The Revenue-Virginius mine was discovered in 1876 and started production in 1880.   Virginius was a predecessor to Camp Bird - as many as 400 people lived here in the 1880's and 1890's.  It’s a rich mine: by 1896 its mill was processing 300 tons of ore per day, and generated more than $300,000/year profits (in 1890s money!) for years.  At its peak at the turn of the century, 300 miners lived in boarding houses on the property.   The operations at the mine were terminated due to flooding in 1906.  The mine was sold to Eastern interests for $100,000, but work was hampered by the high altitude of 12,300 feet.   By 1921, the mine had produced more than $28 million worth of gold and silver, but its mill burned down in 1920.  It never recovered from that, and shut down in the 40s. There were many attempts to reopen the mine over the years, but silver prices wouldn’t support the economics of the idea.

This is the Virginius Mine as it looked on our 2019 trip

This is a view of the two remaining buildings with the mine entrance in the background.

Another view of the damaged mine buildingr

Heavy snowfall is causing this damage.

This is a newer building from several years ago