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FADO OOLD NUOOEI• lye
<br />UMM1T COUNTY.
<br />vs wns given to gold mining
<br />t Uy the nuwerotlq rich shikq
<br />ry and Gibson hills Uy¢pn~q
<br />Sna Juan and their friends g
<br />richness of the placers of S
<br />oned that a scetemntic seyry
<br />of the gold Ururing veins trod
<br />Le pincers hail been eroded nod
<br />Y, the elements. Their dlllg¢d
<br />amorphlc slate ::nd the Aorphpg
<br />eedi]y rewm•drii by the disrur
<br />of the Boss, ]=ov west, Be¢g
<br />r mines which leave siuiw pm
<br />a half in gold from a strip d
<br />~ng and not half a mile wide
<br />;round (some 1.Y rt1 ¢cresl huri~
<br />including a cou~iderahle pumm
<br />if ParncomU hi:'n, the erplo
<br />age of having u, secure mum
<br />odor to open up the ]odes wldd
<br />egvently, ffiey ;;enecally h~
<br />n few Uundred doll¢re. gs:
<br />irices for their florin on Diseor
<br />'e known at presmtt as thed '
<br />I-where they dizrnrered seretl
<br />~ group. TUe rich iree~goid F
<br />nerally been operated iu s
<br />Hefty, by lessees u'ho Lace '
<br />to 35 Per cent.
<br />lerally narrow (Dole two or
<br />and the gold occurs in "bmmk,
<br />Ig generally found after poi
<br />:in." When a "POChet" is s
<br />n•e is actually "gold rvith aG
<br />sod gold and mail o[ wire go~
<br />streak carefully v'ith the Lugs
<br />core being taken sot to rta>p
<br />ns a handful will often could
<br />trtU of Sold. The larger chooh
<br />from mud, and if they will mat
<br />times worth three or four duo
<br />rllectors or for "native" jewet
<br />letimes, lead is removed fromd
<br />in diluted acid, ai'ter whichW
<br />th the use of jewelers' chalks
<br />E
<br />Georgia gu1cU, hnd stocl:ndes erecMd ns n protertlon
<br />ninst Indian rnide.
<br />Pnrkvlllr, no\r a mommy Only, had a theater, n mint fee
<br />sing five-dollar gold Pieces (which contained less alloy
<br />d more gold tUan the government issue), and all the acces-
<br />ies of n hurrah cnmP of those days. 9fter the richer
<br />mace digg"'gs had been Pretty well skhmm~d, tunny of
<br />argosunus left for the "greener field' of lfoutnna.
<br />lose that rwmuned located at Btecl:em•idge and at Liu-
<br />n Cib• a. linmlet in b`rencU gulch, nUOnt four miles east
<br />$rCChrn rid;; r.
<br />In IS50, ' ~~ ocorfiow from the Lcadville cnrbouato ex-
<br />emcut srru'.'I. Brcekmmidge, and in a few weeks a "car-
<br />ontc camr ~ was in full Uloom, with small smeltcl's in
<br />prsr of l~r-lion in several portions of the camp. \Vhile
<br />i¢r• indications of lead carbonates were found, and
<br />inr reins ~.. oxidized iron were opened, it was found Utat
<br />9 silver a~'^:lined in the larger lead veins opened was not
<br />cleat to i,:4. a profit, with treatment chnrg_es ranging
<br />qo0 n. sa(1 per ton; Uvt little account, if any, being
<br />e of tl~~~ c,tmce or ounce and a half of gold contained
<br />ton of '~'~~~' iron m• lead ores.
<br />he grr:.~ improvements made in smelting since that
<br />r hoer :;;:. serially changed conditions regarding smelting
<br />and tl~.~.~ advent of the South Park railwa}- in this Inin~
<br />belt hc~ similarly (educed freight charges tut ores scut
<br />c smri:"r~: so that ores n9tfch could only Ue ri•e:ttrd at
<br />sg ht 'N" ~Uecause theS contained less than thirty ounces
<br />ilr~•j ;p'r nCw cold 20 the 9llleltel5 of the local smnpl{IIF;
<br />ks at a mrc,d Profit. regm•d Ueivg Uad chiefly to the gold.
<br />ar iron, :md silver values contained in the ores. Iu
<br />.last sip: months of 1897 the sampler at Breckem'idge
<br />e handh~d over 1,000 tons of lead ores and covicen-
<br />ea. Uesid~.'s what was sent direct to the smelters by the
<br />apCl'lli OI'6.
