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Abandoned mines › Colorado
Abandoned mine inventory

Abandoned mines in Jefferson County, Colorado

Jefferson County, Colorado has 461 mine and prospect features on USGS topographic maps published 1938–1994, including 113 mine openings (shafts, adits and air shafts) and 60 prospect pits; 16 of the features carry a name on the map. OSMRE's abandoned mine land inventory lists 33 problems in the county, 19 of them not yet reclaimed. MSHA's register carries 69 mines in the county with status Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed.

Every mine and prospect feature the USGS digitized from historical topographic maps covering Jefferson County, every OSMRE abandoned mine land problem in the county, and every MSHA-registered mine here with status Abandoned. Named features are listed below; unnamed ones are counted by type. Locations are deliberately not shown: this page says what abandoned workings are in the county, not where to find them. They are dangerous and should not be entered.

Mapped mine features (USGS)
461
Mine openings
113
OSMRE problems unreclaimed
19
MSHA mines marked abandoned
69
16 features carry a name60 prospect pits18 quadrangle maps, published 1938–1994 33 OSMRE problems, 14 reclaimed 0 MSHA mines abandoned and sealed
What the features are
  1. Mine openings
    shafts, adits, air shafts, portals and vertical openings: the ways into underground workings
    131 26.5%
  2. Prospect pits and trenches
    shallow exploration diggings that never became a mine
    60 12.1%
  3. Mines and surface workings
    labelled mines, open pits, strip mines, placer and hydraulic workings
    61 12.3%
  4. Quarries, gravel and borrow pits
    construction-material and industrial-mineral extraction
    225 45.5%
  5. Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob
    what mining left above ground
    8 1.6%
  6. Mills, tipples and facilities
    processing plants and hazardous structures
    1 0.2%
  7. Other reclamation problems
    highwalls, subsidence, polluted or clogged water, fires, slides and gases in OSMRE's inventory
    8 1.6%
Named features on the maps16 named · from the USGS compilation
Name on map Feature
Augusta Mine Adit
Capitol Mine Mine Shaft
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Chieftan Mine (Clay Pits) Clay Pit area
Colo School of Mines Tunnel Adit
Colorado School of Mines Mine Adit
Lariat Mine Open Pit Mine
Little Patsy Quarry Quarry
Schwartzwalder Mine Adit
Sludge Pits Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated area
Sludge Pits Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated area

A name is the label printed beside the symbol on the map. "First mapped" is the earliest topographic edition that shows the symbol, which bounds the feature's age from above; it is not the date it was worked. Unnamed features (most prospect pits, adits and shafts carry no label) are in the counts above but not this list.

OSMRE abandoned mine land problems33 on inventory
Problem area Problem Status
Caprock - 80/13-01 P3 Gobs Reclamation Pending
Co - Jefferson - Fea P1 Subsidence Reclamation Completed
Co - Jefferson - Fea P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Economy Mine - 90/82-02 P1 Subsidence Reclamation Completed
Economy Mine - 90/82-02 P2 Subsidence Reclamation Pending
Economy Mine - 90/82-02 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Golden Star - 79/03-02 P2 Subsidence Reclamation Pending
Independence/leyden(old) - 80/10-01 P2 Portals Reclamation Completed
Independence/leyden(old) - 80/10-01 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Jefferson - Non-coal-county-wide P1 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Jefferson - Non-coal-county-wide P1 Hazardous Water Bodies Reclamation Completed
Jefferson - Non-coal-county-wide P1 Portals Reclamation Completed
Jefferson - Non-coal-county-wide P1 Portals In Reclamation
Jefferson - Non-coal-county-wide P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Jefferson - Non-coal-county-wide P1 Vertical Openings In Reclamation
Leyden #1 & #2 - 83/10-01 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Leyden #1 & #2 - 83/10-01 P3 Gobs Reclamation Pending
Leyden No. 3 - 82/10-01 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Pending
Leyden No. 3 - 82/10-01 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Leyden No. 3 - 82/10-01 P3 Gobs Reclamation Pending
Littleton Mine - 90/82-01 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Murphy #1 & #2 - 80/08-03 P1 Vertical Openings In Reclamation
Pittsburg - 79/04-02 P3 Gobs Reclamation Pending
Rocky Mountain #1 - 79/03-03 P2 Subsidence Reclamation Pending
Rocky Mountain #1 - 79/03-03 P3 Gobs Reclamation Pending
Rooney Whiteash/bluebird - 84/92-01 P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Rooney Whiteash/bluebird - 84/92-01 P2 Portals Reclamation Completed
Rooney Whiteash/bluebird - 84/92-01 P2 Vertical Openings In Reclamation
Virginia Mine - 91/80-01 P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Virginia Mine - 91/80-01 P2 Subsidence Reclamation Completed
Wheeler/morrison/apex - 83/94-01 P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
White Ash (hall & Jones) - 80/00-01 P1 Subsidence Reclamation Completed
White Ash (hall & Jones) - 80/00-01 P2 Portals Reclamation Pending

