AWESOME ADVENTURES MASCOT
The Story of Eldorado Eddie
He came looking for gold. He found a canyon, a crew, and apparently no reason to leave.
1849
Born in Baltimore and pointed west with his family, chasing gold and a new frontier.
1861
Arrives in Eldorado Canyon at twelve years old and learns what mining actually costs.
1870s
Works the Techatticup Mine alongside Old Pick and grows into a seasoned miner.
1896
Walks into a storm to bring a miner home. The miner made it back. Eddie did not.
Who is Eldorado Eddie?
Eldorado Eddie is the skeleton cowboy who watches over Eldorado Canyon, and he is the mascot of Awesome Adventures. In his story he arrived in the canyon in 1861 as a twelve year old boy, spent thirty five years mining Techatticup gold, and disappeared in an 1896 storm while going back for a miner who never made it home. He has been here ever since.
These days he rides along with the ATV and RZR tours, keeps an eye on the crew, and gives you a hard time right up until the moment you actually need him.
How did a boy from Baltimore end up in Eldorado Canyon?
Eddie was born in Baltimore in 1849 and grew up on stories of the American West, a wild pioneer frontier where adventure was waiting and gold was there for the taking. His father packed up Eddie, his mother, brother and sister and joined a wagon train heading west to chase the dream of striking gold. To a young boy it sounded like the adventure of a lifetime. It was not.
Traveling west by wagon was long, dangerous and unforgiving. In Eddie’s legend the wagon train became caught in violent conflict with Native Americans, and Eddie lost his mother, brother and sister. What began as a family of five chasing a dream became a father and son determined to finish the journey their family had started. They reached Eldorado Canyon in 1861. Eddie was twelve years old.
He found out fast that gold mining was considerably more work than the stories back East made it sound. He hauled rock. He carried supplies. He learned the tools. And he learned the lesson every miner in the canyon learned eventually. The mountain had gold. It just was not particularly interested in sharing.
Who was Old Pick, and what did he teach Eddie?
Greed over gold claims turned violent, and Eddie lost his father. Alone again, he was taken in by a veteran miner named Walter “Old Pick” Pickelson. Some said the nickname came from Pickelson. Eddie said it was because Old Pick could study a rock face, swing his pick a few times, and somehow know exactly where the gold was hiding.
Old Pick taught Eddie how to mine, how to work safely, how to read the mountain and how to survive. His biggest lessons were never really about gold. As Eddie put it years later, “Old Pick taught me how to find gold. Took me a few years to figure out the best things he gave me were not buried in the mountain.”
OLD PICK’S RULES
What are Eldorado Eddie’s rules?
Old Pick handed these down in the 1860s. Eddie has been enforcing them ever since, whether you asked him to or not.
1. Listen to people who know more than you.
2. Have your crew’s back. Don’t leave anyone behind.
3. Safety first.
4. Respect the land. It always provides.
5. Get a little dirty.
6. Being nervous doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
7. Laugh at yourself.
8. Try something you’ve never done.
9. Don’t wait for someday.
10. Work hard, but make time to have some fun, because death can take you anytime.
Old Pick’s rules still run this canyon. Your guide covers most of them in the safety briefing. Eddie handles the rest.
What happened to Eddie in 1896?
Eddie grew from a twelve year old kid into a seasoned miner. He worked the Techatticup Mine, the largest producing mine in the Eldorado Canyon mining district, and came to know the canyon and its trails like the back of his hand. He also got very good at spotting the one person in every crew who had stopped listening because they were already sure they had this. Eddie learned to keep that person close. Very close.
In 1896, at age 47, a storm moved through the canyon and a miner failed to return. Eddie went looking, because Old Pick had taught him one rule above all the others. You do not leave your crew behind.
The missing miner made it back. Eddie did not. Searchers found his lantern, his hat and his tracks. They never found Eddie.
Apparently Eddie still had work to do.
Why did Eldorado Eddie come back?
The stories started not long after. Footsteps where nobody stood. Tools that moved on their own. Laughter up in the hills. Lost miners who somehow found the trail again. Then the old mining days faded, the canyon went quiet, and Eddie waited.
More than a century later he heard something roaring through his canyon. BRRRRAAAPPP. Not horses. Not wagons. Definitely not mining equipment. ATVs and RZRs.
He came out to investigate and found Awesome Adventures.
