St. Louis Tunnel

The St. Louis Tunnel is a silver, lead, zinc, and gold mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,845 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: St. Louis Tunnel

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Lead
Primary: Zinc
Primary: Gold
Tertiary: Bismuth
Tertiary: Tellurium

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pioneer (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: Rico-Argentine Mining Co.
Home Office: Rico, Co.
Years: 1950 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
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, Blackhawk Fault, Princeton Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Pennsylvanian

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Tetradymite
Gangue: Fluorite

Comments

Comment (Development): ST. LOUIS TUNNEL DRIVEN IN 1930-1931 BY ST. LOUIS SMELTING AND REFINING CO. TO EXPLORE DEEP HORIZONS BELOW CHC HILL. ORIGINALLY ONLY DRIVEN TO PRINCETON FAULT, BUT LATER IN 1950S, RICO-ARGENTINE EXTENDED IT TO ITS WORKINGS ON SILVER CREEK. LEADVILLE-OURAY LIMESTONE TARGETS NEVER REACHED DUE TO UNUSUAL THICKNESS OF LOWER HERMOSA FM, BUT SOME ORE WAS PRODUCED.

Comment (Deposit): TUNNEL TRAVERSES LOWER HERMOSA FM SANDSTONE, SHALE, LIMESTONE, AND DOLOMITE DIPPING GENTLY SSW BUT STEP FAULTED SO AS TO LIMIT AMOUNT OF EXPOSED STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION. BLACKHAWK FAULT HAS DISPLACEMENT OF ABOUT 200 FT. SOME ORE TAKEN FROM PYRITIC BEDS IN LOWER HERMOSA ON HANGIN WALL OF BLACKHAWK FAULT. DUE TO UNUSAUL THICKNESS OF LOWER HERMOSA, LEADVILLE AND OURAY LIMESTONE TARGETS WERE NEVER ENCOUNTERED. PYRITE INTERSECTED IN DRILL HOLES THOUGHT TO REPRESENT REPLACEMENT IN LIMESTONE AND DOLOMITE. BLACKHAWK FAULT BELIEVED TO BE TRUNK CHANNEL FOR INTRODUCTION OF ORE SOLUTIONS IN CHC HILL MINES. ALTHOUGH PRINCETON FAULT WAS EARLY BREAK, IT APPARENTLY HAD NO MINERALIZING INFLUENCE BUT SEPARATED BLOCKS THAT WERE LATER MINERALIZED THROUGH BLACKHAWK TRANSCURRENT FAULT (EXTENSIVE DEPOSITS CONTAINED IN PRINCETON'S FOOTWALL BLOCK.

Comment (Workings): ST LOUIS DEEP CROSSCUT TUNNEL DRIVEN N 70 E FOR 5150 FT. WITH RAISES AT 4170, 4380, 4565, 4620, 4800, 4820, 4960, AND 5150 FT FROM PORTAL. AT 4540 FT FROM PORTAL, DRIFT DRIVEN SE ALONG BLACKHAWK FAULT FOR 4450 FT TO RICO-ARGENTINE WORKINGS ON SILVER CREEK; AT 375 FT IN DRIFT, DRIFT CUTS PRINCETON FAULT ON WHICH 150-FT DRIFT DRIVEN WITH RAISE TO IRON ROD WORKINGS FROM END OF SW BRANCH; OTHER RAISE AT 460 FT IN MAIN DRIFT. AT 4560 FT FROM PORTAL, NW DRIFT DRIVEN ON BLACKHAWK FAULT FOR 2880 FT, WITH RAISES AT 780, 950, 1430 (TO MOUNTAIN SPRINGS LEVEL), 2270 (TO SHERIDAN LEVEL), AND 2765 FT FROM CROSSCUT. APPROX TOTAL EXTENT OF TUNNELS AND DRIFTS (EXCLUSIVE OF RAISES) 13000 FT.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AT WEST BASE OF CHC HILL ON EAST SIDE OF DOLORES RIVER (UNSURVEYED SECTION). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FROM MCKNIGHT, 1974, PL. 1 (1930 BASE). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

References

Reference (Deposit): MCKNIGHT, E.T., 1974, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE RICO DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 723, P. 79-81.

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

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

Reference (Deposit): CROSS, WHITMAN, AND RANSOME, F.L., 1905, DESCRIPTION OF THE RICO QUADRANGLE: USGS FOLIO 130.

Colorado Mining Photos

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