Searl Placer, Lake County CO
Yak Tunnel, Clear Creek County CO
Fairchild Collection
This Collection (1926-1980s) focuses on the field and working documents of Gerald L. Fairchild, geologist and mining engineer; and to a smaller extent, his father [or uncle] Harrison (Harry) V. Fairchild. It includes field notes, maps, mine reports and correspondence. 
Gerald worked in Leadville, Colorado in mining and the extractive industries in the US West and internationally. During his career, Gerald amassed a large collection of mine reports by other geologists and engineers to support his work.
The breadth of Gerald Fairchild's collection in the US West is of special note. While he worked extensively in Colorado, he also had interests in Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and California, and with a range of resources that included precious metals, uranium, rare earths, industrial minerals and petroleum. Gerald Fairchild was employed by or a part owner of numerous mineral companies. Harry Fairchild's papers are associated with his work in Leadville, Colorado in the 1920s-1930s.
Geographic Areas of Interest
- Jamestown district, Boulder County
- Empire district, Clear Creek County
- Gem mining properties, Clear Creek County
- Virginia Canyon district, Clear Creek County
- Paradox Valley, Custer and Gunnison counties
- Delta County
- Florence Oil Field, Fremont County
- Gold Brick district, Gunnison County
- Lake district, Hinsdale County
- California district, La Plata County
- Needle Mountain district, La Plata County
- California district, Lake County
- Independent (Independence) district, Lake County
- Leadville district, Lake County
- Mendicelli claims, Mesa County
- Red Mountain district, Ouray County
- Buckskin district, Park County
- Aspen district, Pitkin County
- Telluride district, San Miguel County
- Tenmile (Kokomo) district, Summit County
- Montezuma district, Summit County
- Patagonia district, Santa Cruz County, Arizona
- Pinal County, Arizona
- Mohave County, Arizona
- Ajo district, Pima County, Arizona
- Clark Mountain district, San Bernadino, California
- Nevada County, California
- Mercury Mountain, Nye County, Nevada
- Chama Basin, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
- Hoarding and Quay counties, New Mexico
- Cistern Canyon uranium claims. Emery County, Utah
- Alta district, Salt Lake County, Utah
- Grand County, Utah
- San Juan County, Utah
- Wildhorse Butte Anticline, Hot Springs County, Wyoming
- Uranium districts, Wyoming
- Natrona County, Wyoming
- Cody sulphur deposits, Park County, Wyoming
Contents: Documents
Box 1 -- Correspondence; personal and business documents. Includes:
- Documents on Fairchild's work on the Space Technology & Research Corporation Board of Directors (1962-64)
- Materials on settlement of the estates of Herbert A. Conlee (1960); Joseph A. Jeannette (1902-1935).
Box 2 -- Materials on mining properties and companies in Lake County, Colorado and miscellaneous locations (1916-1957). Includes:
- M. N. Lode, Berdella, Amity Lease, Griffin Lease, etc., California district
- Carlton Tunnel Drainage Tunnel
- Valley Mine, Leadville; Resurrection Mining Company
- Searl Placer
- Lead Zinc Mill; Fortune, Famous, Penfield, Dolly B., and New Monarch mines, Leadville district
Box 3 -- Reports on mining properties and companies in Clear Creek, Eagle, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties, Colorado, and miscellaneous locations (1904-1961). Includes:
- Freeland (Freeland-Lamartine) mines; McClelland Tunnel. Idaho Springs, Clear Creek County
- Eagle Mine and Uranium Tunnel; Anaconda Lead and Silver Co.; Horse Mountain Mining & Milling Co. Eagle County
- Daisy Group of mines; Kanarado Mining & Development Co.; Carter mines; Quartz Creek district; Victory Mine and other claims, Gold Brick district; Gehrlein Property, GLF beryllium claims; Beryllium Mining Co. Inc.; Willow Creek Mine. Gunnison County
- Riverside Mine, Madison County, Montana
- Thompson Borax Property, Inyo County; Amargosa gold placer deposits; Cranes Diggings, San Bernadino County. California
- Galena district. Hinsdale County
Box 4 -- Documents, reports, correspondence and location certificates on mining properties and companies in La Plata, Mesa, Pitkin and San Miguel counties, Colorado (1924-1985). Includes:
- Bessie G. Mine and Mill. Tesoro Mining Company; Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board materials; Fairchild-DuLuche Joint Properties; May Day Mine; Small Hope Mine and others; Cobre Claims, Needle Mountain district; California district. La Plata County
- Cimarron Group, Big Six Group, Jamie Group; Frank Nisley. Mesa County
- Midnight Mine; Little Annie Mine; Aspen district. Pitikin County
- Fischer Claims; Bear Creek Mining Co.; Telluride district. San Miguel County
Box 5 -- Documents, reports, correspondence and other materials on mining properties and companies in Clear Creek, Gilpin, Larimer, Summit and Custer counties, Colorado (1926-1985). Includes:
- Keystone Beryllium Corp.; Keystone Peerless Mining Co. Montezuma district, Larimer and Summit counties.
