Legal Tender Mine

Producer in Beaverhead county in Montana, United States with commodities Silver, Lead
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Ore body information
  11. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  12. Mining district
  13. Ownership information
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069276
MRDS ID W002862
Record type Site
Current site name Legal Tender Mine
Related records 10123708

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -112.892, 45.2949 (WGS84)
Elevation 2012
Relative position 15 MILES NW OF DILLON

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Beaverhead(county)

Montana(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Ermont(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Dillon(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Dillon(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Beaverhead(hydrologic unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic accounting unit)

Missouri Headwaters(hydrologic subregion)

Missouri(hydrologic region)

Federal lands

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest(National Forest)

National Forest FS(Type of land area)

FS(Federal land areas administered by FS)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Montana Beaverhead

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Montana Principal 006S 011W 24 Montana

Comments on the location information

  • NEAR "GHOST TOWN" OF BLACKFOOT CITY

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Ore

Analytical data

Result SHENON (1931) REPORTED ORE ASSAYED 300 OZ AG PER TON

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Jefferson
    Rock description Jefferson
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Devonian

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N 20 E
    Dip 60 S

Comments on the geologic information

  • RHYOLITE OF LATER AGE THAN THE GRANODIORITE COVERS A WIDE AREA EXTENDING FROM OPHIR SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE VALLEY.
  • DEPOSIT FOLLOWS A BEDDING PLANE OF THE LOWER MEMBER OF JEFFERSON FM.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1865
Discoverer A.M. Esler

Mining district

District name Argenta District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Claude H. Brown, Dillon, Mt.

Comments on the production information

  • WO3 WAS PRODUCED FROM THE BOULDER ORES: 222 TONS OF 0.5% WO3 AT $2440.
  • ALTHOUGH NO AVAILABLE RECORDED HISTORY OF PRODUCTION SHENON (1931) ESTIMATED PRODUCTION $150,000.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 30.48M

Comments on the workings information

  • PLACER MINES 8 MILES LONG, DEPOSIT DESCRIPTION OF THE FAIRVIEW MINE - SPECULATED THE MORE ORE CAN BE OBTAINED.
  • LAWSON (1973) LISTS PROPERTY AS BEING UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Comments on development

  • MINES: ESMERALDA MCKAY, BUMBLE BEE, VICTORY, COON'S TUNGSTEN, FAIRVIEW, DENVER, OPSATA, BUTTERFLY, AJAX, POTRATZ, CYCLONE, LITTLE DASIY, PRISE, FLAGSTAFF, SNOWSHOE, JACK PINE, CARPENTER CREEK, SNOWSHOE CREEK AND OPHIR CREEK PLACERS. ; ECON.COM: MINES FILLED WITH WATER

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MBMG BULL 85.

  • Deposit

    MBMG BULL 92.

  • Deposit

    1931 COMPILE M.B.M.G., SHENON, P.J., BULL. 6

  • Deposit

    1972 COMPILE M.B.M.G., GEACH, R.D., BULL. 85, SIZE & DIRECTIONAL DATA

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PLACER DEPOSITS WERE FOUND IN TERRACE DEPOSITS. THE LIMESTONES HAVE BEEN ALTERED IN VARIOUS DEGREES BY THE BOULDER BATHOLITH. MANY PLACES THE GARNET TACTITES WERE HOSTS FOR THE LODE DEPOSITS. SOME LODES WERE DEPOSITED IN VEINS THAT WERE ON ORE NEAR THE CONTACT OF THE LIMESTONE AND THE QUARTZ MONZONITE.
Deposit MAJORITY OF PRODUCTION WAS FROM PLACER DEPOSIT. THESE ARE NOT, HOWEVER, IN THE GLACIAL MORAINES. THEY ARE IN GRAVELS OF PRESENT STREAM TERRACES AND BENCHES.
Deposit MINE WAS ONE OF FIRST SILVER-LEAD MINES DISCOVERED IN MONTANA - SUPPLIED ORE FOR FIRST SMELTER BUILT IN STATE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1975 Mlynarczyk, Meg S. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1980 Loen, Jeffrey S. (Pearson, Robert C.) U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

External references