The machines had changed. The clothes had definitely changed. Thankfully, the bathing habits had improved. The people, though, Eddie was not sure what to make of. They dressed funny, they talked funny, and they had come all the way out to Eldorado Canyon for no reason except to have fun.
He watched people climb onto these strange machines and take off through the canyon with no gold to find, no supplies to haul and no work to finish. They were riding just for fun. Eddie scratched his skull. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me nobody is making you do this?”
Which raised the only question that really mattered to him. “Who are these people coming into MY canyon?”
Then he started watching the Awesome Adventures crew, and something felt familiar. Safety first. Look out for your crew. Respect the canyon. Encourage people to try something they have never done. Have fun doing it. Those sounded an awful lot like the lessons Old Pick had handed down. Eddie still was not sure why anyone would choose to get covered in dirt, but he had to admit it. “I think I could have some fun with these people.”
Where can you meet Eldorado Eddie today?
Eddie is still 47, still a skeleton, and still watching over Eldorado Canyon. He loves the guides, the guests, the laughter, the crews and the adventures. He especially watches the nervous first timer, the overconfident one, and anybody who decides the safety briefing is the perfect time to stop listening.
He gives people a hard time, but he has their back.
After more than a century of watching from the shadows, Eddie made up his mind. “I need to get to know these people.” And just like that, Eldorado Eddie’s next adventure begins.
Techatticup Gold Mine Tours
Ride to the 1861 gold mine where Eddie learned the trade under Old Pick.
1861 Ghost Town Rides
Roll through the mining camp that was Eddie’s whole world for thirty five years.
Group and Corporate Rides
Bring the whole crew. Eddie has strong opinions about crews that stick together.
Is Eldorado Eddie trapped in the canyon?
No. Eddie is not trapped in Eldorado Canyon. He stays because he wants to. The canyon gave him a home. Old Pick gave him a second family. Awesome Adventures gave him a crew again.
Different equipment. Same people. Same canyon. Still watching.
Eldorado Eddie’s Next Adventure Begins
Come ride the canyon Eddie never left.
Eldorado Eddie: frequently asked questions
Who is Eldorado Eddie?
Eldorado Eddie is the skeleton cowboy mascot of Awesome Adventures. In his story he arrived in Eldorado Canyon in 1861 at twelve years old, mined Techatticup gold for thirty five years, and vanished in an 1896 storm while going back for a miner who had not returned. He still watches over the canyon and rides along with every tour.
Is Eldorado Eddie a real historical person?
No. Eldorado Eddie and Old Pick are Awesome Adventures characters, inspired by the Old West spirit and the real mining history of Eldorado Canyon. Their personal biographies are brand storytelling, not documented historical fact. The canyon, the Techatticup Mine and the 1861 mining camp are very real, and you can visit them on tour.
Where is Eldorado Canyon?
Eldorado Canyon is in Nelson, Nevada, about 45 minutes south of the Las Vegas Strip. Awesome Adventures runs ATV, RZR and UTV tours through the canyon all year.
What are Eldorado Eddie’s rules?
Listen to people who know more than you. Have your crew’s back and don’t leave anyone behind. Safety first. Respect the land, it always provides. Get a little dirty. Being nervous doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Laugh at yourself. Try something you’ve never done. Don’t wait for someday. Work hard, but make time to have some fun, because death can take you anytime. Old Pick handed these down and Eddie has been enforcing them ever since.
Can I meet Eldorado Eddie on a tour?
Eddie shows up where the engines are. Look for him on the Techatticup Gold Mine tours and the 1861 Ghost Town rides through Eldorado Canyon. Your guide will point out his favorite spots along the trail.
How old is Eldorado Eddie?
Eddie was born in 1849 and he was 47 when he walked into the 1896 storm. He has been 47 ever since.
What is the Techatticup Mine?
The Techatticup Mine was established in 1861 and is the oldest, best known and largest producing gold mine in the Eldorado Canyon mining district. In Eddie’s story it is where he learned to mine under Old Pick, and it is still a stop on the Awesome Adventures gold mine tours.
Story status: Eldorado Eddie is Awesome Adventures’ fictional canyon legend and mascot, inspired by the Old West spirit and the mining history of Eldorado Canyon. Eddie, Old Pick, and Eddie’s personal biography and adventures are part of the Awesome Adventures story, not documented historical fact. The canyon, the Techatticup Mine and the 1861 mining camp are very real, and you can visit them on tour.