F res G9H2- UC-NRLF gii ? ill 1 1 i 1 ■ li 1 ill li!' 1 iilii ^^UJ B 3 bE5 D73 1 rice ^0 Cents. O-eolog-ical IvJIoanogrrsLpls., ItTc. 2. r-^ T k> Go:drado's Bonanza Gohnty i.%' ®-E:0Lpc3-xi '-czriEsr-isiinx; :s-:r rrxXZE Ir'OLIRAUO MUSEInU UF APPLIED GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. ' I Subscription Edition Distributed io,ooo. Author's Edition 5,000. - - Price 50c. Post Paid. DKNVER, COLORADO. .883. C. 1 Kelly. Printer, 406 Hollada>» Street, Denver. Colo. I L ^t:.,^ \^. Entered according to act of Congress, iVi the year 1S83, by John K. Hallowell, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. PREFACE. No excuse or apology is considered to be be in order for the appearance of the following pages before my readers. It is some- thing that was found to be needed, the object being to give real and practical information regarding one of the richest sections of Colorado, a territory about which much has been said through the papers and by rumor during the last three years, but until the ap- ])earance of the following, there did not seem to be sufficient actual knowledge of this described section shown by any writer. The appearance of the work in two editions simultaneously, is owing to the manner in which means was raised for its pubhca- tion, and is as follows : Before leaving Gunnison^ in the fall of 1882, I was approached to know if I could not embody the in- formation I had gained in some shape that would do the county good, and asked what I would do. It resulted in the following proposition, that my tune and expenses for five months' work, my ten years' experience in geological work, and the time required to prepare the manuscript for a pamphlet would be my contribution, if the residents of Gunnison County would raise the money to print and distribute free, 10,000 copies of the books. I to mail 8, 000 copies throughout the United States, the other 2,000 copies to go to the subscribers, pro-rated according to the individual sums paid, and thev to send such copies, personally, where they thought the most good would be done. This proposition appeared to met with more than favor every where, and I felt encouraged to complete my work ; but, wdien the time came to require the cash, I found from various causes that I must, to make a success, go to the additional expense and time of visiting all parts of the county and soHcit these subscriptions myself. This I shrank from, and I can frankly say, that were I able, this part would never have been asked for, as I would cheer- fully pay and give the whole myself rather than take the time, and meet what I did, but I am not cowardly and was not going to back out on the last round, even if it did require a part from me that should not have been mine. To have this work accomplish all of the good possible, it needed to be distributed before the opening of the Exposition at Denver. This would require prompt and energetic work. Well, I have given that much too, but at the end find I will have to pay several hundred dollars to make the amount of printing and post- age good, as I took certain responsibilities myself in order to save time. I find no fault with any one, w^ishing to believe that all have done all that they could, as I tried to do. At the last moment 1 accepted a proposition that will either make the above good, or make me more expense, that is to have ?;Qnir;Q IV PREFACE. an extra edition of 5,000 copies, printed as an author's edition, and placed on sale at the low price of 50c per copy. This gives fifty per cent, more books than I agreed to pub- lish, but I hope gives me a small chance to be reimbursed for the extra cash I have had to pay out. I feel that the reciting of the foregoing facts are due, under all of the circumstances to myself, as from private reports already given, very many thousands of dollars have already been brought into Gunnison County, and that very many more thousands will follow such investments when the knowledge I gave in private re- ports, is thus made widely public. To give such information in as practical a method as I could think of, I have tried to make these pages a hand-book of the described territory, so that the reader, if he so desired, could go from mining camp to mining camp, and have recorded facts as I found them, to judge by, and from his own observations as a prac- tical business man realize himself, whether, in any part of Gunni- son County, there was an opportunity for a fair profit for him with the legitimate use of capital. That I think there is, is proved by what I have herein said, that others think there is, is proved already by what has been in- vested on what I have already reported, and if the ratio should keep up for three years more, Gunnison County will truly be proved to be Colorado's Bonanza County. To have this proved by the work of one man principally, might be considered glory enough, perhaps it is, but the air is to rare at these altitudes to live upon "glory" alone, hence the strong advertising I give myself, that I may get my share of the branch of mining that I follow for a living, viz : reports, purchases and sales of mining property. Cash from this source means addi- tional work of this kind in future years of my residence in Col- orado. There is one thing in connection with all this, that I sin- cerely regret, but could not help now, although I do hope to be able to remedy it in the future, by publishing a supplement to this. That is, I could not add Tin Cup and the Taylor Park country to the present work, it was utterly impossible. In five months I traveled over 1,500 miles on foot and on horseback, to accomplish what was done. I thoroughly examined 3,000 square miles, and certainly am not to blame that Gunnison County is so large and so rich. To amend this as much as possible, I insert here the Tin Cup product, which talks for itself Within a year I think rje will have an outlet to Gunnison City, thus making more of her ore products available. The following is taken from the Denver Tribune of April 16, 1883, and while I cannot say that of my own knowledge, I can verify all that is stated. I am quite confident that it represents PREFACE. V in a compact and clear manner the value of Tin Cup as a mining district, and as before stated hope to be able to prove it per- sonally. Tin Cup, Colorado, April lo. — About thirty miles east and north of Gunnison City, within Gunnison County, lies the Taylor River basin. This basin is formed by the Continental range to the east, the Taylor range to the north. Elk range to the west and Fossil range or Gold hill range to the south. It is forty miles north and south, with a mean breadth of fifteen miles. The con- tour of the basin is open and level. Within this basin is the head- waters of Taylor River, quite a large stream of water the year round. Ties and sawlogs can be floated down in the spring. The entire basin is very heavily timbered, except a strip along the river from two to five miles in breadth. The body of the basin is of fine gravel formation. Taylor River proper, Texas and Willow Creeks, unite near the point where Taylor River enters the canon, forming a large stream of water. Seventeen miles west of where Taylor River breaks through the Elk range, running west, Taylor and East Rivers unite and form Gunnison River (near Fisher's)- Every part of the several ranges that form the basin are rich in silver, gold, iron, plumbago and lead. The formation of Elk range is principally lime, with porphyry dykes running through it. Within this range (Elk) we have the mining camps of Spring Creek, Italian Mountain, Forrest Hill, Head of Taylor River or Emma. Ashcroft is near the junction of Elk and Taylor ranges, but its present and most accessible inlet and outlet is through Taylor basin. Along the Taylor range we have the camps of Beauman and Telluride. The formation of Taylor range is lime, porphyry and granite. Telluride lies at the junction of Taylor and Continental ranges and extends from this junction south to the intersception of Fossil or Gold Hill range. Just south of Telluride, following the divide for ten or twelve miles, is a broad gold belt, in granite formation. This has very little development, on account of being under a heavy deposit of gravel. But all gulches coming down from it, some eight or ten in number, show up very well in free or placer gold, several of which have been worked, and are paying well. South of this gold belt, still follow- ing the range, is Chin's camp, or main district. The gold belt and Chin's camp are both of granite formation. Texas Creek Mining District lies south of Chin's camp. The formation there is granite with Hme dykes or ledges. South of this we have the