One hundred years ago, decades before the first skiers used Interstate 70 to access Summit County's now world-renown resorts, tourists were arriving in the area by train, enjoying a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad as a way of seeing the mountains and escaping the city.

Today, they still are.

The railroad was completed in 1877 as a means of hauling silver away from the lucrative mines in and around Georgetown. But the owners soon found there was money to be made carrying tourists and, despite a minor, 30-year disruption in service, the railroad and its historic steam engine trains are still a favorite attraction for visitors in the area.

Passengers on the Georgetown Loop today are treated to panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains and nearby Clear Creek on the approximately four-mile stretch of railroad that remains in operation and have an option their turn-of-the-century predecessors didn't — to get a double dose of local history with a mid-ride tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine.

Both the railroad and the mine hit their peaks in the late 1870s and early 1880s when silver prices were soaring and Clear Creek Canyon seemed to hold an endless supply of the valuable mineral. Work on the railroad, which once extended 54 miles from Denver to Georgetown. began in 1871 and was completed in 1877.

The Lebanon Mine, a stop on the railroad, hit its payday in 1881, with the Hise Lode, but just four years later it was one of only a few left open in the area and falling silver prices shuttered it by the end of the decade.

But he Georgetown Loop, though no longer turning a profit carrying silver, still had a shot at survival as it became popular with tourists, who continued to make the trip from Denver for the bargain price of $3 for a round-trip ticket. In the 1920s, the advent of the automobile distracted the traveling public from its once-passionate love affair with the railroad and the loop, too, was eventually closed in the early 1940s.

The Colorado Historical Society later revived the line and in 1975 a small section of the loop at Georgetown was reopened to the visiting public.

Today, the scenic train ride takes passengers through the canyon on a leisurely four-mile trip, gaining 600 feet in elevation from Georgetown to Silver Plume. Passengers can board at either side and have the option of enhancing the relaxing, scenic ride with a one-hour tour of the Lebanon mine, accessible only by railroad, in the middle of the trip.

The mine is approximately 10 minutes from the Silver Plume train station, nestled into the canyon below I-70 alongside Clear Creek.

At the mine, local guides lead processions of people into the one surviving tunnel. The third level of the mine, which once had six bores, stacked vertically on top of one another, is the only one that is still accessible. The top three levels were destroyed by cave-ins during the construction of the interstate in the 1960s, and the bottom two levels have been flooded by 100 years of water settling through the bedrock.

The remaining tunnel reaches 1600 feet back into the mountain through a low, narrow passageway blasted through solid rock. It's a dark, damp, cold place that breathes life into the stories guides relate about the difficult lives of miners. As tour groups venture deeper into the mountain, the guides showcase points of interest, including signs of geological change, hard and often ultimately fatal mining techniques and even evidence of one significant silver deposit the miners missed.

After the tour, passengers are returned to the train to enjoy the remainder of the ride through the canyon.

The track crosses one bridge, offering gorgeous views of the creek and the canyon and winds back on itself, doubling the two miles between Georgetown and Silver Plume so as not to overwhelm the little steam engine leading the charge with too steep a climb.

Learn more about the Georgetown Loop and book a ride and a mine tour at www.georgetownlooprr.com.