WMMI Speakers’ Bureau Lecture

Take a mind-boggling look at one of the most significant parts of the history of the Pikes Peak region—the Cripple Creek Gold Rush. This astonishing lecture provides a new perspective on the untold stories of high grading (stealing) valuable ore in the mining district. The story is told through stunning images of ore and striking historic photographs. For fans of local history, this is an essential program. Join Steven Veatch and Ben Elick as they explore the additional details and perspectives on Cripple Creek they have amassed through lost photographs, forgotten diaries, and recently found records.

Steven Veatch is a geoscientist and former adjunct professor of Earth Science at Emporia State University in Kansas where he received an MS in Earth Science. He also has an MA from Webster University, St. Louis in management. Veatch has been involved in geoscience education initiatives for over 25 years. His family came to Cripple Creek in the 1890s from England and worked in the district’s mines for over 40 years. Veatch has contributed chapters to 3 books: Field Trips in the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA, Field Guide 5, The Paleontology of the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation, Colorado, and The World’s Greatest Gold Camp: An Introduction to the History of the Cripple Creek and Victor Mining District.

Ben Elick is in middle school in the Douglas County School District in Colorado. He is a volunteer at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry and is working on conserving the historic photos at the Cripple Creek District Museum. Elick has published nonfiction articles in newspapers and magazines, notably the international Earth science magazine Deposits. He recently presented a co-authored paper on Cripple Creek minerals at the New Mexico Technical Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro and has an abstract under review by the Geological Society of America where he will be the presenting author at Iowa State University in April.  Ben has been a member of The Pikes Peak Pebble Pubs since 2012.