Small Hope Mine

The Small Hope Mine is a gold and silver mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,699 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

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Site Name

Primary: Small Hope Mine
Secondary: Patented Claim: Small Hope
Secondary: Ms 10349

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Copper
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: 1892
Year Last Production: 1919
Discovery Year: 1887
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

Not available

Rocks

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

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE IN NORTH DRIFT ASSAYED 0.5 TO 1 OZ/TON AU
Analytical Data: ORE SAMPLES FROM SW DRIFT ASSAYED 1.5 TO 2 OZ/TON AU WITH SOMEWHAT MORE IN AG

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). ON SE SLOPE OF DIORITE PEAK BETWEEN WILLIAMS GULCH AND SHOEBECK GULCH, 2.65 MILES NE OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR LATE 1880S TO 1898. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1905-1906, 1909-1916 AND AFTER 1919.

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF PERMIAN AND TRIASSIC TO JURASSIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS INTRUDED BY DIORITE PEAK STOCK. SMALL HOPE VEIN TRENDS NE, DIPS STEEPLY NW TO VERTICAL. IN OLDER WORKINGS. FRACTURE ZONE WAD 3 FT WIDE WITH 1-FT PAY STREAK ON FOOTWALL (SE) SIDE. ORE SHOOT WAS ABOUT 30 FT LONG BUT EXTENDED TO BOTTOM OF SHAFT. BRECCIA ZONES IN GRASSY HILL TUNNEL RANGED FROM 1 TO 6 FT WIDE AND CHARACTERIZED BY HARD SILICIFIED MEDIAL SHEET WITH PYRITE AND POSSIBLE OTHER METALS FLANKED BY SOFT. ALTERED DIORITE GRADING INTO FRESH DIORITE. VEIN DEVELOPED AT END GRASSY HILL TUNNEL MAY BE PARALLEL VEIN SE OF SMALL HOPE VEIN.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY 275-FT SHAFT AND SHORT ADIT. VEIN ALSO CUT BY GRASSY HILL TUNNEL, DRIVEN N 42 W FOR APPROX 1770 FT TO VEIN, WITH SW AND NE DRIFTS 400 AND 500 FT LONG, RESPECTIVELY.

Comment (Development): FOLLOWING DISCOVERY IN LATE 1880S OR EARLY 1890S, MINE WAS REGULAR PRODUCER AT LEAST UNTIL 1898. INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION FROM 1903 TO 1919.

Comment (Deposit): Discovery Year: LATE 1880S

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, 165-167.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 10349

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 165 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS)

Colorado Mining Photos

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