San Juan Triangle Reclamation

SAN JUAN TRIANGLE RECLAMATION PAST ISSUES & NEW SUCCESS

SanJuanTriangle.org supports Silverton, EPA, BLM, USFS with site information and photo images in the efforts to do proper reclamation saving the San Juan Triangle outdoor historic mining museum.

NOTE - New issues being worked, historical sites returned to before reclamation.

101% proper historical reclamation details below especially BLM

The San Juan Triangle is/was being quietly destroyed by past reclamation failures although there has been some improvement. SanJuanTriangle.org data is available to institutions to assist in proper reclamation. San Juan Triangle.org can supply site data to reclamation to assist in proper water improvement and historic site preservation. Multiple historic sites are bulldozed, and trenched, piped to remove water which may or may not exist. The actions by reclamation destroy multiple significant historic sites, destroy historic artifacts, and cause severe danger to the public. Reclamation heavy equipment construction leaves site damage, does not return site to historical site, causes irreplaceable building site and artifact damage and destroys historical sites with and without mine water. Years of bulldozed sites artifacts piled as trash and history buried at multiple sites. Photos shows no water interaction from mine sites to near water on some bulldoze damaged sites. SJTP has been unable to get info/photos for sites except limited Superfund public documents.

Destruction of the San Juan Triangle historic mining museum is a loss to everyone and great loss to Colorado and region.

Failed reclamation is the responsibility of oversight institutions, historical site preservation, not responding to planning failures and activity, poor data and overall no response, no interest in the San Juan Triangle and allowing anything goes, promotes vandalism, neglect and lack of respect.

There is a solution - Less money, safe for public, no maintenance, historic site saved. Pipe mine water or ditch shortest way out of historic site, safe public access graded to divert water, cover tailings only if necessary then cover plastic with thin non contaminated tailings, return site to historic as found including tailings, metal, rail, pipes, equipment, shoes, glass, wood, replace adit a few feet and collapse, restore artifacts, restore rail, make historically realistic, STOP bulldoze and run, We have all pre reclamation images to restore to before bulldoze. We can predict the next sites to be affected by reclamation. There are issues regarding the condition of the site prior to reclamation and issues with local and mine water.

There is an issue here that sites that are not on the public path, not normally public visited and are private, do not follow the same requirements as an historical mining museum. Conversely public sites that are clearly a public historical site, regular visits even if private should have oversight for historical value, historical artifacts and safe access. Government should work with those sites same as they would for clean water. All sites private and public should be treated with respect. Further research in process.

Plenty of your money $$, your destruction of historical sites, your danger to the public, reclamation failures. .

BLM has been unable to make improvements in the San Juan Triangle like additional toilets due to no money, Donations needed SanJuanTriangleFUNDING.htm. The San Juan Triangle badly needs adequate toilets at Eureka, Gladstone, Cunningham Gulch, also road improvements, site identity, historic signs, sites returned to historic look, adits fronts, artifacts, structures. Instead reclamation will bulldoze the historical mining outdoor museum. Improvements benefit everyone.

Reclamation refuses to allow private property owners to move, destroy, or sell historical artifacts on private property, but reclamation can move or destroy same buildings or artifacts by not recording historical significance, historical artifacts and in the name of public safety. Building restoration requires same historical material and historical construction but site and artifacts can be bulldozed to pre mining. Clearly photos of reclamation piling up and destroying artifacts.

SJTP site code is San Juan Triangle Project, (or San Juan Triangle Plus map) data base, photos, sanjuantriangle.org We now know by location and photos every site in the San Juan Triangle to prevent further destruction by reclamation.

This page is not an approval, accuracy or support by advertisers or website distribution, is produced for information only by SanJuanTriangle.org. We support EPA for clean water and preserve historical sites. EPA information

No airborne human health risk from small mine tailings. details

MOGUL MINE SITE SJTP 09912 JUNK YARD

2023 Bulldozed. Artifacts left damaged. Was buildings, air pipes, equipment to enter mine. Unknown damage to historical site.

THEFT VANDALISM ARTIFACTS STOLEN IN 2025. The mine vehicle was stolen, the site vandalized, current stuff left as a junk yard. See 2025 below.

2025

Overall the site is a junk yard and treated as a junk yard, not a mining historical museum site. Contributes to vandalism and theft, a blight on the San Juan Triangle. The mine vehicle shown top left is missing. San Juan Triangle Project has documented every of 600 mine sites, every pipe, board, rail, building, adit of mining historical value in the San Juan Triangle, over 9000 high resolution images.

