History of Colorado; Volume I, Part 32

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 954

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The county is divided into five mining districts, viz .: Lake, Galena, Park, Sherman and Carson. Lake district embraces the northeastern portion of the county. It extends about three miles west and nine miles south of Lake City.

The Galena and Lake districts are the two principal producers of the county. This, however, is largely due to their development and accessibility. The Bur- rows Park, Sherman and Carson districts each possess distinctive merit, equal in many respects, but less developed than their more fortunate neighbors.

JEFFERSON'S EARLY MINING HISTORY

The first mining in this section was upon the placer beds near Golden. Al- though the placer territory is limited, the aggregate production has been quite large. In common with the "placer diggings" near the head of the stream in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties the beds have been reworked a number of times and are still worked in desultory manner each year. The appliances used are little in advance of those used by the pioneers. The few who annually engage in this pursuit report that they make fair wages by hard work, and occasionally find a small bar that "pays well." Several attempts have been made by capital to systematically work the bed of Clear Creek and recover the gold deposited near bed-rock. Another inducement has been to collect the concentrated losses from the many mills farther up the stream. There is little doubt that great values exist along or under the present stream bed, but so far attempts at recovery have proven futile on account of the physical condition encountered, viz., granite boulders too large to handle that require breaking up before removal. Following the placer excitement was the discovery of large veins of copper with small as- sociated values in gold and silver. These discoveries are made annually through- out almost the entire granite-gneiss region, but do not appear to pass the location and annual assessment stages. The veins and ores exist, but are ap- parently too low in grade or limited in deposition to mine with a profit.

The coal seams in this section were among the first opened in the state. The coal is of fair quality for all domestic purposes and the seams conform to the enclosing strata and run in an almost vertical position.

One of the principal industries is the mining and manufacture of the exist- ing clays. The fire-clay bed that occurs in the Dakota formation almost continu-

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ously with the mountain range has in this section been somewhat extensively mined and manufactured at home, or shipped in crude form to other sections. A number of plants are located at Golden, and the required clays for the manu- facture of fire brick, pressed brick, tile, sewer pipe, pottery, etc., have been found by development to exist in large quantities.

A number of stone quarries are developed in a small way and produce good building and other stone. The lime quarries at Morrison are drawn upon largely by the reduction works in the vicinity of Denver for fluxing purposes.

THE MINING HISTORY OF LARIMER AND JACKSON COUNTIES

The precious metal deposits of Larimer and Jackson counties have been worked in a desultory manner for a number of years. During the past year the greatest activity has been in the vicinity of Pearl, in Jackson County. This camp is located within a few miles of the Wyoming line. The section has attracted more or less attention since the favorable developments of the mines at Battle Lake, west of Grand Encampment, and the territory from that section to Pearl and Independence Mountain and Pinkhampton has been subjected to careful scrutiny by the prospectors. The veins occur in fissured zones of the granite- gneiss country, the vein-filling being largely altered country rock with variable gold and silver bearing copper ores associated. Lead sulphide is found in a few places, but iron and copper pyrites and pyrrhotite are invariably present. The latter possesses the peculiar bronze color that is indicative of the presence of nickel.

Among the leading industrial pursuits, the stone industry has been prominent for many years. The stone resource is large and the stone is of variable texture and color, and well suited for structural purposes. The Colorado & Southern Rail- road has two branch lines into the stone-producing sections, along which a num- ber of quarries have been opened and are fairly well equipped. One of these lines extends from Fort Collins to Stout via Bellvue. The other from Loveland up the Thompson to Arkins. From the various quarries, almost any character of stone desired may be obtained. The principal market is local and the leading cities of the state.

On the branch line from Loveland the gypsum beds are well developed near Wild's Spur. The plaster mill at that point is well equipped and is operated by a company that practically controls the Colorado production. The plaster of paris produced is of high grade and is marketed over a large area of country. In ad- dition to the higher grades of plaster, suitable for dental and like work, the com- pany is making a plaster cement that is meeting with much favor. The gypsum deposits of this county are large and workable beds are found from the south to the north boundary lines.

