Columbia

The Columbia is a copper, gold, and silver mine located in Baker county, Oregon.

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: Columbia

Commodity

Primary: Copper
Primary: Gold
Primary: Silver
Tertiary: Mercury
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Antimony
Tertiary: Arsenic

Location

State: Oregon
County: Baker
District: Cracker Creek

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: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Type: Underground

Ownership

Owner Name: Cracker Creek Mining Co.

Owner Name: Brooks Minerals Inc.
Years: 1980 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Unknown
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Columbia Plateau
Physiographic Section: Blue Mountain Section
Physiographic Detail: Blue Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: East-West Striking Thrust Fault

Type: L
Description: Vein Fills A Normal Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Gabbro
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock Unit
Age Young: Early Triassic

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: GOLD 40 PERCENT FREE. RATIO OF CONCENTRATION 10:1 TO 15:1 . RECOVERY AVERAGED ABOUT 75 PERCENT. MILL ORE AVERAGED $11.04 PER TON.

Materials

Ore: Cinnabar
Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Pyrargyrite
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Ore: Stibnite
Gangue: Calcite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Sericite

Comments

Comment (Location): ON THE NORTH POLE-COLUMBIA LODE.

Comment (Deposit): COMPOSITE QUARTZ VEIN

Comment (Workings): ABOUT 50,000 FT. OF DRIFTS, CROSSCUTS, AND RAISES FROM A SHAFT 918 FEET DEEP AND THREE ADITS.

Comment (Geology): PART OF THE NORTH POLE-COLUMBIA LODE ; GEOL.DESC: THE WALLS ARE GENERALLY WELL DEFINED AND ARE RARELY LESS THAN 25 FT. APART. THE ORE SHOOTS RANGED FROM 3 TO 8 FT. IN WIDTH.

Comment (Deposit): THIS RECORD IS MERGED WITH RECORDS (M014105 & M054914) AND DELETES THEM FROM OREGON FILE. COLUMBIA MINE IS PART OF THE NORTH POLE - COLUMBIA GROUP. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

References

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, H. C., AND RAMP, L., 1968 , GOLD AND SILVER IN OREGON: ODGMI, BULL 61 , P. 74 .

Reference (Deposit): OREGON METAL MINES HANDBOOK, 1939 , ODGMI, BULL. 14 - A, P. 38 .

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, H. C., 1963 , QUICKSILVER IN OREGON, ODGMI, BULL. 55 , P. 216 .

Reference (Deposit): LINDGREN, W., 1901, THE GOLD BELT OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN OREGON, USGS ANN. REPT. NO. 2, P. 663

Reference (Production): W. W. ELMER, JUNE 30 , 1930 .

Oregon Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Oregon" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Oregon. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Oregon.