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San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountains and Uncompahgre Plateau of Southwestern Colorado

9 posts

Mayflower Mine (Telluride)

Mayflower Mine (Telluride)

The Mayflower Mine was an unsuccessful gold producer high above Telluride. Not much is published on its history, but the site has some interesting remnants. The operation started around 1890, and was largely abandoned by 1920. Something to note about this mine is that the original claim was actually called

Barstow Mine (Red Mountain)

Barstow Mine (Red Mountain)

The Barstow Mine in southwest Colorado was an early polymetallic producer above the townsite of Guston.

Bill Young Mine

Bill Young Mine

The Bill Young was a small silver mine above the townsite of Animas Forks. The mine never amounted to much, but it still has some interesting remnants. The mine was located in 1873 and was developed by a 250’ deep shaft. Levels were driven at irregular intervals, with a total

Silver Lake and Iowa Mines

Silver Lake and Iowa Mines

This was a really fun place to visit for me and one I’ve been trying to get to for some time. Weather makes it hard to get to most of the year, and you have to climb up to the mining camp at 12,200 ft elevation. A few

Flour Mine

Flour Mine

These are underground photos from a mine (not its real name) in the Silverton area that we explored. I didn’t have much underground time planned for this trip, but the mines we checked out turned out to be fantastic. One of these vast mines had a lot of equipment

Buffalo Boy Mine

Buffalo Boy Mine

The Buffalo Boy was a small gold and silver mine which started production around 1930. The mine is caved in, but the interesting thing about the site is the long and steep tramway heading up to it. The tram line is over 8,500 ft in length and rises 2,

Sound Democrat Mill

Sound Democrat Mill

The Sound Democrat Mill is an awesome find and one of the highlights of the San Juan Mountains. The mine was first discovered in 1899. Gold and silver ore from the mine was packed on mules over a 13,000 ft ridge to the Sunnyside Mill in Eureka Gulch. In