WSP11321

• File Number: 7630.285
• Description: Wild and Scenic - General
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 2/6/1974
• Author: Haskell
• Title: Designating the Weminuche Wilderness - Rio Grande - and San Juan National Forests in the State of Colorado - Report to Accompany S 1863
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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As the list. in footnote IlurnLC'r 4 show:-:, most of this land was
patented in the last. cent.ury. The lnst patent. to be staked wns in 1928.
The~e patpIlts posse.-:.s little apparent vnlue fiS they were ohtnined for
gold and ~ilY('r in tlte duys of prospeeting find 11l1nd sorting. Their lflck
of value i~ c1emon~trntf'li by tlw fH(~t that. although fonr timps the
1lf'Tf>fig'r of inholdings in the l.'orei't Sfofvjr'(' propo!-'ul has h{'(m ndded
to tlie propo:-;pd wildel'llpss by S. 18f.i3, llS ntnf'IHlf'd, the YUIlle of this
additional llf'ff>uge is less than tlw valur of the inholdings ,\-'ithin the
original FOT(lst SPfvi('(' propo:':inl. N OIH' of the pntents ore ))ping worked.
During the last few Yf'fir5 the Forest SNvice with the aid of the Land
find \Vah'f Consf'fvl1tion Fund has llg-g'r['~si~f'ly pursued the acquisi-
tion of old mining {Intents. Approximlllf'ly 47 p(>rC'ent of the original
pah'nts llll.ve h('('n acquired. In addition ucqllisition of the larger
Whiton placer (1866) s.hould l)f' shortly complet.f'd. All patents exc.ept
excf'NHngly ~*)Pp flllrl remote OIW,s HTe f'flrmllrked for IH.',qui:'Oltion.
G(>oIogicnl Survey Bullet.in 12GI-F states that. there lue 196 patented
d:liru~ within lllHI urljnCPllt to till' San .Juno Primitive Aren, nud t.hat
t.ht, vlIlu[' of ores rninl.t1 has l)(>l'lI 11I>Olll $257,000. Thi~ llverugt'S nbout
$1.300 IH'r pntf'nted claim.
The bulletin further stnl<,s t.hat nhotlt 7Slfo of thnt wtn! value wns
pro<l\l('['d in the IntEl 1800's from t.he Benrtown district ldonp. .Much of
that district. is excluded from S. ISG3 bv the Benr Creek indentll.tion
ill t,he northwe..'it. bouollnrv. .
Tn adllition to the Bl'nrtown rlistrid, three other areas t~re described
in the hullf'tin us hadn~ evidetwps of minernl Jppo:-:.it~ of cOllunefcitJ.I
or lI('ar-c'omml'I'Ciul n~IlIe:
Trout, Creek-~tiddll' Fork Piedrll.-Illlti\re sulfur. About four
mjle~ t\lollj! one side of Trout Crl'ck llre included in S. 1863; othcf\\;se
tlwJ'l' is 110 (litff'Tl'nce IlPLWf'l'1l S. ISt;~ unci t.he Forest. Sel'viec propusltl
in t hi~ area.
"llitt'hcud Guleh~llIuII vl'in~ llnd :-porndic deposits. Approxi-
mately two mile_..; along the south ~idl' of "Yhileheml Gulch are indllllt~d
in S. 1863; otln'rwisc there is no difTe'fence between the proposllls
in this area.
X('edl(' ~loHntnins-di:-,selllinflt(\d molybdenite uno Illetnllift'rou~
\"f'ins. Thi:,; distriet whiC'h i:-:. within the' boundary of S. 1863 tmd
exduded in the Fon':-:.t Sern('e propo:,uj includ('s, the Chicago Bu.."in
UTf>U. Prl'sf'ntly, tlu'rl' is OfU' ucti\rity ill the Busin relating to mining:
American )'1inemI5, Inc. of Broomfield has stnkcd 01' rcacti\'uted
thirty-one c1nims :Uljll('Ptll to the \Yhitnn Plncl'r to he prospected for
molybdenite. In additioIl. till'. minf'l'nl rights to the laud5 once occupied
by the Plowboy (954) llnd Cnhin Home (9;)1) patents have ill'en
acquired by ..-\1IH'riC::H1 :o.linernl:::.. tOf C'OllN"C, <:ontrol of the surface
remain:::. with thf'Fon'~t ;:::'pn'i('(>.) .American ~lint'I'tds has beeD
ronductin~ C'xplorntory ('ore drilling lmtler ~tfict Forest. Service
reg:lllH.tion~. Thr rig Wll..." flown in by helil'optt.r llnd the ore is L(.jng
remoq,(1 by puck strin~. DrilliJlg' IH'gallln.st :'illmnH'f, (.'lo~(-'(I down with
the first ~now. antI will be 1'l,,~etinLt('d lb ~oon as :,IlOW t:lIIHlitioIlS
pennit. Xu l'ondusi\'t.., finding:,- hllH' yet Ilf'f'n announted. (The llge
and limited nduc of exi:';tin~ put('Illed dlJ.ims in Chil'll!!o Basin other
thun those of American ~filwrals Wl!S di:,-cll~,.:::('-d IlhO\~e.)
TIlt' l'OllllllittN' \\":1:' nl~o Illndt' UWllre of the llUlI1PTOUS otlwr \.nhll'~-
\"ahlb which IIfC e:olH:oIllilant with wihlt'fnps~ :,tlltu~-of the