Gold mining in Colorado
Encyclopedia
On 1859-05-06, John H. Gregory found a gold
-bearing vein (the Gregory Lode) in Gregory Gulch between Black Hawk
and Central City. Within two months many other veins were discovered, including the Bates, Gunnell, Kansas, and Burroughs. Other early mining towns in the district included Nevadaville
and Russell Gulch
.
Hardrock mining boomed for a few years, but then declined in the mid-1860s as the miners exhausted the shallow parts of the veins that contained free gold, and found that their amalgamation
mills could not recover gold from the deeper sulfide ores.
Nathaniel P. Hill
built Colorado's first successful ore smelter in Blackhawk in 1868. Hill's smelter could recover gold from the sulfide ores, an achievement that saved hardrock mining in the district. Other smelters were built nearby. Through 1959, the district produced about 6300000 troy ounces (196 t), mostly from sulfide veins in gneiss
and granodiorite
.
The early gold discoveries were at the northeast end of the Colorado Mineral Belt
, a large alignment of mineral deposits that stretches northeast-southwest across the mountainous part of Colorado
. From Idaho Springs
, prospectors followed the Colorado Mineral Belt west along Clear Creek, then over the mountain passes to South Park
and to the headwaters of the Blue River.
, or Blue River
district, in 1859. Lode deposits were developed in the 1880s, as prospectors followed the gold to its source veins
in the hills. Gold in some upper gravel benches north of the Blue River was recovered by hydraulic mining
. Gold production decreased in the late 1800s, but revived in 1908 by gold dredging operations along the Blue River and Swan River
. The Breckenridge mining district is credited with production of about 1000000 troy ounces (31.1 t) of gold.
The gold mines around Breckenridge are all shut down, although some are open to tourist visits. The characteristic gravel ridges left by the gold dredges can still be seen along the Blue River and Snake River
, and the remains of a dredge are still afloat in a pond off the Swan River.
in 1859. The deposits were in valleys on the east side of the Mosquito Range. The principal districts were the Alma
-Fairplay
district on the headwaters of the South Platte River
, and the Tarryall
district along Tarryall Creek
northwest of Como, Colorado
. Important lode gold deposits were later discovered above Alma. A floating dredge worked the floor of the South Park valley east of Fairplay from 1941 to 1952, leaving the distinctive gravel ridges that can still be seen. Production from the Tarryall district was 67000 troy ounces (2.1 t), almost all from placers. The Alma-Fairplay district produced 1550000 troy ounces (48.2 t), more than two-thirds of which came from lode deposits.
district began with the discovery of placer gold in 1860 at Oro City
. The placers were exhausted within four years, but lode gold was discovered in 1868. The gold discoveries led to the discovery of the silver deposits in 1877, and the founding of the city of Leadville
. The Leadville district produced 3200000 troy ounces (99.5 t) of gold, mostly as a byproduct of silver mining. (See main article: Leadville mining district
)
. Gold veins were discovered in 1871, and large-scale production started in 1875 after the construction of a mill. Operations were continuous until 1906, then sporadic after that. Gold production up to 1990 was 520000 troy ounces (16.2 t).
In 1985, Summitville Consolidated Mining Company, a subsidiary of Galactic Resources of Vancouver, British Columbia started open pit heap-leach mining at the Summitville mine
. Mining ceased in 1992, and remediation started. However, Galactic Resources declared bankruptcy in December 1992, and the US Environmental Protection Agency stepped in to prevent releases of pollution from the property. The EPA declared it a federal Superfund
site in May 1993. The total cost of environmental cleanup at the site has been estimated to be between $100 and $120 million.
In 1998, the general manager and the environmental manager of the mine pleaded guilty to federal pollution charges, and were each sentenced to six months probation and $20,000 fines.
-Red Mountain-Telluride
district, in San Miguel and Ouray counties at the southwest end of the Colorado Mineral Belt
, was discovered in 1875. The district is within and adjacent to a Tertiary
volcanic caldera. Deposits are chimneys and veins in Tertiary
volcanics and intrusives, and in older sedimentary rocks. Production through 1959 was 6800000 troy ounces (211.5 t) of gold, as well as considerable silver
, lead, and copper
.
district, the most productive gold-mining district in Colorado, was not discovered until 1891. The towns of Cripple Creek
and Victor
were established to serve the mines and miners of the district. Among the principal mines were the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine
at Cripple Creek and Stratton's Independence mine
, at Victor, Colorado
. Gold production up to 1990 was 21000000 troy ounces (653.2 t) worth about US$17 billion at 2008 prices), making it the most productive gold-producing district in Colorado, and the third-most productive in the United States (after Carlin, Nevada and Lead, South Dakota
).
