Overview
The Columbia Lode claim is a unique property given there is a very large mineralized ore pile situated in the center of the claim and a large shaft that produced the ore pile on the east side of the claim.  The overall tonnage of this or pile is estimated at 12,000 tons.  With highly mineralized rock all across the pile.  Both gold and silver were located in addition to copper, zinc and lead. 
 
The mine consists of two mine types.  One drift mine and one shaft mine.  The drift mine has about 700' of workings on the lower level and the upper level has about 250'.  The miners were following the vein up into stopes from the lower level workings as well as sinking a shaft on a gossan found on the surface.


Geology 
Associated Rock:
Rock Type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic), Felsic Volcanic Rock, Rhyolite
 - Stratigraphic Age Pilocene
- Stratigraphic Age Late Ordovician 
Host Rock:
Sedimentary Rock, Carbonate, Limestone
Rock Description:
El Paso Limestone; Montoya Limestone

Structure Description
Ore occurs adjacent to the NE striking fault zone.  Mineralized solutions replaced favorable host rocks adjacent to a fault zone.

Materials  
Ore:
Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite.
Gangue:
Calcite, Epidote, Fluorite, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyrite, Quartz, Serpentine.

History
Newspaper exert from the Black Range Newspaper - November 16th, 1883
 
Eugene Knapp has dug fifteen feet in a straight shaft on his recent discovery the Columbia, located near the Silver Monument mine and has two feet of ore in talc that makes a fine showing.  One Streak of this ore resembles the peacock mineral taken from the Silver Monument near the surface and another has the appearance of the Mountain King.  The RANGE is convinced that Knapp has a bonanza here which only needs work to make itself viable.
 

Originally called the Columbia mine the mine name and legacy continues on to this day.  In 1942 the Black Range Development Co. started sinking a larger shaft and driving a drift into the vein structure.  The company was high grading the most valuable ore and discarding the lower grade ores while driving both working faces deeper into the vein system, the vein widen and production increased until 1944 when the mine was shut down due to WW2 and never re-opened.


Access
The access location is off of Silver Creek RD in Southern New Mexico.  The closest large town is Silver City.  The road is easily passable in 2WD with standard ground clearance till approximately 1/2 mile before the claim then 4WD or a UTV is recommended.
 
Claim Map Overlay