American Mountain District of granite and gneiss formation. This brings us to the Tin Cup Mining District. All of these districts are well timbered, well watered and of easy approach, from the basin by firm gravel wagon roads. While these camps are all easy to get at from within the basin, they are hardly accessible from the outside. The Cotton- wood, Alpine and Pitkin passes all cross a rough and rugged road, VI PREFACE. Alpine pass being the best of the three. The most natural and easiest approach is down Taylor River to Gunnison, thirty miles to the nearest part of the basin, and from thirty five to fifty miles to any of the districts herein mentioned. The grade up Taylor River will average from Fisher's, where Taylor and East River unite, to the canon, where Taylor enters the Elk range, or outlet of the park or basin, about 126 feet to the mile, as shown by the grade stakes of the Denver & Rio Grande railway survey. The river makes a canon where it leaves the basin for nearly four miles. Then the canon opens out to considerable breadth on each side of the river. A railroad can easily and cheaply be built up through this canon, with a cost not greater than $3,500 to $4,500 per mile, from where the track now lies at Fisher's to within the basin (seventeen miles). The grading is principally gravel work. There is no danger of snow slides and no danger of the river ever "gorging" to interfere with the road bed. Where the river enters the canon (seventeen miles from Fisher's) is the town site of Taylorville, on magnificent placer ground. From Taylorville all the above named mining claims are of easy ap- proach, and for the railroad to reach any of these only a road bed need be thrown up, little or no grading being required. By re- ferring to the accompanying hst of mining claims, the revenue to the railroad can be easily seen. It is twenty-eight miles from Taylorville to Gunnison City. Below I give the distances from Taylorville to the different camps within the basin; the popula- tion of last season, in which will be doubled this; also the output last season, which was secured by only doing the required assess- ment for the year, and which output can be increased five to ten fold this year, if these camps have the outlet given them by a railroad. Ashcroft is not within the basin, but her inlet and out- let is through it 1 . Taylorville to Spring Creek 2. Taylorville to Italian Mountain 3. Taylorville to Forrest Hill. 4. Taylorville to Head of Taylor River 5. Taylorville to Ashcroft 6. Taylorville to Beauman 7. Taylorville toTelluride 8. Taylorville to Gold Belt o Taylorville to Chin's camp -. 10 Taylorville to Texas Creek District II. Taylorville to Tin Cup 7^2 13 9 IS 18 i3>^ 200 to 300 25 20 to 125 to 150I 8120 to lOD to 1251 S130 to 180 to 250 io'30 to 200 to 350 30125 to 100 to 180 100 to 125 75 to 100 TOO to 125 CHARACTER OF OKES. 10 25 to 10 3 35 to 4c 513° to 12 25 to 1751 8J25 to :So to 40040.35 to Galena & carbonates Galena Free gold and galena Galena and chlorides Sulphides, carbonates chlorides, galena Galena Tellurium Placer Chlorides and galena Galena and <;ulphides Sulphurets, chlorides, galena and free gold PREFACF. VII ^^'hat a railroad wants to know in projecting a branch or line is, what it will cost and what revenue it will have. The answer here is evident. A branch line from Fisher's up into this basin would be less that eighteen miles in length with no hea^y grades, and a safe and solid road bed all the way, with no blockades in winter from snow. It would enter a country that would demand supplies, at the lowest calculation, for 1,500 to 3,000 miners, and it would have the handling of from 100 to 150 tons of ore per day. If a railroad was built within reach of the ten camps here shown, in less than three months 5,000 persons woiild be added to their population and the output of ore would rise to from 800 to 1,200 tons per day. Within this basin there is all character of ores — lime, plum- bago, iron, lead and copper. The entire basin is covered with good saw-timber and timber for ties, etc. There would be more revenue to a railroad that would build to it, which is within the near reach of both the Denver & Rio Grande railroad and the Denver, South Park & Pacific railroad, than any other line they can build of 100 miles in extent. I further promise that, if I can get sufficient encouragement to make a special work of the Tin Cup, Taylor Park, Ashcroftand Aspin sections, during the year 18S3, and let the results of such ex- aminations be known next winter. I can only add, that very much work has been done during the past winter and since my personal visits to sections, and in every instance, the results so far surpass anything that the most sanguine could have expected in these few^ months. To Mr. John H. McCoy this work is respectfully dedicated, as he is doing more than any other one man for Gunnison City and county, and to him, personally, I owe much for encourage- ment and aid, to enable me to accomplish what I have done. Respectfully, JOHN K. HALLOWELL. Denver, Colo., June i, 1883. vrn 4 . INDEX. PAGE Chapter I Former Ideas of Gunnison County — View from Marshall Pass, Etc., Etc. Chapter II 13 Evans' Basin — Ideas on Prospecting— Colorado Anthracite Coal Co , Etc. Chapter III 18 Fourth of July, 1882— Washington Gulch and Placer Mines of 1859, 'Etc. Chapter IV 22 Poverty Gulch — Crest of Elk Mountain Range — Little Nell Mining Claim. Chapter V 28 Iron Swamp. Irwin. Pioneer Mill Forest Queen Mine, Chapter VI 40 Elk Basin. Geology. Elk and Micawber Claims. Anthracite Coals of Irwin. Bitun.inous Coals of Ohio Creek. Gunnison City, Etc., Etc. Chapter VII 55 Durango and Mexico Claims. Iron Basin. Silver Basin. Swan Basin. Etc. Chapter VIII 64 Anthracite Range and other Mountains. Description ol Coal Measures, Etc Chapter IX 73 Coal Creek and Redwell Basin Divide. Cause of Iron Swamp and Iron Spring Peculiarities of the Ruby Silver Belt. Concentration, Etc. Chapter X : 77 Return to Crested Butte. Mining Claims in 0-be-Joyful Basin, Etc., Etc. Chapter XI 86 Slate River. Geology of Treasury Mt. and Vicinity. Hawk-Eye Mine, Etc. Chapter XII 92 Elko a Cash Market for Ores. Copper Creek. Pass to Conundrum Gulch Chapter XIII 104 Crooke's Station. Tomichi Dome. Hot Springs Park. White Pine, Etc. Chapter XIV 116 Good-Bye to Crested Butte. From Howville into Gunnison City, Etc., Etc. Chapter XV 125 A prettily Situated Town. A Superior Railroad Outlet. The Mineral Farm, a Geological Puzzle. The Silver Islet and Fairview Mines. Chapter XVI 131 First Knowledge of Tomichi. Fissure Veins of Gold and Silver, Etc., Etc. Chapter XVII 137 "Misled" Capitalists. Soft and Hard Coal Found in Gunnison. Defini- tion of "Anthracite," "What Is It?" Beautiful Building Stone, Etc. Chapter XVIII 15.S The Final Summing Up of the Work Done. Gunnison, the Bonanza County. CHAPTER I. Former Ideas of Gunnison County — View from Mar- shall Pass — Gravels at Gunnison City — Crested Butte — Tertiary Fos- sils — Crested Butte Mt — A Dream. Had anyone said to me in the year 1881 that in 1882 you will be in the Gunnison country, looking it over, the same as you have done other portions of Colorado, I would have laughed at them, and replied three to five years from now will be time enough for that. For the reason that heretofore it has taken five to ten years to prove practically the worth of a mining country, that capital might be induced to invest in means of transportation ; have mines enough opened to prove to capitalists that there was sure returns for their investments, as well as possible large profits ; and on that basis I have always maintained that the older counties of Colorado were much the best for the investment of large capital, as they had the following ad- vantages, viz : mines opened, so that the country was proved to a point, that the investor could judge, relatively, what expenditure on an undeveloped property would re- sult in ; transportation by rail, making in most instances a cash market at the railroad shipping point ; also a perma- nent mining population in numbers enough that labor could be depended upon at fair wages, and last, but not least, organized sources of supplies, which are brought to the mining camps and through competition vended at the lowest possible profits. Such were my personal ideas and I was free to so express 4 •'••.' ■'- GUNlflSOiVT'HE'' BONANZA COUNTY.