The Cripple Creek mining district covers a Miocene
volcanic caldera filled with quartz latite porphyry. The ore bodies are veins and replacement zones within the quartz latite. The ore minerals are gold and silver tellurides, with accessory fluorite.
The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company formed in 1976 as a joint venture to restart mining in the district. From 1976 to 1989, the company produced 150000 troy ounces (4.7 t) of gold by reprocessing tailings and mining two small surface deposits. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company began the first large-scale open pit mining in the district in 1994. The Cresson mine open pits are located a few miles north of Victor. Mining continues today under the ownership of AngloGold Ashanti
, producing about 330000 troy ounces (10.3 t) of gold annually, valued at about US$270,000,000 (2008 prices).
at Victor
, an open-pit heap leach operation owned by AngloGold Ashanti
, is the leading producer, with 8.8 tonnes (282,926.6 ozt) of gold in 2006. Other active gold mines in the state are underground Golden Wonder mine near Lake City
, and the Cash and Rex mines in the Gold Hill
mining district in Boulder County, Colorado
.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
-bearing vein (the Gregory Lode) in Gregory Gulch between Black Hawk
Black Hawk, Colorado
The historic City of Black Hawk is a Home Rule Municipality located in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 118 at U.S. Census 2000, making Black Hawk the least populous city in Colorado...
and Central City. Within two months many other veins were discovered, including the Bates, Gunnell, Kansas, and Burroughs. Other early mining towns in the district included Nevadaville
Nevadaville, Colorado
Nevadaville was a gold-mining town in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. It was also known in the 1860s and 1870s as Nevada City. The post office at Nevadaville was called the Bald Mountain post office, to avoid confusion with other Nevadas and Nevadavilles. The community is now largely a...
and Russell Gulch
Russell Gulch, Colorado
Russell Gulch, Colorado, is a former mining town, now largely a ghost town, in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. Although the population was once much larger than today, and most of the larger commercial buildings stand empty, the town is not completely deserted.-History:William Greeneberry...
.
Hardrock mining boomed for a few years, but then declined in the mid-1860s as the miners exhausted the shallow parts of the veins that contained free gold, and found that their amalgamation
Amalgam (chemistry)
An amalgam is a substance formed by the reaction of mercury with another metal. Almost all metals can form amalgams with mercury, notable exceptions being iron and platinum. Silver-mercury amalgams are important in dentistry, and gold-mercury amalgam is used in the extraction of gold from ore.The...
mills could not recover gold from the deeper sulfide ores.
Nathaniel P. Hill
Nathaniel P. Hill
Nathaniel Peter Hill was a United States Senator from Colorado.-Biography:Born in Montgomery, Orange County, New York, at the Nathaniel Hill Brick House . He married Alice Hale of Providence, Rhode Island, on July 26, 1860...
built Colorado's first successful ore smelter in Blackhawk in 1868. Hill's smelter could recover gold from the sulfide ores, an achievement that saved hardrock mining in the district. Other smelters were built nearby. Through 1959, the district produced about 6300000 troy ounces (196 t), mostly from sulfide veins in gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
and granodiorite
Granodiorite
Granodiorite is an intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase than orthoclase-type feldspar. Officially, it is defined as a phaneritic igneous rock with greater than 20% quartz by volume where at least 65% of the feldspar is plagioclase. It usually contains abundant...
.
The early gold discoveries were at the northeast end of the Colorado Mineral Belt
Colorado Mineral Belt
The Colorado Mineral Belt is an area with abundant ore deposits. The area stretches north-east from the La Plata Mountains in Southwestern Colorado to the Front Range near Boulder, Colorado...
