People/magnate, financier

Spencer Penrose

Spencer Penrose (1865–1939), magnate, financier, from United States. Linked to gold, copper.

The lucky break

Bought into Cripple Creek ground and later backed Dan Jackling's bulk mining of low-grade porphyry copper at Bingham Canyon.1

Legacy

His fortune funded landmarks in Colorado Springs, including the Broadmoor Hotel and the El Pomar Foundation.1

Story cards

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Where next

Mines

FinancedBingham CanyonHe backed the bulk mining idea that made a mountain of poor copper pay.1

Sources

  1. Spencer Penrose Colorado Encyclopedia

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

Keep exploring

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Haul trucks by Lechhabmed, CC BY-SA 4.0; Crushers by photosmith2011, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0; Ball mills and SAG mills by photosmith2011, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. Pictures: Kimberley, South Africa: miners and washing gear at the Bultfontein diamond mine. Woodburytype, 1888, after a photograph by Robert Harris., Harris, Robert, active 1881-1888. (Public Domain Mark 1.0).