[14] HMGM - The Phoenix Gold Mine (underground tour)

"How to Model a Gold Mill in 27,000 Easy Steps" (HMGM)
Episode 14: The Phoenix Gold Mine Tour
Series Description:
Are you curious how mere ounces of useful stuff can be extracted from tons of ore? We were, and are exploring the technology of the gold milling process. Join us as we journey onward through Colorado's mining history and build a 1:20 scale model of the historic Santiago Mill, which still stands at about 12,000 feet (ASL) in the Rocky Mountains south of Georgetown.
Episode Description:
[14] The global COVID pandemic of 2020 sent us looking for local tourism options in the Colorado high country, and we found the Phoenix Gold Mine just west of Idaho Springs. The undergound tour provided a view from "the other side" of the nearby Argo Mill we had recently explored; after all, before you can mill, you must extract. Today we present highlights from that tour. Like what you see? The facility is open to the public seven days a week. See the "References and Resources" section (below) for more information, including online ticket bookings.
Soundtrack:
INTRO "Seven Twenty" Diamond Ortiz / YT Library
TITLE-1 "Multiplication" Bluemont Score / Pixabay.com
TITLE-2 "Short Action" John Yatsutis / Pixabay.com
"Front Porch Blues" Chris Haugen / YT library
"Dude, Where's My Horse?" Nat Keefe & the Bow Ties / YT library
"Picnic on the Roof" The Whole Other / YT library
"Empire Seasons" Dan Henig / YT library
CREDITS "Uptown" Topher Mohr & Alex Elena / TH-cam library
EXTRO "American Country Road" Filmstocks / Filmstocks.com
Additional sound effects by Freesound.org, Filmstocks.com
********* References & Resources for this Episode *********
Current Status of the Santiago Mill:
www.fs.usda.go...
The Phoenix Gold Mine tour:
phoenixgoldmin...
Idaho Springs tourism and more:
historicidahos...

[@stardustblue3625]

Mine on left up to the Phoenix is called the Wheatland. Portal still open. Vein is exposed at the back with some small but nice chalcanthite mineralization and specimens. Down the winze in the Phoenix at the 100' level the vein thickens up quite a bit to around 4' or so. It's called a Lenticular Deposit. It would be an amazing addition to the tour if they ever offered it. There is a lot of workings below the tour level. The area still has quite a bit of rich ground that was never worked. Did some development work in the Comestock, blasting, drilling and hauling out ore cars with the air tram. It's directly across the road from the Phoenix. The Phoenix vein goes up the road a ways and was intercepted in the old Berthod Tunnel Mine that we started to overhaul and lay new track, etc. Between the Berthod and Phoenix, the vein is supposedly very rich...and was never mined due to a nasty dispute with the original owners way back and one of the miners that was leasing the claim. Went to court and judge ruled in favor of the owner. Lessee went back in one night and set off explosives at the start of the rich ore vein and made the ground unstable. No one ever was able to clear it out enough and make safe to mine so it's all just sitting there. Big mystery as to what exactly is back there!

[@aaronvienot]

Great info, thanks! Last fall I drove the full loop from the Phoenix back to Mt. Evans/103 (in a 4x4, of course, the washout zone is really bad) and noticed a number of mine works scattered through the area, and, wondered what was back in that mountain. If you have any other info/sources about the region, I'd be glad to hear them.

[@GTIFabric]

Tell us more please

[@stardustblue3625]

@@GTIFabric What would you like to know?

[@davidb1141]

How rich is the ore body, how much gold came out of there?

[@ericmccann2845]

I’ve been to the bottom of the winds

[@dr_fish]

Flex that winze knowledge. 😅 Entertaining and educational as always. 👍👍

[@aaronvienot]

Thanks docF! Been a while since I've appeared at the channel, just been really busy since the last week of July.