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CO - Rico,Dolores County - 1909 - The United Rico Mines Company

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 200.00 USD
CO - Rico,Dolores County - 1909 - The United Rico Mines Company
Session D is a Mail-Bid Only Auction. Absentee bids will be accepted only. No live bidding will be allowed. All winners will be contacted after the auction. BIDDING ENDS MONDAY JUNE 27 AT 5PM PACIFIC TIME!!!
Pioneer Mining District. Rico was well named. The surrounding land has produced millions in minerals over the years. The 1959 boom was equal to anything in the past. Rico is fast developing into a uranium center. The Rico-Argentine Company recently built a huge sulfuric acid plant. There is an estimated half million tons of pyrite in “Nigger Baby Hill,” so much so there is enough to keep the plant in full operat.ion for five years. The Blaine, Rico-Argentine, and Mountain Springs Mines turn out an average of 150 tons of lead and zinc daily.

In 1878, rich finds were made and within weeks hundreds of prospectors came into the region. By 1879, there were some thirty businesses here, including four assay offices, and seven saloons. The population was over 600. The Grand View Smelter was built in 1880, another smelter was built in 1882. The Enterprise Mine, located in the early 1880s, was one of the largest producers. It was located by David Swickheimer. His wife ran a boarding house. The couple had spent every penny they had on the claim and had no other course but to sell it, when Mrs. Swickheimer spent her last dollar on a lottery ticket. The ticket paid $5,000. The money was spent on further developing the claim into one of the top mines in the State. The Swickheimers sold the mine to an English syndicate for $I,250,000. The top mines in the area were the Atlantic Cable, Montana, Aztec, Yellow Jacket, Enterprise, Alma Mater, Phoenix, Pelican, Rico Argentine, Blaine, Mt. Springs, Grand View, and Electric Light [Ref: Eberhart, Perry, Guide to the Colorado Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, 1959; The Hal Miller Files including maps, assays, prospectuses, lease on 250,000 tons of iron oxide from smelter, lease on 10,000 tons of crushed pyrite]. No. B451 issued to David H. Moffat by T. J. Cunningham, Secretary and A. Atkins, President. White paper with orange border. Vignette is of a lone miner walking toward a mill situated close to a river in between some mountains. U/C. Excellent condition.