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The Henderson Mine/Mill/Concentrator Fifty million pounds of molybdenum per year from a successful experiment in ecology o n June 28, 1977, AMAX Inc. offi- ciallydedicated its latest and, by far, largest minerals development proj- ect, the Henderson Mine and Mill, in the Rocky Mountains, about 40 miles west of Denver, Colorado. The occasion was understand- ably joyous, in that it marked the completion of almost 12 years' work and the expenditure of nearly $500 million. In a national perspective. the ded ication of Henderson, with its over 300 million tons of 0.49°'o MoS. ore. insures that the United States will remain self-sufficient in molyb- denum for many years. The d iscovery of the Henderson orebody in 1964 actually followed the earlier location and mining of two other molybdenite concen- trations in Colorado. The first of these, the large Climax Mine, has been in operation for many years. The second, beneath which the Henderson deposit is located, was the now-depleted Urad Mine. The Henderson Mine was named after Robert Henderson, who was Vice President of Western Operations for AMAX, Inc. during the long search for the deposit, and who d ied shortly before its discovery. Unique features The Henderson Mine and Mill are unique among minerals develop- ments in several respects. not the least of which is the sheer size of the operation. At nearly half a billion dol- lars, it is the largest single privately- financed venture in the history of Colorado. It is also unusual in that the mill, which for obvious reasons of transportation economics should have been located at the mine mouth, was actually installed 15 miles away at the end of a railroad line that includes a 9.6 mile tunnel under the Great Divide. Most impor- tant, though, is the feature which accounts for both the tunnel and a significant fraction of the large capi- talinvestment: thedecision, taken at the outset of development, to make the project environmentally accept- able. The decision was itself unique because it was made three years be- fore the enactment of the National Overview of Henderson MiII~Concentrator ,. Aenal view of Henderson Mine. Main headframe at upper right of complex. Re~rirrted fruni Ot•tuber 1977 Jr~ttr~~al r>f Mr~tafs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 21259