Our Story
Rooted In History.
Built For Today.
Named for the legendary Tomboy Mine.
Named for the legendary Tomboy Mine.
Tomboy Tavern is named for the real Tomboy Mine, which produced roughly $360 million in gold during its operating years — worth an estimated $3.6 billion today. When it sold in 1897, the price was $2 million to the Rothschilds of London, an almost unheard-of sum for the era.
The mine sits at 11,509 feet, making it one of the highest ghost towns in North America. At its peak, an estimated 900 to 1,000 people lived there, with its own school, YMCA, bowling alley, and tennis courts.
Reached via Tomboy Road, the trail passes Bridal Veil Falls and a tunnel locals call the “Social Tunnel,” where miners would meet women from town since women were barred from camp. “Whispering Jim,” the last independent miner, lived alone at the abandoned site for decades until his death in 1998. Every July and August, wildflowers still cover the hillside.
Telluride's Wild West history runs deep — Butch Cassidy himself robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank in town in 1889, decades before the Tomboy Mine reached its peak output.
Tomboy Tavern was conceived by Mickey Salloway, a founder of the real Whydah Pirate Ship treasure expedition off the coast of Cape Cod — one of the most successful treasure hunts in history. Mickey can still be spotted at the tavern from time to time.
Today, the tavern captures that same frontier spirit with a modern twist: a wraparound horseshoe bar, big screens for game day, and an expansive beer garden and heated patio at the base of Lift 4.
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