LARK SITE SJTP 93171

Bulldozed in 2024. Original buildings left mostly intact but damage unknown. The site otherwise was completely gutted to pipe water which did not exist or very little recently away from the tailing. Notice the BLM historic sign pushed over the edge. Notice the large ditch above the site to stop mountain water that does not exist. The site is not a danger but historic value is gone and is of no historic interest and now 2024 eyesore on the historic San Juan Triangle. .This site a very public high $$ expense to divert limited water that may never exist and destroy historic public lands. Historical oversight protection did nothing, did not know it happened or location of site. .Buried pipe is good but clearly site was not returned to pre reclamation.

To fix damage and return to historic site, replace entrance adit in a few feet and collapsed, cover new cement water things with artifacts, replace cover on tailings with original not contaminated tailings and cover bulldoze tracks, replace artifacts, remove construction debris, replace piled artifact lumber in suitable locations. Make site look historically interesting.

No airborne human health risk from small mine tailings. details

SAN JUAN RECLAMATION TRIANGLE

Currently Henrietta level 7, SJTP 90962. No one there, nothing to see, road washed out, OK because historical mining has been deleted by RECLAMATION. Only chipmunks and pikas enjoy the rocks and grass. This is the RECLAMATION version of the San Juan Triangle. 1900 mining destroyed the land and RECLAMATION is returning it to the chipmunks. It is unknown who did the RECLAMATION. Your $$ money.

BEN FRANKLIN MINE SITE SJTP 94509

Bulldozed. Tailings were removed to above site with total destruction of adit. Before and after photos at bottom of this site. Water left over center of site. Nothing left of historical value except the adit. No attempt to leave historical tailings and artifacts on site and divert water away from tailings. Historical site deleted

FOREST QUEEN MINE SITE SJTP 65952

Cleanup of hillside, removal of concrete blocks and valves, cleanup of road crossing. Limited pre reclamation images at this time. Unlikely much historical value on this site.

ANGLO SAXON MINE SITE SJTP 58470 private

Bulldozed. Building and artifacts left damaged. Another eyesore on San Juan Triangle. A danger to the public on the open trench with plastic and rocks. A trench that may decay, leak, and require maintenance. Notice the damaged building. Historical oversight protection did nothing.. Notice recent collapse of cribbing on US 110 due to failed owner reclamation behind cribbing. Difficult to walk in some areas but unknown what prior damage done by owner.

VERMILLION MINE SJTP 35854

A PROPER RECLAMATION IN 2025 BY DRMS

Mine site is high on mountain access by hiking only, no equipment was available. Work was done by hand to divert water away from tailings. No historical site was damaged.

HOOSIER CITY TUNNEL SITE SJTP 70175

Bulldozed. Building and artifacts left damaged. Road converted to ditch. No safe place to walk. Notice the BLM historic sign and the damaged building. Another eyesore on San Juan Triangle. A danger to the public on the open trench with plastic and rocks. A trench that may decay, leak, and require maintenance.. Difficult to walk on site with damaged historic value. Historical oversight protection did nothing, unlikely to know of the site..

Water should have been diverted south and east away from historical site and public with pipe or open trench as necessary.

MAYDAY MINE SITE SJTP 47500

Bulldozed. Notice the equipment left behind. Another eyesore on San Juan Triangle. A danger to the public on the open trench with rocks. Another high $$ of public money on a trench that will decay, leak, require maintenance. Difficult to walk on site with damaged historic value. Notice trench for possible water from woods above. All dry no water and no indication of water. Historical oversight protection did nothing, site location unknown..

MOUNTAIN QUEEN LOWER MINE SJTP 16558

A PROPER RECLAMATION BY DRMS

Mine site is public available. A pipe diverts water away from tailings. No historical site was damaged..

ANIMAS FORKS HOUSE SJTP 31509

Very poor construction. Roof collapsing is risk to all public. BLM notified in 2023 and many times in 2024 including Gunnison and archeology but did nothing. House is center of Animas Forks. May have been unauthorized construction in past but is verified the property of BLM. Rather than fix the roof support BLM ignores until it falls down or destruction and claims public safety, no money.. Historical oversight protection does nothing.. There is conflicting stories on who did the reconstruction.

MIDWAY MINING SITE SJTP 90092

Bulldozed. Building sites and artifacts left damaged. Road bulldozed then made unusable (last photo). Site used as dumping for contaminated waste. Large hole dug at site of historical mining and covered with plastic. Site now a mound of waste. Many miles of dumping ground but historical site uphill, difficult to access, maximum historical site damage was selected along with other close mining sites for bulldoze. No safe place to walk. Another eyesore on San Juan Triangle with gate.. A danger to the public with historical site reclaimed. Another high $$ of public money instead of locating dump away from historical site and easy access to no care land.. Historical oversight protection did nothing, did not know where site is..

