Belden, Colorado Archive Search Results
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Standing above the cavern in the Gilman mine where the ball and rod mills are housed. The mills are on an incline for gravity feed down to the loading docks.
At the center right of the photo, steel rods are stacked for use in the rod mill.
2. Mill area
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Part of the mill area in the Gilman mine, showing separation tanks for lead, copper and zinc.
3. Repair shop
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Beth McIlnay, Lucille Riggle and Everett Limatta (far right) are standing in the repair shop in the Gilman mine.
4. Stalagtites
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Stalagtites in an abandoned drift in the Gilman mine at 16 level.
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Lucille Riggle is seated at Bob Riggle's desk in the warehouse. Bill Burnett is at left rear; Alberta Limatta is at far right.
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Water action has created stalagtites in this drift.
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The 10 x 10 in. timbers above the tour group show a typical means of support in a drift. These timbers are probably from the Fleming Lumber Co. in Red Cliff, which produced a great deal of mine timber.
8. Repair area
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From far left: Chuck Colby, Berniece Chadwick and Davy Burnett. Jean Flaherty is at far right.
9. Repair area
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Storage shelves in the repair area.
10. Loading tipple
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The loading tipple is at far left where products would be transferred to railroad cars for shipment. The "Bull Gang" managed loading and maintenance in the Eagle River canyon. Robert E. Riggle was Bull Gang chief at one point.
The stairway at center goes into a mine entrance at about the 17 level. There are 80 feet between levels in the Gilman mine.
11. Repair shop
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All repairs to equipment were done in the mine's repair shop. In this photo there is milling machinery to work steel. A rack of steel bars is at far right.
12. Repair shop
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More equipment in the repair shop in Gilman.
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The lathes were for working steel. They could straighten bent drill steel, put new ends on the rods and send them back for reuse. The Gilman shop reused as much equipment and supplies as was possible.
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At 16 level, the ore train would dump rock into the large pit (Grizzly) at the bottom of which was located a jaw crusher. The crusher would send the ore into the ball mill and rod mill where the ore was pulverized to a fine powder.
Inside the ball mill, there would be ore and steel balls, approximately 10 in. in diameter. As the mill rotated, the ore was crushed by the balls. Eventually, the balls would wear down and Bob Riggle remembers his dad...
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This is the bottom of 18 level where water has been allowed to infiltrate the lower levels beneath it.
16. Repair shop
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More steel milling machiner in the repair shop. The lathe at center is approximately 20 feet long.
17. Zinc dryer
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The dryer building for zinc is at the far right. The zinc slurry would be heated and dried, leaving a very fine zinc powder. The powder was shipped in sealed box cars as it was so fine it would blow away in an open car. The rail line for shipping runs through the Eagle River Canyon (Belden area) so the final products for shipping were finished at this level.
18. Ore cart
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An ore car at right, going out to the main pit (Grizzly). Once it arrives at the pit, the rocker wheel on the cart is elevated by the track and dumps the contents of the cart into the pit.
19. Abandoned drift
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"All horizontal or subhorizontal development openings made in a mine have the generic name of drift. These are simply tunnels made in the rock, with a size and shape depending on their use—for example, haulage, ventilation, or exploration." -- Encyclopedia Brittannica
This drift is at the 16 level in the Gilman mine and has been abandoned. Water dripping through the ceiling carries minerals, forming stalagtites and stalagmites.
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Supply warehouse at Belden. Supplies came by rail through the Eagle River canyon and went into this warehouse. Robert E. Riggle worked here.