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Newlin Gulch obtained its name because an early resident of the area, William C. Newlin settled there in the 1860´s. He had brought some of the first Shorthorn Cattle into the Pikes Peak Region, driving them, some 30 cows and one bull, all the way from Minnesota. He homesteaded S.W. of the settlement of Pine Grove, and ran his cattle on the open range.
The Newlin Gulch gold mining district was centered about four miles S.W. of Pine Grove, ( Parker ), on the Newlin Gulch. Some mining operations in the Newlin Gulch area began in the mid 1880´s, and then resumed again in the late 1890´s. In early 1898 mining equipment was set up and operations were begun at several locations along the gulch. Several small placer claims were made and numerous companies were formed to exploit the gold finds. As late as 1910 one mine, the Muldoon, was still in operation, employing 22 men. However, once more the water supply proved to be inadequate and the yield too low, so the gold fields were abandoned. Although several promising placer deposits were found during the years previously mentioned, a large scale production was never achieved. During succeeding years, there were sporadic attempts at working the diggings, particularly during the great depression of the 1930’s. The last reported operations were in 1941.
Tragedy struck one day in March of 1922. George Hendricks, a placer miner at the Newlin Gulch District was instantly killed when he was caught in a cave-in, in a tunnel in which he was working.
Research has been unable to turn up statistics on the actual amount of gold recovered from the Newlin Gulch District. Most certainly far more gold was mined there, than at the much better known Russellville Gulch area.
The Clarke sisters, Gertrude, Wilma, & Charlotte, Parker Area Historical Society Members, stated that their father made much more money panning gold from Cherry Creek, than he ever did from ranching.
Information for this brief was obtained from the book A Guide to Historic Sites in the Parker Area by F.D. McLaughlin, the book Douglas County, a Historical Journey, by the Douglas County Historical Society, various articles from the Record Journal, and a personal interview with the Clarke sisters.
Brief updated in January of 2009 by Larry T. Smith
Location: The Parker Mining District area is no longer accessible and will soon be at the bottom of the Rueter-Hess Reservoir. At a presentation to the Parker Area Historical Society by Frank Yeager, manager of the Parker Water & Sanitation District, he stated that during the earth work for the Rueter-Hess reservoir, one of their earth moving machines fell into a collapsed tunnel of one of the old mines.
Site created by Alex Hernandez, Alvie Sellmer, & James Vallejos 2009