Bridal Falls, Idaho Springs

Bridal Falls, Idaho Springs (June 2014) One of the most photographed spots in Idaho Springs is the 600-foot Bridal Veil Falls plunging into Clear Creek with a 120-year-old water wheel in the foreground. It’s all visible from Interstate 70. The water wheel was built in 1893 by miner Charlie Tayler, who said he lived to the age of 94 because he never kissed women or took baths. Taylor used the wheel to power a stamp mill that processed ore at his gold mining operation on Ute Creek. The wheel was moved from the gold mining stamp mill to the current location in 1946, after Tayler’s estate donated it to the city. It was restored from the ravages of time and hard winters and was dedicated during the Idaho Springs Gold Rush Days in 1988.