Mahala Mining Co. - 1899 dated Lake County, Colorado Mining Stock Certificate

Stock printed by Elgan Bank Note Co., Denver, Colo. Some staining.

The Mahala Mine, nestled in Lake County, Colorado, stands as a historical mining site within the Leadville district. Situated at an elevation exceeding 10,500 feet, this patented mining property holds a significant place in the past as a producer of zinc. It is closely associated with the intense, mid-19th to early-20th-century underground, hard-rock mining era that defined the Rocky Mountain region. While detailed corporate records for the specific “Mahala Mining Co.” are not readily available in modern mining databases, the site itself is situated within a region that witnessed rapid development following the Colorado silver boom.

Historically, the Leadville area emerged as a premier, albeit sometimes treacherous, site for mining operations. These operations were characterized by intense, small-scale, and later industrial-scale extraction methods. The Mahala Mine is recognized in historical datasets referencing Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS) files from the late 1970s and early US Geological Survey professional papers. This places its operational significance during the era of major underground exploration for base metals like zinc and related silver ores. Today, the Mahala Mine continues to be a testament to the rich, storied, and often perilous history of Colorado’s mining. It reflects the pioneering and high-risk efforts of early American resource extraction.