At present the principal mining districts in the two counties are: Empire (Howe's Gulch), copper and gold; Pearl, copper, gold and silver ; Pinkhampton, lead and silver ; Steamboat Rock, copper and gold; Teller (Copper Creek), lead and silver.

MESA COUNTY AND ITS MINES

In the precious metal mines the developments are meager, and the value of the properties appears to be yet not fully determined. The Copper Creek or

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HISTORY OF COLORADO

Unaweep district, in the south-central and southwest parts of the county, has been the most active, and during the past few years has attracted considerable attention. The ores are mainly low grade, copper values predominating, and only assorted lots may be shipped direct to market.

At one mine, the Nancy Hanks, a pocket of ore was found at the contact of the quartzite with the granite, from which some fifteen cars were shipped, which returned from ten to sixteen per cent copper, two or three dollars gold, and from three to six ounces silver.

The discovery of this body of ore led to a "boom" about 1897-98, with the usual result of a "set-back," from failure to immediately discover other ore bodies, which was, for the most part, due to well intended but misdirected outlay of time and money.

IN PROSPEROUS MINERAL COUNTY

The early growth and development of this section was phenomenal. While it had many times been looked over by prospectors, it was practically unknown prior to 1890. In 1891 a branch line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was completed, and the camp was a large producer. In March, 1893, it was created a county. Prior to the construction of the cross-cut tunnels, one of the most notable features in connection with the mines was the almost complete absence of waste dumps. The mines yielded "pay ore" from the grass roots, and the ordinary expensive development was largely eliminated. This fact becoming known, the general rush to this section during 1891 and early in the following year are notable events in the state's history.

The magician who brought the flood of population into the section was N. C. Creede, a famous prospector, after whom the Town of Creede was named. He had prior to this discovered the Monarch district in Chaffee County. In 1890, while in the mountains above Wagon Wheel Gap he located what he termed "The Holy Moses." Creede interested David H. Moffat, Eben Smith, Sylvester T. Smith and Capt. L. E. Campbell in this prospect, selling it to them for $65,000. Creede next found the "Ethel" and then began the rush for the camp. The in- vestment of Moffat was in itself sufficient to start a stampede. At the outset the district was called "King Solomon's Mines," but soon changed to Creede.

In 1891 Moffat built the spur from Wagon Wheel Gap to Creede, and this gave the district its greatest impetus. The most important discovery, however, was made by Theodore Renniger, who was grubstaked by two Creede butchers, Ralph Granger and Earl von Buddenback. Creede saw what they had, though they themselves did not realize its importance. After they had staked the "Last Chance" Creede staked off the "Amethyst" next to them. These two properties became the largest producers in the camp. Renniger and Buddenback sold out to Henry and Ed. O. Wolcott for $65,000. Ralph Granger refused $100,000 and made a vast fortune by his foresight.

The mines of this section are operated largely through cross-cut tunnels. These were driven for drainage purposes and as economic measures to reduce great ex- pense of pumping and hoisting.

Mining operations in this county are in the main on a somewhat extended scale, and the production is from comparatively few properties. Market condi-

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tions since 1893 and until 1915 have been somewhat discouraging. As previously stated, the ores are mainly low grade, and until within a few years have been almost strictly silver-lead ores. Below the 500-foot level in the Bachelor vein there has been a marked increase in gold values and this has added new vigor to operations. In common with some other sections of the state, concentration of values is receiving more attention, and several new mills are contemplated. The new Humphrey's mill has proved quite successful, but improvements are being added to increase the percentage of saving. Silver and zinc-lead properties are gradually increasing their output and have been encouraged by an advance in the price paid for silver and zinc ores.

HISTORY OF MONTEZUMA'S MINES

The mining history of this district begins with the pioneers of 1873-74. Since that time there have been several short-lived revivals of interest. All energy, however, was expended in search for gold in placer deposits until about twenty- seven years ago. At that time George A. Jackson, who was the discoverer of the first placer mine in the state near Idaho Springs, called public attention to the so-called Baker, or Jackson contact on the west fork of the Mancos. Somewhat later his enthusiasm enlisted the cooperation of capital to the extent of an investigation, and the erection of a small milling plant. Expectations were not realized, and the district soon ceased to attract general attention. While several placer beds were spasmodically worked, and prospecting was followed to a limited extent thereafter, not until 1896-97 was there any activity in lode mining. Since that time the districts adjacent to the headwaters of the Mancos have shown a slow but gradual increasing activity.

