Golden, first known as Golden City, was established in 1859 and served as a supply center for miners and settlers in the area. By 1866, Bishop George M. Randall arrived in the territory and, seeing a need for higher education facilities in the area, began planning for a university which would include a school of mines. In 1870, he opened the Jarvis Hall Collegiate School in a building just south of the town of Golden. In 1873, Mines opened under the auspices of the Episcopal Church and in 1874 the School of Mines became a territorial institution and has been a state institution since 1876 when Colorado attained statehood. Courses offered to students during the early years of Colorado School of Mines included chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, mining engineering, geology, botany, math and drawing. The focus of the early academic programs was on gold and silver, and the assaying of those minerals. As the institution grew, its mission expanded to focus specifically on understanding the Earth, harnessing energy and sustaining the environment.

　　金城最初被称为金城，成立于 1859 年，作为该地区矿工和定居者的供应中心。到 1866 年，乔治·M·兰德尔主教抵达该地区，看到该地区对高等教育设施的需求，开始规划建立一所包括矿业学校的大学。1870 年，他在戈尔登镇南部的一栋建筑内开办了贾维斯厅学院。1873 年，科罗拉多矿业学院在圣公会的支持下开办，1874 年矿业学校成为领地机构，1876年科罗拉多州建州后转为州立机构。科罗拉多矿业学院创校初期开设的课程涵盖化学、冶金学、矿物学、采矿工程、地质学、植物学、数学及制图学。早期教学重点聚焦于金银矿物及其化验分析。随着学院发展壮大，其使命逐步拓展为深入探索地球奥秘、开发能源资源及维护生态环境。