- them ; but this spring I had to acknowledge, that what it used to take ten years to accomplish in the State of Colorado is now done in three. That the Gunnison coun- try has railroad transportation and cash markets for ores produced; that already it has developed mines proving the different mining camps; that this year will see it teeming with a permanent resident mining population; that competi- tion in the sale of supplies will naturally follow, and the prob- abilities are,that the next three years will see a greater propor- tionate demand for Gunnison County mines by capitalists than any other section of the State. That at least seven years' time has been saved to the miners and prospectors of this county is almost wholly due to the energy, foresight, and business capacity of the mana- gers of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company. Their energy is shown in the fact that there is not a mountain canon that they needed to go up, but they said to their engineers, "find us a way through," and no matter what the difficul- ties, it was done. No mountain range has been too high for their workmen to find a way over. Their foresight is evidenced by the fact, that their surve}'ing parties passed into each portion of the State along with, and sometim^es ahead of the prospectors, so that when they built into a new country, it was with an almost absolute knowledge of its resources. Their business capacity is recorded in the fact, that they have organized and maintained a large and successful corporation, independendent of any Eastern clique, but which belongs to the State of, and really repre- sents Colorado as a railroad organization, and is not the tail of anything else. To these men much is due in honor and esteem, as well as profit, by the people of Colorado as a whole. This is no paid tribute to men who hold promi- nent positions in the State, for no man nor company pays me for this kind of work ; and I claim the right to find fault where I think I can point out the better way, as well GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 5 as express my admiration and esteem of men whom I be- lieve are worthy of it, and have, as I can see, done well. I came to this part of the country partly on business for others, with a faint idea I could do a little for myself, and to get a personal knowledge, as I could work it up, of the geology of the mining districts on this side of the range. This part I desire to make public as fast as I can learn it myself, hoping it may be of benefit to others, of good to the State as a whole, and a portion of the results fall to me individually. At Marshall Pass one gets the first view of the country west of the Continental Divide. On a fine, balmy morn- ing, a few day since, I stood on the depot platform look- ing over miles upon miles of country ; diversified by large valleys, smaller enclosed parks, beautiful winding streams, far-stretching woodlands, open grass-covered grazing sec- tions, softly-rounded elevations among the foothills, all with snow-clad mountain peaks rising heavenward for a back-ground. To stand on the edge of all this at an elevation of over 10,800 feet, in such a clear bracing atmosphere, with such sunlight and gentle breezes as only Colorado can have ; to look outward and beyond with the feeling that here was a new country where much was to be learned and told ; to feel what it possibly might be to the world at large, was to be overcome with an awe that was mingled with a rever- ence devoutly thanking God that one was alive, able and willing to do in this day and year of the Nineteenth Century. The first thing observed in the decent into the valley below was its apparent abruptness ; as instead of the long laborious ascent from the eastern foothills over miles of uptilted, hard metamorphic rocks, to get to the central axis, or primitive granite nucleus of the Continental Divide, here the more recent formations, such as post cretaceous 6 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY.' and tertiary, appear to abut directly against the primitive granite. These rocks being generally built up of strata of soft friable sandstone and shale, with intermingled strata of limestone, most of them not very compact. The rocks being of this character, the great erosion of these valleys is accounted for, as well as the low, rounded, heavily timbered hills making the dividing ridges of the numerous small valleys of this geologic section. The coun- try along the railroad appeared to have much of a same- ness, as to its geology, after descending the mountain slope through to Gunnison City. Nowhere could I be sure that I recognized the heavy bedded metamorphic rocks of the eastern slope, although studying geology on a railroad train at the rate of fifteen miles an hour is not a method that insures accuracy. Having to wait at Gunnison nearly two hours, I took time to examine the open gravel bed near the depot, feel- ing sure that here I would find an accumulation of samples of the country rocks brought down from the heads of the streams centering here. What struck me first was the great variety of the boulders representing eruptive rocks, making fully nine-tenths of the whole, from the earliest granite porphries, down through the rhyolytes to the most recent lavas, represented by black vesicular boulders, with very large air cells, or blebs, in fact a very coarse pomice stone. Intermingled with these were some of the sandstones evi- dently only moved a short distance, and occasionally a black limestone pebble saying, "at my home we have layers of coal." All of these samples to me meant business, and were the first alphabetical letters of my future knowledge, and gave me the idea of what I ought to find, which would be outlined in this manner. In places the granite porphyry outcropping through eroded sedimentary rocks, with pos- sibly more recent volcanic rocks beyond and higher, caus- GUNNISON, VHK BONANZA COUNTY. / ing- b\' their eruption fissures through the earHer eruptive as well as the sedimentary rocks. The filling" of these fissures would be like the ore bodies and mineral veins of tht)se at present known in other sections, the granite-por- phyr\' being really the countr)- rock, and only lightly over- laid with sedimentar}' material. I ought to find these veins large, continuous, with abundance of mineral, and the ore possibly of an average high-grade. That is what the pebbles of the gravel pit said to me ; it remains for future work to prove how near I read them aright. Leaving Gunnison Junction, the. railroad follows Slate river westward for about thirty miles, gradually climbing in that distance nearl}' 3,000 feet, and having for its terminus on this branch, the town of Crested Butte, the place taking its name from the most prominent landmark at the entrance to this geological basin. This town is located in one of the finest Colorado valleys that I have seen, Avith every evidence of natural wealth second to none, to be re- alized upon by the labor and capital of the future. Just back of the town are the coal beds, known to be three diff- erent stratas, not many feet apart, and ranging from four to eleven feet thick, of as fine fuel as is known anywhere. The strata apparently undisturbed by the gradual elevation of the whole country from at, or near sea level to its present heighth. I had asked many if they knew of any fossils connected with these sedimentary deposits at this place ; no one of many had seen them. The first thing I done was to look for them, as their presence or absence meant much, as well as the kind of fossils, in telling the story. I had no difficulty in getting the most beautiful impressions of the leaves of deciduous trees, and the one that had the most to say was a palm-leaf, for it said, "when I grew on lands near by, where you find me, there was a scorching sun, a moist climate, hot, murky vapors arising from rank decaving vegetation, a sea not far off with fresh 8 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. water streams running to it through lowlands, sluggish and tortuous in their course, great marshes bordering the coast, in fact, to be only compared with the rankest tropical climate of to-day." The books said that here was the closing of the post- cretaceous age, and the sandstones overlaying were possi- bly the commencement of the tertiary period. A botanist would go into ecstacies over the Flora of these sedimentary hills, flowers in bloom without number, and some that I never had seen before. Of fossils I could. not find here any sea life, not a shell, fish-tooth, or cast of one. Now this to me means a great deal, as when the condition of an ocean or sea depositing sediments, afterward rock, is such that there can be noth- ing living that moves and has an individuality of its own, there must be peculiar causes. Those causes must come from the lands adjacent, and where there has been such an effect as here, I hope in time to be able to show the cause. My next effort