Smuggler Mine

The Smuggler Mine is a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Pitkin county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,081 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

Name: Smuggler Mine  

State:  Colorado

County:  Pitkin

Elevation: 8,081 Feet (2,463 Meters)

Commodity: Silver, Lead, Zinc

Lat, Long: 39.19278, -106.80639

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.


Satelite image of the Smuggler Mine

Smuggler Mine MRDS details

Site Name

Primary: Smuggler Mine
Secondary: Smuggler - Durant
Secondary: Claims: Smuggler
Secondary: Emma
Secondary: Trueworthy
Secondary: General Jackson
Secondary: Silver Brick
Secondary: I. X. L.
Secondary: Leadville
Secondary: Accident
Secondary: Ground Hog
Secondary: Glendale
Secondary: Arkansaw
Secondary: Williams Ranch


Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Manganese
Tertiary: Cadmium
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Uranium


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: Unknown


Ownership

Owner Name: Mcculloch Oil Corp.
Home Office: Los Angeles, Ca.
Years: 1969 -

Owner Name: Mcculloch Consolidated Mining Co.
Home Office: Aspen, Co.
Years: 1969 -


Production

Year: 1940
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.01 Oz/Ton Au, 9.9 Oz/Ton Ag, 8.32% Pb, 3.65% Zn, 2.1% Fe, 1.5% S
Year: 1939
Description: Ap_Grade: ^3 Oz/Ton Ag, 3% Pb
Year: 1939
Description: Ap_Grade: ^403 Oz/Ton Ag
Year: 1939
Description: Ap_Grade: ^403 Oz/Ton Ag
Year: 1931
Description: Ap_Grade: ^5.312 Oz/Ton Ag, L. T. 2% Pb
Year: 1930
Description: Ap_Grade: ^8 Oz/Ton Ag, 5% Pb, 6% Zn, 5% Fe, 2% S
Year: 1929
Description: Ap_Grade: ^10 Oz/Ton Ag, 9% Pb, 12% Zn, 6% Fe, 4% S
Year: 1929
Description: Ap_Grade: ^8.5 Oz/Ton Ag, 5% Pb, 6% Zn, 5% Fe, 2% S


Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1882
Year Last Production: 1948
Discovery Year: 1881
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: M


Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains


Mineral Deposit Model

Not available


Orebody

Not available


Structure

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

Type: L
Description: Silver Fault, Clark Fault, Smuggler Fault, Della Fault, Emma Fault


Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Near-Complete Oxidation Of Zn Ore; Dolomitization; Ferration


Rocks

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

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


Analytical Data

Not available


Materials

Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Siderite


Comments

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. FIGURES FOR EARLY 1880S TO 1915 NOT AVAILABLE. NO PRODUCTION RECORDED FOR 1921, 1949-50. NO CDM RECORDS FOR 1925, 1932-36, 1943-47. RECORD BUT NO FIGURES FOR 1937. REMAINING ANNUAL AND CUMULATIVE FIGURES SHOWN MAY NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENT SMUGGLER MINE PRODUCTION BECAUSE MANY PROPERTIES WERE CONSOLIDATED THRU OWNERSHIP AND LEASE BY SMUGGLER LEASING CO. AND REPORTED AS SAME. VARIOUS PRODUCTION CREDITS AS FOLLOWS: 1916-23, SMUGGLER LEASING CO.; 1925, LATE ACQUISITION TUNNEL (TRAYNOR ET. AL.) AND LENADO, RESPECTIVELY; 1926, SMUGGLER-DURANT, LENADO, GREAT WESTERN & LATE ACQUISITION; 1927, SMUGGLER AND DURANT; 1931 AND 1938, SMUGGLER LEASING AND SPAR CONSOLIDATED; 1942, ASPENLEASE, VETERAN TUNNEL, SPAR, UPPER AND LOWER DURANT; 1948, DURANT. FOR 1949-50, EXPLORATION ONLY, NO PRODUCTION (LAST CDM RECORD.

Comment (Development): FOLLOWING HIGH PRODUCTION IN LATE 1800S, MANY MINE PROPERTIES WERE CONSOLIDATED, AND SMUGGLER LEASING CO. OWNED AND/OR OPERATED NUMEROUS CLAIMS ON SMUGGLER MTN. AND ASPEN MTN. VARIOUS PROPERTIES INTERMITTENTLY WORKED TO 1950 BUT PRODUCTION WAS REPORTED UNDER GENERAL NAMES OF SMUGGLER LEASING CO. AND SMUGGLER-DURANT MINING CORP.

Comment (Workings): D002512 HAS BEEN MERGED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED.

Comment (Location): IN SMUGGLER MOUNTAIN AREA AT BASE OF NW END. ELEV AND LAT-LONG FROM BRYANT (1972) ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1980)


References

Reference (Deposit): SPURR, J. E., 1898, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS MON. 31, P. 185-188

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): VOLIN, M. E., AND HILD, J. H., 1950, INVESTIGATION OF SMUGGLER LEAD-ZINC MINE, ASPEN, PITKIN COUNTY, COLO.: USBM RI-4696, 47 P.

Reference (Deposit): HEYL, A. V., 1964, OXIDIZED ZINC DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES, PART 3--COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1135-C, P. 26-28, 60-62.

Reference (Deposit): BRYANT, BRUCE, 1979, GEOLOGY OF THE ASPEN 15-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, PITKIN AND GUNNISON COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 1073, P. 108-109.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 1656, 2120, 3740 AM, 3941, 3952, 5051, 5270 AM, 5835, 6858, 6859, 8394

Reference (Production): COLO. DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATORS REPTS.


Colorado Mining Photos

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