CREEDE — Jack Morris, owner of the Last Chance Mine in Creede, has been busy the last two years and the public is in for a treat when he is finished. The Last Chance Mine was bought by Morris several years ago from the Granger family.

One of Morris’ favorite stories to tell is how he came to be the owner of the mine and how far it has come through the years.

The Last Chance was one of the area’s richest mines, producing as much as 150 metric tons of ore during the boom days in Creede. Morris was intrigued by the mine from the first time he saw it and after contacting the Granger family, was told that he could purchase the mine.

“I knew there was no way I could afford a place like that, but when Nancy Granger asked me if I wanted to buy it, I said yes, but that I couldn’t afford it,” says Morris. “Nancy asked me what I would do if I did buy the mine and I told her I would restore it and open it to the public in order to preserve the historical integrity of the area. It was the right answer I guess because she sold me the Last Chance for the assessed property tax value, and I have spent the last several years getting it ready to open.”

Morris was one of the first people to enter the mine after 40 years since the last ore was pulled from the mine in 1974 and the place was abandoned until he took over. In 2015, Morris announced that he planned to open the mine for tours and after some work and red tape was able to allow the public inside the mine to see the famous Amethyst vein.

Though Morris had done what he set out to do, he wasn’t going to stop there. The entire mine is 13 levels and consists of almost 40 miles of tunnels deep into the mountainside. The tunnel that is open for tours is on the second level and Morris has been busy opening more and more miles of tunnels for tours.

Morris now has four full tours into the mine and is working on a fifth. With the addition of several new buildings, Morris has also created a new museum which he dubs the largest collection of antique kerosene lanterns. It is a sight to be seen and is only one small part of the unique experience guests get when they venture up the mountain to the Last Chance Mine.

The tunnel branches off the main path and leads to the south of the mine. The lights strung along the cavern ceiling illuminate the moist walls, causing light to dance along the corridor as Morris leads the way deeper and deeper into the mine. Along the way, he stops to point out abandoned shafts, filled to the brim with debris, and tells tales of how the miners used to work over 100 years ago.

Though Morris is a master storyteller and only the fortunate few get to meet the man himself when they visit the mine; he has trained his staff to point out the most important part of the tour, the Amethyst vein. Deep purple crystals shimmer in the light of a flashlight, glinting untouched for over 100 years just waiting for Morris to come and highlight the precious gem.

Morris has plans to expand his tour even further into the mine as time and finances allow. Morris has compiled a beautiful collection of rocks that he has on display in another museum that is in one of the old mining buildings he refurbished.

For more information and to get directions to the mine, visit www.lastchancemine.com.