On Prospect, Gibson and Quartzite hills the tormati~
<br />is similar to the west end of 3lineral hill, being lime am
<br />porphyry with less traehyte and generally the upper quartz
<br />its is largely present; belts of shale also appear at interval;
<br />generally appearing in the vicinity of the quartzite.
<br />-. The geological formation oP Gibson hill indicates that
<br />has been raised up something like 40p feet higher tha...
<br />Quartzite Uill-the stxv~ta containing the blanket veins of
<br />i lead and iron sulphides at the bottom oY Quartzite hill (the
<br />northern spur of Gibson hill) appearing at the top of Gib-
<br />.. son hill, where the ore is largely a carbonate and is Yound
<br />next to the yellowish lime. The blue lime appears at tUa.
<br />Uase of Gibson Uill on top oP the lower quartzite which i
<br />turn lies on the archean granite.
<br />TUe principal mines of these hills are generally deve'.
<br />oped by tunnels, that being an economical way of opening
<br />~ them abate the water level of the gulches. Deep mining
<br />would piobably demonstrate still greater Uodies of smelt
<br />ing ores and would be a promising field for the Investment
<br />i
<br />oP capital. The principal mines me~as follows: Mines of
<br />D'arneomb hill, the Wapiti, HamerscUlag, Boas, gey West
<br />Wire PatcU, and Arraria groups and the Townsend. Oa
<br />Humbug hill, the Thornton, Erie, Saventa and Hard wan
<br />group's and others. On 3fineral Uill the Lucky or Riverre
<br />Beach, Blue Hill or Minnie (hoe from three to nine fee;
<br />pay-streak of lead-silver-gold ore), "Rose of Breckenrzd e"
<br />s,
<br />SUawmut (or ti4 bite Paw
<br />n ~v
<br />), elhngton, Orthodox, Oro, 31ono
<br />and the Magic groups and the Greenwood, Cincinnati, Ella
<br />and others-chiefly producers of lead-sliver-gold smelting
<br />ores. On Frospect hill the Johannesburg group and others.
<br />The Sohannesburg is a free gold quartzite proposition. On
<br />Gibson hill, the New York, Baker-Doty, Alice A., Kellogg,
<br />Eureka, SumUO, Extension, Sun Down, Detroit and Cleve-
<br />land groups and others. On Quartzite hill and YttUa Dam
<br />Rats, the Stonewall, Stephenson, Sultana, Shakespeare, hit-
<br />• tie Corporal and Tip Top groups and others. Of these the
<br />Exteusion, Sun Down and Detroit are located on a great
<br />ledge of gold bearing quartzite in which rich talc streaks are
<br />found whicU frequently run as high as a dollar a pound in
<br />free gold. The other mines are chiefly in the. porphyry,
<br />which is crossed by large veins oP oxidized iron or lead
<br />.ores which carry both gold and silver.
<br />Going up the northern slope of this range of hills tlrece
<br />are a uumUer of spurs separated from one another by tLe
<br />following rich placer gulches, viz.: Gold Run, Delaware,
<br />Galena, Summit, Greenhorn, Brown's, Humbug. Georgia,
<br />American and Dry gulches; the formation being similar
<br />to that of the PrencU gulch slope, except that shale appears
<br />more fregaently. In Gold Run, on Discovery Uill, the
<br />Tessie group keeps a 40-stamp mill running full time on gold
<br />"bearing porphyry. In Summit the Hamilton property
<br />I ra
<br />The Breckenridge Gold Belt.
<br />ITS PLACERS AND LODE MINES.
<br />On the Pacific slope of the Continental divide east of
<br />the Ten 31i1e range and Its extension-the Blue mount-
<br />ains-ia the Breckenridge gold belt, the great placer de~
<br />posits of which are in the valleys drained Uy the Blue ricer
<br />and its tributaries. Its lode mines of gold, silver, lead
<br />or iron ores are found in the hills and mountains which
<br />flank the valleys. '~
<br />Its placers are credited with a production of over
<br />Yhirty-two million dollars' worth of gold since their dis-
<br />covery in 185J-60. TUe lode mines have produced many
<br />millions more. The greater portion of the gold taken out
<br />during the "Pike's Peak excitement" came Prom the
<br />placer mines of this gold belt, of which the principal pro-
<br />ducing gulches were: Gold Amr, American, Georgia,
<br />Humbug, Galena, Irrench, `jigger, Illinois, Mayo, Black;
<br />also, EnPfalo, Delaware, and YuUa Dam flats. and the
<br />benches along the Blue river. All of these placers were
<br />very rich, from the aui•Pace to bedrock, or as deep as they
<br />could he mined with crude appliances.
<br />Both nuggets and rine gold m~e still found in tbese
<br />placers, which are operated annually at a good profit In
<br />the earls days many rich places were Yound in the pay-
<br />streaks of these placers, which were called "pockets," and
<br />the term "pound diggings" was applied to those claims,
<br />of whicU there were maup, which produced twelve or more
<br />ounces of gold per day to the man. TUe mining opera
<br />tions in those days were confined to working with rockers
<br />and sluice Uoxes on those portions of the streams where a
<br />grade sufficiently steep copld Ue secured to Provide a
<br />dump for the waste material, termed tailings; thus many
<br />rich spots in the placer ground doubtless still remain um
<br />touched where the stream was too Hat for sluicing and the
<br />inflow of water too great to admit of profitaUle working
<br />by means of a shaft with windlass and buckets.
<br />"Towns" dotted the district in those days at interval
<br />of three or four miles; some of them having a snmme
<br />population of from 800 to 1,500. "Fort Mary B," (a
<br />Breckenridge was first named) and Parkcille, at the moot:
<br />
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