Champion |
Dolly B |
Doris |
Little Jonny |
Matchless
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The "Little Jonny" features one Queen Bed and a private bath with tub and shower.
Rental Rates: (based on single or double occupancy price/night)
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$150 |
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LITTLE JONNY MINE, LEADVILLE, COLORADO
When the Little Jonny opened in 1883, the shaft was dug 120 feet down. There vast quantities
of high-grade copper and gold were found. The shaft of the Little Jonny, through which most
of the operations are carried on, is 420 feet deep. John F. Campion, principal owner could
be heard saying, "Sink a hole anywhere and you will strike gold." In some instances this
proved correct.* In the 1890s the price of silver fell
and the price of gold rose. Gold was now the only metal backing the U.S. currency
due to the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1893. It was gold that
was destined to make James J. Brown and Margaret (Molly) their fortune. The grade of gold
was so pure and the vein so wide it was heralded as the world's richest gold
strike. By October 29, 1893, the Little Jonny was shipping 135 tons of gold per day.
Molly Brown garnered national acclaim for her heroism April 14, 1912,
during the sinking of the "Titanic" and became known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown".
In 1960 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a smash Broadway musical production
called, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". It starred Debbie Reynolds and
Harve Presnell. It told the story of the Brown's life in Leadville, the wealth
that they reaped from the "Little Jonny Mine" and the heroic efforts of Mrs. Brown,
with the voyage of the ill-fated steamship "Titanic".
Some reminiscence of the "Little Jonny Mine" can still be seen in Leadville, Colorado.
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*Page 21 (Mines and Mining Men of Colorado) John G. Canfield, Publisher, Denver, Colorado 1893
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Notes of Interest:
The Little Jonny was probably Leadville's richest mine. Properties such as the
Robert E. Lee made more fantastic shipments-during a seventeen-hour stretch in
January, 1880, some $118,500 was extracted-and others such as the Tabor's 'Matchless'
have had more publicity. But the Little Jonny was rare in being both a gold and
silver mine in a predominantly silver camp. (Leadville's True Grit "The miners")
1884-1984 Leadville Boom Days Committee Vol.VI.
[Denver Post Thursday, September 7, 1922]
James J. Brown 1854-1922 died September 7, 1922
Former Denver multi-millionaire and mine owner of the Little Jonny mine in
Leadville, Colo., died late yesterday afternoon at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. George Benziger, at Hempstead., New York.
No information of the nature of the ailment that caused Mr. Brown's death.
[Denver Post October 26,1932]
Molly Brown July 18, 1867- died October 26, 1932
On October 26, (the unsinkable Molly) a vivacious appendage of the international society
died at the age of sixty-five at the Barbizon Hotel in New York.
An autopsy revealed a brain tumor.
On September 1,1886, James & Molly took their marriage vows at the Annunciation Church
Leadville, Colorado.
The Brown's are buried in New York.
Crystalized gold from Little Jonny Mine
It weighs 24 troy ounces and measures 4.5 inches.
-- From the Bowman Collection, courtesy of the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum.
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