Mining
Charles Baker and his party of prospectors had ventured into the San Juans, also looking for gold in 1860. They were looking for placer deposits of gold that had eroded into the rivers and streams of the area. The Baker Party did not understand that most of the precious metals in the San Juans were embedded in veins deep in the mountains, left behind by volcanic activity. They left primarily because of the Civil War, leaving behind the promise of riches in this difficult, mountainous area.
After the war was over, the Utes didn’t stand a chance against the lure of gold, silver, and other precious metals. Prospectors trickled into the high country at first, even though the treaty the Utes had signed in 1868 specified they were not allowed to be there. However, once the Little Giant Mine started producing in the Las Animas District, even federal soldiers couldn’t keep the trespassers out.
These images of the mill being built at the Little Giant Mine were taken by photographer Thomas J. Hine in 1873. Hine accompanied Lieutenant Ernest H. Ruffner who was sent to investigate mining activity in Ute territory.
Source: Nossaman, Allen. Many More Mountains Volume 1, 2006.