The miners of old found many things at the Phoenix Gold Mine: fantastic rock formations, deposits of gold, silver, and copper, as well as a beautiful mountain and the edge of a forest. As the miner toiled away, pulling out what is now considered millions of dollars in gold, a group of curious critters watched from the rocks: ground squirrels and chipmunks living in the hillside around the mine. The miners loved these critters and would share their lunch when the critters approached.
One frequent visitor was the golden-mantled ground squirrel. These small creatures, with their distinctive golden-brown fur and black stripes, were a common sight scurrying around the rocky terrain and forest edges. They are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, happily foraging for seeds and insects, and occasionally accepting snacks from the miners.
The mine is also home to either the Colorado Chipmunk, the Uinta Chipmunk, or both. These two species are remarkably similar, each about 8 to 10 inches long and weighing between 1.5 to 2 ounces. Both chipmunks share a similar brown and black coloration, with the Uinta Chipmunk being distinguished by small white spots on the tips of its ears. These chipmunks also thrive in the mountains, foraging for berries, seeds, and insects. We cannot be certain which species lives here, but it’s possible we have both. The Chipmunks were loved by the miners of old and interacted just like the ground squirrels giving them scraps of their lunch.
The Chipmunks and the Ground Squirrels are as much a part of the Phoenix Gold Mines' history as the miners; while you are here, you can hear them chattering and talking to one another. If we could understand the critters, if they could speak, we would imagine they would tell tales brought down generations of a group of men that came along and blew open the earth and brought out tons of rock, maybe in the eye of the critters the miners were building their homes, after all, they live in the rocks around the mine. Or they knew what the miners were looking for and wanted to make the miners feel welcome.
We do not want to feed the ground squirrels and chipmunks. Because of what the miners did all those years we are one of the few places that you can feed critters like these and enjoy the history they can teach us. When you are at the Phoenix Gold Mine you can grab a bag of our safe to eat seed, place some in the palm of your hand and let them eat right out of it just like the miner might have back the day. Who knew that such small creatures have such a big history.
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