Gold Eagle Mine

The Gold Eagle Mine is a lead, zinc, silver, and copper mine located in Chaffee county, Colorado.

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: Gold Eagle Mine
Secondary: Blank Mine

Commodity

Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Molybdenum

Location

State: Colorado
County: Chaffee

Land Status

Not available

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Underground
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Molybdenite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Gangue: Pyrite
Gangue: Calcite

Comments

Comment (Location): Shaft is about 9 miles NW of Poncha Springs, on the SE slope of Mount Shavano, in the SE/4 sec 8, T 50 N, R 7 E.

Comment (Location): Location description given as SE4 of Sec. 8 matches location of workings shown on 24k topo. And, same location as "Blank Mine" labeled on MF-658.

Comment (Identification): Same location as "Blank Mine" labeled on MF-658.

Comment (General): Site visited by A.B. Wilson (9/11/2010) while hiking the Colorado Trail near Mt. Shavano. A good road goes to the lower mine area. An small dilapidated cabin is to the N of the barren spot (white area on 1994 topo) before the road turns into a trail and makes a switchback up to the upper workings. The barren spot that looks like a large trench and reclaimed dumps or waste piles bulldozed across the road. A steady stream of water issues from near the center of the largest part of the cut and flows down the road. Water appears clear. No ore is obvious. Only metal found was a nickel coin. Approx. 0.16 mi (as the crow flies) to the WNW, is a small hole on the NW side of the trail with a relict dump on the SE side. Assume that this hole or pit, with a few timbers protruding, is the reamins of the shaft on the topo. Continuing past this the trail makes a switchback up to an area similar to the lower cut. There may once have been an adit into the hillside here, but all that is left is a scar. Again, no ore visible. Did not go uphill to the top two Xs marked on the topo.

Comment (Development): Site appears to have consisted of a very old adit (the N-most of the workings on the topo), a shaft (shaft on topo), and 2 open cuts (the 2 X's in white areas on the topo). A tiny cabin is immediately north of the open cut where the road turns to trail (west of the road). The site appears to have been abandoned for many decades.

Comment (Commodity): Rounded boulders contained 42 oz/ton silver, 19.9% copper, 25% zinc, 15.5% lead, and 0.02 oz/ton gold, according to one assay. (Sunshine files, 1964)

Comment (Geology): A 1964 report describes discovery of copper-lead-zinc sulfide and limestone boulders in a drag(?) fault zone in the Gold Eagle shaft, and describes efforts to locate their source by additional exploration. (Sunshine files)

References

Reference (Geology): Scott and others, 1975, Geologic map of the Poncha Springs [15-minute] quadrangle, Chaffee County, Colorado: USGS Misc. Field Studies Map MF-658, scale 1:62,500.

Reference (Deposit): Sunshine Mining Co. Colorado exploration files, unpublished data, Colorado Geological Survey.

Reference (Location): USGS, 1994, Maysville 1:24,000 scale, 7 1/2-minute topographic map.

Colorado Mining Photos

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