Updated Lafayette area coal mine map (PDF)
Big Lake/Garribaldi
The Big Lake/Garribaldi main shaft lies south of Baseline Road and west of Waneka Lake.
Big Lake/Garribaldi location:
Sec. 4 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: Unknown
Thickness of seams: Unknown
Year of operation: 1916
Coal produced: 3,449 tons
No. employees: Unknown
Black Diamond
The Black Diamond No.2 is located at the northwest corner of Highway 287 and Baseline Road.
Black Diamond No. 2 location:
Sec. 4 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Sec. 33-34 in Twnshp 1N, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 268 feet
Thickness of seams: 4’6”- 6’
Years of operation: 1931-1956
Peak production year: 1932 – 58,385 tons
Coal produced: 801,657 tons
No. employees: 62
Cannon/Otis
The Cannon mine main shaft was a few feet south of today’s E. Emma Street and adjacent to Merlin Drive. Cannon mine was sunk by the Cannon Family, but closed in 1898 because the soft brick lining of the main shaft collapsed. A typo in the record-keeping ledgers at the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety shows the mine as the “CANON.” In later years of production the mine was referred to as the Otis mine.
Cannon/Otis location:
Sec. 2 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
39°59’38”N 105°04’51”W
Main level depth: 210 feet
Thickness of seam: 8‘ – 14’
Years of operation: 1888-1898
Peak production year: 1890 – 61,771 tons
Coal produced: 130,017 tons
No. employees: 32 (1898)
Capitol
The Capitol main shaft lies east of 119th and west of Coal Creek along the south side of Flagg Drive (before it turns north).
Capitol location:
Sec. 1 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 212’
Thickness of seams: 5’8”
Years of operation: 1907-1925
Peak production year: 1909 – 93,228 tons
Coal produced: 515,092 tons
No. employees: 86 (1911)
New Centennial
The New Centennial mine was located between today’s Empire Road and S. Cherrywood Drive in the southwest corner of Lafayette.
Centennial location:
Sec. 10,11,15,16 in Twnshp 1S, Range 68W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 285 feet
Thickness of seam: 5’6″
Years of operation: 1936-1952
Peak production year:
1942 – 201,073 tons
Coal produced: 1,834,763 tons
No. employees: 323 (1939)
Columbine
The Columbine was located about 4 miles northeast of Lafayette, now the Erie landfill.
Columbine location:
Sec. 20, 28, 29 in Twnshp 1N, Range 68W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 300 feet
Thickness of seams: 6’ – 12’
Years of operation: 1905; 1920-1946
Peak production year: 1922 – 409,836 tons
Coal produced: 7,216,286 tons
No. employees: 239 (1937)
Electric/Summit
Electric/Summit mine was located southeast of Waneka Lake and adjacent to the coal-fueled power plant.
Electric/Summit location:
Sec. 4 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 206’
Thickness of seams: 5’6”
Years of operation: 1898-1918
Peak production year: 1908 – 37,600 tons
Coal produced: 73,839 tons
No. employees: 27 (1912)
Excelsior
The Excelsior mine main shaft lies north of Brooks Avenue at Baseline Road and south of Arapahoe Road.
Excelsior mine location:
Sec. 35 in Twnshp 1N, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
40°00’11”N 105°04’43”W
Main level depth: Unknown
Thickness of seam: 14’ 8”
Years of operation: 1890-1913
Peak production year: 1893 – 105,000 tons
Coal produced: 487,584 tons
No. employees: 65
Gladstone
The Gladstone mine lies north of Brooks Avenue at Baseline Road and south of Arapahoe Road.
Gladstone mine location:
Sec. 35 in Twnshp 1N, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
40°00’16”N 105°04’42”W
Main level depth: 240 feet
Thickness of seam: 14’
Years of operation: 1890-1916
Peak production year: 1897 – 52,214 tons
Coal produced: 427,878 tons
No. employees: 40
Hi-Way/Eversman
The Hi-Way was located southeast of Lafayette. The main shaft was along Dillon Road just east of Highway 287.
Hi-Way/Eversman location:
Sec. 13,14,23,26 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 385 feet
Thickness of seams: 6’ – 7’
Years of operation: 1930-1954
Peak production year: 1942 – 161,646 tons
Coal produced: 2,333,939 tons
No. employees: 138
Mitchell
The Mitchell mine (also known as New Mitchell) lies north of Brooks Avenue at Baseline Road and south of Arapahoe Road. Mitchells also operated a “Mitchell mine” in Canfield during the 1870s.
Mitchell and New Mitchell location:
Sec. 35 in Twnshp 1N, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
40°00’29”N 105°04’42”W
Main level depth: 220 feet
Thickness of seam: 7’ to 14’
Years of operation: 1893-1920
Peak production year: 1917 – 102,175 tons
Coal produced: 1,295,229 tons
No. employees: 81
Senator/Willoughby
The Senator was owned by the Willoughby Coal and Land Co. and was located southeast of Old Town Lafayette. Richard Morgan and William Padfield bought and moved the tipple and hoisting equipment from the Gladstone mine, which closed in 1905.
