Beaver Creek District

The Beaver Creek District is a gold and silver mine located in Saguache county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,009 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: Beaver Creek District
Secondary: Midland District
Secondary: Patented Claims: Noah, MS 6907a
Secondary: Golden Ark, MS 6907a
Secondary: South Beaver Mill Site, MS 6907b
Secondary: Gold Cord, MS 12592
Secondary: Continental, MS 13410
Secondary: Iron Clad, MS 13410
Secondary: Minnehaha, MS 13410
Secondary: King, MS 13410
Secondary: Oro, MS 13410
Secondary: Summit, MS 13410
Secondary: Lone Star, MS 17163
Secondary: Beaver, MS 17165
Secondary: Pueblo, MS 18715
Secondary: Mascot, MS 18894
Secondary: Little Hope, MS 18894
Secondary: Boston, MS 20538
Secondary: Fairview, MS 20538

Commodity

Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Lead

Location

State: Colorado
County: Saguache
District: Beaver Creek (Midland) 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.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: Patrick O'Fallon Continental Mine)
Home Office: Gunnison, Co.
Years: 1932 -

Owner Name: Owen O'Fallon, C.E. Lyman, And B.M. Lyman Continental Mine)
Home Office: Gunnison, Co.
Years: 1932 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: District
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year Last Production: 1932
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Gunnison Uplift, San Juan Volcanic Field

Type: L
Description: Gunnison Gold Belt, Iron Hill Alkalic Complex

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock Unit
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Name: Quartz Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Neoproterozoic

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Ore: Gold
Ore: Galena
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Magnetite

Comments

Comment (Commodity): BASE METALS OCCUR ONLY IN TRACE AMOUNTS

Comment (Location): DISTRICT LIES ON WEST SIDE OF SOUTH BEAVER CREEK ON EAST SIDE OF DIVIDE BETWEEN SUGAR CREEK AND SOUTH BEAVER CREEK. DISTRICT ACCESSIBLE VIA TRAIL OVER DIVIDE FROM ROAD UP SUGAR CREEK (VIA POLE AND WILLOW CREEKS) SOUTH FROM COLORADO RTE 149 AND BLUE MESA RESERVOIR. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR 9010 BENCH MARK ON SOUTH BEAVER CREEK AT MIDLAND MILL SITE IN SE SW SE SW SEC. 12, T47N, R1W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Comment (Deposit): COUNTRY ROCK CONSISTS OF SCHIST AND AMPHIBOLITE OF DUBOIS GREENSTONE REPRESENTING METAMORPHOSED BASALT AND ANDESITE FLOWS AND WHOSE FOLIATION TRENDS GENERALLY N 40 TO 60 W, 60 TO 85 SW. MAGNETITE-BEARING QUARTZITE (METACHERT) LAYERS ARE INTERCALATED ALONG FOLIATION IN METAVOLCANICS. LARGE LAYER OF LEUCOGRANITE ALSO INTRUDED ALONG GENERAL TREND OF FOLIATION IN SCHIST. WITH NEW INTERPRETATION OF GUNNISON GOLD BELT DEPOSITS, THAT AT MIDLAND MINE REPORTED TO BE AU, POSSIBLY AURIFEROUS PYRITE OR AURIFEROUS CHERT, ASSOCIATED WITH MAGNETITE-BEARING QUARTZITE OR METACHERT LAYER WITH TRACE OCCURRENCES OF BASE METALS (SHERIDAN AND OTHERS, 1981, P. 275). WHETHER OR NOT BASE METALS REPRESENT MASSIVE SULFIDE OCCURRENCE CHARACTERISTIC OF GOLD BELT IS UNKNOWN AS NO OTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF DISTRICT WERE FOUND. DEPOSIT AT CONTINENTAL MINE IS UNCERTAIN BUT WAS ORIGINALLY DESCRIBED AS VEIN, POSSIBLY RELATED TO EMPLACEMENT OF GRANITE LAYER.

Comment (Workings): SHAFTS FROM 85 TO 300 FT DEEP; TUNNELS FROM 120 TO ABOUT 150 LONG WITH DRIFTS AND CROSSCUTS; OPEN CUTS AND SURFACE PROSPECTS.

Comment (Deposit): BLM CLAIM RECORDS ASSIGN DISTRICT NAMES OF BOTH "BEAVER CREEK" AND "MIDLAND" TO CLAIMS AT AND NEAR MIDLAND AND CONTINENTAL MINES. FOR CONSISTENCY, DISTRICT IS ASSIGNED PREFERRED NAME OF "BEAVER CREEK." INDIVIDUAL RECORDS PREPARED FOR ONLY TWO KNOWN DEVELOPED PROPERTIES: MIDLAND MINE AND CONTINENTAL MINE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Comment (Development): HISTORY OF DISTRICT LARGELY UNKNOWN. DISCOVERIES AND EARLY MINING IN AREA LED TO ESTABLISHMENT OF SMALL MINING TOWNS OF DUBOIS, SPENCER, VULCAN, AND MIDWAY IN LATE 1880S. POST-1900 RECORDS INDICATE ONLY INTERMITTENT PRODUCTION FROM SEVERAL LARGER MINES, SUCH AS HEADLIGHT, OLD LOT, ANACONDA, AND MAMMOTH-GOOD HOPE, ALL TO WEST. ONLY REPORTED PRODUCTION FROM BEAVER CREEK DISTRICT WAS AU-AG ORE FROM CONTINENTAL MINE IN 1932.

References

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS MS 6907A&B, 12592, 13410, 17163, 17165, 18715, 18894, 20538

Reference (Deposit): SHERIDAN, D.M., AND OTHERS, 1981, PRECAMBRIAN SULFIDE DEPOSITS IN THE GUNNISON REGION, COLORADO, IN EPIS, R.C., AND CALLENDER, J.F., EDS., WESTERN SLOPE COLORADO: NEW MEXICO GEOL. SOC. 32D FIELD CONF. GUIDEBOOK, P. 273-277.

Reference (Deposit): OLSON, J.C., AND OTHERS, 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SPRING HILL CREEK QUADRANGLE, SAGUACHE COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP MF-713.

Reference (Deposit): HEDLUND, D.C., AND OLSON, J.C., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE POWDERHORN QUADRANGLE, GUNNISON AND SAGUACHE COUNTIES, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1178.

Colorado Mining Photos

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