, a large alignment of mineral deposits that stretches northeast-southwest across the mountainous part of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. From Idaho Springs
Idaho Springs, Colorado
The City of Idaho Springs is a municipality in the U.S. state of Colorado that is the most populous settlement in Clear Creek County, Colorado. Idaho Springs is located in Clear Creek Canyon, in the mountains upstream from Golden, some thirty miles west of Denver...
, prospectors followed the Colorado Mineral Belt west along Clear Creek, then over the mountain passes to South Park
South Park (Colorado basin)
South Park is a high intermontane grassland basin, approximately 10,000 ft in elevation, in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi southwest of Denver...
and to the headwaters of the Blue River.
Breckenridge district
Placer gold was discovered in the BreckenridgeBreckenridge, Colorado
Established in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area...
, or Blue River
Blue River (Colorado)
The Blue River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.It rises in southern Summit County, on the western side of the continental divide in the Ten Mile Range, near Quandary Peak. It flows north past Blue River and Breckenridge, then through the...
district, in 1859. Lode deposits were developed in the 1880s, as prospectors followed the gold to its source veins
Vein (geology)
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation...
in the hills. Gold in some upper gravel benches north of the Blue River was recovered by hydraulic mining
Hydraulic mining
Hydraulic mining, or hydraulicking, is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold.-Precursor - ground...
. Gold production decreased in the late 1800s, but revived in 1908 by gold dredging operations along the Blue River and Swan River
Swan River (Colorado)
The Swan River is a short tributary of the Blue River, approximately 10 miles long, located in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a mountainous area in the upper basin of the Blue River in southern Summit County. It rises in three short forks along the...
. The Breckenridge mining district is credited with production of about 1000000 troy ounces (31.1 t) of gold.
The gold mines around Breckenridge are all shut down, although some are open to tourist visits. The characteristic gravel ridges left by the gold dredges can still be seen along the Blue River and Snake River
Snake River (Colorado)
The Snake River is a short tributary of the Blue River, approximately 15 miles long, in central Colorado in the United States. It drains a mountainous area on the west side of the Front Range in southeastern Summit County east of Keystone....
, and the remains of a dredge are still afloat in a pond off the Swan River.
South Park districts
Prospectors discovered rich placer deposits on the west side of South ParkSouth Park (Colorado basin)
South Park is a high intermontane grassland basin, approximately 10,000 ft in elevation, in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi southwest of Denver...
in 1859. The deposits were in valleys on the east side of the Mosquito Range. The principal districts were the Alma
Alma, Colorado
The historic Town of Alma is a Statutory Town located in Park County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 179 at the U.S. Census 2000....
-Fairplay
Fairplay, Colorado
The Town of Fairplay is a statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Park County, Colorado, United States. Fairplay is located in South Park at an elevation of . The town is the fifth-highest incorporated place in the State of Colorado. The population was 610 at the...
district on the headwaters of the South Platte River
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
, and the Tarryall
Tarryall, Colorado (ghost town)
Tarryall is a ghost town in northwest Park County, Colorado, United States. The town was located on upper Tarryall Creek northwest of Como, Colorado. It was once the county seat of Park County, but is now completely deserted....
district along Tarryall Creek
Tarryall Creek
Tarryall Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in Park County in central Colorado in the United States. It drains a rural portion of north and central South Park, an intermontane grassland in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver...
northwest of Como, Colorado
Como, Colorado
Como is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. The Como Post Office has the ZIP Code 80432.Located at the northern end of South Park, the town is a historic mining settlement founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1859. It sits approximately...
. Important lode gold deposits were later discovered above Alma. A floating dredge worked the floor of the South Park valley east of Fairplay from 1941 to 1952, leaving the distinctive gravel ridges that can still be seen. Production from the Tarryall district was 67000 troy ounces (2.1 t), almost all from placers. The Alma-Fairplay district produced 1550000 troy ounces (48.2 t), more than two-thirds of which came from lode deposits.
Leadville district
The history of the LeadvilleLeadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
district began with the discovery of placer gold in 1860 at Oro City
Oro City, Colorado
Oro City, now a ghost town, was an early gold placer mining town in the Mosquito Range of Lake County, Colorado, United States. Oro is the Spanish word for gold.-History:...
