RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Courthouse vein system
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 9 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Gold, Silver. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Mica, Feldspar, Magnetite, Pyrite, Galena, Silver, Scheelite. Approx. location 37.586, -105.484. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
23 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
19 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
18 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
10 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
8 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
7 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
1 site
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chalcopyrite 8Galena 7Sphalerite 6Tetrahedrite 6Malachite 4Carnotite 4Gold 3Azurite 2Hessite 2Sylvanite 2Coffinite 2Pyrite 2Commodities
Uranium 22Silver 19Vanadium 18Copper 16Gold 15Lead 6Tungsten 4Zinc 3Molybdenum 2Iron 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa Claim | Uranium, Vanadium | Autunite, Azurite, Malachite | Past Producer | 37.691, -105.276 |
| City Slicker Mine | Vanadium, Uranium | Carnotite | Past Producer | 37.549, -105.153 |
| Dallas Dottie Prospect | Uranium, Vanadium, Copper | Carnotite | Occurrence | 37.405, -105.102 |
| Hall Property | Vanadium, Uranium | Carnotite, Malachite | Occurrence | 37.566, -105.170 |
| Mcguire Lode | Uranium | Carnotite, Malachite, Calciovolborthite | Prospect | 37.552, -105.138 |
| Coronado Group | Silver, Gold, Copper | Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 37.581, -105.489 |
| Malachite Mine | Copper, Silver | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 37.067, -105.017 |
| Deadwood Mining Co. Claims | Gold, Copper, Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Prospect | 37.666, -105.484 |
| Courthouse vein system | Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Hessite, Jalpaite, Melonite, Pearceite, Polybasite, Pyrite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Sylvanite, Tetrahedrite, Wolframite | Past Producer | 37.586, -105.484 |
| Bullseye Mine | Gold, Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Tetrahedrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.383, -104.979 |
| Unnamed Prospects | Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 37.388, -104.992 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 37.388, -104.976 |
| Unnamed Prospects | Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 37.381, -104.979 |
| Lone Pine, Ojo | Copper, Vanadium, Uranium | Coal | Occurrence | 37.548, -105.116 |
| Bell Air Claims | Uranium, Vanadium | Coffinite | Prospect | 37.762, -105.016 |
| Stumbling Stud Mine | Vanadium, Uranium | Coffinite | Past Producer | 37.773, -105.019 |
| Washout Claim | Uranium, Copper | Copper, Cuprite | Prospect | 37.438, -105.116 |
| La Veta District | Zinc, Silver, Copper, Lead | Galena, Sphalerite, Pyrite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 37.377, -104.978 |
| Wayatoya Creek Placer | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.412, -104.964 |
| Little Joe Claims | Silver | Hematite | Prospect | 37.894, -105.111 |
| McMillan Group | Gold, Silver | Hessite, Sylvanite | Occurrence | 37.590, -105.486 |
| Mosca Pass Prospect | Molybdenum | Molybdenite | Occurrence | 37.735, -105.452 |
| Isabell Group | Uranium | Pitchblende | Prospect | 37.901, -105.248 |
| Parks Lode Claim | Copper, Uranium | Tyuyamunite, Azurite, Malachite | Prospect | 37.484, -105.169 |
| Black Jack No. 2 Claim | Uranium | — | Prospect | 37.294, -105.162 |
| Unnamed Gold Occurrence | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.752, -104.498 |
| Butler Claims | Gold, Silver | — | Occurrence | 37.721, -105.363 |
| South Apache Creek Prospects | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Prospect | 38.851, -104.955 |
| Tom Branch Prospects | Copper, Silver | — | Occurrence | 37.826, -104.951 |
| Anal No. 1 Mine | Vanadium, Uranium | — | Past Producer | 37.876, -105.246 |
| Mcintire Property | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Prospect | 37.691, -105.258 |
| Muleshoe Uranium Deposit | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Past Producer | 37.589, -105.181 |
| Spanish Peaks Uranium Occurrence | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 37.409, -105.098 |
| Independent Claim | Copper, Uranium | — | Prospect | 37.451, -105.110 |
| Maes Creek Prospects | Copper | — | Occurrence | 37.863, -105.062 |
| Unnamed Vanadium Occurrence | Vanadium | — | Prospect | 37.658, -105.356 |
| Deiz Ranch Occurrence | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 37.889, -105.263 |
| Whitecliff 1-6 Claims | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Prospect | 37.873, -105.265 |
| Huerfano Park uranium prospect | — | — | Prospect | 37.889, -105.244 |
| Gardner area | Uranium, Vanadium | — | Prospect | 37.889, -105.244 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 27 fossil collection records in Huerfano County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Costilla County · Las Animas County · Alamosa County · Custer County · Fremont County
Colorado mineral guides
- Beryl in Colorado
- Tourmaline in Colorado
- Quartz in Colorado
- Garnet in Colorado
- Gold in Colorado
- Mica in Colorado
Back to all Colorado counties.
How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.
Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.
Updated