George Jackson discovered gold here on January 7, 1859 and the territory was changed forever. Mining towns, including Idaho Springs, sprang up overnight in the mountains as thousands of people and hundreds of businesses flooded into the area. Soon after the discovery, roads and later a railroad line were constructed connecting Clear Creek County to Denver and other parts of the Colorado Territory. Fortunes were made and lost as billions of dollars worth of valuable minerals were extracted from the mountains of Colorado. With its population and industry booming Colorado was granted statehood in 1876.