Rosebud Mine

The Rosebud Mine is a silver, copper, and lead mine located in Dolores county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,639 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: Rosebud Mine
Secondary: Unpatented Claims: Rosebud Nos. 1-3
Secondary: Rosebud Extension
Secondary: Rosebud Mill Site
Secondary: Black Imp Nos. 1-3
Secondary: Robert Rom

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Primary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Manganese
Tertiary: Sulfur

Location

State: Colorado
County: Dolores
District: Lone Cone (Dunton) 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: Warren E. Wright
Home Office: Clifton, Co.
Years: 1981 -

Production

Year: 1919
Description: Ap_Grade: ^132.6 Oz/Ton Ag, 1% Pb
Year: 1921
Material type: CON AG ZN ACC
Description: Ap_Grade: ^74.8 Oz/Ton Ag, 0.5% Zn

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1921
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 veins

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Uplift, Paradox Basin

Type: L
Description: Rico Dome, Calico Peak Anticline, Unnamed Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

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

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Tennantite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Rhodochrosite
Gangue: Sulfur

Comments

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). EXACT LOCATION UNCERTAIN. BASTIN (1922) REPORTS MINE ON GAS CREEK (SILVER CREEK OR JOHNNY BULL CREEK) ABOUT 3 MILES ABOVE WEST DOLORES RIVER. CDM RECORDS GIVE LOCATION AS BOTH JOHN BULL CREEK AND SILVER CREEK. AIRPHOTOS SUGGEST LOCATION ALONG SILVER CREEK 1.2 MILES ABOVE JOHNNY BULL CREEK CONFLUENCE AND WEST OF PROMINENT NNW-TRENDING FAULT (ROSEBUD VEIN?) IN NW CORNER OF RICO QUAD. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Deposit): BASED ON GIVEN LOCATION, SITE LIES ON OR NEAR CREST OF CALICO PEAK ANTICLINE WEST OF PRINCIPAL GRABEN AT DUNTON. CUTLER AND DOLORES FM SEDIMENTS CUT BY GENERALLY N 6 W-TRENDING FAULT, DOWNDROPPED ON SW. AT ITS MAPPED SOUTHERN END, FAULT AND SEVERAL SHORT PARALLEL SLIPS OFFSET WNW-TRENDING DIKE OF CALICO PEAK PORPHYRY. BASTIN'S (1922) OBSERVATION IN LOWER TUNNEL SHOWED 1- TO 4- FT-WIDE VEIN, IN PLACES COMPOSED OF BRECCIA OF SHALE FRAGMENTS CONTAINING DISSEMINATED PYRITE. ELSEWHERE RHODOCHROSITE AND CALCITE ENCLOSE SMALL IRREGULAR MASSES OF ARGENTIFEROUS TENNANTITE AND CHALCOPYRITE LOCALLY INTERGROWN WITH GALENA AND SPHALERITE. TENNANTITE ALSO ENCRUSTS FRACTURES WITH FINE CRYSTALLINE CHALCOPYRITE AND SOME PYRITE. POST-MINERALIZATION FAULTING IN VEIN PRODUCED GOUGE-FILLED SLIP PLANES WITH SCATTERED REMNANTS OF RHODOCHROSITE.

Comment (Workings): BASTIN (1922) DESCRIBES WORKINGS AS OF 1913 AS 540-FT (MAIN) CROSSCUT DRIVEN EAST TO VEIN, WITH 225-FT NORTH DRIFT; HIGHER TUNNEL DRIVEN 500 FT ON VEIN BUT ACCESSIBLE ONLY THROUGH RAISE FROM LOWER TUNNEL. THIRD TUNNEL SITUATED SOUTH OF CREEK AND DRIVEN 75 FT ALONG VEIN. CDM CITES WORKINGS AS TWO ADITS, 1100 FT AND 600 FT LONG, INTERSECTING AT ENDS. IN 1960, EAST CROSSCUT DESCRIBED AS DRIVEN S 80 E FOR 600 FT WITH 50-FT SOUTH DRIFT AT END OF WHICH WAS 40-FT RAISE TO ANOTHER DRIFT. IN 1961, AS MANY AS 4 TUNNELS MENTIONED, MAIN TUNNEL DESCRIBED AS 850 FT LONG WITH 40-FT RAISE AT 800 FT TO NO. 2 TUNNEL (300 FT LONG); OPEN CUTS.

References

Reference (Production): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANNUAL OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): BUSH, A.L., AND BROMFIELD, C.S., 1966, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE DOLORES PAK QUADRANGLE, DOLORES AND SAN MIGUEL COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-536.

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): BASTIN, E.S., 1922, SILVER ENRICHMENT IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 735-D, P. 124-127.

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

Colorado Mining Photos

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