Yellow Medicine Mine

The Yellow Medicine Mine is a silver and copper mine located in Hinsdale county, Colorado at an elevation of 10,899 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: Yellow Medicine Mine
Secondary: Patented Claims: Yellow Medicine, MS 5187
Secondary: Mountain Bell, MS 5187

Commodity

Primary: Silver
Primary: Copper
Tertiary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc

Location

State: Colorado
County: Hinsdale
District: Galena (Henson Creek) 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: James Chisholm (Estate)
Home Office: Hamilton, Ontario
Years: 1951 -

Owner Name: Joe Gomez
Home Office: Crested Butte, Co.
Years: 1972 -

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Past Producer
Deposit Type: Vein
Operation Type: Unknown
Year First Production: 1896
Year Last Production: 1952
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: San Juan Volcanic Field, San Juan Depression

Type: L
Description: San Juan-Uncompahgre Calderas, Lake City Caldera, Eureka Graben

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Name: Monzonite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Miocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: STEVEN AND OTHERS' (1977) SEMIQUANTITATIVE SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS. CHIP SAMPLE FROM VEIN AT TUNNEL FACE CONTAINED 2% AL, 0.06% CA, 5% FE, 0.2% MG, 0.05% MN, 0.1% TI, 60 PPM CR, 600 PPM CU, 20 PPM MO, 20000 PPM PB, 3000 PPM ZN, LT 70 PPM ZR, TRACE AU AND 1.6 OZ/TON AG (FIRE ASSAY), 0.13% CU AND 1.85% PB, AND 0.32% ZN (ATOMIC ABSORPTION).

Materials

Ore: Chalcopyrite
Ore: Galena
Ore: Pyrite
Ore: Sphalerite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Barite

Comments

Comment (Deposit): MINE LIES NW OF LAKE CITY CALDERA RIM IN UNCOMPAHGRE CALDERA INFILL ROCKS, CONSISTING OF EUREKA RHYOLITE, BURNS QUARTZ LATITE, INTRUDED BY MONZONITE PORPHYRY PLUGS AND LATER RHYOLITE PLUGS. ONE OF EACH KIND OF PLUG IS LOCATED SOUTH OF MINE AREA. IRVING AND BANCROFT (1911) STATE THAT VEIN TRENDS N 13 W, DIPS 79 NE, AND OCCURS AT CONTACT OF QUARTZ LATITE AND MONZONITE INTRUSION. DEPOSIT LIES IN SLACK'S (1980) QUARTZ/BASE-METAL ASSEMBLAGE, INNER QUARTZ-CHALCOPYRITE ZONE.

Comment (Development): APPROX $40,000 WORTH OF METALS PRODUCED PRIOR TO 1896, MOSTLY COMING FROM AG AND SECONDARILY FROM CU. PRODUCTION UNKNOWN FROM 1892 TO 1895. CROW AND FAGAN SHIPPED 500 ST ORE FROM MIDDLE LEVEL IN 1896. CONCENTRATES SHIPPED IN 1898 BY YELLOWSTONE MINING CO. IN 1907, 15 TPD OF MILL DIRT WERE SHIPPED BY O'BRIEN, BOWLES, AND BARDWELL TO MORO MILL TO SOUTH ON HENSON CREEK. MILL WAS BUILT AND OPERATED BEGINNING IN 1897.

Comment (Workings): MINE DEVELOPED BY THREE TUNNELS, LOWER TUNNEL CAVED, INACCESSIBLE. MIDDLE TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NW FOR 200 FT; AT 190 FT FROM PORTAL IS 55-FT WINZE AND SOME STOPING. UPPER TUNNEL DRIVEN GENERALLY NW FOR 40 FT TO VEIN, WITH 500-FT EAST DRIFT; AT 150 FT EAST OF CROSSCUT IS 20-FT RAISE, STOPES STARTING AT RAISE AND PROCEEDING 50 FT EAST TO OLDER 80-FT RAISE.

Comment (Location): MINE LOCATED ON WEST SIDE OF YELLOWSTONE GULCH ABOUT 0.6 MILE ABOVE CONFLUENCE WITH NORTH FORK HENSON CREEK AND 0.85 MILE NNW OF CAPITOL CITY SITE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1977

Comment (Production): PARTIAL PRODUCTION RECORD. PRODUCTION FIGURES UNAVAILABLE FOR YEARS PRIOR TO 1896 AND FOR YEARS AFTER 1898. MINERAL RESOURCES OF U.S. VOLUMES AND MINERAL YEARBOOKS CITE PRODUCTION IN 1906, 1907, 1910, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, AND 1952, BUT FIGURES WERE GIVEN ONLY FOR 1948 AND 1949.

References

Reference (Deposit): SLACK, J.F., 1980, MULTISTAGE VEIN ORES OF THE LAKE CITY DISTRICT, WESTERN SAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO: ECON. GEOLOGY, V. 75, NO. 7, P. 963-991.

Reference (Deposit): IRVING, J.D., AND BANCROFT, HOWLAND, 1911, GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS NEAR LAKE CITY, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 478, P. 78-79.

Reference (Deposit): LIPMAN, P.W., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE LAKE CITY CALDERA AREA, WESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS MAP I-962.

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

Reference (Deposit): BLM MINERAL SURVEY MS 5187

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1977, MINERAL RESOURCES OF STUDY AREAS CONTIGUOUS TO THE UNCOMPAHGRE PRIMITIVE AREA, SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1391-E, P. 83, 110-111.

Reference (Production): IRVING AND BANCROFT, 1911, P. 78; USBM MINERALS YEARBOOKS

Colorado Mining Photos

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