The Yankee Girl

In 1882, prospector John Robinson discovered a massive pipe of silver ore and staked the Yankee Girl claim on the east side of Red Mountain Creek. He developed an exploratory shaft and found that the nearly vertical ore body contained an enormously valuable vein of silver. Unlike most local mines, the Yankee Girl shaft went nearly straight down 1200 vertical feet, and eventually twelve levels were developed below ground. In places, silver ore assayed as high as $10,000 per ton, making the Yankee Girl one of the richest concentrations of silver ore in the United States. Its ore was so high in grade that it bypassed the concentration mill and went directly to the smelter for processing. As miners descended to lower levels, mechanical bailers were installed to remove water from the mine, but a decrease in the value of silver forced its closure in 1898. During sixteen years of operation, it produced nearly twelve million dollars in ore, and before 1900 it was recognized as one of the most valuable mines in the United States.

Colorado · United States