Problem types carry OSMRE's priority prefix: P1 and P2 are threats to health, safety and property, P3 is environmental. A problem area is a cluster of problems reclaimed as one project; several rows can share one location.

MSHA-registered mines with status Abandoned69 on register
  1. 3DW Mines
    Surface metal/non-metal · Acme Brick Company · MSHA ID 0500198
    Abandoned
  2. Allied Dirt Moving Co Pit & Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Allied Dirt Moving Company · MSHA ID 0502030
    Abandoned
  3. Alumet Pilot Plant
    Facility metal/non-metal · Alumet Company · MSHA ID 0502839
    Abandoned
  4. Bandimere Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Western Paving Construction Company · MSHA ID 0502370
    Abandoned
  5. Beryl Ores Mill
    Facility metal/non-metal · Beryl Ores Company · MSHA ID 0503473
    Abandoned
  6. Black Forest Mine
    Underground metal/non-metal · Cotter Corporation · MSHA ID 0504734
    Abandoned
  7. Bluestone Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Lafarge West Incorporated · MSHA ID 0502777
    Abandoned
  8. Blunn Dam Project
    Surface metal/non-metal · Eby Construction Company · MSHA ID 0503272
    Abandoned
  9. Bonzo
    Underground metal/non-metal · Energy Fuels Nuclear Inc · MSHA ID 0503257
    Abandoned
  10. Carbon Mountain Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Western Paving Construction Company · MSHA ID 0502031
    Abandoned
  11. Chieftain
    Surface metal/non-metal · Robinson Brick Company · MSHA ID 0500217
    Abandoned
  12. Clear Creek Cave
    Underground metal/non-metal · Csm Mining Engineering Department · MSHA ID 0504378
    Abandoned
  13. Coors Washing Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Adolph Coors Construction · MSHA ID 0502192
    Abandoned
  14. Crane Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Mobile Premix Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0503205
    Abandoned
  15. Dakota
    Surface metal/non-metal · Denver Brick Company · MSHA ID 0504421
    Abandoned
  16. Deer Creek Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Peter Kiewit Sons' Company · MSHA ID 0503079
    Abandoned
  17. Deer Creek Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Aggregate Industries WRC Inc · MSHA ID 0502554
    Abandoned
  18. Denver Fire Clay
    Surface metal/non-metal · G C Bennetts & Sons Inc · MSHA ID 0504049
    Abandoned
  19. Doughty
    Surface metal/non-metal · Lee Doughty · MSHA ID 0500212
    Abandoned
  20. El Jay Cone Crusher
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0502836
    Abandoned
  21. Green Mountain Clay Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · George W Parfet Estate Inc · MSHA ID 0500203
    Abandoned
  22. Green Valley Pit & Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Jefferson County Road & Bridge Department · MSHA ID 0502928
    Abandoned
  23. Holloway Bear Creek Pit And Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Holloway Construction Company · MSHA ID 0502762
    Abandoned
  24. Hudick Conifer
    Surface metal/non-metal · Hudick Excavating Inc · MSHA ID 0504979
    Abandoned
  25. Ladwig
    Underground metal/non-metal · Energy Fuels Nuclear Inc · MSHA ID 0501184
    Abandoned
  26. Lakewood Brick Plant
    Facility metal/non-metal · Lakewood Brick & Tile Company · MSHA ID 0500230
    Abandoned
  27. Lariat
    Surface metal/non-metal · Robinson Brick Company · MSHA ID 0500223
    Abandoned
  28. Leyden Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · G C Bennetts & Sons Inc · MSHA ID 0500201
    Abandoned
  29. Lustre Lode Quarry
    Surface metal/non-metal · Colonna Of Colorado Company · MSHA ID 0500076
    Abandoned
  30. M H S Lab
    Facility metal/non-metal · Golbal Milling · MSHA ID 0504391
    Abandoned
  31. Mauz Mannon Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Adolph Coors Company · MSHA ID 0503624
    Abandoned
  32. Mc Intyre Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Mobile Premix Concrete Inc · MSHA ID 0501031
    Abandoned
  33. MCINTYRE PIT
    Surface metal/non-metal · Asphalt Paving Company · MSHA ID 0500932
    Abandoned
  34. Mt Olivet Development
