File:Historic gold mine workings (Victor, Cripple Creek Mining District, Colorado, USA) 6.jpg

English: From park signage:

On July 4, 1891, Winfield Scott Stratton, carpenter and part-time prospector, located the “Independence” and “Washington” mining claims on a granite outcrop here on Battle Mountain. The first sample from the outcrop assayed 19 ounces of gold per ton! A Bonanza!

In 1898, Stratton sold his Independence to the British Ventures Corporation for $11,000,000. The Portland Mining Company purchased the Independence Mine and Mill from the British in 1915 and continued operations until final shut-down in 1938.

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From park signage:

Mine History On July 4th, 1891, Winfield Scott Stratton located the Independence Claim, named in honor of the date. A sample taken from a barren looking outcrop by Stratton assayed 19 ounces of gold to the ton and the rest is history. The mine developed into one of the premier mines of the district, second only to the Portland Mine. As with most mines in the district, numerous owners including the Ventures Company, the Portland Gold Mining Company, and the United Gold Mines Company held the property. The mine operated until 1938.

Production The Independence produced $28,000,000 worth of gold most of which was valued at $20.67 per ounce or over 1,350,000 ounces of gold.

Surface Plant The shaft of the Independence was serviced by a flat-rope, double-drum hoist which can be seen today at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in Colorado Springs. The extensive surface plant around the shaft collar included the air compressors and a blacksmith shop. To the left of the headframe are the concrete foundations of the Independence cyanide mill, including the circular foundations for the cyanide leaching vats, and water storage tank.

Concrete foundations [are all that remain] of the Independence Processing Mill, [which] used to process the gold ore from the Independence mine and recover the gold. Stratton’s original milling operation was upgraded to handle more tonnage when the Ventures Corporation of London purchased the mine. Subsequently, the Portland Gold Mining Company bought the property and refurbished the mill to their specifications which required changes, once again, in the mill foundations.

Sorting, crushing and grinding took place [on nearby] circular foundations, [which] were the supports for the large tanks utilized in the cyanide leaching operation that followed. The mill employred gravity where it could to let the processing solutions flow rather than using pumps to get the solution to the next step in the process.

The Independence Mine and Mill produced over 1,350,000 troy ounces of gold during the life of the operation. Some of the development rock that was hoisted through the years was reprocessed under the direction of Philip Argall, noted metallurgist. Later, other areas of the dump were hauled away for construction purposes. During the 1980s, a small portion of the dump was removed for heap leaching in the pad behind the Carlton Mill to remove the very small amounts of gold left in the rock.