New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

Captain Ellen Jack owned the Black Queen Mine in the 1880s. Located near Crystal, Colorado, it produced noteworthy specimens of wire silver. Once the Black Queen began shipping ore on a regular basis, several people tried to wrest the mine from Captain Jack and her co-owners. In 1889, she sold her half–interest in the mine to the Crystal River Mining Company.

The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the Columbian Exposition, commemorated the 400-year anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the new world. The Fair showcased many aspects of American prosperity and advancement, such as technology and mining. Colorado exhibited minerals from the many mining districts around the state. A specimen of wire silver from the Black Queen Mine won a prize at the fair. Many of the specimens from the Fair ended up in the Field Museum in Chicago, but the Black Queen specimen is not among them.

Also in the 1890s, the Mineral Palace in Pueblo, Colorado opened to great fanfare. It housed a world-class mineral collection, including specimens from the Black Queen Mine. By the 1930s, the Mineral Palace had fallen into disrepair and was closed. The specimens had been pilfered for many years, and the remaining specimens ended up in many different places.

In this presentation I will describe the results of my search for mineral specimens from this mine.
This research has been funded in part by a grant from the Charles Redd Center, Brigham Young University, 2016.

References:

1. Aspen Daily Chronicle, October 29, 1890.
2. Denver Times, August 25, 1899.
3. Rosemeyer, T., 1991, Colorado Mineral Palace, Pueblo, Colorado, Rocks and Minerals, p. 410–416.
4. Vanderwilt, J.W., 1937, Geology and mineral deposits of the Snowmass Mountain area, Gunnison County, Colorado, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 884.
5. Vendl, K.A. and Vendl, M.A., 2001, The mines and mining building of the World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893: A photographic essay, Mining History Journal, p. 30–41.
6. Vendl, K.A. and Vendl, M.A., 2010, Colorado Treasures from the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, Rocks and Minerals, p. 414–424.