Dolores River Placers

The Dolores River Placers is a gold mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 8,442 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: Dolores River Placers
Secondary: Snyder Placer
Secondary: Patented Claims: Wyoming Belle Placer, MS 20784
Secondary: B. & S. Placer, MS 20784
Secondary: Gold Nugget Placer, MS 20784
Secondary: Lightning Placer, MS 20784

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Secondary: Silver

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Pioneer (Rico) 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.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Placer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1882
Year Last Production: 1935
Discovery Year: 1882
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

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Sand and Gravel
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Silver

Comments

Comment (Workings): SURFACE CUTS; SOME DRIFTS RUN FROM LARGER CUT OPPOSITE SCOTCH GULCH

Comment (Deposit): AU-BEARING GRAVELS FOUND BOTH ALONG STREAM BED AND IN TERRACE REMNANTS, BUT PLACERING LIMITED TO TERRACE GRAVELS. ABOVE TENDERFOOT CREEK CONFLUENCE, REMNANTS FOUND AT 40 TO 60 FT, 100 FT, 180 FT, AND 360 FT ABOVE PRESENT RIVER LEVEL. DOWNSTREAM FROM RICO, TERRACE SURFACE LOCALLY DEVELOPED 15 FT ABOVE RIVER LEVEL. BETWEEN BURNETT CREEK AND COUNTY LINE, STEEPER VALLEY WALLS SHOW ONLY ONE BEDROCK TERRACE, AT 70 FT ABOVE RIVER LEVEL. SNYDER REPORTED AU TO BE CONCENTRATED ALMOST ENTIRELY ON BEDROCK, BUT OTHER REPORTS CITE AU DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT GRAVEL SECTION. AU IS UNIFORM YELLOW COLOR WITH SOME RUST COLORED; OCCURS AS COARSE FLAKES AND WIRES. SOURCE OF AU IS MINERALIZED AREAS IN PIONEER DISTRICT AROUND RICO.

Comment (Development): WEST DOLORES RIVER PLACERS DISCOVERED SEVERAL YEARS AFTER MAJOR LODE DISCOVERIES IN PIONEER (RICO) DISTRICT. ACCORDING TO ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL (1882), "SLUICING HAS BEEN BEGUN AT THE PLACER DIGGINGS DOWN THE RIVER, AND ALTHOUGH A VERY CRUDE PROCESS WAS EMPLOYED, THE RESULT INDICATES THAT IT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL." FATHER OF ROBERT SNYDER DISCOVERED PLACERS AND WORKED THEM ON SMALL SCALE UNTIL ACTIVITY ATTRACTED ATTENTION THAT LED TO BRIEF PERIOD OF EXTENSIVE PLACERING. PLACER PROSPECTORS CAME FROM CORTEZ VIA EXCURSION TRAINS ON RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN RR. AFTER MID 1890S, PLACERS WORKED ON A SMALL SCALE INTERMITTENTLY AT LEAST THROUGH 1934.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). AU-BEARING GRAVELS EXTEND ALONG DOLORES RIVER FROM BUTNETT CREEK JUST SOUTH OF RICO TO TENDERFOOT CREEK. PRINCIPAL WORKINGS LOCATED OPPOSITE MOUTH OF SCOTCH GULCH (S2 SEC. 11), JUST UPSTREAM FROM MONTELORES STATION (S2 SEC. 15), AT BOOTLEGGER GULCH (NW SEC. 22), AND ONE-MILE STRETCH ABOVE TENDERFOOT CREEK (SECS. 27 AND 28). ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR MONTELORES STATION (SITE) ON DOLORES-MONTEZUMA COUNTY LINE AT DOLORES RIVER (SECS. 15 AND 22). ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

References

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

Reference (Deposit): PARKER, B.H., JR., 1974, GOLD PLACERS OF COLORADO: COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES QUART., V. 69, NO. 4, P. 190-194.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 20784

Reference (Deposit): ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, 1882, V. 34, P. 190.

Reference (Deposit): PARKER, B.H., JR., 1968, PLACER GOLD IN SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO, IN SHOMAKER, JOHN, ED., GUIDEBOOK OF SAN JUAN-SAN MIGUEL-LA PLATA REGION, NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 19TH FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 177-179.

Colorado Mining Photos

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