Recently Unearthed Photos of Colorado’s Kanarado Mine

Do you recall ever hearing about the Kanarado Mine located just outside of Gateway, Colorado? I don't, and I was born and raised here.

My adventures took me on a road trip to Gateway this last weekend, and while there, I remembered seeing some of my grandpa's photos of a mine in the area. After a little digging, a handful of old photos of the Kanarado-Carter Mine were unearthed.

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Backstory on the Kanarado Mine

According to the website thediggings.com:

The Kanarado Vanadium Mine is near Gateway, Colorado. Historically the site has been associated with the Gateway Mining District which is now part of the Uncompahgre National Forest. The Kanarado Vanadium Mine was closed at the time of data entry with no known plans to re-open. As of 1980, there was one documented tabular-shaped ore body extending 83 meters (275 feet) below the surface. The Canyon Lands of the Intermontane Plateaus characterize the geomorphology of the surrounding area.

 Sorry, Still Doesn't Ring a Bell

Next, we turn to westernmininghistory.com. According to this site, "The Kanarado 3 is a mine located in Mesa County, Colorado at an elevation of 7,198 feet."

This webpage adds the mine lies within a BLM Administrative area, having once been owned by Union Carbide Corp. This info comes from records dated 1975. I was around and living in Grand Junction in 1975, and somehow don't recall ever hearing of this mine. Then again, in 1975, I was busy eating crayons in Ms. Adams' Kindergarten class at Pomona Elementary.

Kanarodo - Not to be Confused with Kanorado

In this case, Kanarado refers to the mine near Gateway. It should not be confused with Kanorado, a town whose name is only one letter different. Kanorado is a small town in western Kansas, literally a few hundred feet from the Kansas/Colorado state line. You've probably driven through Kanorado, Kansas a hundred times when driving I-70.

Let's Take a Tour

Well, since I don't recall anything about this mine, and doubt many others are familiar with it, why don't we take a brief tour with these Bob Grant photos. Let me apologize in advance - none of these photos by Bob Grant came with information as to the date they were taken.