The Highland Chief Mine is a gold and silver mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,968 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: 10,968 Feet (3,343 Meters)
Commodity: Gold, Silver
Lat, Long: 37.97528, -107.52083
Map: View on Google Maps
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Highland Chief Mine MRDS details
Site Name
Primary: Highland Chief Mine
Secondary: Empire Chief Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: U.S., MS 1207
Secondary: Empire, MS 1208
Secondary: Highland Chief, MS 1209a
Secondary: Highland Chief Mill Site, MS 1209b
Secondary: Brick Pomeroy, MS 16478a
Secondary: Wall Street, MS 16478a
Secondary: Amazon, MS 16478a
Secondary: Brick Pomeroy Mill Site, MS 16478b
Secondary: Bonanza, MS 16479a
Secondary: Magnolia, MS 16479a
Secondary: Hondee, MS 16479a
Secondary: Mathison, MS 16479a
Secondary: Bonanza Mill Site, MS 16479b
Commodity
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Zinc
Location
State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Galena (Henson Creek) District
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
Not available
Ownership
Owner Name: Ajax Syndicate (Highland Chief Tunnel
Home Office: Santa Barbara, Ca.
Years: 1965 -
Owner Name: Joe Pitts (Highland Chief Tunnel
Home Office: Lake City, Co.
Years: 1965 -
Production
Year: 1930
Material type: ?
Description: Ap_Grade: ^1.25 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.01 To 0.25 Oz/Ton Au, 5.5% Cu, 1.19% Pb, 1.2% Zn
Year: 1908
Material type: ORE AG AU ACC
Description: Ap_Grade: ^7.05 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.25 Oz/Ton Au, 52.00% Pb
Deposit
Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1930
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
Not available
Structure
Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression
Type: L
Description: San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera, Eureka Graben
Alterations
Not available
Rocks
Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene
Name: Rhyolite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene
Analytical Data
Analytical Data: 4.7 OZ/TON AG, 0.06 OZ/TON AU, 37.5% PB. AVERAGE GRADE OF EMPIRE VEIN ORE: 5.26 OZ/TON AG, 0.176 OZ/TON AG, 29.43% PB. FROM HIGHLAND CHIEF VEIN, 48 SAMPLES OVER AVERAGE 3-FT-WIDE PAY STREAK ASSAYED 4.23 OZ/TON AG, 0.10 OZ/TON AU, 19.6% PB. FROM PORTAL NO. 2, 30 SAMPLES OVER 200-FT LENGTH AND 1.75-FT PAYSTREAK ASSAYED-5.10 OZ/TON AG, 0.20 OZ/TON AU, 28.8% PB. FROM HIGHLAND CHIEF NO. 2 LEVEL, 59-ST ORE LOT FROM 43-FT WINZE ASSAYED 4.77 OZ/TON AG, 0.14 OZ/TON AU, 38.17% PB.
Analytical Data: AVERAGE OF ORE SHIPPED IN THOSE YEARS IS 6.15 OZ/TON AG, 0.20 OZ/TON AU, 38.9% PB. ASSAYS FROM EMPIRE TUNNEL INCLUDE 8 OZ/TON AG, 0.5 OZ/TON AU, 10.45% PB, 1.1% CU
Analytical Data: SEE PRODUCTION TABLE FOR ORE GRADES FROM EARLY 1900S
Materials
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Quartz
Comments
Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY SEVERAL CROSSCUT AND DRIFT TUNNELS. BRICK POMEROY TUNNELS NOS. 1, 2, AND 3 (EXTENT UNKNOWN) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH OR NE ON BRICK POMEROY VEIN, LOCATED WEST OF EMPIRE VEIN. HIGHLAND CHIEF WORKINGS CONSIST OF THREE TUNNELS: NO. 1 (EXTENT UNKNOWN) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH ON HIGHLAND CHIEF VEIN. NO. 2 CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 250 FT, WITH 1000-FT EAST DRIFT AND 500-FT WEST DRIFT FROM WHICH IS DRIVEN 230-FT NE CROSSCUT, THENCE 40 FT NORTH CONNECTING WITH VERTICAL