The Legal Tender Mine is a gold mine located in Colfax county, New Mexico at an elevation of 10,299 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
Elevation: 10,299 Feet (3,139 Meters)
Commodity: Gold
Lat, Long: 36.61056, -105.22833
Map: View on Google Maps
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.
Legal Tender Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Legal Tender Mine
Secondary: Claim
Secondary: Legal Tender
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Silver
Location
State: New Mexico
County: Colfax
District: Baldy District: Willow Creek Area
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.
Holdings
Not available
Workings
Type: Underground
Ownership
Owner Name: Emma Lou Matkin
Years: 1940 -
Owner Name: R. Harvey
Years: 1937 -
Production
Not available
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1937
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S
Physiography
General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains
Mineral Deposit Model
Not available
Orebody
Form: PODS AND SHOOTS
Structure
Not available
Alterations
Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Altered Shale Shows Effects Of Contact Metamorphism.
Rocks
Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Cretaceous
Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Cretaceous
Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Pliocene
Analytical Data
Not available
Materials
Ore: Galena
Ore: Argentite
Ore: Gold
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Comments
Comment (Location): GEODETIC AND UTM LOCATION IS FOR THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF THE LEGAL TENDER CLAIM. CADASTRAL GRID PROJECTED.
Comment (Production): PETITT, R.F., JR., 1966, REPORTED PRODUCTION VALUE FROM GOLD ORES OF AT LEAST 25000 DOLLARS.
Comment (Workings): WORKINGS REPORTED TO CONSIST OF A 150 FT. SHAFT WHICH WAS SUNK FROM NEAR THE END OF A 200 FT. LONG TUNNEL AND DRIFTED ABOUT 200 FT. ALONG THE VEIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT. NMBMMR BULL 94, PLATE 1, SHOWS NINE ADITS AT THE LEGAL TENDER MINE.
Comment (Deposit): ONE CLAIM.
References
Reference (Deposit): CLARK, K.F., AND READ, C.B., 1972 NMBMMR BULL 94, P. 121-124, PLATE 1
Reference (Deposit): PETITT, R.F., JR., 1946 NMBMMR OFR-15, P. 38
Reference (Deposit): PETITT, R.F., JR., 1966 NMGS GUIDEBOOK SEVENTEENTH FIELD CONFERENCE, P. 69-73
Reference (Deposit): LINDGREN, W., GRATON, L.C., AND GORDON, C.H., 1910 USGS PP 68, P. 100
The Top Ten Gold Producing States
These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.