The lode mines are located at altitudes varying from eight thousand to twelve thousand five hundred feet and at an average distance of ten miles from the Rio Grande Southern Railway. The market for ores is Durango, in the adjoining county east. These mines may be classed as low-grade propositions that have barely passed the prospect stage. The ores are mainly a complex sulphide, but susceptible to concentration or reduction on the ground. Good timber is abun- dant and the water supply ample at no great distance from the properties.

The most important districts at present are: East Mancos, gold and silver : California, gold and silver ; Disappointment, copper, uranium, vanadium; Blue Mountain, copper, uranium, vanadium.

COLORADO CARNOTITE ENRICHES THE WORLD

In the spring of 1899 Messrs. C. Friedel and E. Cumenge, of Paris, announced the discovery of a new mineral, carnotite, obtained through M. Poulet, of Den- ver, from Rock Creek, Montrose County, Colorado. Mr. Poulet had already identified vanadium in it. During the year the government sent F. L. Ransome and Dr. A. C. Spencer into San Miguel, Montrose and Mesa counties, where large deposits were found.

This at once attracted the attention of foreign and eastern investors, who be- gan to secure claims.

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Development, however, was slow, but the following is the record for 1914, by which year the field had been pretty thoroughly exploited.

There was mined from the carnotite deposits in Montrose County, during 1914, 6,000 tons of ore that would assay 2 per cent uranium oxide and 5 per cent vanadium oxide, 4,500 tons of which was mined by the Standard Chemical Company. None of this ore, in the crude state, ever finds its way into Europe, it being shipped to Pittsburgh and the radium extracted at that point.

The United States Government, managing the national radium property, mined close to five hundred tons. This ore was shipped to Denver, at which point the Government carried on experiments for the extraction of the radium, and the separating of the uranium and vanadium.

The Currans interests mined during 1914 four or five narrow-gauge carloads. Most of this ore went to Europe.

The Colorado Carnotite Company mined four or five small cars during 1914. Most of this ore also was sold in Europe.

The General Vanadium mined (principally through assessment) three small carloads. This ore was shipped to Liverpool, England.

Several small miners mined from five to ten tons of ore. About half of this was sold in Europe and the other half in New York.

The Standard Chemical Company spent, in 1914, for mining and transporta- tion of ore to Placerville, $30,000 a month. The remaining companies, com- bined, spent about three thousand dollars per month in the mining and trans- portation of ore in 1914.

Development work during 1917 exploded the certain theory that carnotite ore did not extend into the ground for a distance greater than twenty feet. There were some tunnels driven during 1917 that show large bodies of ore in the breast of the tunnel, the tunnels being driven 150 feet. Some of these large bodies had as much as 250 feet of covering on them.

There were in 1914 two concentrating mills in Montrose County for the concentration of carnotite. The Standard Chemical Company had a large mill at the mouth of the San Miguel River, which cost $100,000. This mill has a capacity of thirty tons in ten hours.

Some production of radium was made in 1915 and 1916, through a coopera- tive arrangement between the National Radium Institute and the Federal Bureau of Mines, whose reduction plant is located in Denver, and is under the direction of Dr. R. B. Moore. While the exact value of their production is not known, it is said that the radium produced had a value of nearly $750,000.00 and the ura- nium and vanadium had a value exceeding $100,000.00.

In the latter part of 1915 another radium reduction plant was established in Denver, and has made a considerable production, but does not give out the values. Small quantities of carnotite ore were sent outside the state for reduction in 1915.

Toward the end of 1916 the Standard Chemical Company resumed opera- tions on a large scale at their concentrating plant at Naturita, Montrose County. Other smaller concerns became active producers of ore at about the same time. The Denver reduction plant, which was erected by the National Radium Insti- tute, operated steadily throughout the year, but passed into the hands of new owners toward the end of 1916.

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There was a very small production of pitchblende ores in Gilpin County, but the value probably did not exceed $10,000.

