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Sherman MIne

Past Producer in Lake county in Colorado, United States with commodities Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold
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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. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Ore body information
  12. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  13. Mining district
  14. Mineral rights holdings
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10190904
MAS/MILS ID 0080650001
Record type Site
Current site name Sherman MIne
Alternate or previous names Sherman Tunnel, Day Mines' Mine, Leadville Corporation Mine, Sherman-Hilltop Property, McGuire Tunnel(?)

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Main Entrance
Geographic coordinates: -106.17561, 39.22809 (WGS84)
Elevation 3865
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Lake(county)

Colorado(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Mount Sherman(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Leadville(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Leadville(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Arkansas Headwaters(hydrologic unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic accounting unit)

Upper Arkansas(hydrologic subregion)

Arkansas-White-Red(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Colorado Lake

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
2nd Principal 009 S 079 W 36 NW Colorado

Comments on the location information

  • Near the head of Iowa Gulch on the west side of Mount Sherman, about 6-1/2 miles ESE of Leadville, in NW/4 sec 36, T 79 W, R 9 S.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Silver Primary
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Secondary
Gold Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Acanthite Ore
Chalcocite Ore
Galena Ore
Silver Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Barite Gangue
Dolomite Gangue
Huntite Gangue
Pyrolusite Gangue
Pyrite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Siderite Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 72
USGS model code 19a
Deposit model name Polymetallic replacement
Mark3 model number 47

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Leadville Dolomite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Mississippian

Nearby scientific data

Main Entrance (1) -106.17561, 39.22809
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N30E
    Dip 80N
    Thickness 1.5M
    Length 150M
    Width 9M
    Area 20HA
    Depth to top 300M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 FISSURE VEIN
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #2 TABULAR
    Type of Orebody #3 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #3 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Secondary mode of Origin OXIDATION
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control CONTACT ZONE
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. INTENSE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 DOLOMITIZATION
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 BLEACHING
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #3 OTHER
    Strike And Dip N30E:80N
    Minimum Depth to Top 240
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 3
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Total Surface Area (HA) 20
    Date of Last Modification 970328

Comments on the geologic information

  • Silver-lead ore deposits in open-space karst system.
  • MINERALIZATION OCCURRED DURING AND FOLLOW THE SAWATCH UPLIFT.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1968
Mining method Open Stope
Year of first production 1975
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Horseshoe District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Patented
Type of mineral rights Located Claim
Type of mineral rights Private Lease

Land status

Ownership category Mixed

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Leadville Corp, 2851 S. Parker Rd #610, Aurora, Co 80014
    ID 500604
    Interest 100
    Home office Colorado
    Year 1994
    Last year 1994

Comments on the ownership information

  • HECLA MINING CO WITHDREW IT LEASE OF THE PROPERTY IN 1985. LEADVILLE CORP IS SOLE OWNER.

Comments on the production information

  • About 1 million ounces of silver, plus lead and zinc(?), was recovered annually from ore from the Sherman mine, 1974-1984. (Sunshine files, 2000)
  • Production over an 11-year period totaled 670,000 tons of ore that yielded 9,100,000 oz silver. (Tschauder, et.al.)

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Measured 24502mt ore
    Demonstrated 24502mt ore
    Total resources 24502mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver 833 g/mt Silver Major 1980

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • About 6500 tons of material at 23 oz/ton silver. (Sunshine files, 2000)

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 6100M
    Overall depth 0M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN STOPE
    Swell Factor .6
    Percent Recovery 100
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics NO PLANES OF WEAKNESS
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. TIMBER
    Length of Inclines (m) 823
    Slope of Inclines 30
    Number of Inclines 1
    Avg. Length of Adits (m) 1066
    Number of Adits 1
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 454
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 40.93
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 252
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1980

Comments on other economic factors

  • ORE MINED BY OPEN STOPES AND MINE SMALL LOCALIZED MINERALIZED PODS. ONE HAULAGE DRIFT IS BEING DRIVEN 1.6 KM SOUTH TO HILLTOP MINE OREBODY.

Comments on development

  • Hilltop and Sherman mines and surrounding claims (about 3600 acres) consolidated by mining company. (Sunshine files, 2000)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    DAY MINES ANNUAL REPORTS 1977, 1978 & 1979.

  • Geology

    GENTRY, DON W. LEAD & ZINC DEPOSITS IN COLORADO AND WYOMING,

  • Geology

    BU MINES CONTRACT NO. G0264005, 1976, PP. 49-52

  • Reserve-Resource

    DAY MINES 1979 ANNUAL REPORT

  • Deposit

    Behre, C. H., Jr., 1953, Geology and ore deposits of the west slope of the Mosquito Range (Colorado): U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 235, 176 p.

  • Deposit

    Bloom, D. N., 1965, Geology of the Horseshoe district and ore deposits of the Hilltop mine, Park County, Colorado: Golden, Colorado School of Mines, Ph.D. dissertation, 211 p.

  • Deposit

    Emmons, S.F., Irving, J.D., and Loughlin, G.F., 1927, Geology and ore deposits of the Leadville mining district, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 148, 368 p.

  • Deposit

    Tweto, O., 1968, Leadville district, Colorado, in Ridge, J. D., editor, Ore deposits of the United States, 1933-1967 (Graton-Sales volume): New York, American Institute of Mining Engineers, p. 681-705.

  • Deposit

    THE MINING RECORD, VOL. 107, N34, AUG., 21, 1996, P14.

  • Development

    Sunshine Mining Co. Colorado exploration files, unpublished data, Colorado Geological Survey.

  • Deposit

    Johansing, R. J., and Thompson, T. B., 1990, Geology and origin of Sherman-type deposits, central Colorado: Economic Geology Monograph 7, p. 367-394.

  • Deposit

    Tschauder, R. J., Landis, G. P., and Noyes, R. R., 1990, Late Mississippian karst caves and Ba-Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization in central Colorado: Part I. Geologic framework, mineralogy, and cave morphology: Economic Geology Monograph 7, p. 308-338.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE MIXED SURROUNDING LAND DOMAIN IS NATIONAL FOREST AND PATENTED MINING CLAIMS. THE WORKING SEASON IS CODED AS AL YR HOWEVER IN WINTER MINERS ARE FREQUENTLY SNOWED INTO OR LEAVE THE PROPERTY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 28-MAR-97 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines
Updater 28-FEB-06 Beach, Richard A. Colorado Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusAbandoned since 02/16/1989
MSHA mine ID0500604
Mine name (MSHA)Sherman Mine
Current operatorLeadville Corp
Current controller (parent)Risk Robert
Mine typeUnderground (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Colorado resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.