was to climb Crested Butte Mountain,, to see what it was made of, as well as to get a view of the surrounding country. Striking straight across the vallejr from the Elk Mountain Hotel, and noting the immense amount of erosion done in past time by the Slate river,, which here follows a winding, tortuous course through grassy meadows. I learned as I approached the other side that the strata was cut down below the known coal- beds, and that if any more than the three known were in existence they would show outcrops or signs further down the Slate. The change in the Flora on this side of the val- ley is remarkable, the plants and flowers of the coal meas- ure side outnumbering this side ofthe valley more than ten to one. I found Crested Butte Mountain to be a homogenous mass of eruptive rock, with feldspar and silica for a base, enclosing crystals of feldspar, crystals of hornblende, also of sanidine and some small scales of mica, evidently a black GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 9 amphibole ; in fact, the whole mass was granite porphyry, the oldest rock I shall find in this country I expect, but not so old itself but that I found it enclosing small frag- ments of a still older rock. Could these fragments only talk what a history they could relate. Leisurely picking my way up, up, and ever up, I finally arrived at the highest growth of trees of this moun- tain. Here was a patch of snow, from which a clear stream of water, such as you read about, ran, and here I rested and dined — a chew of horse -shoe plug, a drink of snow- water with a cigar for desert comprised the frugal meal. But when a grand glorious panorama was spread at my feet (now that is as near being aesthetic as I consider it necessary for a Coloradoan to get); back of and above me still towered some hundreds of feet of the bare rocky crags of Crested Butte ; to the south and southeast were the heavily timbered sedimentary rocks, with their wealth of coals, backed by snow-clad mountains of apparently the same formation and age as the one I was on. While north, northwest, west and southwest, were huge snow- clad pinnicals, showing in some places the sedimentary rocks carried up and covering their tops, with horrizontal strata appearing on their sides, diversified in the northwest by the strata being tilted on one mountain apparently dip- ping southeast, or another inclined to the northwest, show- ing thin-bedded strata over this locality and a fold over a possible granite porphry axis below. At my feet to the south was the town of Crested Butte, beautifully located ; to the west Gothic, nestling in a green valley ; wagon roads winding in various directions up the valleys ; overhead the blue vault of heaven ; at my side the breeze gently murmering through the evergreens, giving the soothing gentle touch that only a mountain breeze through the pines knows how to_ give. It was a spot and scene for the poet and painter. 10 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. As I lay outstretched, filling myself with the miles of wonders before me and perhaps gradually dropping into un- consciousness, I seemed to hear a voice speaking in thiswise: "Ah, me! my friend,you are only looking upon a wreck of what was. Could you only have seen me in my glory and pride, when I was and island in the midst of a glorious sea. At my feet were shorelands covered with tropical vegetation, up my sides grew such grand trees as you never saw. I stopped the passing clouds and down my sides ran the tumbling waters, while with my head above all, I laughed in the sunlight as I enjoyed my bath. How long this time went on I cannot tell as you count time, but it was ages. Then came a change. I do not know the cause, but the waters rose around my sides. I could not see the shore lines, the boundaries of this sea, and occasionally some massive head like mine, was struggling above the watery waste. I say waste, for no life appeared now in this sea, but a nasty, slimy mud alternating with sands was laid around the lower part of my body, shallowing the waters until what was once deep sea, became wet, boggy marshes, full of rank, rapid growing vegetation, vast beds of it, as far as the eye could reach. It was what makes your coal beds now. Again the waters rose, and with the clayey sediment washed from adjoining lands came floating patches of leaves to sink and be buried at my feet, grieving me as I recalled the life and light that once were mine. This was repeated many times. The waters kept rising — you would say I kept sinking. It matters not, the result was the same. The last glimpse I had of my comrades was to the southeast, where they still kept above the waters. Look at that mountain directly west, with the mining village at its feet. He is my brother and went down with me. To the northwest the water was still deeper, and vaster beds of these muds were laid down. I was near the sea border. Finally over my head the GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I I waters passed, and I could only guess at what was being done. I was bound in the tightest of dungeon fetters, and felt the masses of mud still growing above me. From their oppressive weight, I knew I was carrying hundreds of feet, and all hope of ever seeing the blessed sunlight was gone from me, I felt forever. Ages upon ages passed, then came the rumbling of earthquakes, strange move- ments I felt, and stranger sounds I heard. Everything appeared to be breaking and smashing but a short distance off. I was sensible of a movement up, up, and still up- wards, slowly but always moving ; would I never stop ? I was bound and blinded, yet, surrounded by the hardened mud-masses of the old sea, and at last I seemed to rest. Gradually I heard noises of rushing, roaring waters ; these mud-masses appeared to be torn from my head and sides by an irresistible force; gradually I saw the. light, then the sun again. By my sides were swift running waters, of a kind new to me, for they were cold, and chilled me through and through. I noticed the rains of former times were now white fleecy masses. Surrounding me were new acquaint- ances, great towering fellows, covered with conjealed waters that came rushing down, as melted in the summer's sun, tearing and grinding about me, laying my sides and ribs bare to the snows and wintry blasts. These new friends are unlike anything I knew before ; reaching high above me, I can see they are different from myself, evi- dently built of the muds of the deepest part of the old sea, and their heighth above me showed how deep was my burial place. My brother there to the west shook off his grave clothes as I did, and together we have been through all these ages of change I tell you of. But I do not like it now. Your snows, frosts and falling waters are slowlybut surely working my ruin ; gradually I am wearing away, and can only look forward in the future realms of time, to become as naught, or existing only in fragments along 12 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. miles upon miles of running waters, who still break me up to smaller fragaments and particles, atomiS of which go down to the great sea, there to make parts of a new rock and perhaps in time a new world. It is this looking forward to the unknowable I dread, and cannot help my- self; these rude elements are stronger than I am." "But, hark ye, my friend; could you see the marvelous changes that I have witnessed, in all of its minutiae, you might then talk of your knowledge as a science. But keep on working, for those who come after you, will profit by what you learn, and many shall come after you and I are gone, gone." I awoke with a start to find that old Crested Butte had set me to dreaming, and that I had only two hours to get back over ground that had taken six to come. I made it though in time for supper, as a second aesthetical meal I had no ambition for. Of this town of Crested Butte, its present and possible future, I will have something to say in another letter, as well as sundry future letters, regarding the surrounding mining camps, as I have opportunity to see them. As I fear that I have made this letter unreasonably long, I will merely add that the Elk Mountain House is managed by the town company, and if they will always keep as good a hotel in the future as now, may it be my lot to spend a portion of each summer with them. