Idaho Mine

The Idaho Mine is a gold and silver mine located in La Plata county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,839 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: Idaho Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Gertrude, MS 16616
Secondary: Cathryn, MS 16616
Secondary: Hartford, MS 17108
Secondary: Lord Kitchner, MS 17108
Secondary: Good Hopes, MS 17124
Secondary: Sunrise, MS 17124
Secondary: Idaho Mill Site, MS 18320
Secondary: Alpine, MS 18321
Secondary: Idaho No. 1, MS 18321
Secondary: Idaho No. 2, MS 18321
Secondary: Valley View, MS 18321
Secondary: Pay Day, MS 19516a
Secondary: Pay Day Mill Site, MS 19516b
Secondary: Midnight No. 1, MS 19646
Secondary: Midnight No. 2, MS 19646
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Arizona
Secondary: Happy
Secondary: Nest Egg

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Secondary: Lead
Secondary: Copper
Tertiary: Tellurium
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Antimony

Location

State: Colorado
County: La Plata
District: California (La Plata) 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: L. E. M. Myers
Home Office: Hesperus, Co.
Years: 1949 -

Owner Name: Consolidated Gold Mining Co.
Home Office: Hesperus, Co.
Years: 1949 -

Production

Year: 1937
Description: Ap_Grade: ^0.45 Oz/Ton Au, 4 To 5 Oz/Ton Ag, Trace Pb-Zn (Milling Ore)
Year: 1938
Description: Ap_Grade: ^4.8 Oz/Ton Au, 70.3 Oz/Ton Ag, 4.9% Pb, 5% Zn
Year: 1937
Description: Ap_Grade: ^36.97 Oz/Ton Au, 153 Oz/Ton Ag, 9.5% Pb, 4.6% Zn (Crude Ore)

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1903
Year Last Production: 1938
Discovery Year: 1902
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: Navajo Section

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Polymetallic veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Four Corners Platform

Type: L
Description: La Plata Dome, Idaho-May Day Fault System

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

Name: Diorite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Late Jurassic

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

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: ORE AVERAGED 2.88 OZ/TON AU AND 22 OZ/TON AG. CRUDE ORE (AS REPORTED IN CDM ANN. OPERATOR REPTS.) CONTAINED 1 TO 25 OZ/TON AU WITH HIGHS OF 155.55 AND 350 OZ/TON AU, AND 10 TO 250 OZ/TON AG WITH HIGHS OF 1164 AND 7000 OZ/TON AG.

Materials

Ore: Krennerite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Petzite
Ore: Bromyrite
Ore: Cerargyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Calaverite
Ore: Sylvanite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Quartz

Comments

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCKS CONSIST OF SW-DIPPING TRIASSIC AND JURASSIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS INTRUDED BY DIORITE-MONZONITE DIKES AND CUT BY EAST-WEST-TRENDING IDAHO-MAY DAY FAULT SYSTEM. MAJOR REVERSE FAULTS OF SYSTEM BELIEVED TO BE PRE-ORE, EXERTING CONTROL OVER EXTENT AND FLOW DIRECTION OF MINERALIZING SOLUTIONS. SERIES OF NORTH-TRENDING, STEEPLY EAST DIPPING NORMAL FAULTS CONTAIN PRINCIPAL VEINS. IDAHO VEIN KNOWN ONLY NORTH OF IDAHO FAULT, TRENDS NNW, DIPS EAST. HIGH-GRADE ORE SHOOTS LOCATED AT ABRUPT CHANGES IN STRIKE OR DIP AND NEAR INTERSECTION WITH IDAHO FAULT, WITH MOST VEIN ORE BETWEEN WALLS OF ENTRADA SANDSTONE. VALLEY VIEW VEIN CONTAINS REPLACEMENT ORE IN PONY EXPRESS LIMESTONE AND SOME ORE IN JUNCTION CREEK SANDSTONE.

Comment (Development): VALLEY VIEW CLAIM DISCOVERED IN 1902; IDAHO MINE BEGAN PRODUCTION IN 1903, WITH LARGER SCALE PRODUCTION BY 1907. IN 1910 DISPUTE AROSE OVER APEX RIGHTS BETWEEN VALLEY VIEW AND MAY DAY MANAGEMENTS; LITIGATION ENDED IN 1912 WHEN COURT ORDERED TRANSFER OF PART OF VALLEY VIEW'S CLAIMS TO MAY DAY. UNTIL 1933, ALL ORE EITHER SHIPPED CRUDE OR WASHED AND HAND-SORTED TO SHIPPING GRADE. IN 1933 IDAHO MINE WAS ACQUIRED BY LA PLATA MOUNTAINS GOLD MINES CO., WHICH IN 1936 FORMED SUBSIDIARY (PIONEER GOLD PRODUCERS) TO BUILD CUSTOM MILL, WHICH OPERATED IN 1936-1937. IN 1938 COMPANIES BECAME CONSOLIDATED GOLD PRODUCERS, INC. IDAHO AND MAY DAY MINES ACCOUNT FOR OVER HALF OF DISTRICT'S PRODUCTION.

