place

Golden Fleece Mine (Colorado)

Buildings and structures in Hinsdale County, ColoradoColorado Mining BoomGold mines in ColoradoUnderground mines in the United States
Golden Fleece Mine (Hinsdale County, Colorado)
Golden Fleece Mine (Hinsdale County, Colorado)

The Golden Fleece Mine is a gold mining site in Hinsdale County, Colorado, 5 miles (8 km) south of Lake City. The mine is located half a mile west of the north end of Lake San Cristobal. By 1904 it had produced $1,400,000 in silver and gold ore. The mine operated intermittently until 1919. Later, in the mid-1960s, some renewed interest in the property came up, especially in the Hiwassee lode area of the mine, but other than a couple of small test shipments, there is no recorded production until today. The Golden Fleece Mine had much impact on the development of the whole area around Lake City. A description of the mine, with special emphasis on geological features, including photos and a profile map of the mine, was published by Thomas Arthur Rickard (Thomas Rickard was his cousin). The Golden Fleece mine is also known for an unusual mineral, named hinsdalite (PbAl3(PO4)(SO4)(OH)6), which is a secondary phosphate mineral.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Golden Fleece Mine (Colorado) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Golden Fleece Mine (Colorado)
Lake Shore Drive,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Golden Fleece Mine (Colorado)Continue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 37.983055555556 ° E -107.29361111111 °
placeShow on map

Address

Lake Shore Drive
81235
Colorado, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Golden Fleece Mine (Hinsdale County, Colorado)
Golden Fleece Mine (Hinsdale County, Colorado)
Share experience

Nearby Places

Lake City, Colorado
Lake City, Colorado

Lake City is a statutory town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. The population was 432 at the 2020 census. It is located in the San Juan Mountains in a valley formed by the convergence of Henson Creek and the headwaters of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River about seven miles (11 km) east of Uncompahgre Peak, a Colorado fourteener. Lake City is named after nearby Lake San Cristobal. This area lies at the southern end of the Colorado Mineral Belt and when rich mineral deposits were discovered the native population was pushed from their tribal lands and the town of Lake City was incorporated in 1873. With the completion of the first road into the mountains in this region, Lake City served as a supply center for the many miners and prospectors flooding into the area. As a supply center, the town boomed to as many as 3,000 to 5,000 settlers. But as the first-discovered deposits were found to be only moderately productive and no new extensive or rich deposits of minerals were found, by 1879 the boom had subsided. With the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1889, Lake City saw a second upturn in the economy that lasted into the 1890s. The railroad cut the cost of shipping gold and silver ores to smelters, reduced the cost of shipping supplies into Lake City, and provided shipment of cattle and sheep into the area for summer grazing in the high Alpine meadows. By 1905, the mining era was over and Lake City entered a decades-long period of economic decline. Population figures hovered at 1,000 then dropped to 400 after 1910. Although mining continued throughout the twentieth century, it consisted primarily of exploration and speculation rather than productive operation. Beginning in 1915, visitors began coming to Lake City for the entire summer season and by the 1930s tourism had emerged as a viable industry. The Hinsdale County Historical Society formed in 1973 and began accumulating documents and photographs recording the town's history. In 1978, the Lake City Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Residents have restored many of the boom town mining era buildings and currently promote tourism as an industry. Restoration has not only aided the local economy by making Lake City a desirable tourist destination, it has served economic development with preservation projects creating jobs for local carpenters, craftsmen, and contractors. Lake City's educational needs are served by the Lake City Community School.