By Caleb Stento
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
"The price placed on the property by the Revenue…is only conjecture, but is variously estimated at from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. That figure is much higher than that paid for the Camp Bird, few people will doubt, as it has the advantage of both age, development and equipment. It has been a steady producer for the past thirty years."
- Ouray Herald, Dec. 26, 1902

Mining towns in Ouray County in the late 1800s rose and faded as fast as the hopes and dreams of the miners who founded them. Towns and camps such as Alder Creek, Argentum, Engineer City and Piedmont spotted the landscape. Just west of the famous Camp Bird Mine, a small town named Sneffels (originally named Porters) was established not long before Ouray, when a group of miners set up claims. There were many profitable mines in the area, and the town, located at 10,610 feet, had a post office from 1879 to 1930.
One such mine was the Revenue. Research into some of its mining operations reveals a rich vein of information. Similar to a well-written piece of classical music, an opera or a play that parodies life, the Revenue experienced triumphs and tragedies, innovations and setbacks.
The Revenue mine well-illustrates the cycles of highs and lows of mining in San Juans. The Revenue was initially a successful silver producer. In response to the ebb of silver and the rise of the gold standard, the Revenue suffered hard times. But, just as suddenly as the weather changes on a high summit, the discovery of the gold-bearing Montana vein propelled the Revenue back into action.
An article in the Ouray Herald from December 1902 reported the discovery of gold in the Revenue. There was speculation that the success of the Revenue would siphon the population center away from the town of Ouray, and Ouray would be “killed off.” It seemed possible that the Revenue would eclipse even the nearby mighty Camp Bird. Citizens expected that the railroad would be re-routed and homes and businesses would be moved. This obviously didn’t happen, but it seemed a real possibility with the number of men working the mine.
At one point the Revenue employed 700 men and its daily output reached 400 tons of crude ore. That is the equivalent to the weight of roughly four, fully loaded, Boeing 737 passenger jets. The mine continued to operate at high levels for several years. Of course, even with this high output, not everyone got rich. But jobs at a variety of levels enabled miners to provide for their families.
Mining wasn’t just hard work; it could be hazardous. In spite of the best precautions available at the time, safety couldn’t be guaranteed. Mother Nature, time and circumstance took their toll of victims. Perched high on the mountains, mining camps were particularly vulnerable to avalanches. Other tragedies were the result of inexperience. At the Revenue, five miners lost their lives in a grisly accident when their cage fell 1400 feet down a shaft. The accident was caused when a young man who had been working in the mine for only three days mishandled the equipment that ran the elevator.
In addition to playing a role in local financial life and general well-being, mines led the way to innovation and invention that eventually improved life across the nation. The mines in the Ouray area were some of the first operations in the country to be powered by electricity. The Revenue mine was one of the first mines in Colorado to use electricity for lights and ore cars.
Locally, the effect the Revenue would have on the local economy was pure speculation by the Herald in 1902:
"It will develop Ouray into the most prosperous and progressive mining camp in the state outside of Cripple Creek…an additional army of men will be employed the coming summer, a new tunnel driver from Camp Bird mill to connect with the Revenue workings, an additional power plant built in Ouray and an aerial tram built to bring the product of both mines to the railroad."