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Souvenir Mining Spoon Little Jonny Mine Leadville
Souvenir Mining Spoon Little Jonny Mine Leadville reverse
Mill, Telluride, CO
Souvenir Mining Spoon Liberty Bell Mill Telluride
Souvenir Mining Spoon Liberty Bell Mill Telluride CO
  Souvenir Mining Spoon Liberty Bell Mill Telluride Bowl Engraving.JPG - SOUVENIR MINING SPOON LIBERTY BELL MILL TELLURIDE COLORADO - Sterling silver spoon, 5 1/8 in. long, engraved mining scene in bowl with marking LIBERTY BELL MILL TELLURIDE COLO, marking COLUMBINE on handle, ca. 1900, back with sterling marking [The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of Colorado. The town is a former silver and gold mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. Gold was first discovered in 1858. John Fallon made the first claim in Marshal Basin above Telluride in 1875 and early settlement of Telluride followed. The town itself was founded in 1878. Telluride was originally named Columbia, but due to confusion with Columbia, CA, the name was changed by the post office in 1887. The town was named after valuable ore compounds of the chemical element tellurium, a metalloid element which forms natural tellurides, the most notable of which are telluride ores of gold and silver. Telluride began slowly because of its isolated location. In 1881, a toll road was opened by Otto Mears which allowed wagons to go where only pack mules could go before. This increased the number of people in Telluride, but it was still expensive to get gold-rich ore out of the valley. In 1891, the Rio Grande Southern railroad, also begun by Mears, arrived in Telluride, eventually building a two stall engine house, water facilities, a section house and a bunkhouse, sidings and a depot. It continued further up the valley to end its Telluride branch at Pandora, serving the mines and the town until 1952. The cheaper and consistent transportation for passengers and freight allowed miners and goods to flow into the San Miguel town and ore to flow out to the mills and foundries elsewhere. The population of Telluride soared to around 5,000 residents with the coming of the railroad. Around the turn of the 20th century, there were serious labor disputes in the mines near Telluride. The Colorado National Guard was called out and there were deaths on both sides. Unions were formed as miners joined the Western Federation of Miners in 1896. 1899 brought big changes as union strike action led most mines to grant miners $3 a day for an 8 hour day’s work plus a boarding pay of $1 a day. At the time, workers were putting in 10–12 hour days and the mines ran 24 hours a day. Work conditions were treacherous, with mines above 12,000 ft, a lack of safety measures, and bitter weather in winter months. Even the boarding houses were precariously placed on the mountainsides where they were subject to killing avalanches. The Liberty Bell lode was discovered in 1876 by W.L. Cornett. The Liberty Bell Mill was built to serve the mine and the ore was lowered to the mill via an aerial tram. The tram originated at the Liberty Bell Mine north of Telluride near the head of Cornet Creek on the south side of Greenback Mountain. It traveled approximately 3,200 feet southwest to the vicinity of the Stillwell Tunnel on the southeast side of Cornet Creek where it turned south for about 7,000 feet and terminated at the Liberty Bell Mill on the valley floor of the San Miguel River just east of the town of Telluride adjacent to the Lone Tree Cemetery. The Liberty Bell Mine, which produced only silver and gold, was operated from 1898 to 1921 and during that period had an output of 633,021 ounces of gold. The mill had 80 stamps of 850 lbs. each, 100 drops per minute, crushing ore through 14 mesh screens. The mill capacity was 480 tons of ore per day. The mill closed in 1926 and fell into disrepair. Sadly, the Liberty Bell Mine was the site of the worst avalanche disaster in Colorado history when a series of three avalanches on February 28, 1902 tore through the mine boarding house killing 19 men. Mining was Telluride’s only industry until 1972, when the first ski lift was installed by Telluride Ski Resort founder Joseph T. Zoline and his Telluride Ski Corporation (Telco). That set the stage for a robust tourism economy that continues today.]  
Idaho & Maryland Mines ca 1895
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Souvenir Mining Spoon Idaho-Maryland Mine Grass Valley, CA
Souvenir Mining Spoon Bowl Idaho-Maryland Mine Grass Valley, CA
Hecla Mine Postcard

Souvenir Mining Spoon Liberty Bell Mill Telluride Bowl Engraving | SOUVENIR MINING SPOON LIBERTY BELL MILL TELLURIDE COLORADO - Sterling silver spoon, 5 1/8 in. long, engraved mining scene in bowl with marking LIBERTY BELL MILL TELLURIDE COLO, marking COLUMBINE on handle, ca. 1900, back with sterling marking [The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of Colorado. The town is a former silver and gold mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. Gold was first discovered in 1858. John Fallon made the first claim in Marshal Basin above Telluride in 1875 and early settlement of Telluride followed. The town itself was founded in 1878. Telluride was originally named Columbia, but due to confusion with Columbia, CA, the name was changed by the post office in 1887. The town was named after valuable ore compounds of the chemical element tellurium, a metalloid element which forms natural tellurides, the most notable of which are telluride ores of gold and silver. Telluride began slowly because of its isolated location. In 1881, a toll road was opened by Otto Mears which allowed wagons to go where only pack mules could go before. This increased the number of people in Telluride, but it was still expensive to get gold-rich ore out of the valley. In 1891, the Rio Grande Southern railroad, also begun by Mears, arrived in Telluride, eventually building a two stall engine house, water facilities, a section house and a bunkhouse, sidings and a depot. It continued further up the valley to end its Telluride branch at Pandora, serving the mines and the town until 1952. The cheaper and consistent transportation for passengers and freight allowed miners and goods to flow into the San Miguel town and ore to flow out to the mills and foundries elsewhere. The population of Telluride soared to around 5,000 residents with the coming of the railroad. Around the turn of the 20th century, there were serious labor disputes in the mines near Telluride. The Colorado National Guard was called out and there were deaths on both sides. Unions were formed as miners joined the Western Federation of Miners in 1896. 1899 brought big changes as union strike action led most mines to grant miners $3 a day for an 8 hour day’s work plus a boarding pay of $1 a day. At the time, workers were putting in 10–12 hour days and the mines ran 24 hours a day. Work conditions were treacherous, with mines above 12,000 ft, a lack of safety measures, and bitter weather in winter months. Even the boarding houses were precariously placed on the mountainsides where they were subject to killing avalanches. The Liberty Bell lode was discovered in 1876 by W.L. Cornett. The Liberty Bell Mill was built to serve the mine and the ore was lowered to the mill via an aerial tram. The tram originated at the Liberty Bell Mine north of Telluride near the head of Cornet Creek on the south side of Greenback Mountain. It traveled approximately 3,200 feet southwest to the vicinity of the Stillwell Tunnel on the southeast side of Cornet Creek where it turned south for about 7,000 feet and terminated at the Liberty Bell Mill on the valley floor of the San Miguel River just east of the town of Telluride adjacent to the Lone Tree Cemetery. The Liberty Bell Mine, which produced only silver and gold, was operated from 1898 to 1921 and during that period had an output of 633,021 ounces of gold. The mill had 80 stamps of 850 lbs. each, 100 drops per minute, crushing ore through 14 mesh screens. The mill capacity was 480 tons of ore per day. The mill closed in 1926 and fell into disrepair. Sadly, the Liberty Bell Mine was the site of the worst avalanche disaster in Colorado history when a series of three avalanches on February 28, 1902 tore through the mine boarding house killing 19 men. Mining was Telluride’s only industry until 1972, when the first ski lift was installed by Telluride Ski Resort founder Joseph T. Zoline and his Telluride Ski Corporation (Telco). That set the stage for a robust tourism economy that continues today.] Download Original Image
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