- Miscellaneous materials on properties in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties, including the Great Center Group, Idaho Springs
- North Cisco Dome
- Rusher property. Custer County
Box 6 -- Documents, maps and diagrams on mining properties and companies in Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Wyoming, and other areas ( 1912-1968). Includes:
- A & B and M & M mercury mines and related properties. Nye County, Nevada
- Gold & Silver Circle Mines Inc. Nevada
- Lapari White Pumice deposits. [Sicily]
- Cardiff Mining & Milling Company. [Cottonwood district?], Utah
- Cistern Canyon uranium claims. Emery County, Utah
- Three "R" mines. Patagonia district, Arizona
- Orizaba mines. Pinal County, Arizona
- Ajo Extension Copper Company. Ajo district, Pima County, Arizona
- Fortuna Mine. Yuma County, California
- Wildhorse Butte Anticline. Hot Springs County, Wyoming
Box 7 -- Documents and mine reports on properties in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah; and company documents for Hoffman Resources Corp., Cardiff Mining & Milling Co., and Inland Development Corp. (1948-1975). Includes:
- Hoffman Resources Corp. documents, including reports on properties in Mohave County, Arizona, Natrona County, Wyoming
- Antimony, pumice and mica deposits; court documents related to Armstrong vs. Cauldwell
- Miscellaneous properties in San Bernardino County, California and locations in Colorado and Utah
- Cardiff Mining & Milling Company, leases and mining properties; Inland Development Corp, company documents
Box 8 -- Documents, mine reports and maps on properties in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Liberia (1879-1984). Includes:
- Cardiff Mining & Milling Company properties. Big Cotton Canyon and Alta districts, Utah
- Cody Sulphur Company. Cody, Wyoming
- Uranium properties in South Dakota and Wyoming
- Liberia Project, Bently International Trading Company
- Gem mines. Clear Creek County, Colorado
- Eureka lode. Gunnison County, Colorado
- Nolan Ranch. Gypsum, Eagle County, Colorado
- Abstracts of Title and mine reports for various properties (1879-1914); Resurrection Mine area, Leadville district. Lake County, Colorado
- Ortmayer Mining Company. Hinsdale County, Colorado
- Rennels Land & Livestock Inc. Larimer County, Colorado
Box 9 -- Documents, mine reports and maps, mostly in Colorado (1918-1981). Includes:
- King Coal Mine. La Plata County, Colorado; and other properties
- La Plata Gold Corporation; documents on the civil action Elgin Gas & Oil vs. La Plata Gold Corporation (1961); Bessie G Mine; Fairchild Minerals Inc.
