Old Placers

The Old Placers is a gold mine located in Santa Fe county, New Mexico at an elevation of 6,519 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: Old Placers
Secondary: Placers: Cunningham Placer
Secondary: Delores Placer
Secondary: Arroyo Viejo Placer

Commodity

Primary: Gold

Location

State: New Mexico
County: Santa Fe
District: Old Placers 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: Universal Placer Mining Corp.
Years: 1940 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Placer
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1828
Year Last Production: 1940
Discovery Year: 1828
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral Not In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Mexican Highland

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: L
Description: Detrital Fans

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Unconsolidated Deposit
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Holocene

Name: Unconsolidated Deposit
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Holocene

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Location): LOCATION IS ESTIMATED FOR THE CUNNINGHAM PLACER. THE ARROYO VIEJO PLACER AND THE DELORES PLACER ARE LOCATED TO THE NORTH. THE CADASTRAL GRID IS PROJECTED IN THIS AREA. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1979

Comment (Production): THE PLACERS ARE REPORTED TO HAVE PRODUCED NEARLY $2 MILLION IN GOLD DURING THE 19TH CENTURY. THE PEAK YEARS WERE BETWEEN 1832 AND 1835, WHEN THE ANNUAL OUTPUT WAS BETWEEN $30,000 AND $80,000. THE LAST ATTEMPT TO MINE THE PLACERS IN 1939 AND 1940 ACCOUNTED FOR MOST OF THE PRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT IN THE 1900-1940 PERIOD, BUT WAS NOT A FINANCIAL SUCCESS.

Comment (Deposit): PLACER GOLD WAS FOUND IN MANY PLACES AT THE BASE OF THE ORTIZ MOUNTAINS, IN UNCONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS.

Comment (Workings): THE ORE WAS FOUND USING PRIMITIVE PANNING AND SLUICING METHODS AS WELL AS SHAFTS AND PITS. THE SCARCITY OF WATER WAS ALWAYS A PROBLEM. TO THE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF THE GRAVELS.

References

Reference (Deposit): NMBMMR GENERAL FILE DATA

Reference (Deposit): ELSTON, W.E., 1967, NMBMMR BULL 81, P. 43-49

Reference (Deposit): LINDGREN, W., L.C. GRATON, AND C.H. GORDON, 1910, USGS PP 68, P. 170-175

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