2011 Map of Red River Pass

About this map

The mining history of the Taos Mountains is laid bare across this high-altitude landscape, where numerous claims and prospects dot the canyons and peaks. Operations such as the Bitter Creek Mining Company and the Memphis Mine highlight an era of intensive exploration, with dozens of individually named mines like the Elizabeth Mine, King Yellow Jacket, and Gold King Number Two concentrated near Butcherknife Canyon. This density of named claims indicates a complex web of mineral rights and late-industrial activity that shaped the area's development long after the initial strikes.