Champion Mill, in

Lake County, Colorado ''Lake County'' is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,436. The county seat and the only municipality in the county is Leadville. The highest natural point in Colorado and the entire Rock ...

, is part of a mining complex on the eastern slope of Mount Champion on Halfmoon Creek. Established in the 1890s, it was a consistent supplier of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

, as well as

galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...

and

pyrite The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic Luster (mineralogy), lust ...

to the smelters in

Leadville, CO The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

. The mine and mill operated until around 1919, when the price to ship the ore to Leadville became too expensive to maintain a profit. It was briefly reopened between 1937 and 1940, when it finally shut down for good. During its lifespan, the mine produced than 100,000 thousand pounds of minerals. Today numerous structures remains, including the giant mill, which is gated off, numerous tram towers leading up the mountainside to the mine, and a couple small structures at the top of the mountain.https://www.4x4explore.com/rds/c_rds/champn_mine.html

References

{{Reflist Colorado Mining Boom Buildings and structures in Lake County, Colorado Mines in Colorado