Tricksters in the Mines - The Legend of the Tommyknockers
No. 1 - Field Notes from the Rabbit Hole
FIELD NOTES, LOG NO. 1
📍 Location: Entrance to a gold mining shaft, side of the valley, Colorado
🕰 Date and Time: February, early morning just as the birds are waking up
🌿 Weather: Cold, dusting of snow, faint smell of woodsmoke from a nearby human’s home
You hear strange things underground. Much like an old house creaks and groans in the night, you’ll hear phantom echoes in the tunnels, dripping water, distant shuffles, and the flutter of unseen wings. The deeper you go, the more the silence feels alive, full of murmurs, scratches, and tapping sounds that have no clear source.
Some of the creatures down there are friendly. Some… not so much.
Which kind are the Tommyknockers?
Trickster Dwarves
Many miners across many cultures have said to have encountered the small dwarves or elves called Tommyknockers who live underground in and around the mines. But the lore seems to have settled in one place, thousands of miles away from its origin in Cornwall.
The Gold Rush of Colorado brought people from all over the vast Wild West wilderness to the Rocky Mountains, with its caves and rivers running rich with gold. That meant, many people suddenly flooded into those caves, and legends quickly spread that they were not alone down there. The Tommyknocker became one of the official Cryptids of Colorado.
A Miner’s Best Friend
If a miner is on good terms with the tommyknockers, they can help in a handful of ways.
Warning of Cave-ins – Many miners claimed to hear distinct knocking just before a collapse. Those who took the hint and moved, lived to tell the tale.
Guide to Gold – Some said Tommyknockers led them to rich veins, either out of generosity or because miners unknowingly followed the sound of the spirits working the shafts themselves.
Of course, their help wasn’t guaranteed. If a miner fell out of favor, things quickly took a turn.
A Miner’s Worst Nightmare
Upset a Tommyknocker, and you were in for a long, frustrating, possibly life-threatening shift.
Missing or Broken Tools – Miners reported tools vanishing, breaking in their hands, or turning up in places they’d sworn they hadn’t left them. Lights had a habit of flickering out at the worst possible moments.
Stolen Nuggets – Just pulled a fortune in gold from the rock? Gone. Tommyknockers were notorious for swiping freshly mined ore, leaving a very angry, very broke miner behind.
Unfortunate Accidents – A previously solid wooden support beam might suddenly snap. A perfectly stable tunnelcould collapse without warning. Some believed this was bad luck—others were sure it was vengeance, spite, or mischief.
Drying up Veins – Some miners swore a Tommyknocker could curse a rich vein, turning gold-rich rock back to useless stone. One day, you’re sitting on a fortune; the next, you’re staring at nothing but dust.
What NOT to Do
If you wanted to avoid the wrath of the Tommyknockers, there were a few strict rules to follow.
Never whistle underground. Whether whistling attracted them or mocked them, no one was eager to find out. On their first day, every miner was warned: don’t whistle. Ever.
Don’t ignore their warnings. They’ll only knock so many times before they stop trying to help—or worse, cause a cave-in just for you.
Respect the mine—and the dead. Some believed Tommyknockers were spirits of lost miners, forever tied to the tunnels. Others thought they were simply protecting their home. Either way, disrespect the mine, and you’d regret it.
How to Gain Favor with Tommyknockers:
So you know what not to do… Now, how do you make friends with the tommyknockers?
Leave offerings. Save a crust of bread from your peanut butter sandwich and leave it on a rock. Just enough to say “I see you.”
Talk to them. Even if you can’t see them. You’re spending long hours underground with them, the worst thing you could do is stubbornly pretend they’re not there.
Tommyknockers and Their Dwarven Cousins
The lore about tommyknockers goes back to the 1820s, and prompted a lot of key features seen in fantasy dwarves like in Snow White (1812) or The Hobbit (1937). They’re probably the origin!
Short creatures, able to fit through smaller spaces
Live underground
Miners and collectors of precious materials like gems and gold
Long beards
Fairly reclusive
Conclusion
Maybe Tommyknockers are just an old miner’s tale—a way to explain the dangers, luck, and tragedies of underground work.
But even today, some say the mines aren’t as empty as they seem.
If you ever find yourself deep in the earth, listening to the rock shift around you, and you hear knocking from somewhere unseen—
It wouldn’t hurt to leave a little bread behind.
Just in case.
Want to dive deeper into the rabbit hole?
Here’s some more resources you can explore:
https://www.ncm.org.uk/news/tommyknockers/
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/beware-of-tommyknockers/
https://kdvr.com/news/local/tommyknockers-the-legend-that-lives-inside-colorados-mines/