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Mayflower Gold Mill |
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The American West once had hundreds of precious metal mills. Now, most are in various stages of ruin. One important exception is the Mayflower Mill, (or the Shenandoah - Dives Mill) located two miles northeast of Silverton. A National Historic Landmark, this wonderful piece of mining history is open to the public. Witness first hand how the miners were able to extract gold, silver and base metals from the hard rock ores in this complete processing mill. The San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado were one of the last ranges to be prospected. Although some prospectors were still looking for placer gold, it was becoming quite evident that if any wealth was to be made in the San Juans, it was going to be in underground lode mining. When word of several rich strikes hit the northern mining camps, the rush was on, with prospectors and miners swarming in by the thousands. Mining was here to stay for the next 125 years. The technique of deep hard rock mining was well established and with advances in transportation (and machine drills), the amount of ore to be processed increased dramatically. The Mayflower Mill was the last and the most advanced of the big mills to be built in the San Juans. The Mill began to take shape in the summer of 1925 as the dream of Charles A. Chase, who had made a reputation as a successful mine manager at the Liberty Bell near Telluride, Colorado. In the spring of 1929 a contract was issued to Stearns-Roger Manufacturing Co. of Denver for $375,000 to erect the mill. It was to be built of pre-framed Oregon fir, a good choice for the mountain environment and harsh San Juan winters it would have to withstand. The latest industrial equipment was employed in its construction, including the innovative steam shovel and dump trucks coming onto the market, incorporating the latest in mill technology. Construction was pushed to take advantage of the short mountain summer. The mill was completed in six months, and started processing ore in February of the following year. The Mayflower Mill was the single longest running mill in the history of the San Juan Mountains. In its 61 year milling career from 1930 to 1991, it was shut down only a total of 12 years, resulting in 49 years of actual milling. The total amount of rock milled is estimated at 9,700,500 tons. The Mill produced 1,940,100 ounces of gold; 30,000,000 ounces of silver; and 1,000,000 tons of combined base metals -- a remarkable record for hard rock mining in the 'old' techniques seldom employed in today's modern mining world. From: The Mayflower Mill: A Brief History and Description of the Milling Process" by "Zeke" Zanoni |
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The Mill is open in the summer. Email or call us for current hours and admittance prices.
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Silverton, Colorado |
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San Juan County Historical Society |
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To contact us: |
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San Juan County Historical Society P.O. Box 154 Silverton, Colorado 81433 |
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Copyright © San Juan County Historical Society |
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San Juan County Historical Society, all rights reserved |