San Juan Mountains

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San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountains are a rugged mountain range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
in the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
in southwestern Colorado

Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
. The area is highly mineral

Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
ized (the Colorado Mineral Belt

Colorado Mineral Belt

The Colorado Mineral Belt is an area with abundant ore deposits. The area stretches north-east from the La Plata Mountains in Southwestern Colorado to the Front Range near Boulder, Colorado....
) and figured in the gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
and silver

Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede

Creede, Colorado

File:Creede, 1942.jpgThe historic Town of Creede is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_Town that is the county seat of, and the only Colorado municipalities in, Mineral County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
, Lake City

Lake City, Colorado

The Town of Lake City is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_Town that is the county seat of, and the only Colorado municipalities in, Hinsdale County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
, Silverton

Silverton, Colorado

The historic Town of Silverton is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_Town that is the county seat of, and the only Colorado municipalities in, San Juan County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
, Ouray

Ouray, Colorado

The historic City of Ouray is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_City that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
, and Telluride

Telluride, Colorado

The Town of Telluride is a Colorado municipalities#Home_Rule_Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous town of San Miguel County, Colorado in the southwestern portion of the U.S....
. Large scale mining is now uneconomical in the region, although independent prospectors still work claims throughout the range. The last large scale holdouts were the Standard Metals operation on Red Mountain Pass

Red Mountain Pass

Red Mountain Pass is a mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains of western Coloradoin the United States.The pass straddles a divide that separates...
which operated until late in the 20th century and the ill-fated Summitville mine

Summitville mine

The Summitville Mine was a gold mining site in Rio Grande County, Colorado south of Del Norte, Colorado. It is remembered for the environmental damage caused in the 1980s by the accidental leakage of mining by-products into local waterways and then the Alamosa River....
on the eastern slope of the San Juans.

The Summitville mine was the scene of a major environmental disaster in the 1990s when the hastily installed liner of a cyanide

Cyanide

A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the nitrile , which consists of a carbon atom chemical bond to a nitrogen atom. Inorganic cyanides are hydrogen cyanide salts in which cyanide is generally the anion CN-....
-laced tailing pond

Tailing pond

Tailing ponds are areas of refused mining tailings where the water borne refuse material is ponded to allow the sedimentation of solid particles from the water....
began leaking heavily.

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Encyclopedia

The San Juan Mountains are a rugged mountain range

Mountain range

Rocky Mountains

Colorado

Mineral

Colorado Mineral Belt

Gold

Silver

Creede, Colorado

Lake City, Colorado

Silverton, Colorado

Ouray, Colorado

The historic City of Ouray is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory_City that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
, and Telluride

Telluride, Colorado

Red Mountain Pass

Summitville mine

Cyanide

Tailing pond

Tailing ponds are areas of refused mining tailings where the water borne refuse material is ponded to allow the sedimentation of solid particles from the water....
began leaking heavily. Summitville is in the Summitville caldera

Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcano feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the one at Yellowstone National Park....
, one of many extinct volcano

Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
es making up the San Juan volcanic field. One, the La Garita Caldera

La Garita Caldera

La Garita Caldera is a large volcano caldera located in the San Juan volcanic field in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, United States, to the west of the town of La Garita, Colorado....
, is in diameter. Large beds of lava

Lava

Lava is molten Rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption. When first expelled from a volcanic vent, it is a liquid at temperatures from 700 ?C to 1,200 ?C ....
, some extending under the floor of the San Luis Valley

San Luis Valley

The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the US states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level....
, are characteristic of the eastern slope of the San Juans.

There is some tourism in the region, with the narrow gauge railway between Durango

Durango, Colorado

The City of Durango is a Colorado municipalities#Home_Rule_Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, Colorado, United States....
and Silverton being an attraction in the summer. Jeep

Jeep

Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler. It is the oldest off-road vehicle brand, with Land Rover coming in second. The original vehicle which first appeared as the prototype Bantam GP became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and allies during the World War II and postwar period....
ing is popular on the old trails which linked the historic mining camps, including the notorious Black Bear Road

Black Bear Road

Black Bear Road is a notorious jeep that starts from summit of Red Mountain Pass on U.S. Highway 550 to Telluride, Colorado, Colorado. The Black Bear Road crests at Black Bear Pass, elevation ....
. Visiting old ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is a town or city that has been completely abandoned by human inhabitants, usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as flood, government action, uncontrolled lawlessness or war....
s is popular, as is wilderness trekking and mountain climbing. The San Juans are extremely steep; only Telluride has made the transition to ski resort. Purgatory (now known as Durango Mountain Resort

Durango Mountain Resort

Durango Mountain Resort, also known as Purgatory, is a ski resort located in the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado, 25 miles north of the town of Durango, Colorado....
) is a small ski area north of Durango near the Tamarron Resort. There is also skiing on Wolf Creek Pass

Wolf Creek Pass

Wolf Creek Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. It is the route through which U.S. Highway 160 passes from the San Luis Valley into southwest Colorado on its way to New Mexico and Arizona....
at the Wolf Creek ski area

Wolf Creek ski area

Wolf Creek Ski Area is a ski area in southwest Colorado, located on the Wolf Creek Pass between Pagosa Springs, Colorado and South Fork, Colorado....
. Recently Silverton Mountain ski area has begun operation in Silverton. It is a highly rated extreme ski area and is currently available by reservation only.

