1976 – Amax Inc. begins exploring Mt. Emmons for molybdenum and locates a significant deposit. Mine development planning begins.

1977 – High Country Citizens' Alliance is founded to protect Red Lady and the Gunnison Valley from a large-scale mining operation.

May 1979 – Amax Inc. applies to the Forest Service for a permit to mine.

Early 1980's – Amax Inc. elects not to sign and accept a mine approval from the U.S. Forest Service following a worldwide crash in molybdenum market prices.

December 1992 – Amax Inc. applies for patents for 10 mining claims covering the Red Lady. A provision of the antiquated 1872 Mining Law known as “patenting” allowed the mining companies to purchase land forextremly low prices.

June 1993 – High Country Citizens’ Alliance, the Town of Crested Butte, and Gunnison County file formal protests to the patent applications.

December 1993 – Amax Inc. merges with Cyprus Minerals Company to form the Cyprus-Amax Minerals Corporation.

1998 – HCCA, the Town of Crested Butte, Gunnison County and others win our trial against Cyprus-Amax’ application for addition water rights. Amax argued that these were needed for the proposed mine. We won the case on the narrow finding by the court that Cyprus-Amax had failed to obtain a contract for their water by the time they applied for their water right.

December 1999 – Phelps Dodge buys Cyprus-Amax.

August 2001 – HCCA files/submits a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all of the documents relating to the patent application, including a Mineral Report prepared for the Forest Service. The Bureau of Land Management relied on the Mineral Report in its eventual decision to approve the patent application, however, HCCA had been denied the critical pages.

September 2001 – Defended our 1998 Water Court victory in front of the Colorado Supreme Court.

January 2002 – The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Phelps Dodge did not need such a contract for their water by the time they applied for their water right.

April 2002 – HCCA files an administrative appeal of the FOIA denial. The Department of Interior has not made a decision yet on the appeal.

April 2, 2004 - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sells 155 acres of public land, including the Red Lady Bowl, to multinational mining giant Phelps Dodge for just five dollars per acre. The patent protests previously filed by HCCA, the Town of Crested Butte and Gunnison County are denied without any notice, despite Secretary of Interior Gale Norton’s statements that the BLM should seek more local community involvement in its decision-making.

April 2004 – HCCA, the Town, and County file suit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, claiming the BLM had no authority to sell Red Lady, and asking for her return to public ownership. A federal lawsuit can take years to resolve, so we ask the judge to take immediate action and return Mt. Emmons to the public while the suit progresses.

September 2004 – The federal judge heard arguments from both sides regarding the Government’s and Phelps Dodge’s attempt to dismiss the case altogether. Our opponents claim that the 1872 Mining Law does not give us the right to challenge mining patents in federal court. We argued that contemporary law and Supreme Court doctrine support our right to sue.

January 2005 - The court dismissed our case on procedural grounds, holding that private citizens’ groups and local governments do not have the right to challenge land transfers to mining companies, such as in the Red Lady case, even if those transfers are made illegally.

February 2005 – HCCA, the Town, and the County appealed the case to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. We are hopeful that a victory at the Tenth Circuit will give us our day in court.

February 2005 – Federal district court judge rules that Phelps Dodge may return property on Red Lady back to previous owner US Energy Corp.

February 2006 – Phelps Dodge conveys title to mining properties on Mt. Emmons, including the Red Lady mining claims and the closed Keystone Mine site, to U.S. Energy in accordance with the court order issued on year earlier. In addition to taking possession of these mining properties, U.S. Energy also assumed responsibility for the Keystone water treatment plant, with an estimated operating cost of one million dollars per year. The treatment plant removes toxic effluent from Keystone Mine runoff before the water is discharged into Coal Creek.

June 2006 – Federal District Court Judge Marcia S. Krieger rules in favor of High Country Citizens' Alliance, Town of Crested Butte and Gunnison County ordering BLM to release critical documentation on financial aspects of the Red Lady Patents.

July 2006 – Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals denies Town, County and HCCA appeal.

August 2006 – Town, County, and HCCA request an “En Banc” review of the appeal before the entire Tenth Circuit Court.

October 2006 – US Energy Corp announces their intent to define a molybdenum mining project on Mt. Emmons and hire Clyde Gillespie as Project Manager.

November 2006 – Request for “En Banc” review is denied by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

November 2006 – US Energy Corp holds an open house in Gunnison to present a brief history of the company’s financial situation, mineral holdings, and plans for the future. Public questions and comments were not taken, leaving the community to doubt U.S. Energy’s genuineness, especially after the company’s stated goal of providing “transparency and openness, fostering good communication and lasting relationships.”

December 2006 – Kobex Resources Ltd., headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., partners with U.S. Energy with the goal of co-developing a molybdenum mine on Mt. Emmons. Under the terms of this agreement, Kobex assumes the operational costs of the water treatment plant. U.S. Energy, however, will continue to retain overall responsibility for the plant and mine property.

February 2007 - The Town of Crested Butte, Gunnison County and HCCA file a petition for Writ Certiorari to be heard before the US Supreme Court.

April 30, 2007 - The US Supreme Court denies the Petition for a Writ of Certiorari filed by Town, County, and HCCA asking for Supreme Court Review. This decision exhausts the legal remedies regarding the issuance of the 155 patented acres.

Summer 2007 - US Energy Corp and Kobex Resources announce plans to begin further exploration of the Molybdenum deposit in efforts to develop a plan of operations and complete a feasibility study.

Spring 2008 - US Energy Corp and Kobex Resources request permission to conduct baseline studies on Mt. Emmons from the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service approves only activities that will not cause any surface distrubance.

March 31, 2008 - Kobex Resources announces that it has terminated its mine operations and development agreement with US Energy and ceases all work on Mt. Emmons.

August 19, 2008 - US Energy Corp announces a new option agreement with Thompson Creek Metals Company to pursue development of a molybdenum mine on Mt. Emmons.

October 30, 2008 - Executives from Thompson Creek Metals Company formally announce the renaming of the "Mt. Emmons Project" and their intention to begin a new program of community relations designed to foster support for a mine on Mt. Emmons.