    Surface metal/non-metal · L G Everist Inc · MSHA ID 0504206
    Abandoned
  35. Northern Portable Plant #11
    Surface metal/non-metal · Martin Marietta Materials · MSHA ID 0503984
    Abandoned
  36. Northwest Industrial Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Northwest Industrial/Gravel Inc · MSHA ID 0504135
    Abandoned
  37. Pallaoro Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · George Pallaoro · MSHA ID 0502535
    Abandoned
  38. Pioneer Park Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · G L M Farms Inc · MSHA ID 0503643
    Abandoned
  39. PIT #10
    Surface metal/non-metal · Albert Frei & Sons Inc · MSHA ID 0504577
    Abandoned
  40. Pit #22
    Surface metal/non-metal · Brannan Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0503537
    Abandoned
  41. Pit #9
    Surface metal/non-metal · Brannan Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0503598
    Abandoned
  42. Pit 110
    Surface metal/non-metal · Mobile Premix Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0502746
    Abandoned
  43. Pit No 12
    Surface metal/non-metal · Brannan Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0502329
    Abandoned
  44. Pit No 17
    Surface metal/non-metal · Western Paving Construction Company · MSHA ID 0503539
    Abandoned
  45. Pit No 26
    Surface metal/non-metal · Brannan Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0503003
    Abandoned
  46. Portable Crusher #1
    Surface metal/non-metal · Asphalt Paving Company · MSHA ID 0504202
    Abandoned
  47. Portable Crusher #2
    Surface metal/non-metal · Asphalt Paving Company · MSHA ID 0504522
    Abandoned
  48. Portable Plant # 166
    Surface metal/non-metal · Pioneer Sand Co Inc · MSHA ID 0504976
    Abandoned
  49. POWERSCREEN CHIEFTAIN
    Surface metal/non-metal · BURNCO · MSHA ID 0504185
    Abandoned
  50. Precious Metals Refining Plant
    Facility metal/non-metal · Chemetech Corp · MSHA ID 0503804
    Abandoned
  51. Public Works Quarry #2
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0504053
    Abandoned
  52. Public Works Quarry #3
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0504137
    Abandoned
  53. Public Works Quarry #4
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0504039
    Abandoned
  54. Public Works Quarry #5
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0504014
    Abandoned
  55. Public Works Quarry #6
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0504052
    Abandoned
  56. ROCKWELL MINE
    Surface metal/non-metal · George W Parfet Estate Inc · MSHA ID 0501843
    Abandoned
  57. Rocky Flats Facility
    Facility metal/non-metal · Rocky Flats Environmental Solutions LLC · MSHA ID 0505139
    Abandoned
  58. Rubey Standard Mine
    Surface metal/non-metal · George W Parfet Estate Inc · MSHA ID 0500204
    Abandoned
  59. SCHWARTZWALDER
    Underground metal/non-metal · Cotter Corp · MSHA ID 0500791
    Abandoned
  60. SCREEN PLANT
    Surface metal/non-metal · Board Of County Commissioners · MSHA ID 0504264
    Abandoned
  61. Shaffers Crossing Quarry
    Surface metal/non-metal · Elk Creek Sand & Gravel LLC · MSHA ID 0504761
    Abandoned
  62. Snowbird
    Surface metal/non-metal · G L M Farms Inc · MSHA ID 0503660
    Abandoned
  63. State Clay Mine
    Surface metal/non-metal · Wesley D Conda Inc · MSHA ID 0500191
    Abandoned
  64. Strainland
    Surface metal/non-metal · Denver Brick & Pipe Company · MSHA ID 0500196
    Abandoned
  65. T & W Sand & Gravel
    Surface metal/non-metal · T & W Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0502331
    Abandoned
  66. Tripoli Red Granite Quarry
    metal/non-metal · Rocky Mountain Quartz Inc · MSHA ID 0504103
    Abandoned
  67. Turkey Flats Pit 17
    Surface metal/non-metal · Western Paving Construction Company · MSHA ID 0503969
    Abandoned
  68. West Lake Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Mobile Premix Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0503009
    Abandoned
  69. Youngfield Pit And Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Mobile Premix Sand & Gravel Company · MSHA ID 0501001
    Abandoned