<br />n offirrr of the sampling worL-s stated Utat the arerage
<br />-e of their shipments daring '9i was over R35 Per ton;
<br />the Principe] calves mere in the gold and lead .con-
<br />d i¢ tUe ore. During the '80 boom several high-grade
<br />" silr-rr ore mines were opened, the most prominent
<br />K them Using the \'Varrior's Mark (on the Uill 'jtlet
<br />of Argentine Pass), where the working resemUled a
<br />atone quarry more than the ordinary conception of n
<br />Dlore than $125,p(10 worth of silver was mined frmn
<br />quarrc.
<br />e introduction of modern ore concentration machively
<br />g the last ten years has resulted in making amarket-
<br />product from the large bodies of low-grade smelting
<br />rchich .ve fi•equently encountet'ed in min[ng the higher
<br />es. thereby- adding considerably to the Profits of Ivin-
<br />4
<br />part of Rrench gtilch is apparently Yormed Uy tUe breaking
<br />away of t11C 1101't11WCFte1'n 17111 Of a gl'C¢t CI'atCP Of \\']IiCh
<br />Mt. Guyot, Pfench pass and Mt. Baidy form the remnin-
<br />dcr. Mt. Guyot shows, in its precipitous western slope,
<br />strata oY elate and trachyte several Uundred feet in thlck-
<br />ness. Pine gold is found in the crevleee in the rocks in
<br />the ravines canned Ug the e'atcr tlondng from tUC melt(ng
<br />snows. Both sides of Icrench pass chow good Indications
<br />of miner.II Uearfng veins. The western slope of Baidy
<br />shows red sandstone, gold bearing fine grained quartzite,
<br />Ulne lime, pm'Phyty and trachyte-witU a pogfllyry filling
<br />of the coins in the trachyte. In the trachyte are the veins
<br />oY the Morning Star (running as high as from six to t\\•elve
<br />ounces in gold), the Ground IIog, Semper Idem, IIattie B.,
<br />and the Clark group. On the lime and porphyry- Uelt are
<br />the Vulcan, Hammer, Mountain Pride, Laurium, Cassndy,
<br />Hon Tou, and Pony Bxpress, with the Golden )edge in the
<br />gold bearing quartzite
<br />On Nigger Uill (a spur from Baidy) the formation is sim-
<br />ilar, with the cscePtion that great, sheets of mineralised
<br />and dike Porphyry are eery nmch in evidence. Strong con-
<br />tact and gash veins are found in the Polphyty and in its
<br />contact witU the quartzite or granite. The ivdicatlons on
<br />this hill point to the ProU¢Uility of finding great Ulanl:et
<br />veins of ca rUonates or sulPUides at depths varying from
<br />500 to 1,000 feet. The ores of Nigger hill are largely ox-
<br />idized iron or lead ores carrying .commercial values in
<br />sih'er and gold; some of the oxidized iron ores Using
<br />treated ns free milling ores for Yheir• gold values. The
<br />pt9ncipnl mines are the \Vashington, Juniata, Dunkin
<br />groups, Gold Pan, Gold Dust and oUlers. On detached
<br />mountains m• foot Uills (douUtless a Part of \igger Uill at
<br />one time! are the Ouray and Puzzle mines and the Ger-
<br />mania group (the last Ueiag on "Little Mountain"). These
<br />mines have Veen Leavy producers of smelting and milling
<br />ores.
<br />1Vestward from FarncomU hill are Humbug, Tiiueral,
<br />Prospect, GiUSOn and Quartzite hills forming with P'arn-
<br />comb aspur of Uills from DIt. Guyot some eight tulles long.
<br />Humbug is similar in formation to SarncomU except that
<br />the trachyte and porphyry formations are more iu evidence,
<br />also that the ores contain more lead and iron, :md the gold
<br />does not as n rule occur in nuggets.
<br />On Mineral Uill trachyte, porphyry and lime occur in
<br />thick strata. The veins are generally vertical; they are
<br />strong and from four to try°enty feet Uetween walls. The
<br />ores run PriucipallS to lead, witU fair values in gold and
<br />silver. The mines of Mineral Uill Produce ProUaUly one-
<br />half of all the lead ores shipped from Breckenridge. On
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<br />this Uill the upper quartzite appears to Uave Ueen almost ;~
<br />entrely scored off by glacial actton. '
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