The Columbia is a copper, gold, and silver mine located in Baker county, Oregon.
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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Columbia MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Columbia
Commodity
Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic
Location
State: Oregon
County: Baker
District: Cracker Creek
Land Status
Land ownership: Private
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: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: Cracker Creek Mining Co.
Owner Name: Brooks Minerals Inc.
Years: 1980 -
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Columbia Plateau
Physiographic Section: Blue Mountain Section
Physiographic Detail: Blue Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Not available
Structure
Type: R
Description: East-West Striking Thrust Fault
Type: L
Description: Vein Fills A Normal Fault
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Gabbro
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Early Triassic
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: GOLD 40 PERCENT FREE. RATIO OF CONCENTRATION 10:1 TO 15:1 . RECOVERY AVERAGED ABOUT 75 PERCENT. MILL ORE AVERAGED $11.04 PER TON.
Materials
Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrargyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Stibnite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite
Comments
Comment (Location): ON THE NORTH POLE-COLUMBIA LODE.
Comment (Deposit): COMPOSITE QUARTZ VEIN
Comment (Workings): ABOUT 50,000 FT. OF DRIFTS, CROSSCUTS, AND RAISES FROM A SHAFT 918 FEET DEEP AND THREE ADITS.
Comment (Geology): PART OF THE NORTH POLE-COLUMBIA LODE ; GEOL.DESC: THE WALLS ARE GENERALLY WELL DEFINED AND ARE RARELY LESS THAN 25 FT. APART. THE ORE SHOOTS RANGED FROM 3 TO 8 FT. IN WIDTH.
Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD IS MERGED WITH RECORDS (M014105 & M054914) AND DELETES THEM FROM OREGON FILE. COLUMBIA MINE IS PART OF THE NORTH POLE - COLUMBIA GROUP. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV
References
Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, H. C., AND RAMP, L., 1968 , GOLD AND SILVER IN OREGON: ODGMI, BULL 61 , P. 74 .
Reference (Deposit): OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK, 1939 , ODGMI, BULL. 14 - A, P. 38 .
Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, H. C., 1963 , QUICKSILVER IN OREGON, ODGMI, BULL. 55 , P. 216 .
Reference (Deposit): LINDGREN, W., 1901, THE GOLD BELT OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN OREGON, USGS ANN. REPT. NO. 2, P. 663
Reference (Production): W. W. ELMER, JUNE 30 , 1930 .
Oregon Gold
"Where to Find Gold in Oregon" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Oregon. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Oregon.
