The mining camp of Wideawake grew up at the center of the Wideawake Mining District in the late 1800's. By 1867 it was a well established camp with a population of several hundred in its heyday. The first gold discovered in this area was discovered in January 1859 by F.F. Langley and was known as Deadwood Diggings and probably acted as the impetus for miners entering the area, resulting in the Perigo, Gold Dirt, Gilpin, and Wideawake gold camps and town sites.

The Caledonai was the major strike of this district in the early 1860's. Its ores were processed by at least 3 early mills near the mine site. Although this camp has received little attention in popular mining histories, it is significant because it dates back to the earliest mining activity in Colorado.