The Rio Grande

Rio Grande

For the railroad often known as the Rio Grande, see Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.The Rio Grande River in the United States, known as the R?o Bravo in Mexico, is a river, long, is the fourth longest river system in the United States and serves as a natural boundary along the border between the U.S....
rises on the east side of the range. The other side of the San Juans, the western slope of the continental divide

Continental Divide

The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the drainage basin that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean , and 2)...
, is drained by tributaries of the San Juan

San Juan River (Utah)

The San Juan River is a tributary of the Colorado River , 400 mi long, in the western United States....
, Dolores

Dolores River

The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River , approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah.It rises in southwestern Colorado near Dolores Peak and Mount Wilson in the San Miguel Mountains....
and Gunnison

Gunnison River

The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River , approximately 180 mi long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft?/s ....
rivers, which all flow into the Colorado River.

The San Juan

San Juan National Forest

The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in Archuleta County, Colorado, Conejos County, Colorado, Dolores County, Colorado, Hinsdale County, Colorado, La Plata County, Colorado, Mineral County, Colorado, Montezuma County, Colorado, Rio Grande County, Colorado, San Miguel County, Colorado and San Ju...
and Uncompahgre

Uncompahgre National Forest

Uncompahgre National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 955,229 acres in parts of Montrose County, Colorado, Mesa County, Colorado, San Miguel County, Colorado, Ouray County, Colorado, Gunnison County, Colorado, San Juan County, Colorado, and Delta County, Colorado Counties in western Colorado....
National Forests cover a large portion of the San Juan Mountains.