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. I 3 CHAPTER II. Evans' Basin — Ideas on Prospecting — Sulphur Spring — Hayden Lake — Pittsburg— Colorado Anthricite Company's Lands — Tertiary Coal Measures. Since writing you before, the weather has been quite showery, and somewhat interferred with my getting around as much as I wished to. However, I have done some work and herewith is a synopsis of what I have seen, and as I understand it. My next climb was up to Evans' Basin, from a place on the Irwin road, about three miles from Crested Butte; what the elevation was I do not exactly know, but after a laborous climb through swarms of mosquitos, over fallen timber, through brush and other obstacles, I found my- self past where timber grew and patches of snow lying around, (I see the thermometer is over 90° in Denver) here I found an immense outcrop of porphyry, well stained with iron oxide, and a great deal of good looking quartz float lying around, some in large masses, all indicating the presence of an ore body in connection with this porphyry. This mountain is composed of sedimentary rocks from bot- tom to summit which belong to the Crested Butte coal basin. Provisionally I must keep these coal measures b\' themselves, until I can find something I can compare them to, as I know nothing recorded that agrees with the forma- tions here, in their details ; consequently I have to be ver}- careful in generalizing at all, and wish to be very sure of my facts here before I draw deductions, that might turn out to be erronous in the future ; but I have seen some stransre thino-s. 14 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. Evans' Basin illustrates very well a portion ofthe min- eral bearing districts of this section, and the difficulties a prospector labors under. There is on the mountain side, two to three thousand feet of wash and slide, before I came to this porphyry outcrop, which breaks up through the coal measures, and comes through so nicely that the horizontal strata of the coal measures are merely fissured, no other disturbance apparent, and there is no change in the country rock. It is just possible that the porphyry was there before the coal measures, I am not certain yet. It is at such exposed places as these, high up near the mountain summit, that the mineral bearing rocks are ex- posed by erosion ; up here is where the prospector finds his surface float nearest in place, finds his vein, makes his location and does his work. There were two gangs of prospectors at work on each side of the basin the day I was up, and working in most inaccessible places. If the ore was worth $i,ooo per ton it would take large capital to make it practically avail- able. They were up over 200 feet above me, and from the stuff rolled down, they had not got as good material as lay at my feet, and which evidently came from nearer by. The average prospector is a marvel of a biped, but I do not know that the average mine purchaser is any less of an anomaly. From what I have seen here I am inclined to the be- lief, that there are larger and better veins lower down the slopes of these mountains, but so covered by the detritus that no ordinary surface indications are. visible. I say larger and better because if they do exist at all, the top of the original vein has been loaded down with the rest ofthe country rock, cutting it down many hundreds of feet, and bringing the present vein top nearer the source of supply for the fissure filling, resulting in a larger crevice at such places, and larger bodies of mineral. The gangue or crevice GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I 5 matter of this country is generally with the best ores and largest bodies of mineral, a much softer material than quartz, a composition that would disintegrate more readily in winters' frosts, and wash out by melting snows and rains, than the surrounding layers of sandstones. This action would leave a sag in the ground surface, which the disin- tegrating country rock would wash into and finally fill ; the result being that the whole mountain slope for a couple of thousand feet, appears to be a mass of broken sandstones, fine soil and rank growing vegetation, and the best veins are thus buried, making the prospector climb 3,000 feet higher and get less. Right here I feel that the w^orthy prospector has the right to remark, "what is the good of all this palaver if we cannot find the veins?" Have patience my friend, knowing the causes that have produced obstacles, rather than any- thing else, there certainly may be found a way to overcome them, and knowing these causes, we can work more inteli- gently, especially if satisfied that the result will be pay ore. My next trip was seven miles up the Slate river to the town of Pittsburg, I went in company with Mr. Geo. W. Cole, manager of the Colorado Anthracite Coal Co. On the road about three miles from Crested Butte we stopped at a large spring of sulpher water, and filled up with the only mineral water I ever tasted fit to drink ; clear, cold, pure and soft ; just sulpher enough to give it a fair taste, it really was delicious. There must be considerable sulpher in the water too, as the grass through which the water ran from the spring was heavily coated with a white sulphur deposit. Within half a mile of the spring is Hayden lake, \vhich has some peculiarities that I have been told of, and which I hope to be able to investigate during the season. We only stopped long enough in Pittsburg to see that here is an opportunity in time to make a mining town ; but it would seem to an outsider that if the men most inter-- 1 6 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. ested in making a town and selling lots, had much confidence in it themselves, that they would make a good road to it. The drive from Crested Butte is execrable, while a little money expended would make a good road, as the grade is not difficult, while of the material to be moved plows, and a road scraper will do it all. On the way back we stopped to visit the above men- tioned Company's coal lands, 2,500 acres, and located on each side of Slate river. The taking up of the land on each side of the river, certainly evidences commendable foresight, as it practically makes all of their land available for develop- ment. On the portion located, on the dividing ridge between Washington gulch and Slate river, we climbed up the trail nearly 1,000 feet to the first opening, and then did not appear to be more than half way up the slope, which is quite steep. We found the men were drifting in through the slide, near by which there was the appearance of coal float, showing well. As they had not got through the slide to solid formation yet, it was impossible to tell how near they were going to strike the vein they were after ; but from appearances, a few feet further would bring them to solid formation of some kind. Mr. Cole, the gentleman in charge, having had large experience in Pennsylvania coal fields, is just the man to open up a territor}-' like this, as past experience enables him to make the work done show, at the last expense, whether there is coal in this territory in paying quantities or not. From what he does, others owning coal lands in this section, but not having the ex- perience in opening up of such mines, will be able to learn much. I went without a drink all day, to be able to fill up of that sulphur water on our way back to town. I cannot say more in favor of any water than that. There are some things in connection with these coal measures, that I am not fully satisfied of, and will have a GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 1 7 full description of them, as I can learn them, for a future letter. This much I can say, however, they are of immense commercial value. While only three seams have been opened and really tested, I am satisfied from what I know already, that there are five if not six veins all told, in these coal measure formations. