Shenandoah-Dives Mill facts for kids
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Shenandoah-Dives (Mayflower) Mill
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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 Location in Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Location | San Juan County, Colorado |
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| Nearest city | Silverton, Colorado |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Arthur J. Weinig, Metallurgy |
| Part of | Silverton Historic District (1997 increase) (ID97000247) |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000262 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 16, 2000 |
| Designated NHL | February 16, 2000 |
| Designated NHLDCP | April 3, 1997 |
The Shenandoah-Dives Mill, also known as the Mayflower Mill, is a really old building in Silverton, Colorado. It's about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town. This mill was built in 1929 to get valuable metals like gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper out of rocks called ore. The ore came from the nearby Mayflower mine. A long cable car system, called an aerial tramway, brought the ore to the mill.
The mill worked regularly until 1945. It still has all its original machines, and they even work! These machines helped separate the metals from the crushed ore. This mill is special because it's the only one of its kind in Colorado that is still complete and working. It became part of the Silverton Historic District in 1997. Then, in 2000, it was named a National Historic Landmark all by itself. Today, the San Juan County Historic Society owns the mill. They run a gift shop and information center there. You can even take self-guided tours during the summer!
Contents
What is the Mayflower Mill?
The Mayflower Mill is located east of Silverton's town center. It sits on the north side of County Road 2 in Arrastra Gulch. From there, it looks over the Animas River. The main mill building is a tall structure made of wood. It has a corrugated metal roof.
How the Mill Works
The mill was built into the hillside. This design helped materials move easily by gravity. Many of its original windows are now covered with metal. Smaller buildings are attached to the main one. All these buildings hold the machines that process the ore.
The process starts with moving the ore into the mill. Then, the ore is crushed into tiny pieces. After crushing, it goes into a large tank. In this tank, metals are separated from the ore. This separation happens using two main methods.
Gravity and Flotation
One method is called gravity separation. This means heavier metal pieces sink, while lighter rock pieces float. The mill also used a clever method called froth flotation. This was a new idea in the early 1900s. It helped separate tiny metal pieces called sulfide ore minerals.
Froth flotation made it possible to process ores that were too difficult before. It was a big step forward in mining technology. All the original equipment in the mill is still in working order. This makes the Mayflower Mill truly unique in Colorado.
History of the Mill
The Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company built the mill in 1929. Its purpose was to process ore from the Mayflower Mine nearby. A very long aerial tramway, over 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) long, carried the ore to the mill.
At its busiest, the mill could process 1,000 tons of ore every single day! It operated regularly until 1945. After that, it mostly shut down. This was because the government needed fewer metals once World War II ended. The mill was used sometimes until 1992 by different owners. Then, the San Juan County Historical Society took it over. They turned it into a museum for everyone to learn from.
See also
