Orient Iron Mine

The Orient Iron Mine is a iron mine located in Saguache county, Colorado at an elevation of 9,101 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: Orient Iron Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Anna Lee
Secondary: Beehive, MS 1504
Secondary: Booth, MS 11400
Secondary: Brutus, MS 11400
Secondary: Caesar, MS 11400
Secondary: Cleopatra, MS 11400
Secondary: D.W. Jones
Secondary: Enterprise, MS 1506
Secondary: Ephemeris, MS 11400
Secondary: Flag, MS 1507
Secondary: Grand Tower
Secondary: Grand View
Secondary: Hamlet, MS 11400
Secondary: Ironton
Secondary: Macbeth, MS 11400
Secondary: Mcclelland, MS 1684
Secondary: Mercutio, MS 11400
Secondary: Nero, MS 11400
Secondary: Othello, MS 11400
Secondary: Poormans, MS 4933
Secondary: Portia, MS 11400
Secondary: Prospector, MS 1505
Secondary: Runaway, MS 1539
Secondary: Security Placer, MS 1903
Secondary: Top Gallant, MS 11400
Secondary: Trilby, MS 11400
Secondary: Valley View, MS 8940
Secondary: Villa Grove
Secondary: Vivia B., MS 4988
Secondary: West Virginia

Commodity

Primary: Iron
Tertiary: Manganese
Tertiary: Copper
Tertiary: Graphite

Location

State: Colorado
County: Saguache
District: Orient area

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

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: C. F. And I. Steel Corp.
Home Office: Pueblo, Co.
Years: 1931 -

Production

Year: 1931
Description: Ap_Grade: ^42.31% Fe
Year: 1930
Description: Ap_Grade: ^42.75% Fe
Year: 1929
Description: Ap_Grade: ^43% Fe
Year: 1927
Description: Ap_Grade: ^42-52% Fe, 0-3.5% Mn
Year: 1926
Description: Ap_Grade: ^42-52% Fe, 0-3.5% Mn
Year: 1924
Description: Ap_Grade: ^50% Fe
Year: 1923
Description: Ap_Grade: ^50% Fe
Year: 1922
Description: Ap_Grade: ^47.1% Fe
Year: 1921
Description: Ap_Grade: ^40% Fe
Year: 1917
Description: Ap_Grade: ^50% Fe
Year: 1916
Description: Ap_Grade: ^45.8% Fe
Year: 1928
Description: Ap_Grade: ^42.6% Fe
Year: 1925
Description: Ap_Grade: ^44-54% Fe, 0-3.5% Mn
Year: 1920
Description: Ap_Grade: ^Approx. 43% Fe

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: replacement
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Year First Production: 1880
Year Last Production: 1931
Discovery Year: 1880
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

Model Name: Karst-hosted Fe, Al, Pb-Zn
Model Name: Polymetallic replacement

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: Sawatch Arch, Sangre De Cristo Range, Rio Grande Rift

Type: L
Description: Sangre De Cristo Fault, Steel Canyon Anticline

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Mississippian

Name: Limestone
Role: Host
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Mississippian

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: 0.01 TO 0.1 % CO, NI
Analytical Data: SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS SHOWS 0.001 TO 0.01 % GA, PB, TI, ZR, CR
Analytical Data: PROSPECTOR, 55.56, 0.058
Analytical Data: 0.1 TO 1.0 % CU, MN. AVERAGE ORE ASSAYED 43.3 % FE, 0.026 % P, 0.06 % S, 7.87 % SI02, 1.43 % MN, 0.92 % AL203, 1.92 % CA0, 0.61 % MGO, 10.17 % L01, 12.3 % H20. USBM CHARACTER SAMPLE A SSAYED 40.1 % FE, 0.01 % P,0.36 % S, 11.8 % SI02, 0.5 % MN, 16 % L01. ANALYSES OF VARIOUS LODE ORES GAVE FOLLING RESPECTIVE PERCENTAGES OF FE AND P: B EEHIVE, 54.47, 0.026
Analytical Data: SAGUACHE, 45.39, 0.045. H1GH-GRADE ORE FROM DRILL HOLE ASSAYED 59.6 % FE, 3.6 % SI02, 0.65 % MN, 1.0 % CA0. THREE SAMPLES OF YELLOW OCHRE CONTAINED 26.0 TO 31.7 % FE AND 33.6 TO 38.7 % SI02.
Analytical Data: MCCLELLAND, 55.61, 0.034
Analytical Data: POORMANS, 51.64, 0.055

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Limonite
Gangue: Ankerite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite
Gangue: Graphite
Gangue: Calcite
Trace: Gold

Comments

Comment (Geology): GEOL.DESC: OXIDATION OF PYROMETASOMATIC MAGNETITE - HEMITITE DEPOSITS, ORE BODIES PARALLEL TO BEDDING PLANE OF LST.

Comment (Commodity): AMORPHOUS GRAPHITE DISCOVERED IN 1924 BUT WAS TOO SMALL QUANTITY TO MINE

Comment (Workings): SEVERAL TUNNELS, DRIFTS, AND RAISES, AT LEAST 2 ANDPOSSIBLY 5 LEVELS, SURFACE GLORY HOLE

Comment (Location): AT MOUTH OF ORIENT CANYON 1 MILE NORTH OF VALLEY VIEW HOT SPRINGS ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1976)

References

Reference (Deposit): COLORADO DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS.

Reference (Deposit): STONE, J.B., 1934, LIMONITE DEPOSITS AT THE ORIENT MINE, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 29, NO. 4, P. 317-329.

Reference (Deposit): HARRER, C.M., AND TESCH, W.J., JR., 1959, RECONNAISSANCE OF IRON OCCURRENCES IN COLORADO: USBM 1C 7918.

Reference (Deposit): LITSEY, L:R., 1960, GEOLOGY NEAR ORIENT MINE, SANGRE DE CRIST0 MOUNTAINS, COLORADO, IN WEIMER, R.J., AND HAUN, J.D., EDS., GUIDE TO THE GEOLOGY OF COLORADO: RMAG, GSA, AND CSS, P. 129-131.

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEYS

Reference (Production): PRODUCTION TONNAGES AND ORE GRADES (PARTIAL RECORD) FROM COLO. DIV. MINES ANN. OPERATOR REPTS. CUMULATIVE ESTIMATE FROM HARRER AND TESCH (1959)

Colorado Mining Photos

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