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER III. Fourth of July, 1882 — Washington Gulch and Placer Mines of 1859 — Elktown — Painter Boy and Silver Jewell Claims — Character of Veins — Elk Moun- tain House. Crested Butte, Gunnison County, Colorado, July 4. — This is the day we celebrate, and this is how I celebrate, as I saw enough powder and smoke years ago to last the bal- ance of my life. On being told that there was gold placer mining between six and eicrht miles from this town, near the head of Washington gulch, I thought it might be of interest to myself and your readers if I looked it over; es- pecially as report said the placer was worked as early as i859-'6o, and more or less continuously since. Passing along the Gothic road nearly two miles from town, and through the first toll-gate, then taking the first road north, you enter Washington gulch. It is one of the mountain valleys with the characteristics peculiar to this section, and which are such a constant supprise to one only accustomed to the eastern slope of the Rocky mountain system. Imagine yourself driving along a fertile valley for six or seven miles, over and around large mounds of detritus from the coal measures, covered with luxuriant mountain grass, over a foot high, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet above sea level. To the west is the dividing ridge between Slate river and Washington gulch, covered with a heavy growth of timber on this side, suitable for mining purposes from bottom to summit, and covering the seams of coal, beds of sandstone and slate, of which this ridge is com posed. To the east is the connecting link between Gothic? GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I^ and Crested Butte mountains, an outcropping ridge of granite porphyry, which is broken through in two places into the next \-alley east, and which breaks are filled with low wet ground, making a rich grassy swale. In places, one could see the uneroded shales lying against the erup- tive rock, their soft bluish tinge making a pleasing contrast to the colfd, grayish-looking, hard rock outcropping above them. \ . fif :, .1 Driving along an excellent road, as one approaches the head of the gulch, one sees buildings, saw-mills and other improvements. Amongst these I shortly arrived, to learn that I had driven to Elktown, the headquarters of the Elk Mountain Consolidated Mining Company, and to find out, to my disgust, that I had paid toll to travel over a road on which the toll-road company had not expended one dollar, but the excellence and entire making of the road was due to this mining company. I consoled myself with the fact that the toll-road is owned by down-East parties. I hope no Colorado man would do such a thing as this, but for sweet charity's sake let us think that the toll-gate keeper has misunderstood his instructions, that the matter will be corrected, and that this kind of road- agent's work will be stopped. They certainly had no right to charge for more than the distance between Crested Butte and the tpll-gate, a short two miles. Having run on to something I did not expect and in my line, I speedily introduced myself to Mr. M. J. Gray, manager, finding a pleasant, genial gentleman indeed, and one who took every pains to give me all the information I desired. I learned that the town, saw-mills, and the mines, seventeen mines in number, with about ^200,000 expended in development and surface improvements, belongs to the mining company. Their property is now brought up to a condition, when another years' careful work and economical 20 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. management ought to place the property on a dividend- paying basis, with two to three years' working expenses and dividends ahead in sight, as stoping ground opened. The elevation being only 10,000 feet, there should be no diffi- culty in arranging to work the whole year through. The Painter Boy and Silver Jewell claims, both on the one vein, show the most ore for the development. They have good mine buildings, in which is placed the hoisting power, furnished by Hendrie & Bolthofif, of Denver. Developments consist of a main hoisting shaft 100 feet deep, with a level in one direction of 100 feet, and in the other 300 feet, connecting with an air shaft 130 feet to the surface on the next claim. Considerable ore has been taken from this development, as the vein is fifteen to twenty feet wide, with well defined walls, porphyry on one side, a feldsite with some silica showing, and containing considerable fine iron sulphides, a rock I like to see, as I know what it means. The pay streak is twenty-two to twenty-four inches in width, and I was informed that this width would average ^200 per ton as it was mined ; that they are selecting and shipping now from this a grade that will average ;^500 per ton in milling. I should think it might, as I found plenty of native and ruby silver, with silver-glance, and high grade galena in what had been thrown out as third-class ore. I should Estimate there is at least 100 tons of this on hand. The gangue of this vein is something that would make the heart of the average Cornish miner leap for joy on contract work, being calc-spar — the easiest, nicest rock to work that ever a drill was pounded into. The difference of hardness between calc-spar and quartz gangue being as three is to seven in the mineralogi- cal scale. From what I saw of the undeveloped claims, surface GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 21 indications mark as good properties yet to be opened as the ones I have described. There has been some 1,900 feet of tunnel work done, but if with any practical results, I think, it is yet to be learned. However, this little spot controlled by capitalists of Topeka, Kansas, shows a geological structure that is right, and appears to have such a promising future that I most heartily congratulate the owners. I drove away with the feeling that I had seen and learned something, that it was a real pleasure to come across. I learned that I had passed the placer ground, and that work had not been commenced yet this season. Was informed that the gold was quite coarse, easily saved, and that a great deal of value had been obtained in past years, without the ground being yet exhausted. I could not learn that any gold bearing veins had yet been discovered in the locality, the fissures yielding only silver so far as opened, and not to exceed a half ounce of gold to the ton. I cannot conceive that the wearing away of such veins could give the quantity of placer gold reported. Since the foregoing trip, I made a flying visit to the town of Irwin, and the Forest Queen mine ; but found this vicinity so much more developed, so much more to see and know than I anticipated, that I concluded it best to leave it for a few days, until I could give it the time and care that I ought to, and which the locality deserves. Really this Elk Mountain House surpasses all of the mountain hotels that I have ever stopped at. I have just got up from as good a Fourth of July dinner as I ever ate anywhere, and although a day on which more license is generally used and not noticed, than on most other days, here every thing, with a crowded house is so orderly, run- ning so smoothly, and withal, such care and attention given to each guest, that it is a real pleasure to speak of it. 22 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER IV. Poverty Gulch — Crest of Elk Mountain Range — Little Nell Mining Claim — Nearly an Accident — Lunch — Rainy Weather. Crested Butte, Gunnison County, Colorado, July 7, 1882. — Since my last letter, I have had an oppor- tunity to visit another mining section, tributary to Crested Butte as a shipping point. On July 5, on the invitation of Mr. J. J. Ellingham, formerly sheriff of Boulder County, Colorado, and in com- pany with Mr. F. Dillingham, of the Denver Sampling Works, we started from this town on horseback to see the wealth, present and prospective, of Poverty gulch and basin. The names of localities in this section, like all other new places in Colorado, are quite euphonious. We rode up the Slate river valley to Pittsburg — this part of the country I have already described — but from Pittsburg on up the gulch the territory was new to me. A good wagon road winds up the rising ground of the gulch, as far as it is practical to make a road at present. Then after crossing the stream in Poverty gulch the trail ascends quite rapidly, until we had climbed up amongst patches of snow. Selecting a spot where the grass had got nicely started, we picketed our horses, concluding that here navigation ended, and that the rest of the way must be made on foot. A ten minutes' further climb to an elevation of 1 1,500 feet brought us to the tent occupied by Mr. John T. Williams, prospector and claim owner, who was formerly in charge of the Bull Domingo mine, of Custer County, Colorado, a man well and favorably known in several sec- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 23 tions of Colorado. He, with his men, occupied this tent, and not far from this elevation he had put in the winter. Taking a heart}' lunch, for we had 500 feet higher yet to climb, and a snow field of at least a third of a mile to cross, four of us set out, and after' one got at it and used to digging the toes and heels into the soft snow, it was not so bad, as we angled along a slope of at least 45°, where if one slipped, the descent would be more rapid than pleasant and the stopping point — I cannot tell whether one would halt in. this world or keep right on to the next. They told of a burro making the trip with a load on him, and halting all right this side of glory. That may do for a burro, especially if he enjoys