Comment (Production): COMPLETE PRODUCTION RECORD. NO PRODUCTION REPORTED FOR 1905, 1915, 1927-1928, 1932, 1934, AND AFTER 1938. CRUDE ORE, CONCENTRATES, AND GRADES FOR 1938 FROM CDM ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS. DISCREPANCIES NOTED BETWEEN TABULATED ORE FIGURES AND THOSE REPORTED IN CDM RECORDS FOR 1917-1936. THOSE TABULATED BY ECKEL AND OTHERS MAY OR MAY NOT INCLUDE BOTH MILLING AND CRUDE TONNAGES; SO, CUMULATIVE ORE TONNAGE FIGURE IS CITED AS ESTIMATED.

Comment (Workings): IDAHO MINE DEVELOPED BY TWO TUNNELS. NO. 1 TUNNEL LOCATED AT MILL SITE AND DRIVEN N 75 E FOR 490 FT TO IDAHO VEIN, THENCE EAST TO S 30 E FOR 180 FT TO SPLIT OF IDAHO FAULT, THENCE S 85 W ALONG SPLIT TO FACE AND N 85 E FOR 60 FT ALONG SPLIT, THENCE S 60 E FOR 160 FT TO VALLEY VIEW VEIN WHERE DRIFTS CONNECT WITH MAY DAY NOS. 3 AND 4 WORKINGS. DRIFT ON IDAHO VEIN EXTENDS 100 FT SOUTH AND 160 FT NORTH. CDM REPORTS (PRESUMABLY OF NO. 1 TUNNEL) CITE RAISE TO 30-FT, 70-FT, AND 185-FT INTERMEDIATE LEVELS AT 200 FT FROM PORTAL. NO. 2 TUNNEL LOCATED 300 FT ENE OF AND 130 FT ABOVE NO. 1 PORTAL, DRIVEN GENERALLY EAST FOR 1230 FT ALONG IDAHO FAULT TO GERTRUDE VEIN ON WHICH SHORT NW AND SE DRIFTS DRIVEN WITH 194-FT RAISE ON NW DRIFT. AT 480 FT FROM PORTAL, SOUTH DRIFT DRIVEN ON VALLEY VIEW VEIN FOR ABOUT 250 FT WITH VALLEY VIEW INCLINED RAISE AT 160 FT. AT 140 FT FROM PORTAL, NORTH DRIFT DRIVEN GENERALLY N 13 E FOR 390 FT ON IDAHO VEIN; AT 140 FT ALONG DRIFT, EAST CROSSCUT DRIVEN GENERALLY S 75 E

Comment (Workings): FOR 630 FT TO FACE. INTERSECTING ALPINE VEIN AT 140 FT ALONG CROSSCUT WITH 110-FT DRIFT DRIVEN SSE. MIDNIGHT TUNNEL LOCATED 1100 FT EAST OF IDAHO NO. 1, DRIVEN GENERALLY NORTH FOR ABOUT 130 FT WITH 30-FT NE BRANCH AT 100 FT FROM PORTAL.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). CLAIMS LIE EAST OF LA PLATA RIVER AT SW BASE OF OHWILER RIDGE FROM JUST ABOVE BAY CITY GULCH TO LITTLE DEADWOOD GULCH, 3.15 MILES SSW OF LA PLATA TOWNSITE (UNSURVEYED SECTIONS). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR NO. 2 PORTAL 300 FT EAST OF MILL SITE (NE NW SEC. 28). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1974

Comment (Commodity): ORE MINERALS LISTED ARE GENERAL OCCURRENCES REPORTED FOR BOTH IDAHO AND MAY DAY MINES

References

Reference (Deposit): ECKEL, E.B., AND OTHERS, 1949, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF THE LA PLATA DISTRICT, COLORADO: USGS PROF. PAPER 219, P. 73-76, 143-149, PLS. 25, 26.

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES INF. REPTS. AND ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 16616, 17108, 17124, 18320, 18321, 19516A&B, 19646

Reference (Production): ECKEL AND OTHERS, 1949, P. 144 (AS COMPILED FROM USGS AND USBM RECORDS); COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

Colorado Mining Photos

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