Precious metal mining has been prosecuted in Montrose County in a desultory manner for a number of years. Along the various stream beds placer locations are quite common and evidence the fact that hand sluicing has been indulged in to considerable extent. Along the San Miguel River, in the western part, sev- eral attempts have been made to operate the placer beds on a more extensive scale with hydraulic appliances, but the results apparently have not proven very remunerative.

The most active mining section during the past four years had been near the western limits of the county, lying east of the La Sal Mountains. Owing to great distance from market only the higher grade ores may be handled profit- ably.

HISTORY OF OURAY'S FAMOUS MINES

In the Ouray Plaindealer of January 21, 1890, there is told the story of the first mineral discovery in this section.

The history of Ouray dates back to the founding of the Town of Ouray, in 1875, when the little park was discovered by A. W. Begole and Jack Eckles, who came over from Green Mountain, above Howardsville (San Juan County), in July of that year, and got down as far as the Horseshoe, whence they saw the beautiful park that is now the site of Ouray. They went back for supplies, and returned on the IIth of August following. Begole located the Cedar and Clipper lodes, covering hot springs and what is known as "Ahlwiler's Park," after which they returned to San Juan, via Mineral Farm Hill. On their way through the Red Mountain country, they met a large number of prospectors, among them A. J. Staley, Logan Whitlock, Judge R. F. Long and Capt. M. W. Cline, to whom they related what they had seen and done. Long and Cline came down to hunt and fish, and while here Staley and Whitlock, who were of the party, discovered the Trout and Fisherman's lodes, which was, in fact, the first actual discovery of ore in place in the immediate vicinity of Ouray, as Begole only found "float" or "blossom" rock, and did not locate "Mineral Farm" until after the Trout and Fisherman had been discovered by Staley and Whitlock. Great excitement fol- lowed these events, and that season the valley was alive with prospectors from Silverton and Mineral Point. The town site was located and named by Long and Cline in honor of Chief Ouray. Quite a number remained through the winter, while others went out to equip themselves for the next season, and tell the people in other sections of the wealth and wonderful beauty of the new country. Spring brought a great influx of people from Lake City and other points. It was also ascertained when spring came that a band of prospectors, among them Andy S. Richardson and William Quinn, had found their way into the Sneffels district. the preceding fall; had located mining property which they had worked all win- ter, not knowing that the Town of Ouray had been founded, nor that any per- sons other than Ute Indians were between them and Utah. Nor did those in Ouray know there were any men in Sneffels.

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CAMP BIRD MINE

Mount Sneffels, the largest producing district, embraces the southwest corner of the county, or the properties tributary to Canon Creek. The most prominent mine or group in this district is the Camp Bird, in Imogene Basin. The Camp Bird vein, or some one of its near neighbors embraced in the group, is doubtless an east extension of the well-known Pandora vein, in San Miguel County. The strike of the vein is nearly east and west, and dips about 75 degrees, on an aver- age, to the south.

When the Camp Bird was discovered prospecting was almost wholly prose- cuted for silver-lead ores, and gold assays were seldom asked for by prospectors when having their samples tested. The Camp Bird vein occupies a fissured zone. One of these fissures near the footwall was filled mainly with lead and zinc sul- phides carrying low values in silver, and was located and worked to a limited ex- tent for this ore, which, under existing market conditions, was of little value. Near the so-called hanging wall there is another band that near surface appeared to be an almost barren quartz. This was, when removed, thrown into the waste dump as worthless. The discovery of the value of this ore by Mr. Thomas F. Walsh, and later developments and production will long be remembered as an ob- ject lesson of what "might have been."

In 1895 Walsh was running a pyritic smelter in Silverton. He knew of the low-grade mines in the Imogene Basin and engaged an old prospector, Andy Richardson, to sample the dumps. One of the samples from the Gertrude dump contained 80 oz. of gold to the ton. Then Walsh, keeping his own counsel, determined to look over the ground for himself and take samples. Ill as he was, he rode on horseback with Richardson from Ouray to the basin and climbed up the steep trail. He was impressed. He could not enter the interior workings of the Gertrude and Una because the tunnel was buried beneath deep snow that had never melted in a dozen years. Before leaving, Walsh directed Richardson to dig through the snow and get samples from the tunnel that had never been fin- ished, the work having been interrupted by snowslide. He believed there was gold in the vein.

