Entry No. 27 — the Durango file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Yankee Girl Mine Headframe
John Robinson sank twenty feet of shaft here in 1882 and sold out a month later for $125,000—too early, because the Yankee Girl’s near-vertical pipe of silver ran 1,200 feet down through twelve levels and assayed up to $10,000 a ton. An 1897 forest fire ate the original works; today’s gaunt timber headframe is the replacement. In 2005 a for-sale sign and bulldozers nearly finished the job, until a Montrose helicopter pilot bought the mine and locked it under a conservation easement.
The story
In 1882, a prospector named John Robinson dug twenty feet into the high-country soil of Red Mountain, struck silver, and cashed out just one month later for $125,000. It was a massive sum for a month's labor, but Robinson sold way too early. Beneath his shallow pit lay a near-vertical pipe of silver ore that plunged 1,200 feet straight down through twelve subterranean levels, assaying out at up to $10,000 per ton.
Disaster hit in 1897 when a forest fire tore through the gulch and incinerated the original surface buildings, but the mine was too lucrative to abandon. The heavy timber headframe standing today was erected immediately as a replacement to house the hoisting machinery. Decades after the silver was exhausted and the miners pulled out, the skeletal wooden structure continued to hold its ground against severe San Juan Mountain winters.
By 2005, the site was on the brink of vanishing. A for-sale sign went up in the dirt and heavy machinery was positioned to demolish the historic works. Before the bulldozers could clear the ground, a helicopter pilot from Montrose bought the property and sealed its fate under a protective conservation easement, keeping the vertical shaft and its timber crown intact.
What it's like
Turn off US-550 onto County Road 31 at the sharp switchback south of Ironton Park—look for the small green sign hung beneath the overhead power lines. The dirt loop is manageable for standard cars when dry, bringing you up close to the headframe where it sits against Red Mountain's rust-orange slopes. You can step right up to the timber base, where thick boards cover the top of the open 1,200-foot drop. The building sits on private conservation land over a dangerous abyss, so keep out of the actual timber structure and watch your footing. If snow locks County Road 31 from late fall through spring, you can still catch a clear view of the headframe's silhouette from the Red Mountain Mining Overlook pullout directly on Highway 550.
The move: Drive County Road 31’s dirt loop off US-550 at golden hour and frame the headframe against Red Mountain’s rust-orange slopes, then split a thermos at the Red Mountain overlook on the way back.
📍 Before you go County Road 31 leaves US-550 at a switchback south of Ironton Park, about nine miles south of Ouray—look for the small green sign beneath the overhead power lines. The dirt road is fine for ordinary cars when dry but is snowed in and impassable from late fall through spring; the headframe stays visible year-round from the Red Mountain Mining Overlook pullout on 550 if the road is closed. The structure sits on private, conservation-easement land over an open 1,200-foot shaft, so photograph up close but stay out of the building. Pairs naturally with Silverton, fifteen minutes farther over Red Mountain Pass.
- 📍 Ouray
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: County Road 31 off US-550 (Million Dollar Highway), Red Mountain Mining District, ~9 miles south of Ouray, CO 81427
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- National Belle Mine — Located less than a mile away on the same dirt loop, allowing you to examine another major Red Mountain headframe perched on 'the Knob' in a single quick drive.
- Ironton Townsite — Sits just 1.6 miles down the pass, providing the residential counterpart to Yankee Girl's industrial operation where thousands of district miners once lived.
- Frisco Mill at Bagley Tunnel — A six-mile drive toward Silverton that offers a look at a rare 1912 prefabricated timber concentration mill to compare against Yankee Girl's heavy headframe construction.
Good to know
How do I find County Road 31 from the highway?
Drive about nine miles south of Ouray on US-550 (the Million Dollar Highway). Look for a small green road sign under the overhead power lines at a switchback just south of Ironton Park.
Can I visit during the winter?
County Road 31 is unplowed and impassable to regular vehicles from late fall through spring. However, you can view and photograph the headframe year-round from the Red Mountain Mining Overlook pullout on US-550.
Are you allowed to go inside the headframe building?
No. The headframe sits over an open 1,200-foot vertical shaft on private conservation land. You can walk right up to the exterior and photograph it, but you must remain outside the building structure.
What makes the Yankee Girl mine deposit unique?
Instead of running in a horizontal vein, the silver formed in a near-vertical 'chimney' or pipe that descended 1,200 feet deep through twelve working levels.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: legendsofamerica.com · coloradovibes.com · restorationtrust.org · dcasler.com · Facebook
last checked: 2026-06-11