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General/Base Info:
Blue Bell tunnel
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Info Last updated: 29.04.2024 (12:33:15)
This photo is taken in Squaw Gulch, a little below what was known as Barry in early days and later Anaconda. It shows in foreground left the Ore-house of the promising Blue Bell Mine with its adit/tunnel opening about middle of page and a group of miners posing around it. Slightly better quality on the low-resolution image on the Cripple Creek Museum webpage. The location of this mine was just a few meters further up the gulch from the Sylvanite [aka Hartzell] mill.Blue Bell Mine, Cripple Creek, Co.
Photo by: Unknown
Image Copyright by the Cripple Creek District Museum. I've just used a filter over it to obscure it a little but still keep the important info parts visible.
Copyright restriction applying to use of reproduction of this image available from the Cripple Creek District Museum
Media ID: 51
This cropped view from an unmarked Stereoview, showing the town of Anaconda with the School House and the Hartzell Mill in the foreground, has part of that mill seen in lower left, with the Ore-house of the Blue Bell mine just to the right, and the entry to the Blue Bell Tunnel hiding behind the smokestack of the mill.Blue Bell in Anaconda
Photo by: Unknown
My Collection; Cropped view from a 1200dpi Scan of an unmarked Stereoview showing the town of Anaconda with the School House and the Hartzell Mill in the foreground.
Media ID: 52
Id No. (Mine / 1902 map):
337
Type:
Adit Mine
Date Located / Formed:
Location:
Squaw Gulch
Location Map Description:
Discovery / Formed by:
  • M.C. Lackford ( Source; Forgotten Men of Cripple Creek )
  • William L. Spell ( Source; Forgotten Men of Cripple Creek )
Status:
Unknown
Fate details:
Owned by:
  • Blue Bell Mining, Milling, and Prospecting Company
    -> 1892-07-25 [claim Map]
    -> 1896-03-14 [Amended claim Map]
    -> 1900 [reported As Owner]
    -> 1901-01 [reported As Owner]
  • Ptarmigan Gold Mining company
    -> 1909-02-00 [reported Operate Under Bond & Lease]
Known claims:
  • Blue Bell Lode - 7429 A
Claim Links:
Location Claim Description:
Patented Date:
Mineral Certificate No.:
0
General Land Office No.:
0
Known Transportation Connection:
    Extra Info/Details [Linked at One Time to the Entity]:

    Known Producing Info:
    February 1892 Big strike
    June 1892 have made shipments or can with absolute safety be relied upon as a shipping mine in the immediate future.
    General notes:
    I don't have much to say about this mine, I read it was actually the first mine to ship ore from what was to be known as the Cripple Creek District, but in the end it never turned out to be a great, or even good mine. From what I gather, it was a nice water producer for some years. LOL
    graphic for visual presentation of text
    graphic for visual presentation of text A brief mention about a fire at the Anaconda mine in August of 1892 say the Blue Bell tunnel is half a mile downhill from the Anaconda mine.
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    graphic for visual presentation of text On my Details part of this mine I have info from various sources, while all I can type here is the info I got from the book by Leslie Doyle Spell called "Forgotten Men of Cripple Creek". This book claims that the Blue Bell was located by a man named Marion C. Lankford, who which together with the authors dad, William L. Spell, located at a total of five named claims;
    graphic for visual presentation of text
    graphic for visual presentation of textBlanche
    graphic for visual presentation of textBlue Bell
    graphic for visual presentation of textHobo
    graphic for visual presentation of textPanhandle
    graphic for visual presentation of textRobert E. Lee
    graphic for visual presentation of text
    graphic for visual presentation of text The Blue Bell was located where Lankford had discovered some gold bearing ore after being asked to look around in the area - and this mine was actually developed as much as they good. A company was formed, it was hired in people, they built a bunkhouse and a boarding house, it had a blacksmith shop and offices, first in Barry/Anaconda, later in the town of Cripple Creek - it's just sad that the mine never really got into good paying ore.
    graphic for visual presentation of text
    graphic for visual presentation of text After all, it was in a good area, just not at the exact great spot. I've failed to find much info, I didn't find any Sanborn Map of this mine, I have only seen about two pictures showing a structure in front of the tunnel site, it appears to be a ore house, and it don't look to be to far away from the roadbed of the F. & C.C. so I should probably make some sort of a model of it to fit my never finished virtual model of this area, maybe on my model I let the guys working this mine get some more pay ore. LOL