Lone Mountain – Nevada
Speaking about Lone Mountain, Joe Dan Lowry said, “Among all ‘classic’ Southwestern turquoise, only Lander Blue is more valuable.”
It is said that a man who owed him money, led Lee Hand to the Lone Mountain deposits, hoping Hand would forgive the debt. And he did. Lee Hand filed the “Blue Jay Mining Lode” claim in 1920, later changing the name to Lone Mountain.
As the mine grew, it was composed of many haphazard tunnels dug when the miners were “chasing” a vein. In 1927, Bert Kopenhaver had leased the mine from Hand. At about 40 feet deep in the mine, Kopenhaver found the beautiful spider web turquoise that made Lone Mountain one of the top turquoise mines in the Southwest.
Lone Mountain produced a wonderful variety of turquoise. The matrix can be golden, black, or spider web. The turquoise ranges in color from a vivid clear blue to a dark blue spider web. The Lone Mountain spider web still rivals Lander Blue, which is considered the most valuable turquoise in the world.
The many unorganized tunnels dug over the years eventually weakened the integrity of the mountain, making mining very dangerous. During the time when Menless Winfield owned the mine, he converted operations to a small open pit mine, using heavy equipment to collapse the existing tunnels. The greatest production came during the 70s, when Menless Winfield owned the mine. Chris Lott currently mines Lone Mountain, still producing small quantities of this outstanding turquoise.