Current reclamation Vermillion SJTP 33975 is a complete reverse and proper historical reclamation from the failures at Midway SJTP 90092. Contaminated soil is moved off of the historical site to a safe location as opposed to Midway buried in the middle of the historical building site. Vermillion returned to historical site as opposed to deleting Midway back to year 1700 with damage.

MINING SITES FULLY OR PARTIALLY DELETED BY RECLAMATION

LARK SITE SJTP 93171, ANGLO SAXON MINE SITE SJTP 58470, HOOSIER CITY TUNNEL SITE SJTP 70175M, MAYDAY MINE SITE SJTP 47500. MIDWAY MINING SITE SJTP 90092, MOGUL MINE SITE SJTP 09912, HENRIETTA #7 SJTP 90962, GOLD KING MINE SITE SJTP 94602, BEN FRANKLIN MINE SITE SJTP 94509

No airborne human health risk from small mine tailings. details

COLUMBUS MINE SITE SJTP 31227

Site north of Animus Forks show some issues with access but I may have been on the wrong road.. More review needed... Current drone 2025 shows serious improvements by DRMS 2025 Top 4 photos showing improved public access and cleanup.

RED CLOUD MINES SJTP 45481

A PROPER RECLAMATION IN 2024 BY BLM

Site very well photo detail documented, artifacts, tailings, water above, on, below, over 100 pre reclamation images, Update Sept 6, 2024 no problems found. New info, work to fix runoff on road, divert runoff away from tailings, no destruction of historical and artifacts. Currently classed as proper reclamation another great job.

VERMILLION MILL SITE SJTP 33975

A PROPER RECLAMATION IN 2025 BY BLM

2025 - BLM did a super reclamation replacing historic artifacts and making the site look better than before reclamation. A proper reclamation . June 2026 Top 5 photos

New information that all historical artifacts have been cataloged and the site photographed before reclamation. Contaminated soil will be removed and buried off of the historical site in an environment safe location. The artifacts will then be put back on their original location and the site returned to pre reclamation as much as is reasonable possible so the site looks as historical as nature intended. Ground south is marsh to West Fork Animas. Currently classed as proper reclamation.

SuperFund 100002640 has only limited info on mine, not mill.

SAN JUAN TRIANGLE EYESORES AND DAMAGE

Compliments of RECLAMATION, .Chipmunks approved.

RED & BONITA MINE SITE SJTP 97385

Bulldozed some damage to historical site. Unknown how the site looked before reclamation. Clearly the site has been damaged by reclamation with artifacts damage unknown. Some underground piping ok but the site clearly not returned to historical mining. .

SILVER WING MINE SITE SJTP 03645

Silver Wing is on private property not available to the public. Reclamation my not have done a great job in protecting this historical site but damage unknown and not public available at this time. However if damage was done, this site might be public available in the future and history is lost. .Entire site images are complete on SJT project.

VERMILLION MINE SJTP 33975

Site has little damage. Unknown if site had more artifacts before ditch to direct water.

PROPER RECLAMATION

Proper reclamation not on historical site but related to overburden from mine SJTP 46556 and slid ground cover returning site to natural look and wetlands repair...

Proper water divert above historical site. No damage to historical site, SJTP 91793

A PROPER RECLAMATION by DRMS . Proper ditch of mine water away from tailings and historical site, shortest route to non historical stream. Ditch used as claimed that a pipe would plug up and be unusable. The tailings material was replaced to look historical. Another great job. .. SJTP 32868.

We are reviewing other sites for historical damage and watching for new sites to be affected by reclamation. Reviewing 32878, 61264, 31509, 14110, 94602, 45481, 32868

EMAIL for ISSUES troy 63 gage at durangolumber.com sanjuantriangle.org not responsible for errors, please contact

Image Disclaimer - SanJuanTriangle.org does not image on the ground on private land properly marked and gated "No Trespassing". SanJuanTriangle.org does accept images from other people, images may be old, images may be from drone. SanJuanTriangle.org also does not make public images that encourage trespassing and vandalism like visibly open adits or current equipment. SanJuanTriangle.org will remove any image with solid proof that image was from ground on private property properly marked "No Trespassing" and gated at the time of image, or image clearly may cause trespassing or vandalism due to current conditions. Historical site imaging does not qualify. .