Senator/Willoughby location:
Sec. 2 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: 116 feet
Thickness of seams: 7’7”
Years of operation: 1906-1913
Peak production year: 1938 – 58,385 tons
Coal produced: 801,657 tons
No. employees: 13 (1911)
Spencer-Simpson
The Spencer-Simpson mine, commonly known as the Simpson mine, lies under most of Old Town Lafayette, extending from Lucerne Drive at its northern boundary to both East and West Emma Street on its southern boundary. Two different shafts and tipples serviced what at one time were two separate mines. The mines combined in 1893 under the name “Simpson.” The main shaft and tipple for the Spencer, located in the 700 block of East Cleveland Street, served the combined mine. The Simpson #2 shaft, sunk in 1887, was located in the alley of the 800 block of E. Simpson Street but was used as an air shaft after a fire destroyed the tipple and engine house over the shaft on Nov. 13, 1897. A later report by the Colorado Inspector of Coal Mines said that the fire originated by “tramps lighting a fire in the old building.” Coal lease holders as of 1909: Mary Miller and Harriet Foote, each receiving 12 1/2 cents per ton of lump coal only.
Spencer-Simpson mine Location:
Sec. 2,3 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
and Sec. 35 in Twnshp 1N, Range 69W
Spencer shaft (main shaft) GPS:
39°59’50”N 105°04’54”W
Simpson #2 shaft (used as airshaft) GPS:
39°59’52”N 105°04’50”W
Main level depth: 243 feet
Thickness of seam: 6’0” to 14’0”
Years of operation: 1888-1926
Peak production year: 1906 – 220,529 tons
Coal produced: 4,738,248 tons
No. employees: 115
Standard
East of Old Town Lafayette near Blue Ribbon Hill, the Standard Mine lies under Coal Creek and Rock Creek from roughly Baseline Road on the north to the Northwest Parkway on the south. The main shaft and tipple were located about 300 yards southeast of Flagg Park Trailhead along the Coal Creek trail.
Standard mine location:
Sec. 1, 12 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
39°59’29”N 105°03’28”W
Upper level depth: 261 feet
Lower level depth: 320 feet
Thickness of seams: 5’6” to 8’0”
Years of oper.: 1888-1893; 1905-1937
Peak production year: 1909 – 190,668 tons
Coal produced: 2,291,603 tons
No. employees: 200 (1908)
Storrs/Caryl
Storrs was located north of the Capitol mine, along Highway 7 just west of County Line Road.
Storrs/Caryl location:
Sec. 1 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: Unknown
Thickness of seams: 5’
Years of operation: 1898-1900
Peak production year: 1900 – 18,100 tons
Coal produced: 29,529 tons
No. employees: Unknown
Strathmore
Opened in 1901 by Mary Miller’s oldest son Thomas, the Strathmore mine lies roughly south of E. Emma Street and north of South Boulder Road. The main shaft and tipple were located at today’s Skylark Drive and Skylark Circle. Thomas Miller was decapitated in an accident at the mine Jan. 28, 1902.
The Strathmore is similar to the Standard mine in that coal was mined on multiple levels. Early mining extracted the topmost layer, which was shallow — at about 50-75 feet. Later mining involved tunneling downward to another level to the extract the second vein of coal, at about 180 feet. Mining with overlapping coal seams increased the chance of subsidence events filtering through to the surface.
Strathmore location:
Sec. 2 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
39°59’35”N 105°05’18”W
Main level depth: 25-75 feet
Lower level depth: 180 feet
Thickness of seams: 8’0” – 12’0”
Years of operation: 1901-1919
Peak production year: 1906 – 43,920 tons
Coal produced: 439,433 tons
No. employees: 39
Vaughn
The Vaughn was a slope entry mine located north of the Standard mine on Blue Ribbon Hill east of Lafayette.
Vaughn location:
Sec. 1 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to accurately ascertain
Main level depth: Unknown
Thickness of seams: 13’6”
Years of operation: 1897-1906
Peak production year: 1901 – 10,653 tons
Coal produced: 44,167 tons
No. employees: Unknown
Vulcan
The Vulcan mine was sunk in 1903 and is located south of S. Boulder Road and north of and under Coal Creek. 1909 coal lease holders receiving 8 1/3 cent royalty per ton: William Harmon, Anna Waneka Greenlee, Thomas Harris.
Vulcan location:
Sec. 10 in Twnshp 1S, Range 69W
Main shaft GPS:
Not able to ascertain
Main level depth: 182 feet
Thickness of seam: 49” to 62”
Years of operation: 1903-1937
Peak production year: 1920 – 96,914 tons
Coal produced: 1,497,049 tons
No. employees: 73