- Maps, including Liberian Mineral Deposits
- Irontown Park properties. Ouray County, Colorado
- Properties. Buckskin district, Park County, Colorado
- Toltec Claim. San Juan County, Colorado
- Carbonero Mine, maps and reports. San Miguel County, Colorado
- Gem Mining Company; Paymaster Consolidated Mining Company and other companies, Colorado
Box 10 -- Documents, mine reports and maps on mine properties, mostly in Colorado and Utah (1955-1982). Includes:
- Shoe Basin Mines Company; Shoe Basin mines, with maps of the workings; materials related to mine discharge and water quality (1950-1977). Summit County, Colorado
- Quito Complex. St. Joe Engineering Company, Inc. Golden, Colorado
- Federal mining laws and miscellaneous legal information on mining
- Champion Ventures, Inc. properties, including Yellow Bird uranium claims, Grand County, Utah
Box 11 -- Documents and mine reports on mining and petroleum companies, mostly in Colorado (1942-1984). Includes:
- Miscellaneous company reports, circulars, and prospectus documents
- Fairchild Minerals Inc.
- Fairchild-Vanadium Company
- First Denver Securities Corporation; Taylor Mine. Nevada County, California
- San Juan Mining Corporation activities
- Ortmayer Mining Company; includes maps and mine reports for properties in Colorado
- Lake George Industries
- Ord copper mines
- Sierra Resources Inc., including oil and gas leases; maps of the Florence Field, Colorado
Contents: Folios
Folio 1 -- Clear Creek County, Colorado. Includes:
- Lamartine Group and related properties
- Yankee Lombard & Alice districts
- Georgetown claims
- Idaho Springs area
- Empire
- Downieville and Upper Union districts, Georgetown to Empire Junction, Rights of Way
- Miscellaneous Summit County maps
Folio 2 -- Lake County, Colorado. Includes:
- Leadville district; city of Leadville
- Mining claims, areas of London Mountain, Weston Pass, Sugar Loaf district, Mount Champion, Upper Iowa Gulch, Ibex
- Leadville Drainage Tunnel
Folio 3 -- La Plata County, Colorado. Includes:
- Bessie G Mine and related claims
- Incas Mine
- Golden Rule Placer
- Mining claims, areas of Hesperus Quadrangle, La Plata Mountains, Monument Hill Quadrangle
- Lewis Mt.-Mining and Milling Company properties
Folio 4 -- Colorado (Other). Includes:
- Boulder County--Bueno Mine; Gold Metal Lode & Mill site; Pride of the Mountain Lode; Moritz Mining Company; Gold Valley Placer
- Fremont, Chaffee, Park counties--Tarryall, Glentivar and Cotopaxi quadrangles
- Gilpin County--Old Town Mine; Gilpin County Rights of Way
- Mesa County--Calamity Mesa Quadrangle; Carpenter Ridge district, Dolores Plateau
- Montezuma County--Midwest Uranium Company; Union Mines Development Corporation; Comb Ridge Fold district
- Montrose County--Pay Day lode and mill, Valley View Consolidated Gold Mining Company; Aurora Mill; Rock Creek Quadrangle
- San Miguel, Dolores counties--Ouray district; Aspen Group; Joe Davis Hill Quadrangle
Folio 5 -- Summit County. Includes:
- Monte Cristo Group, Pollock district
- Ortmayer claims, Peru district; Ortmayer Mining Company properties
- Kokomo district and Searles Gulch
- Shoe Basin Company
- Properties--Summit Mining & Smelting Company; Boise Gold & Silver Mining & Milling Company; Delaware Gold Mining & Smelting Company
Folio 6 -- Utah. Includes:
- Montezuma Canyon, San Juan County
- Delaware claims, Scanlon Engineering Company
- Swansea Consolidated
- San Rafael Swell area, Emery County
- Wasatch Mines Company properties; Wasatch Drain Tunnel
- Iron County
- Green River Desert area, Abajo Mountains district; Union Mines Development Corporation
- Geologic maps of various regions
- Cardiff Mining & Milling Company
- Big Cottonwood district, Wasatch Mountains
- Consolidated Flagstaff Mines Company
Folio 7 -- Wyoming. Includes:
- Geologic maps, Airborne Geophysical Survey, Atomic Energy Commission
- Miscellaneous maps, including Liberia; Bare Mountain Quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada; McKinley Placer, Tuolumne County, California
Related Resources
- Mine Reports CollectionReports by engineers and geologists on mine properties. Formats can include maps, correspondence, prospectus and other documents.