Barite (golden) on siderite: Colorado, Eagle County, Gilman, Eagle Mine, 17-Level

Abstract

The mineral specimen comes from the Eagle Mine near Gilman in the Gilman mining district, Eagle County, Colorado. Rich silver-lead carbonate ores were discovered in the Gilman area around 1879. By the early 1880s a number of the area's mines were producing silver and gold. Lead and zinc became the district's primary products by the early 1900s. In 1912 the New Jersey Zinc Company consolidated some of the mines on Battle Mountain into the Eagle Mine, which became Colorado's major zinc producer. The Mine also became known for its high-quality mineral specimens. The Eagle was operated by New Jersey Zinc until 1983 when it was purchased by Battle Mountain Corporation. The Mine was closed in 1984 and subsequently flooded. The Eagle Mine was declared a superfund site in 1986, and remediation work was mostly completed by 1994.