Durango Girl Mine

The Durango Girl Mine is a gold and silver mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,879 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

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Site Name

Primary: Durango Girl Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Durango Boy, MS 16438
Secondary: Durango Girl, MS 16525
Secondary: New Hope, MS 16525

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Tellurium
Tertiary: Vanadium
Tertiary: Antimony

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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Durango Girl Gold Mining And Milling Co.
Years: 1921 -

Production

Year: 1920
Description: Ap_Grade: ^9.45 Oz/Ton Au, 63 Oz/Ton Ag
Year: 1919
Description: Ap_Grade: ^6.04 Oz/Ton Au, 66.60 Oz/Ton Ag
Year: 1919
Description: Ap_Grade: ^1.92 To 7.62 Oz/Ton Au, 57.50 To 94.25 Oz/Ton Ag

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1893
Year Last Production: 1939
Discovery Year: 1893
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

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification

Rocks

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

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

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pleistocene

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: RITTER (1924?) TABULATED INDIVIDUAL ORE LOTS AND GRADES FROM 1893 TO 1921. LARGER SINGLE SHIPMENTS OF "LOWER" HIGH-GRADE ORE CONTAINED 0.41 TO 17.90 OZ/TON AU AND 4.6 TO 184.95 OZ/TON AG, WITH THE FOLLOWING VERY HIGH ASSAYS: 313.10 OZ/TON AU AND 574.40 OZ/TON AG, 134.03 OZ/TON AU AND 695.55 OZ/TON AG, 416.35 OZ/TON AU AND 1698.96 OZ/TON AG, 204.63 OZ/TON AU AND 834.22 OZ/TON AG, 181.25 OZ/TON AU AND 378.27 OZ/TON AG.

Materials

Ore: Petzite
Ore: Tetrahedrite
Ore: Hessite
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Coloradoite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Dickite
Gangue: Roscoelite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Development): VEIN LOCATED IN 1893 AND MINE PRODUCED CONTINUOUSLY FROM 1893 TO 1899 AND INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1902 TO 1926, WITH LAST PRODUCTION REPORTED IN 1939. MINE PRODUCED RICH HAND-SORTED ORE, BUT VANDERBERGE (1908) CITED HISTORY OF DISCORDANT OWNERSHIP AND WRETCHED MANAGEMENT; ORE WAS HIGH-GRADED WITH MUCH LOWER GRADE ORE DUMPED IN STOPES.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY THREE TUNNELS. TUNNEL NO. 1 (INACCESSIBLE) DRIVEN PRESUMABLY WNW FOR 105 FT ON VEIN. TUNNEL NO. 2 (UPPER TUNNEL) DRIVEN N 70 TO 85 W FOR 970 FT ALONG VEIN TO FACE; WINZES AT 79 FT, 280 FT, AND 390 FT FROM PORTAL; RAISES AT 740 FT AND 830 FT FROM PORTAL. TUNNEL NO. 3 (LOWER TUNNEL) LOCATED 70 FT NE OF AND ABOUT 45 FT BELOW TUNNEL NO. 2, DRIVEN GENERALLY N 70 W AT LEAST 520 FT TO STOPED AND CAVED AREA; RAISES TO UPPER LEVEL AT 120 FT, 330 FT, AND 450 FT FROM PORTAL. PRINCIPAL STOPES DEVELOPED ABOVE UPPER LEVEL FROM PORTAL TO 370 FT AND FROM 410 TO 530 FT FROM PORTAL.

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF VARIABLY DIPPING, RELATIVELY UNALTERED CUTLER FM RED BEDS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZNITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND DIKES. VEIN, WHICH FOLLOWS NORMAL FAULT TRENDING N 75 W, 54 TO 78 NE, VARIES IN THICKNESS FROM FRACTION OF INCH TO 5 FT AND GENERALLY IS WIDER IN PORPHYRY AND SANDSTONE THAN IN SHALE. WALL ROCK IS ALTERED, BLEACHED, AND SILICIFIED FROM 2 INCHES TO 6 FT BEYOND VEIN AND CONTAINS DISSEMINATED PYRITE. VEIN IS BELT OF QUARTZ STRINGERS UP TO 3 FT WIDE, AVERAGING ONE FT. PYRITE ABUNDANT IN VEIN ZONE BUT RARE IN HIGH-GRADE VEIN QUARTZ. TELLURIDES, TETRAHEDRITE, AND FREE GOLD INTERGROWN WITH QUARTZ. RICHEST ORE FOUND BETWEEN SANDSTONE WALLS, BUT MOST SHIPPING ORE LAY BETWEEN PORPHYRY WALLS; LITTLE OR NO ORE IN SHALE.

Comment (Production): COMPLETE PRODUCTION RECORD EXCEPT FOR MISSING ORE FIGURE FOR 1926. GRADES GIVEN FOR 1893-1921 ARE RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL ORE LOT GRADES TABULATED BY RITTER (1924?). ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE ORE FIGURE EXCLUDES UNREPORTED FIGURE FOR 1926.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS LIE ON LOWER SE SLOPE OF LE IS MTN ALONG UPPER WALLS GULCH, 3.8 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = DURANGO 1:250000

References

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, 115-117.

Reference (Deposit): EMMONS, W.H., 1905, THE NEGLECTED MINE AND NEAR-BY PROPERTIES, DURANGO QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 260, P. 121-127.

Reference (Deposit): VANDERBERGE, J.H., 1908, REPORT OF THE DURANGO GIRL, LA PLATA COUNTY: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 7 P.

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS 16438, 16525

Reference (Deposit): RITTER, E.A., 1924?, REPORT ON THE DURANGO GIRL MINE OF THE DURANGO MINING AND MILLING COMPANY CONTAINED IN A PROSPECTUS OF THE COMPANY, LA PLATA COUNTY: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 5 P.

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 115 (AS COMPILED FROM COMPANY, USGS, AND USBM RECORDS); RITTER, 1924?

Colorado Mining Photos

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