it, but as for me, I prefer to keep the trail. Over the snow and a few feet up, what a sight and what a place. I stood upon a crest of the Elk Mountain range, not over twelve feet wide and, perhaps, three-fourths of a mile long. Under my feet was the beginning of the world ; that is archaen granite ; within a stones throw was the most recent formation known ; what an eventful history between the two. I stood at an elevation of certainly 12,000 feet above sea level, down from me, on each side, were sheer precipices of 300 feet on the east and 700 feet to the west. Raising my eyes and looking westward, I viewed a vast reach of country, of valleys, of hills, of mountains ; grass- clothed, forest-covered and snow-capped, bounded in the distance by the grand-looking Wahsatch range of Utah, and all of the unknown wealth of a new country between us. Turning to the east. Crested Butte town, nine miles distant, seemed at my feet ; on down the Slate river, with its tributaries, to its junction with the East river, up the valley of the Tomichi, and my eyes rested upon that monu- ment of the world, the Colorado Continental Divide. We did not come entirely to look at scenery, or for 24 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. the benefit of our health ; so at the word from WilHams,, who took the lead, we went over the west side, and along: the edge, on what was meant for a trail, and which can be made into one. Sometimes down, then scrambling up,, finally arriving at a dump of vein or crevice material, over which we climbed, stirring up the loose, friable stuff, which as we tramped upon it gave out a strong smell of sulphur,, and no bad sign dther was this dump, for it showed from quantity evidence of a large vein, and in composition an easy material to work. At last we stood at the entrance to the Little Nell mining claim, a property that is attracting considerable attention in this locality just now. This claim was located in i88i and has several open- ings on it, all showing ore in place, principally galena, run- ning well in silver, and some of what I should judge was magnetic iron pyrites, but cannot be positive without a test. We visited all of the openings, and at each place found a large showing of solid ore piled out. I mean a large amount of ore compared to the amount of develop- ment, and of a quality on which I was assured there was a round profit over and above cost of mining, shipping and reducing, which, I confess, is remarkable, as it is very sel- dom that such a grade is obtained in the quantity showing here with so little development. As it was thought necessary for me to go over the vein surface showing, that I might give a competent opin- ion as to the permanency of it and its prospective possi- bilities, we prepared to start. I looked up an angle of 70° for 250 feet to the mountain crest, along a sag in the moun- tain side marking the course of the vein, with its granite walls standing up on each side ; then turned and looked down the continuation of the vein, gradually widening between walls as shown on the surface, for over 400 feet, until the vein course, and walls were covered in the detritus below. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 2$ I had selected about twenty-five pounds of the representa- tive material of this vein ; the sack containing it I slung on my back and up we started, Ellingham ahead, myself next, with Mr. Dillingham and Williams following. We could only scramble a few feet when our wind would give out, and we had to stop and breathe ; somehow or other, the capacity of one's lungs in such places seems to be too limited. As we stopped we could examine the crevice matter, seeing solid galena out-cropping, accompanied by the decomposed ores, such as carbonates, and a showing of chloride. About half way up, I was nearly the cause of an acci- dent that at the time made my heart leap into my throat. I was quite heavily loaded, and using the projecting rocks to assist me all that I could, I reached up and put my hand on one apparently firm, of many pounds weight, when it started. I had just time to brace myself, try to hold it, and call out to those below, wdio succeeded in getting to one side, as I had to let it go, crashing many hundred feet down the mountain. I tremble now to think what might have happened had I not had the presence of mind and strength to do as I did at the moment. At last we stood upon the crest again, and quite thank- ful all of us to get there once more, except Williams, who appeared to take everything as a matter of course. I can assure the owners of this mining claim that they have a crevice which is a true fissure, cutting the granite crest through and through ; that its possibilities are not shown yet, as I could not see that either wall had been reached in the work done, but an out-cropping ore streak had been followed in the development. When a vein of this strength shows a pay-streak, with crevice material on each side, my experience says that with development other and additional pay-streaks will also be found. They assure me that the grade now is profitable 26 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. pay. I know from what I saw, quantity enough could be procured. While this is not a developed country, so that there is anything in the neighborhood to compare possi- bilities of development with, I can, in this country rock, feel safe in saying that from what I know of similar veins in other parts of Colorado ; the owners need not be afraid of pushing development, as I do not think, from what I saw, that they will be troubled with pinches that will be any detriment, or with, what is known in. miners' phraseology, a "horse," that will cut off the pay-streak entirely, as oc- curs in some formations. This property has every evi- dence, as far as surface showing and development goes at present, of being made in the future a valuable producing mine. Having a little time left in which to gratify my natural curiosity, I espied some rocks which I wanted to examine, Williams saying they were only about 300 feet off, and, offering to go with me, we started. I will bet — not money — that it was a fourth of a mile, and as we went below the crest, we had afterwards to climb 200 feet to get to what I wanted. I found it was contact between the granite and another rock, so weathered and stained that I am not sure yet of its name in geology; also a large dike of feldsitic porphyry filling the place of contact. It really did me good to see here the porphyry the same, as I find it in Clear Creek County, and the granite the same as Boulder County. These rocks seemed to me to be a connecting link between what I already knew and that which I am striving to learn. We went back along the crest, and in a nook sheltered by angular masses of granite, were two men with bellows and the requirements of an out-door blacksmith shop, sharpening tools. I am not surprised at anything any more. Of course, they were the kind of men that have done most to make Colorado what she is, worthy memberg GUNNISON, THE BONAN;iA COUNTY. 2/ of the great fraternity of prospectors. May success attend their efforts. We found that the rest of our party, tired of waiting, had started for the tent. That meant "grub." We were hungry, too, and hurried along the crest rapidly, stepping on angular fragments of granite, of all shapes and average sizes of cooking-stoves, where a mis-step or slip would — well, it made no difference which way you fell, you was sure to go down many feet. About half-wa}' across the snow field one of our com- rades who had preceded us, evidently, had suddently con- ceived the idea that he was a boy again, and had went down the snow-slope the same as he had used the cellar- door in boyhood days; there was his mark in the snow. He said afterward he did it for fun. He has been in Colo- rado over twenty years, and those of my readers who per- sonally know him, will know how much reliance can be placed in his statement. At the tent we found hot coffee, hot bread and ham, and a dish of — I am not up in cookery and cannot name it, but it was mighty good anyhow, and to it all we did ample justice. Williams' cellar is in the snow-bank, just across from the tent. As the snow melts he keeps moving the door of the cellar across the gulch after the snow-bank. I must go up to this locality again, as, in a space of less than a mile square, I saw more varieties of rock than I ever before saw crowded into the same space ; and when Nature starts in to make a geological museum, I want to paw over the rocks. As we saddled and started homewards, it began to rain heavily. (They say this is the dry season here). It has rained hard some