quickly added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hintgen said that people can spend hours gold panning at the mine, and most find hidden treasures along the way, either in their pans or through lessons learned about how Breckenridge history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYou\u2019re going to come to Breckenridge and hear a lot about the Country Boy, even the locals,\u201d Hintgen promised of the coming changes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/breckenridges-historic-country-boy-mine-has-new-owners-and-big-plans-for-the-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Water rushes down inside the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com Visiting from Grand Rapids, Mich., Emersen Roodvoets, 10, far left, and her younger brother, Gage, 8, and her father Levi, pan for gold at the Country Boy Mine Wednesday, April 3, near Breckenridge.Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com A closed collapsed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-794522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-14 09:02:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}