Camp Bird Mine

The Camp Bird Mine is a silver and lead mine located in Pitkin county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,180 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

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: Camp Bird Mine
Secondary: Claims: Camp Bird
Secondary: Camp Bird M. S.

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Secondary: Zinc

Location

State: Colorado
County: Pitkin
District: Aspen (Roaring Fork) 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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Federal Resources

Owner Name: Royal Gold

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1882
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: LINEAR

Form: LINEAR

Structure

Type: R
Description: Sawatch Uplift, Central Colorado Trough, Piceance Basin, White River Uplift, Elk Uplift

Type: L
Description: Silver Fault, Contact Fault, Aspen Mountain Syncline, Tourtellotte Park Uplift, Silver Bell Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Paleocene

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mississippian

Name: Granite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Paleocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Location): IN UPPER ASPEN MTN AREA AT TOURTELLOTTE PARK WEST OF SPAR GULCH. ELEV FROM SPURR (1898). LAT-LONG APPROXIMATED FROM BRYANT (1972) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1980)

Comment (Workings): 260-FT-DEEP SHAFT WITH TWO LEVELS AND WESTWARD CROSSCUTS AT 190 FT AND 260 FT. UPPER LEVEL CONNECTS WITH LIBBIE BELL TUNNEL AND WORKINGS TO EAST. WORKINGS EXTEND SOUTH ACROSS SILVER BELL FAULT INTO IOWA CHIEF MINE WORKINGS

Comment (Development): ROYAL GOLD, INC. OF DENVER, COLORADO TERMINATED ITS CAMP BIRD JOINT VENTURE WITH CHIPETA MINING CORP. AND OURAY VENTURES, INC. ROYAL GOLD WILL RECEIVE $3.7 MILLION IN CASH AND BECOME SOLE LESSEE OF THE MINE. THE JOINT VENTURE WAS ORIGINALLY FORMED IN 1986 TO CONDUCT EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAMP BIRD MINE. THE JOINT VENTURE ALSO HAD AN OPTION TO PURCHASE THE MINE AND MILL FROM FEDERAL RESOURCES, INC. THE VENTURE PARTNERS AGREED IN OCTOBER 1989, THAT DEVELOPMENT AND REASSAYING WORK HAD FAILED TO CONFIRM THE GOLD QUANTITIES IN THE MONUMENT VEIN AS SHOWN IN CHIPETA'S EARLIER DRILLING WORK FOR THE VENTURE. ROYAL GOLD BECAME THE OPERATOR ON OCTOBER 23, 1989, AND PLANS TO TEST THE POTENTIAL OF LEAD, ZINC, GOLD, AND SILVER DEPOSITS FOUND IN THE CAMP BIRD VEIN ON THE 3 LEVEL. THE FIRM WILL SOON UNDERTAKE AN UNDERGROUND DIAMOND DRILL PROGRAM TO DETERMINE WHETHER ENOUGH ORE EXISTS TO SUSTAIN AN ECONOMIC MINING OPERATION.

Comment (Deposit): MINE DEVELOPED ON CONTACT FAULT IN BRECCIATED, FE-STAINED LIMESTONE AND DOLOMITE. ORE ON CONTACT FAULT DISPLACED IN BLOCK UPWARD RELATIVE TO NW-STRIKING, NE-DIPPING DIXON FAULT ON NORTH AND TO NW-STRIKING, SW-DIPPING SILVER BELL FAULT ON SOUTH. FIRST ORE BODY IS SHOOT IN CONTACT FAULT AND TRENDING NE WITH 25-DEG NORTH PITCH. SECOND ORE BODY IS SO-CALLED "CHIMNEY," A NEAR-VERTICAL SHOOT. OTHER ORE OCCURS AT INTERSECTIONS OF CONTACT FAULT AND VERTICAL FRACTURES HAVING N-S AND E-W TRENDS.

References

Reference (Deposit): SPURR, J.E., 1898, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS MON. 31, P. 172-173

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1971, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ASPEN QUADRANGLE, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-933.

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1972, MAP SHOWING MINES, PROSPECTS, AND AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT SILVER, LEAD, AND ZINC PRODUCTION IN THE ASPEN QUADRANGLE, PITKIN COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP I-785-D

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 2245

Reference (Deposit): MINERALS TODAY, MARCH 1991, P. 29.

Colorado Mining Photos

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