Johnny Bull Mine

The Johnny Bull Mine is a copper and silver mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,699 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

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: Johnny Bull Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Johnny Bull, MS 596
Secondary: Spanking Jack, MS 7047
Secondary: Last Chance, MS 7047

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Gold
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Tellurium
Tertiary: Bismuth

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pionner (Rico) 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

Owner Name: Gold Anchor Mining Co.
Home Office: Rico, Co.
Years: 1937 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1890
Discovery Year: 1879
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: Canyon Lands

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic replacement

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, Calico Peak Stock, Calico Peak Anticline

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Kaolinitization; Silicification; Shallow Bit Intense Near-Suface Oxidation Of Ores

Rocks

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Late Triassic

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Triassic

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: MARRS' (1925) LOW-GRADE ORE SAMPLES FROM SEVERAL DUMPS AND OUTCROPS AVERAGED 0.13 OZ/TON AU, 1.4 OZ/TON AG, 0.2% PB,, 0.3% CU. MEDIUM-GRADE ORE AVERAGED 0.4 OZ/TON AU, 16.2 OZ/TON AG, 8.2% PB, 6.4% CU. HIGH-GRADE ORE (WITH VISIBLE AU) AVERAGED $4000/TON AU (194 OZ/TON AU AT $20.65/OZ,), $500/TON AG, AND $20/TON PB, CU, FE, AND S.

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Enargite
Ore: Pyrite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). NEAR HEAD OF JOHNNY BULL CREEK ON JOHNNY BULL MTN. 0.45 MILES NNW OF CALICO PEAK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM PRATT AND OTHERS (1969). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Workings): 123-FT VERTICAL SHAFT CONNECTED TO 190-FT TUNNEL DRIVEN EAST FROM WEST SIDE OF RIDGE. WORKINGS ALSO MAY INCLUDE 215-FT TUNNEL DRIVEN NE (POSSIBLY SAME TUNNEL AS ABOVE) WITH 135-FT RAISE TO GOLD ANCHOR WORKINGS.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): MARRS (1925)

Comment (Development): MARRS (1925) NOTES DISCOVERY OF MINES IN 1879 OR 1880 BY AN ITALIAN WHO PRESUMABLY FOUND OXIDIZED ORFE AT SURFACE. CLAIM BOUNDARY DISPUTE HELD PROPERTY IDLE AND IN LITIGATION UNTILL 1980 AFTER WHICH VARIOUS LEASEES HIGH-GRADED ORES AND CONDUCTED NO COORDINATED AT ORDERLY AND COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT OF DEPOSITS.

Comment (Deposit): ON NORTH SIDE OF RICO DOME, HORNBLENDE LATITE PORPHYRY AND BASALT DIKES INTRUDE CUTLER FM (PERMIAN) AND OVERLYING DOLORES FM (TRIASSIC). CALICO PEAK STOCK (PLIOCENE) AND RELATED DIKES CUT CUTLER FM. CALICO PEAK ANTICLINE PLUNGES WNW FROM WEST SIDE OF STOCK. MINE LOCATED NEAR SOUTH END OF NORTH-TRENDING LATITE DIKE RADIAL FROM CALICO PEAK STOCK. DEPOSIT BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CHIMNEY-LIKE, LOCALIZED AT FRACTURE INTERSECTION IN STRONGLY SILICIFIED AND PYRITIZED SANDSTONE; SILICIFICATION EXTENDED INTO COUNTRY ROCK, ESPECIALLY ALONG BEDDING PLANES. BELOW MAIN ORE BODY, SOME ORE FOUND IN SMALL NORMAL FAULT STRIKING N 25 W AND DIPPING NE.

References

Reference (Deposit): MARRS, G.O., 1925, REPORT ON THE GOLD ANCHOR GROUP OF MINES, PIONEER MINING DISTRICT, DOLORES COUNTY, COLORADO: UNPUB. ENG. REPT., 8 P.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 596, 7047

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): RANSOME, F.L., 1901, THE ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS 22D ANN. REPT., PT. 2, P. 357-358.

Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723.

Reference (Deposit): PRATT, W.P., AND OTHERS, 1969, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND MONTEZUMA COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-797.

Colorado Mining Photos

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