WINZE TO INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, FROM WHICH IS DRIVEN 40-FT NW CROSSCUT, THENCE 247-FT EAST DRIFT AND 263-FT WEST DRIFT ON VEIN. NO. 3 TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 500 FT, THENCE 173 FT WEST, THENCE 180 FT NORTH TO FACE. AT 450 FT FROM PORTAL IS 135-FT RAISE TO SUBLEVEL. EMPIRE CHIEF DEVELOPED BY FOUR TUNNELS: NO. 1 TUNNEL (UPPER) CAVED, EXTENT UNKNOWN; NO. 2 TUNNEL (ELEV 11200 FT) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH OR NE FOR 185 FT, WITH 450-FT EAST-WEST DRIFT ON VEIN; NO. 3 TUNNEL (ELEV 10968 FT) DRIVEN
Comment (Workings): GENERALLY NW FOR 720 FT; AT 525 FT FROM PORTAL, 475-FT DRIFT DRIVEN NE AND 575-FT DRIFT DRIVEN SW ON VEIN; AT 535 FT FROM PORTAL IS 250-FT SLIGHTLY INCLINED RAISE TO SECOND LEVEL AND CONNECTED BY 30-FT OFFSET DRIFT; AT FOOT OS RAISE IS 50-FT NE DRIFT. NO. 4 TUNNEL (MAIN) (ELEV 10200 FT) DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR 75 FT, THENCE AS 1260-FT NE DRIFT; AT 1025 FT IS 540-FT SE CROSSCUT; AT 1175 FT IS 75-FT NW CROSSCUT; AT 1300 FT IS 200-FT WEST CROSSCUT; AT 520 FT FROM PORTAL IS 158-FT RAISE; AT 500 FT FROM PORTAL IS 40-FT WINZE (FLOODED). AERIAL TRAM CONNECTS PORTAL NO. 3 WITH MILL.
Comment (Location): MINE LIES NORTH OF HENSON CREEK ON SOUTH SLOPE OF UNNAMED MOUNTAIN SW OF BOULDER GULCH AND EAST OF DOLLY VARDEN MOUNTAIN. MILL SITES LOCATED ALONG HENSON CREEK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR PORTAL OF PROBABLE EMPIRE CHIEF NO. 3 TUNNEL IN NE SEC. 21. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977
Comment (Commodity): ORE MINERALS LISTED ABOVE NOT DEFINITELY KNOWN BUT INFERRED ON BASIS ON PROBABLE SIMILARITY WITH OTHER ORES IN AREA.
Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.S. VOLUMES CITE PRODUCTION IN 1906-1908, 1911-1913, AND 1917, BUT NO ANNUAL FIGURES WERE GIVEN. FIRST SIX ENTRIES LISTED ABOVE (FROM MARKS, 1925) ARE FOR UNSPECIFIED YEARS, EXCEPT ONE ENTRY FOR 1908. PRODUCTION FOR 1929-1930 FROM CDM REPORTS.
Comment (Deposit): DEPOSIT LIES TOWARD NORTH SIDE OF SAN JUAN-UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA IN INFILL SEQUENCE CONSISTING OF EUREKA MEMBER RHYOLITE OVERLAIN BY BURNS MEMBER QUARTZ LATITE. SEQUENCE IS CUT BY GENERALLY N 60 E-TRENDING FAULT ON NORTH SIDE OF EUREKA GRABEN. ACCORDING TO MARKS (1925), EMPIRE VEIN DIPPED VERTICALLY, WITH VEINS ON EITHER SIDE DIPPING TOWARD IT, INDICATING POSSIBLE MERGING AT DEPTH.
References
Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LAKE CITY CALDERA AREA, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-962.
Reference (Deposit): BROWN, W.H., 1926, THE MINERAL ZONES OF THE WHITE CROSS DISTRICT AND NEIGHBORING DEPOSITS IN HINSDALE COUNTY, COLORADO: MINES MAG., V. 15, NO. 11, P. 5-15.
Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND OTHERS, 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE SILVERTON QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 120, 34 P.
Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.
Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1207, 1208, 1209A&B, 16478A&B, 16479A&B, 20166
Reference (Deposit): LUEDKE, R.G., AND BURBANK, W.S., 1975, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE HANDIES PEAK QUADRANGLE, COLORADO: USGS OPEN-FILE REPT. 75-432.
Reference (Deposit): MARKS, J.H., 1925, REPORT ON THE EMPIRE CHIEF MINING COMPANY PROPERTY: UNPUB. REPT., 15 P.
Reference (Production): MARKS, 1925; COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.
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