On a later trip Walsh went inside and carefully examined the walls of the vein, finding tellurium rich with gold. He broke off pieces of rock, filled his pockets and carried away sacks of samples, which he took with him to Leadville to be assayed. He got samples that ran as high as $3,000 to the ton. That was in September, 1896. Returning, he set quietly to work and gathered in pretty much all the claims in the Imogene Basin, buying them on tax titles for $10,000. He also paid Hubbard Reed $10,000 for the Una claim. In this group of claims the Gertrude and the Una formed the most valuable portion and constituted the bonanza afterward named the Camp Bird mine, which yielded $2,500,000 of gold before Walsh sold out, in 1902, for $5.100,000.

The Camp Bird has been one of the largest gold mines in the world. With the exception of the Portland, it was probably the richest mine in Colorado. The output of the yellow metal from the wonderful Camp Bird for a long time varied from one to three million dollars a year. During the twenty years (1897-1916) it has added $25,000,000 to the money of the nation.

The Red Mountain district embraces the southern portion of the county and

VIEW OF SOUTHWARD SIDE OF LARIMER STREET, DENVER, BETWEEN FIF- TEENTH AND SIXTEENTH STREETS, IN 1866

STORAGE CUNMISSION

1. CADWARE

TIN I

RO05

DITININ

F STREET, DENVER

This picture was drawn by A. E. Mathews, in the summer of 1865, and is from a point between Blake and Wazee streets. The name "F Street" was later changed to Fifteenth Street.

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became famous for its rich copper-silver ores through the Yankee Girl, Guston and other mines. This section is practically tributary to Silverton, with which it is connected by the Silverton Railroad.

HISTORY OF MINING IN RIO GRANDE COUNTY

The mining history of this section practically begins with the year 1870. The reported gold discoveries of that year resulted in a rush to that section in 1871. Introduction of mills followed during 1874-75. In 1883 this district gained the distinction of being the third largest gold producer in the state. Nine amalga- mation mills, aggregating 155 stamps, were at that time actively operated. The percentage of value saved by the mills was low, even from the highly oxidized or surface ores. As depth was gained the prevalence of base metals made milling unprofitable, and in 1893 the district was practically deserted. During the past few years there has been a gradual return to former activity. Not in search of the phenomenal pockets of "free gold ores," but through the application of ad- vanced methods in metallurgy to recover the values from the large low grade deposits.

Summitville is now the principal mining camp of the county. This is near the site of Wightman's Gulch, where James L. Wightman and companions found gold in June, 1870.

HISTORY OF MINING IN ROUTT AND MOFFAT COUNTIES

In 1864 the Hahns Peak gold placers were discovered by Captain Way, a prospector, who brought news of his find to Empire. The next spring Joseph Hahn, of Empire, and W. A. Doyle, of Blackhawk, organized a party of forty and inspected the field. Later Hahn and Doyle were left alone in the camp for the winter, and in their efforts to return for provisions Hahn died of cold and exhaustion. In 1874 the Purdy Mining Company employed 150 men on these claims.

In the vicinity of Hahns Peak there has been a large amount of exploit work done, but the search has been almost wholly devoted to "high-grade" ores, which occur in the veins in form of small pockets and shoots at irregular inter- vals.

North and northwest of Hahns Peak are the Whiskey Park and Three Forks districts. Both of these districts, together with the Farwell district, east of the peak, have attracted considerable attention during the past few years. These combined districts embrace the territory between the Elk Head Mountains and Battle Lake, in Wyoming. Battle Lake is the leading mining center of what is hetter known as the Grand Encampment mining district. The ores in the districts above mentioned occur in fissures in granite-gneiss. In the Three Forks, lead- silver ores predominate; in the Whiskey Park, lead-copper-silver, and in the Farwell, copper-silver. All the ores carry more or less gold values.

Desultory mining or prospecting has been prosecuted along the granite-gneiss Park Range, from the Wyoming line to the Rabbit Ear Peak.

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History of Colorado; Volume I, Part 32

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Number of Pages: 954

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 954