The Teacup Mine was a silver and tungsten mine in the Cherry Creek Range, and the first in the district. Silver ore was found here in 1872, and more claims were soon made, setting off a rush that created the town of Cherry Creek. This initial boom was short-lived, and by 1875 most of the mines and mills had shutdown. Only limited production continued. In 1880 a rich new strike was made in the Teacup mine, and at the nearby Exchequer Mine. Soon Cherry Creek had a permanent population of 1800, plus several thousand more temporary residents.

The financial crash of 1883 took a toll, and in 1884 the Teacup Mine shut down. It reopened for a few more years beginning in 1905. In 1919 the Teacup Mining Company began production again, and a 7250 foot long tramway was built to transport ore from the mine to a new, 100-ton froth floatation mill. An assay office and other buildings were built at the mine during this time. The Teacup and other local mines were worked off and on until 1940. From the early 1940s until the late 1950s the mine chiefly produced tungsten.

Currently there is only one standing structure at the Teacup Mine, a log cabin made of rough-hewn, squared timbers. It's surrounded by trees and brush, making it difficult to get photos. Nearby are the foundations of the hoist house, next to a pit where the mine shaft has caved in. Debris from a collapsed building are in and around the pit, and the ruins of an ore bin is almost completely hidden in the brush.

The Old Timer Mine is just down the hill below the Teacup Mine, and may have been an expansion of the Teacup Mine.

Other mines of interest in this area include the Bluebell Mine, the Calcite Mine, the Fillmore Mine, and the Old Timer Mine.

I visited the Teacup Mine in July 2024.