Prominent peaks

The 28 Peaks of the San Juan Mountains With At Least 500 Meters of Topographic Prominence
Rank Ranking A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second....	Mountain Peak Summit (topography) In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematics, a summit is a local Maxima and minima in elevation....	Elevation	Prominence Topographic prominence In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop or prime factor , is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks....	Isolation Topographic isolation The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum horizontal distance to the nearest point of higher elevation. Topographic isolation represents a radius of dominance in which the summit is the highest point....
1	Uncompahgre Peak Uncompahgre Peak Uncompahgre Peak is the List of Colorado fourteeners mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado and is the highest peak of the San Juan Mountains....	4365.000 = 14,321 feet 4365 m	1303.630 = 4,277 feet 1304 m	00136.89 = 85.1 miles 136.9 km
2	Mount Wilson Mount Wilson (Colorado) Mount Wilson is a Fourteener mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness in Dolores County, Colorado approximately 10 miles north of Rico, Colorado and 10 miles southwest of Telluride, Colorado....	4344.080 = 14,252 feet 4344 m	1226.515 = 4,024 feet 1227 m	00053.21 = 33.1 miles 53.2 km
3	Mount Sneffels Mount Sneffels Mount Sneffels is a Fourteener mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness of the northern San Juan Mountains, in Ouray County, Colorado approximately 5 miles west of the town of Ouray, Colorado....	4315.400 = 14,158 feet 4315 m	0929.640 = 3,050 feet 930 m	00025.32 = 15.7 miles 25.3 km
4	Mount Eolus Mount Eolus Mount Eolus is a fourteener in the U.S. state of Colorado, the highest of the Needle Mountains . It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness in La Plata County, Colorado approximately 13 miles south of Silverton, Colorado....	4294.255 = 14,089 feet 4294 m	0665.378 = 2,183 feet 665 m	00040.48 = 25.2 miles 40.5 km
5	Handies Peak Handies Peak Handies Peak is a Fourteener mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the San Juan Mountains in Hinsdale County, Colorado approximately 13 miles south west of Lake City, Colorado....	4284.800 = 14,058 feet 4285 m	0575.462 = 1,888 feet 575 m	00018.00 = 11.2 miles 18.0 km
6	San Luis Peak San Luis Peak San Luis Peak is a fourteener peak in the San Juan Mountains of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the La Garita Wilderness in Saguache County, Colorado approximately north of Creede, Colorado....	4273.800 = 14,022 feet 4274 m	0948.842 = 3,113 feet 949 m	00043.41 = 27.0 miles 43.4 km
7	Vermilion Peak	4236.719 = 13,900 feet 4237 m	0641.604 = 2,105 feet 642 m	00014.60 = 9.1 miles 14.6 km
8	Rio Grande Pyramid	4214.400 = 13,827 feet 4214 m	0567.233 = 1,861 feet 567 m	00017.31 = 10.8 miles 17.3 km
9	Mount Oso	4172.659 = 13,690 feet 4173 m	0507.187 = 1,664 feet 507 m	00008.81 = 5.5 miles 8.8 km
10	Tower Mountain	4132.446 = 13,558 feet 4132 m	0503.530 = 1,652 feet 504 m	00008.62 = 5.4 miles 8.6 km
11	Sultan Mountain	4076.215 = 13,373 feet 4076 m	0569.366 = 1,868 feet 569 m	00007.39 = 4.6 miles 7.4 km
12	Summit Peak	4056.048 = 13,307 feet 4056 m	0841.248 = 2,760 feet 841 m	00064.23 = 39.9 miles 64.2 km
13	Dolores Peak	4052.592 = 13,296 feet 4053 m	0594.360 = 1,950 feet 594 m	00008.02 = 5.0 miles 8.0 km
14	Lavender Peak	4037.198 = 13,245 feet 4037 m	0871.728 = 2,860 feet 872 m	00039.91 = 24.8 miles 39.9 km
15	Bennett Peak	4026.057 = 13,209 feet 4026 m	0531.266 = 1,743 feet 531 m	00027.52 = 17.1 miles 27.5 km
16	Conejos Peak	4017.000 = 13,179 feet 4017 m	0582.778 = 1,912 feet 583 m	00013.12 = 8.2 miles 13.1 km
17	Twilight Peak Twilight Peak Twilight Peak is a mountain in the San Juan Mountains of western Colorado in the United States, south of Silverton, Colorado. Twilight peak is adjacent to the Needle Mountains ....	4012.096 = 13,163 feet 4012 m	0712.622 = 2,338 feet 713 m	00007.86 = 4.9 miles 7.9 km
18	South River Peak	4009.390 = 13,154 feet 4009 m	0746.150 = 2,448 feet 746 m	00035.34 = 22.0 miles 35.3 km
19	Peak 13,010	3967.262 = 13,016 feet 3967 m	0545.592 = 1,790 feet 546 m	00015.39 = 9.6 miles 15.4 km
20	Lone Cone	3846.100 = 12,618 feet 3846 m	0692.810 = 2,273 feet 693 m	00014.97 = 9.3 miles 15.0 km
21	Graham Peak	3821.100 = 12,536 feet 3821 m	0777.545 = 2,551 feet 778 m	00016.78 = 10.4 miles 16.8 km
22	Elliott Mountain	3762.941 = 12,346 feet 3763 m	0682.752 = 2,240 feet 683 m	00008.26 = 5.1 miles 8.3 km
23	Cornwall Mountain	3746.183 = 12,291 feet 3746 m	0531.571 = 1,744 feet 532 m	00008.37 = 5.2 miles 8.4 km
24	Sawtooth Mountain	3704.200 = 12,153 feet 3704 m	0587.350 = 1,927 feet 587 m	00028.28 = 17.6 miles 28.3 km
25	Chalk Benchmark	3669.300 = 12,038 feet 3669 m	0600.761 = 1,971 feet 601 m	00011.68 = 7.3 miles 11.7 km
26	Little Cone	3654.000 = 11,988 feet 3654 m	0561.137 = 1,841 feet 561 m	00009.70 = 6.0 miles 9.7 km
27	Cochetopa Dome	3394.838 = 11,138 feet 3395 m	0537.058 = 1,762 feet 537 m	00009.90 = 6.2 miles 9.9 km
28	Horse Mountain	3033.307 = 9,952 feet 3033 m	0575.158 = 1,887 feet 575 m	00022.46 = 14.0 miles 22.5 km

History of the area

Mining operators in the San Juan mountain area formed the San Juan District Mining Association

Mine Owners' Association

A Mine Owners' Association, also sometimes referred to as a Mine Operators' Association or a Mine Owners' Protective Association, is the combination of individual mining companies, or groups of mining companies, into an association, established for the purpose of promoting the collective interests of the group....
(SJDMA) in 1903, as a direct result of a Western Federation of Miners

Western Federation of Miners

The Western Federation of Miners was a radical trade union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mining of the western United States and British Columbia....
proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the eight hour day

Eight-hour day

The eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in UK, where industrial production in large factory transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions....
, which had been approved in a referendum by 72 percent of Colorado voters

Colorado Labor Wars

Colorado's most significant battles between labor and capital occurred primarily between miners and mine operators. In these battles the state government, with one clear exception, always took the side of the mine operators....
. The new association consolidated the power of thirty-six mining properties in San Miguel

San Miguel County

San Miguel County is the name of several counties in the United States:* San Miguel County, Colorado* San Miguel County, New Mexico...
, Ouray

Ouray County, Colorado

Ouray County is one of the 64 county of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 3,742 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the Ouray, Colorado....
, and San Juan

San Juan County, Colorado

San Juan County is the least populous of the Colorado counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county name is the Spanish language name for John the Apostle, the name Spain explorers gave to a river and the mountain range in the area....
counties. The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter strike.

San Juan Mountains

Prominent peaks

History of the area

See also

Further reading

External links