Status and date are as reported to MSHA by the operator. Each mine's own page carries its accident, citation and inspection record.

By source vocabularythe publishers' own terms
Feature type Features
Adit 91
Prospect Pit 60
Gravel Pit 50
Gravel Pit 42
Quarry 41
Clay Pit 34
Open Pit Mine 32
Clay Pit 31
Mine Shaft 22
Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated 15
Strip Mine 10
Disturbed Surface 9
P1 Vertical Openings 7
Strip Mine 6
P2 Vertical Openings 6
P3 Gobs 5
P2 Subsidence 4
Open Pit Mine or Quarry 4
Borrow Pit 4
P1 Subsidence 3
Quarry 3
P2 Portals 3
Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated 3
Borrow Pit 2
P1 Portals 2
P1 Hazardous Water Bodies 1
Tailings - Undifferentiated 1
P1 Dangerous Piles & Embankments 1
P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities 1
Mine Dump 1
Other counties in ColoradoAll counties →
How to read these numbers

A USGS feature is a symbol on a historical topographic map, there when the map was surveyed; it may since have been sealed, reclaimed, built over or reopened as a working mine, and the map does not say which. An OSMRE row is a problem the abandoned mine land program tracks, not a mine. An MSHA mine is a registered operation whose operator reported abandonment, a record that starts in the 1970s. The three overlap and are never added together. The county is assigned from each feature's coordinates against the Census 2023 county boundaries. The full method is on the national page.

Sources
  1. USGS, Consolidated Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the United States (USMIN)
    597,612 point and area features digitized from about 106,350 historical topographic maps published 1886–2006; public domain (CC0). A feature is a map symbol, not a field-verified site, and the map does not say whether it was still worked.
  2. USGS Fact Sheet 2025–3003, The Abandoned Mine Inventory of the United States
    States that as of 2025 there is no comprehensive national inventory of abandoned mine features, and that the detailed national database now being built will not be published.
  3. OSMRE, Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (e-AMLIS), public Problems layer
    One row per abandoned mine land problem in a problem area, with its type, funding program and reclamation status; mostly coal mined before the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Coordinates are the problem area's.
  4. MSHA, Mines dataset (Mine Data Retrieval System)
    Every mine registered with MSHA since the 1970s; a mine reads Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed when its operator reported that status. Refreshed weekly.
  5. US Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic county boundaries (1:500,000)
    Each feature's county is assigned by its coordinates against these boundaries, not copied from the source file.
  6. GAO-20-238, Abandoned Hardrock Mines (March 2020)
    Federal agencies had identified at least 140,000 abandoned hardrock mine features on federal land and estimated more than 390,000 more not yet captured in their databases.
  7. Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation (AHMR) Program, US Department of the Interior
    The program the USGS inventory is compiled for. Its appropriations and the 674,000 field-confirmed feature count on this page were provided by the program manager, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, and are cited with permission (2026-09-08).
  8. IMCC-NAAMLP Hardrock AML Report
    Page 48 carries the two figures this page leans on: USGS estimates 633,181 of the 725,690 mine features it recorded from historic topographic maps, 87 percent, are hardrock; and state and federal agencies have submitted more than 724,000 AML features to the national database being built, already more than the historic maps hold. Year-by-year AHMR funding is on page 35.