The search for mineral wealth in Colorado led to the exploration of isolated areas like Silver Lake Basin in the San Juan Mountains. As surface ores were exhausted, miners were forced to increase the depth of vertical shafts where they confronted increasingly complex ores that required sophisticated equipment and engineering expertise to extract. Remote communities like Silverton sought Eastern investment to provide the capital necessary for development,...

On August 7, 2015 the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally released three million gallons of acidic mine drainage into Cement Creek near Silverton, Colorado. This catastrophe resulted in community, state, and world-wide alarms regarding the vulnerability of the City of Durango's water supply. A realization that this precious resource can easily be contaminated caused human-health concerns and environmental impacts to rise to the forefront...

The Gold King Mine, a previously insignificant site, came to the nation's attention on August 5, 2015, when toxic material from the mine poured into a tributary of Colorado's Animas River, severely damaging the ecosystem for miles downstream. Although the EPA has been blamed and has accepted responsibility for the spill it is not entirely at fault. The complete list of causes for this environmental disaster extends back to the Nineteenth century and...