Mollie Kathleen Gortner — First Woman to Claim Gold

While looking for elk in 1891, Mollie Kathleen Gortner spotted an interesting rock formation that turned out to be gold in quartz. She then became the first woman to file a gold claim in her own name in the Colorado camps. Today, the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, near Cripple Creek (pop. 1,115), is named for her and offers a look at the workings of a turn-of-the-century gold mine.