Western Belle Mine

The Western Belle Mine is a gold and silver mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,099 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: Western Belle Mine
Secondary: Western Belle and Golden Rose Mines
Secondary: Patented Claims: Western Belle, MS 5715
Secondary: Golden Rose, MS 7498

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
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

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1885
Year Last Production: 1942
Discovery Year: 1882
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

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification

Rocks

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

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

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNKNOWN FOR OTHER YEARS PRIOR TO 1902. NO PRODUCTION IN 1902-1921, 1923-1941, OR AFTER 1943, ESTIMATED AU FIGURES FOR 1888-1892 CALCULATED FROM REPORTED AU VALUE AND AVERAGE PRICE OF $20.65/OZ AU. AU FIGURES FOR 1922 AND 1942 WERE CITED BY ECKEL AND OTHERS BUT EQUAL CALCULATED AMOUNTS USING $20.65/OZ AND $35.00/OZ, RESPECTIVELY. ESTIMATED AG FIGURES CALCULATED FROM REPORTED VALUES (FOR 1889, 1890, 1891, AND 1892, AS SHOWN IN TABLE); FOR YEARS IN WHICH AG VALUES NOT REPORTED, FIGURES CALCULATED USING AVERAGE PRICE OF $1.00/OZ AG.

Comment (Development): BOTH MINES DISCOVERED IN EARLY 1880S AND OPERATED TO ABOUT 1895, ALTHOUGH MINOR PRODUCTION WAS REPORTED FROM WESTERN BELLE IN 1922 AND SOME FROM GOLDEN ROSE IN 1942. SOME ORE CONCENTRATED IN SMALL CYANIDE MILL AT MOUTH OF WALLS GULCH.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON SE SIDE OF LEWIS MTN IN UPPER WALLS GULCH, 3.4 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR WESTERN BELLE ADIT. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF SLIGHTLY SILICIFIED SHALE AND SANDSTONE OF CUTLER FM, DIPPING NW, AND INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE PORPHYRY SILLS AND DIKES AND BY DIORITE FROM LEWIS MTN STOCK. VEIN TRENDS N 65 TO 90 E, DIPS STEEPLY SOUTH. AND FOLLOWS NORMAL FAULT DOWNTHROWN ON SOUTH, VEIN LIES IN 3- TO 7-FT FRACTURE ZONE CONTAINING 12 TO 18 INCHES OF VEIN MATTER COMPOSED OF QUARTZ, BARITE, AND PYRITE; ELSEWHERE IT FORMS NARROW BELT OF QUARTZ STRINGERS. IN GOLDEN ROSE SHAFT, VEIN WAS WEAK OR PINCHED OUT IN SHALE BUT WAS 8 TO 10 FT WIDE IN SANDSTONE AND PORPHYRY.

Comment (Workings): WESTERN BELLE MINE DEVELOPED BY UPPER CROSSCUT ADIT DRIVEN N 10 W FOR 50 FT TO VEIN. DRIFT DRIVEN N 65 E FOR 170 FT TO CAVED AREA, THENCE ON APPROX 80 FT TO CAVED OPEN CUT; FROM CROSSCUT, DRIFT ALSO DRIVEN S 65 W FOR 40 FT, THENCE S 85 W FOR 85 FT TO CAVED AREA; IN SW DRIFT, 25-FT WINZE SUNK AT 85 FT FROM CROSSCUT. LOWER CROSSCUT ADIT LOCATED APPROX 90 FT SSW FROM UPPER PORTAL, EXTEND UNKNOWN. GOLDEN ROSE MINE DEVELOPED BY SHAFT OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: EARLY 1880S

References

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 172 (AS COMPILED FROM U.S. MINE AND USBM RECORDS)

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, 172-173.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 5717, 7498

Colorado Mining Photos

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