. The placers were exhausted within four years, but lode gold was discovered in 1868. The gold discoveries led to the discovery of the silver deposits in 1877, and the founding of the city of Leadville
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
. The Leadville district produced 3200000 troy ounces (99.5 t) of gold, mostly as a byproduct of silver mining. (See main article: Leadville mining district
Leadville mining district
The Leadville mining district was the most productive silver-mining district in the US state of Colorado. It is located immediately east of the town of Leadville....
)
Summitville district
Prospectors found placer gold in 1870 in the Wrightman Fork of the Alamosa RiverAlamosa River
The Alamosa River is a river in the southern part of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is about long, flowing roughly east through the San Luis Valley. Its watershed comprises about .The river's name means "shaded with cottonwoods" in Spanish....
. Gold veins were discovered in 1871, and large-scale production started in 1875 after the construction of a mill. Operations were continuous until 1906, then sporadic after that. Gold production up to 1990 was 520000 troy ounces (16.2 t).
In 1985, Summitville Consolidated Mining Company, a subsidiary of Galactic Resources of Vancouver, British Columbia started open pit heap-leach mining at the Summitville mine
Summitville mine
The Summitville mine was a gold mining site in Rio Grande County, Colorado south of Del Norte. It is remembered for the environmental damage caused in the 1980s by the accidental leakage of mining by-products into local waterways and then the Alamosa River....
. Mining ceased in 1992, and remediation started. However, Galactic Resources declared bankruptcy in December 1992, and the US Environmental Protection Agency stepped in to prevent releases of pollution from the property. The EPA declared it a federal Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site in May 1993. The total cost of environmental cleanup at the site has been estimated to be between $100 and $120 million.
In 1998, the general manager and the environmental manager of the mine pleaded guilty to federal pollution charges, and were each sentenced to six months probation and $20,000 fines.
Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride district
The SneffelsSneffels, Colorado
Sneffels was a town in Ouray County, Colorado, United States named after Mount Sneffels. It lay west of Camp Bird.-Mining era:Sneffels was founded in 1875 and named after the mountain it was built on. The town peaked at 2000 people and grew largely between the mid 1880's until 1891.-External links:*...
-Red Mountain-Telluride
Telluride, Colorado
The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...
district, in San Miguel and Ouray counties at the southwest end of the Colorado Mineral Belt
Colorado Mineral Belt
The Colorado Mineral Belt is an area with abundant ore deposits. The area stretches north-east from the La Plata Mountains in Southwestern Colorado to the Front Range near Boulder, Colorado...
, was discovered in 1875. The district is within and adjacent to a Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
volcanic caldera. Deposits are chimneys and veins in Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
volcanics and intrusives, and in older sedimentary rocks. Production through 1959 was 6800000 troy ounces (211.5 t) of gold, as well as considerable silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, lead, and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
.
Cripple Creek district
Although known as the "Pike's Peak Gold Rush" because Pike's Peak was a landmark visible 100 miles (160 km) out on the plains, the early gold and silver discoveries in Colorado were all far away from Pike's Peak. Located a few miles southwest of Pike's Peak, the Cripple CreekCripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
district, the most productive gold-mining district in Colorado, was not discovered until 1891. The towns of Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
and Victor
Victor, Colorado
Victor is a Statutory City in Teller County, Colorado, United States. The population was 445 at the 2000 census.Victor is in the heart of Colorado's gold country, home to two of the major gold mines in the Cripple Creek mining district...
were established to serve the mines and miners of the district. Among the principal mines were the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is a historic vertical shaft mine near Cripple Creek, Colorado. The mine shaft descends into the mountain, a depth roughly equal to the height of the Empire State Building in New York. The mine currently gives tours, and is visited by around 40,000 people annually...
at Cripple Creek and Stratton's Independence mine
Stratton's Independence Mine and Mill
Stratton's Independence Mine and Mill is a historic mining site near Victor, Colorado on the south slope of Battle Mountain.-Production output:...
, at Victor, Colorado
Victor, Colorado
Victor is a Statutory City in Teller County, Colorado, United States. The population was 445 at the 2000 census.Victor is in the heart of Colorado's gold country, home to two of the major gold mines in the Cripple Creek mining district...
. Gold production up to 1990 was 21000000 troy ounces (653.2 t) worth about US$17 billion at 2008 prices), making it the most productive gold-producing district in Colorado, and the third-most productive in the United States (after Carlin, Nevada and Lead, South Dakota
Homestake Mine (South Dakota)
The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine located in Lead, South Dakota. Until it closed in 2002 it was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America, producing more than 40 million ounces of gold. The Homestake Mine is famous in scientific circles for being the site at which the...
