Gilpin observer., 1908-02-27
Durango-GaIIup Coal Field.

The Durango-Gallup coal field in
cludes an area of 1880 square miles,
1900 of which lie in Colorado and the
remainder in New Mexico. Tue field
extends from the latitude of Durango,
Colorado, on the north, to that OF Salt
Lake, seventy miles south of Gallup,
New Mexico, on the south; its western
limit Is the AriZona-New Mexico state
line, and its eastern passes near
Chama, Elvada, and the Sierra Naci-
mientO in longitude 106 degrees, forty
five minutes. La Plata and Montezu-
ma counties, Colorado, and San Juan,
Rio Arriba and Mckinley counties,
New Mexico, are comprised within its
boundaries
A conservative estimate of the total
tonnage of coal in this area, based on
workable thickness of six feet OF
10000, 100000 short tons. 1t is prob
able, however, that ten feet would
more nearly approximate the average
thickness of workable coal beds.
The earliest development of the coal
resources of this field, outside of small
workings to supply limited domestic
demand, began with the advent of the
railroads. In the vicinity of Gallup,
where the greatest development has
taken place, mining began late in 1881,
or early in 1882. at about the time the
Atlantic and Pacific railroad (Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa Fe) reached
Gallup from the East. The Denver
and Rio Grande railroad reached
Durango in 1881, but it was late in the
eighties before any great activity in
coal mining began in the northern
part of the field. The Rio Grande
Snnfharn h,i
westward from Durango in 1892. The
production of the field in 1906 amount
ed to more than 100000 short tons,
valued at approximately 81, 1851 900.
reconnaissance survey of the
western part of this feld-that is, that
part lying west of longitude f07 de-
grees thirty minutes-was made in the
autumn OF 1906 by Millard X. Shaler,
one of the biologists of the United
States Geological Survey. A prelimin-
AIRY report on this work has just been
published by the Survey in bulletin
No. BIG, which forms Part III of Con
tributions to Economic Geology. 1906"
and treats of the related subjects. coal,
Ignite. and peat. A more detailed de-
scription of the entire field is in prep
aration. In the area discussed by Mr.
Shaler, Durango and Mancos, in Colo
the only important towns.
The coal beds in this field lie at
various horizons. The Goals have
bright luster and are clean to handle
When freshly mined they are hard
but brittle and break badly with
handling, thus producing high per-
centage of fine coal. In the greater
part of the area this fine coal or slack
is waste, as the Goals. except those in
the Durango district, do not coke In
the Gallup district this waste amounts
to nearly twenty per cent. of the run
of-mine coal. In the vicinity of Du-
range, however. the fine coal is coked
and the product is used in the smelters
of the region. Throughout the field
the Goals are very satisfactory for
steam production and domestic pur-
poses. Analyses made at the United
States Geological Survey fuel-testing
plant at St Louis of samples of coal
collected during 1905 by various men,
bers of the Survey in different coal
fields of the West, indicate that the
high-grade bituminous Goals of the Du-
range region are as good as the best
bituminous Goals in any other of these
western fields. The Laramie coal of
the DurangoLa Plata region has a
higher fuel value than any other
Goals of that age in the West except
those of the Grand river and Book
Cliffs fields of Colorado and eastern
Utah.
The development of this coal field is
entirely dependent upon railway facil-
tiles. There are good markets for coal
and coke which could be economically
reached from any part of the field il
railway connections were established
and freight rates were rendered more
reasonable by competition. Railways
with light grades, to which the coal
beds of the area would be easily acces-
sible, could be constructed almost any
where through the field
Conditions for CHEAP mining are
favorable, so far as topography is con-
cerned. In the northern, western,
and southe IN parts of the field timber
suitable for mining purposes is at
hand. but the country in the vicinity
of Rio Chaco is barren of forests. In
the interior of the field water in
quantity can undoubtedly be obtained
at moderate depths by boring, as has
already been proved in the Gallup
district, where an abundant supply OF
artesian water has been obtained at
depth of about 1000 feet. In the
northern part of the field the streams
carry an abundant supply of water
throughout the year.
Bulletin No. 316. from which thel
above is abstracted, may be obtained
free OF charge by applying to the
Director of the United States Geolog-
ical Survey at Washington, ID. c.