The Colorado Colliery was located east of Girardville on the south side of Shenandoah Creek.
The
Colliery was opened by a water level tunnel driven south 360 ft. to the North
Dip Mammoth vein at an elevation of 170 ft. above the creek level by George
Huntzinger and Jeremiah Seitzinger in 1861 and the first shipment of 22,430
tons was made in 1865. They continued to 1867 when the Philadelphia Coal Company
came in possession, making improvements to the breaker and opened the Skidmore
vein above water level.
In 1871, they sunk a slope 270 ft. on the North Dip Top Split Mammoth vein to the first level at the inside end of the tunnel. The amount of capital invested in these improvements was $150,000.
In 1874, the Lehigh Valley Coal Company purchased an interest in the colliery and continued mining under the old name. A 7-ton locomotive was placed in service replacing mule power in the water level tunnel.
In 1876, a second slope was sunk to the level of the No.1 Slope workings and mining continued to 1879.
In 1881, the Lehigh Valley Coal Company leased the colliery and began operating it as "Packer No. 1" Colliery. In 1885, they abandoned the breaker and began transporting the coal to the Packer No. 5 Breaker for preparation.
In 1889, the Packer No. 1 workings at the western end were connected with the Packer No. 5 shaft with a tunnel driven from the Holmes vein to the Mammoth vein workings.
In 1891, a fire occurred in the No. 1 slope on July 28th between the water level & the surface. The head frame, ropes, slope timbers, coal and debris fell into the slope but a cage was placed at the water level landing prevented fire in the slope below the cage. The fire was extinguished in 48 hours but required two months to repair the damage.
About 1892, the colliery became a section of the Packer No. 5 Colliery.
The total shipments from the Colorado Colliery were 1,538,254 tons to 1886 when the totals were included with Packer No. 5 Colliery.