The Smuggler Mine is situated right on the slopes of Smuggler Mountain on the northern edge of Aspen, Colorado. This mine is well known for being a major producer of silver.
The prospecting activities in the area of Smuggler Mine began in the late 1870s when Colorado was declared a state. At that time, the prospectors began crossing the Continental Divide at Independence Pass as they looked for silver deposits in the area of Roaring Fork Valley.
At the time of Smuggler’s foundation, Edward Fuller and Con Allbright were the first prospectors to find rich ores at this location. Later it is recorded that the two sold the claims for the supplies they needed at that time in 1879 to other prospectors, and left the place for good.
Later (under somewhat unclear circumstances) a man named Charles Bennett became the owner of the claims and named it ‘Smuggler’. In 1880, it is on record that Bennett sold the claims to B. Clark Wheeler and Charles Hallam with their partners. Among them was David Hyman who later took charge of the Smuggler Mine and the nearby Durant Mine.
The Fight over Rich Silver Veins
The Smuggler and the Durant Mines both had rich veins of silver ore that ran through them. Some of these veins were very long and passed into other mines managed by Jerome Wheeler. As a result, the men ended up suing each other as they tried to establish which one between them had the rights to the silver.
The conflicts were settled when legal bills for both added up to over $1.5 million dollars! Eventually the men settled their differences by constructing the Compromise Mine on the slopes of Aspen Mountain.
In order to maximise their productivity, Wheeler and Hyman worked together in taking the railroad to Aspen, and by 1886 the Smuggler Mine had produced silver valued at over $12,000. Production eventually the production went down to as low as $1,500 over the coming years, but meanwhile the Compromise Mine’s production stood at about $11 million dollars of silver ore.
A Major Global Silver Producer
By 1890s, the Smuggler and Compromise Mines were estimated to have produced about one-fifth of the global silver supply, making the ore deposits around Aspen some of the single richest on Earth. Besides silver being the major mineral produced from this mine, the Smuggler Mine is also known to have produced lead, zinc and coal. At that time the mine had over 200 employees working throughout the underground shafts.
Certainly the thing that will be most remembered about the Smuggler Mine is the discovery of the largest silver nugget in the world. In 1894, a massive mass of nearly solid silver was recovered. The nugget is reported to have weighed about 2,340 pounds!
In order to have it brought out of the extraction point, the nugget was broken down into three segments. Only a few pictures exist of this amazing finds because it was smelted down almost as quickly as it was discovered. A rare mineral specimen like this would be exceedingly rare and valued by collectors, but back then it was only worth what the silver was worth.
Floods & Fire at the Mine
In 1897, only a few years after the discovery of that huge nugget, a flooding occurred after the fire swept through the lower levels of the mine. This event surely slowed down operations at the mine. It took divers to go down and restore pumps in the lower levels of the mine, but eventually the operation was back up and running.
Silver ore continued to be extracted from the mine, but sustaining the operations of the mine kept becoming more challenging due to high costs encountered in maintaining the pumps. As with any large mining operations, costs would often add up that were higher than the metals being recovered. After several decades, continuous operation of the mine stopped in 1917.
Visiting the Mines Today
In conclusion, the Smuggler Mine is well known for its silver ore production, which got started in the late 1870s after silver deposits were discovered by prospectors in the area. At its peak of operation, the mine is reported have produced silver which was measuring up to one-fifth of the world’s silver production rating.
The mine played other important roles in the area and the town of Aspen can credit its existence to the Smuggler Mine along with the other rich silver mines in the nearby mountains.
There is no longer any active mining taking place at the mine, but there is a tour that is open to the public. This tour allows you to go deep underground to explore the historic tunnels and mine workings. This is truly a rare opportunity that should not be missed.
Next: Where You Can Find Native Copper Nuggets in the US