The Golden Touch

My father was a modern-day gold seeker; he pioneered a method by which seekers can find lodes of ore using water instead of soil. I used to tease him incessantly about his obsession with the precious metal (imagine hearing your daughter cackle, several times a day, "There's gold in them...

By Amber Taufen

February 14, 2008

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My father was a modern-day gold seeker; he pioneered a method by which seekers can find lodes of ore using water instead of soil. I used to tease him incessantly about his obsession with the precious metal (imagine hearing your daughter cackle, several times a day, "There's gold in them thar hills!"), but if his theories about a particular parcel of land in Nevada prove correct, I'll be set for life. Stay tuned.

Gold played a starring role in Colorado's history, bringing thousands of people to the state in the late 1800s to seek their fortune. In that spirit, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, has brought GOLD to Denver, a special exhibit of more than 600 geological specimens and cultural objects, including crystalline gold and gold nuggets (look for Tom's Baby, the largest single mass of crystalline gold ever found in Colorado), pre-Columbian jewelry, some of the ancient world's first gold coins, doubloons from sunken Spanish galleons, an Oscar and much more.

Special GOLD-related programs include lectures on Colorado mining and gold-production history, a visit to a gold mine, discussions about the social and environmental costs of mining gold and more. GOLD remains on display through June 8. For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, call 303-322-7009 or visit www.dmns.org.
Feb. 15-June 8, 2008

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Amber Taufen has been writing about people, places and things in Denver since 2005. She works as an editor, writer, and production and process guru out of her home office in the foothills.

Contact: Amber Taufen

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