Columbus Mine

The Columbus Mine is a gold and silver mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,719 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Columbus Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Lorrillard, MS 1142
Secondary: Little Mack, MS 1144
Secondary: Moonlight, MS 9179
Secondary: Columbus, MS 9223
Secondary: Maverick, MS 9223
Secondary: Gold Cup, MS 9223
Secondary: Last Chance, MS 17252
Secondary: Lucky Boy, MS 19405

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Lead
Tertiary: Tellurium

Location

State: Colorado
County: La Plata
District: California (La Plata) District

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Columbus Mining Co.
Home Office: Denver, Co.
Years: 1918 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Underground
Year First Production: 1895
Year Last Production: 1913
Discovery Year: 1895
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Colorado Plateaus
Physiographic Section: Navajo Section

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform

Type: L
Description: La Plata Dome, Lewis Mtn Diorite Stock

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Permian

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Eocene

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Eocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Gold
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sylvanite
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON NORTH SLOPE OF LEWIS MTN NEAR HEAD OF COLUMBUS BASIN, 3.2 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1901, BUT PRODUCTION CONSIDERED SMALL. NO PRODUCTION RECORDED BETWEEN 1901 AND 1912.

Comment (Development): MINE ACTIVE IN 1890S BUT PROBABLY ONLY SMALL PRODUCTION TO 1901; INTERMITTENTLY OPERATED FROM 1901-1913; SOME DEVELOPMENT WORK AS LATE AS 1917 OR 1918.

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE STOCK. VEIN TRENDS N 69 TO 62 E, 59 TO 70 NW AND MAY POSSIBLY OCCUPY PORTION OF TWO INTERSECTING FAULTS (SCISSOR FAULT). VEIN CONSISTS OF 30- TO 60-FT-WIDE ZONE OF SHEARED, PYRITIZED, AND PARTLY SERICITIZED DIORITE CONTAINING DISSEMINATED PYRITE AND QUARTZ VEINLETS.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY TWO SHAFTS AND 4 LEVELS. OLD 50-FT INCLINED SHAFT TO LESS DEVELOPED 50-FT LEVEL. NEWER MAIN VERTICAL SHAFT 300 FT DEEP WITH LEVELS AT 60 FT, 100 FT, 200 FT, AND 300 FT, AND LUCKY BOY TUNNEL LEVEL AT 350 FT. ON 100 LEVEL, 10-FT CROSSCUT TO VEIN, ON WHICH DRIFT DRIVEN N 53 E AT LEAST 180 FT (TO CAVED AREA) AND S 53 W FOR 275 FT WITH SUBSIDIARY BRANCHES AND RAISE AT 70 FT FROM CROSSCUT AND 100-FT WINZE TO 200 LEVEL AT 100 FT FROM CROSSCUT. ON 200 LEVEL, 40-FT CROSSCUT TO VEIN, ON WHICH DRIFT DRIVEN S 53 W FOR 640 FT, WITH RAISE TO 100 LEVEL AT 100 FT, 30-FT RAISE AT 170 FT, AND SHORT BRANCH TUNNELS AT 445, 465, AND 530 FT FROM CROSSCUT. ON 300 LEVEL, 70-FT CROSSCUT TO VEIN, ON WHICH DRIFT DRIVEN N 53 E FOR 110 FT AND S 53 W FOR 110 FT, WITH 50-FT INCLINED WINZE TO TUNNEL LEVEL AT 10 FT SW OF CROSSCUT. TUNNEL LEVEL AT 350 FT HAS 65 FT DRIFT DRIVEN GENERALLY NE AND 80-FT DRIFT DRIVEN GENERALLY SW FROM RAISE. SEVERAL OPEN CUTS ON VEIN

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: 1890s

Comment (Deposit): A.B. Wilson merged data from 10264207 and deleted that duplicate record.

Comment (Deposit): Copied from deleted MAS record 0080670061 (=10264207): Shaft and crosscut adit expose a vein which strikes N60E, dips 65NW. Vein hosted in silicified Cutler Formation and diorite. Ore contains pyrite, tellurides?

References

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 1142, 1144, 9179, 9223, 17252, 19405

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPT.

Reference (Deposit): ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 73-76, 101-103, PL. 16.

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 101-102 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS)

Reference (Deposit): REED, J.R., 1936, REPORT ON COLUMBUS MINES CO., LA PLATA COUNTY, COLORADO--LUCKY BOY, LAST CHANCE, MOONLIGHT, ETC.: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 3 P.

Reference (Deposit): Neubert and others, 1992, Mineral Appraisal of the San Juan National Forest, Colorado: USBM MLA 2-92, fig. 39, p. 111; p. 114-115.

Colorado Mining Photos

Check out this collection of Colorado's best historic mining photos: Incredible Photos of Colorado Mining Scenes.