Qualla: Idarado Mine

Idarado Mine: Introduction

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nationalparks at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5. Five miles of tunnel through 13,000-foot mountains. That is the distance separating the ghost town of Guston, near Red Mountain Pass, from the Pandora Mill outside Telluride -- a journey of more than 60 miles by highway, but a straight shot underground through the Idarado Mine. The tunnels of this sprawling operation honeycomb the San Juan Mountains of Ouray County, Colorado, connecting what were once dozens of independent claims into a single industrial enterprise that produced lead, zinc, silver, gold, and copper for nearly four decades. The remains are still visible from the Million Dollar Highway, rusting quietly against the alpine landscape.

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Image: Nationalparks at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5

Idarado Mine: Hammond's Gamble

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mona Ruby Farley, CC BY-SA 4.0. The story begins with William Hammond Jr. and his Treasury Tunnel Mining and Reduction Company, created in 1896. Hammond believed a parallel vein structure existed between the established mines of Red Mountain and Telluride. He drove the Treasury Tunnel approximately 2,000 feet i...

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Image: Mona Ruby Farley | CC BY-SA 4.0

Idarado Mine: Born for War

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mona Ruby Farley, CC BY-SA 4.0. Searls convinced the Sunshine Mining Company of Wallace, Idaho, to form a joint venture. They named it the Idarado Mining Company, blending the identities of both states. Then world events accelerated everything. After America entered World War II, the War Production Board issued...

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Image: Mona Ruby Farley | CC BY-SA 4.0

Idarado Mine: Through the Mountain

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mona Ruby Farley, CC BY-SA 4.0. In June 1944, Newmont bought back the government lease and built a 250-ton-per-day selective flotation mill. By January 1945, the mine was in full production. Newmont eventually bought out Sunshine Mining's stake and became sole owner. Then came the master stroke. On the Tellurid...

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Image: Mona Ruby Farley | CC BY-SA 4.0

Idarado Mine: Boom, Bust, and 80,000 Pounds of Dynamite

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mona Ruby Farley, CC BY-SA 4.0. By 1959, Idarado was producing 400,000 tons of ore annually. But the mine's fortunes rose and fell with global metal prices. A profitable stretch ended in 1971 when low prices, a smelter strike, and a labor shortage in Telluride combined to erase margins. Recovery came in 1973 wh...

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Image: Mona Ruby Farley | CC BY-SA 4.0