).
The Cripple Creek mining district covers a Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
volcanic caldera filled with quartz latite porphyry. The ore bodies are veins and replacement zones within the quartz latite. The ore minerals are gold and silver tellurides, with accessory fluorite.
The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company formed in 1976 as a joint venture to restart mining in the district. From 1976 to 1989, the company produced 150000 troy ounces (4.7 t) of gold by reprocessing tailings and mining two small surface deposits. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company began the first large-scale open pit mining in the district in 1994. The Cresson mine open pits are located a few miles north of Victor. Mining continues today under the ownership of AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.AngloGold Ashanti Limited is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents...
, producing about 330000 troy ounces (10.3 t) of gold annually, valued at about US$270,000,000 (2008 prices).
Gold mining today
Three Colorado mines continue to produce gold. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold MineCripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine
The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine, formerly and historically Cresson Mine, is a gold mine located near the town of Victor, in the Cripple Creek mining district in the US state of Colorado. It is the largest current producer of gold in Colorado...
at Victor
Victor, Colorado
Victor is a Statutory City in Teller County, Colorado, United States. The population was 445 at the 2000 census.Victor is in the heart of Colorado's gold country, home to two of the major gold mines in the Cripple Creek mining district...
, an open-pit heap leach operation owned by AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.AngloGold Ashanti Limited is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents...
, is the leading producer, with 8.8 tonnes (282,926.6 ozt) of gold in 2006. Other active gold mines in the state are underground Golden Wonder mine near Lake City
Lake City, Colorado
The Town of Lake City is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 375 at the U.S. Census 2000...
, and the Cash and Rex mines in the Gold Hill
Gold Hill, Colorado
Gold Hill is a census-designated place in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The population was 230 at the 2010 census.This settlement is located to the northwest of Boulder, perched on a mountainside above Left Hand Canyon at an elevation of 8,300 feet...
mining district in Boulder County, Colorado
Boulder County, Colorado
Boulder County is the sixth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county seat is Boulder. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is the City of Boulder...
.
See also
- Argo Gold Mine and MillArgo Gold Mine and MillThe Argo Gold Mine and Mill is a former mining and milling property consisting of a gold mine and gold mill in Idaho Springs, Colorado, built at the entrance of the Argo Tunnel. The tunnel was built between 1893 and 1910 to drain the gold mines in Virginia Canyon, Gilpin Gulch, Russell Gulch,...
- Argo TunnelArgo TunnelThe Argo Tunnel, originally called the Newhouse Tunnel , is a mine drainage and access tunnel with its portal at Idaho Springs, Colorado, USA...
- Camp Bird MineCamp Bird MineThe Camp Bird Mine is a famous and highly-productive old gold mine located between Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. The mine is within the Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride mining district in the San Juan Mountains....
- Coal mining in ColoradoCoal mining in ColoradoEarly coal mining in Colorado, a state of the United States was spread across the state. Some early coal mining areas are currently inactive, including the Denver Basin Raton Basin coal fields along the Front Range...
- Idarado MineIdarado MineThe Idarado Mine was a gold mining operation in the San Juan Mountains of Ouray County, Colorado. The mine is within the Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride mining district. The remains of the operation are visible from the Million Dollar Highway, north of Red Mountain Pass, between Ouray and...
- Mary Murphy MineMary Murphy MineThe Mary Murphy Mine was the principal gold mine of the Chalk Creek mining district of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States, near St. Elmo, Colorado. The Mary Murphy Mine operated continuously from 1870 to 1925, and produced 220 thousand ounces of gold, worth $4.4 million then , plus...
- Silver mining in ColoradoSilver mining in ColoradoSilver mining in Colorado, a state of the United States has taken place since the 1860s. In the past, Colorado called itself the Silver state...
- State of Colorado
- Uranium mining in ColoradoUranium mining in ColoradoUranium mining in Colorado, United States, goes back to 1872, when pitchblende ore was taken from gold mines near Central City, Colorado. The Colorado uranium industry has seen booms and busts, but continues to this day...