Colorado Mineral Belt — Lake County

Source: Colorado GOLD Prospecting (OoCities archive) — Prospecting Sites in Colorado. Compiled by Shawn Page; additional notes by Tom Ashworth and prospector reports (Tom Peden, Greg Ferris). Part of the 250-mile Colorado Mineral Belt — historically among the richest placer districts in the Rocky Mountains. Coordinates approximate the named town or district center — not a specific claim. Verify land status (BLM, state, private, fee digs) before prospecting. The 250 mile long Colorado Mineral Belt cuts diagonally across central and southwestern Colorado, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Mt. Elbert (14,431 feet) is the highest of many high peaks in the belt, all of which were glaciated during the Ice Age. The region has heavy snowfall in the winter, with mild, pleasant summers. Placers can be found downstream from many of the mining districts in the Colorado Mineral Belt. The best known placers are those on North Clear Creek west of Denver, at Breckenridge, at Alma and Fairplay, and at Leadville, all of which have been extensively worked. The richest gravels were at Breckenridge, where some 800,000 ounces of placer gold were recovered between 1859 and 1972. Placers in the Leadville area yielded over 350,000 ounces, and North Clear Creek yielded over 300,000 ounces of gold. The Alma-Fairplay placers also yielded around 300,000 ounces of gold. The richest and most productive placer gravels are in the Front Range (northeast) portion of the Colorado Mineral Belt. The bucketline dredge used at Fairplay was the largest in Colorado, and was in service until 1951.