part of each twenty-four hours that I have been here, and we did get soaking wet. Arriving at the hotel at 8:30 p. M.,as I tumbled off my horse, cold, wet through, sore and stiff, I was conscious that I had seen and learned something new, and in my way had enjoyed a good time. 28 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER V. Iron Swamp — Irwin — Pioneer Mill — Forest Queen Mine. Irwin, Gunnison County, July 14. — Since writing my last letter, I have been under the weather a couple of days, probably the result of over-exertion, and was compelled to keep quiet. However, on the afternoon of the nth instant, I felt like trying myself, and struck out for a three-mile walk on the Irwin road, to what is locally known as the "Iron Swamp." Across this swamp the road has been made, by laying down heavy sticks, and corduroy wagon way on top of them. The geological formation shows con- tact between the sedimentary rocks, or coal measures, and the granite porphyry. Possibly an eroded basin, with an ore body filling the place of contact, showing near the up- per part of the basin, while the lower part, toward Coal creek, the line of drainage is filled with gravel. In most recent times waters flowing from the upper part of the swamp have been very heavily charged with iron, which is deposited over the gravel three to four feet thick. Some of this is claimed to give, in laboratory tests, 60 per cent, of iron. I could not learn if it carried other value or not. The running water draining from this swamp, now stains the logs and stones of the dull red color of some mineral paints. If this property is ever worked and properly de- veloped, I rather imagine a different ore body, of very dif- ferent material and value, will be found in place than what the surface shows at present. I had collected about forty pounds of specimens, and felt rather played out, when a wagon came along that gave me the chance of a ride to Irwin. As it was a question of GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 29 walking back to Crested Butte, tired out as I was, or rid- ing to where there was something I wanted to see, and where I could spend four or five days to advantage, it did not take me long to decide, and, of course, in favor of the ride. Arriving here about supper time, I found several ac- quaintances, whom I have known more or less of since I have been in the State, and especially the gentlemen con- nected with the Forest Queen mine, the bonanza of the Ruby Mining District. Irwin is a mining town, pleasantly situated at an ele- vation of 9,750 feet above sea level, a place which, if there was a little more attention paid to the streets and their condition, could be made a handsome mountain town. Comparatively speaking, it is young yet, being wholly the out-growth of the discovery and out-put of the Forest Queen in 1879, with many subsequent rich discoveries in a radius of five miles, helping to make up the whole. It is the supply point of as rich a mining district as is known anywhere over the range, with a population at present of over 2,000, and which, in the next thirty days, I am as- sured will be doubled. Owing to the lateness of the season this year, very many who put in the season here actively working, have not returned yet, but will put in an appear- ance soon, besides bringing many new men with them, so that a few weeks' time will make every difference in work done, and in that time the surrounding mountain basins will be resounding with the explosions of powder and rending rocks, while Irwin, as a supply point for a rich mining district, will show the bustle and activity of busi- ness that it deserves. There are two or three good hotels here, chief among them being the Windsor. There are school houses, a neat little church, and more business houses by far than Crested Butte, although that 30 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. is the shipping point that Irwin is tributary to. My first visit was to the mill built by the Goodenough Mining Company, under the supervision of Professor (?) Jacobs, and like many of the Professors 's (?) experiments, turned out to be an expensive one for the men who furnished the money. It does seem too bad that such men do (and always will) find men with means who will advance money for the most impracticable operations in connec- tion with mining, the result of which is failure and loss. If the whole loss fell upon the men conducting such enterprises, it would not be so bad ; but, the worst part lies in the fact that the failure acts disastrously on' the sur- rounding camp and other investnients. It is also used as a means of ill to the locality by the very men who have caused the failure, and whose only claim to public notice is their burden of conceit, ignorance and stupidity. Graduating with these talents, they may rightly be styled "Professors." This mill is now represented in ownership by Mr. Marshall Webb, of New York City; and one must really admire this gentleman's pluck in trying to make the best of what has been done. The mill is now being re- modeled so that sampling can be done and ores pur- chased, making a cash market at home for ores produced in this neighborhood. This is what all mining camps need first, a cash market at home, so that a prospector with only his labor and locations for capital, can turn the results pro- duced into cash, be it 500 or 5,000 pounds of ore, and with that money can hire labor and so produce the larger amounts afterwards, thus making a steady, direct and bene- ficial result to a mining section. The very money that is often tied up in impracticable reduction works, in par- tially developed districts, will more than furnish the capital for the business, and the chances of profit to the capitalist, with only a sampling mill, are very great, as the GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 3 I business is cash throughout. His margins of profit are three to five dollars per ton for crushing and sampling, and an inside rate of freight that the single shipper of small amounts cannot get. Also, he can, on large contracts with the heavier plants for reduction, get a fair reduction in cost of treating the ores he purchases. It does make me sore as I visit different parts of the State and see capital tied up, that, in other channels, might be used profitably for the capitalist and for the benefit of the dis- trict as a whole. Mr. Webb is to be congratulated that he has taken a step in the right direction, and deserves the thanks of this district in showing that he is trying to meet the real needs of the locality. The mill is a fine large one, well arranged in some particulars, and furnished with far better machinery than I expected to find. Under the guidance of Mr. Charles But- ters, who is in charge, I went through the building. To his kindness I am indebted for the following particulars : The mill is furnished with a stationary engine, double cyl- inder, capacity of lOO horse power, manufactured by the Buckeye Engine Company, of Salem, Ohio. It is a model of workmanship. The boiler, with more than the power of the engine, is one of Babcock & Wilcox's best make, one of Blake's largest size ore breakers, capacity of five tons per hour, a ten-stamp battery for dry stamping, a re- volving cylinder for drying ore, furnished by the Frazer «& Chalmers, of Chicago, two revolving chloridizing furnaces, capacity four tons each per twenty-four hours built by Morey & Sperry, improved Union Amalgamating Pans, capacity twenty-five tons per twenty-four hours, make up the bulk of the plant. The modus operandi, as I understand it, is briefly this : From the ore-bins to the crusher, then to the rolls where the ore is sampled and paid for. After that to the revolv- . 32 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. ing drying kiln, thence to the stamps automatically fed, where it is reduced to a grade of forty mesh or finer, from there along an ore channel to an elevator. The powdered material is carried up and dumped into ore-bins over the chloridizing furnaces, into which the material passes with a sufficient amount of salt to make the silver contained in the ore, free milling. These furnaces revolve and a strong draft passes through them (I do not like that ; there is too rnuch chance for loss) ; being sufficiently roasted here, the charge is dumped upon an open hearth, there to remain several hours, then shoveled into ore cars furnished with a track across the mill floor, out of them to the amalgamat- ing pans. From these the amalgam will be collected and reduced in a furnace recently constructed under the direc- tion of Mr. Butters. It is capable of receiving a charge of over 1,500 pounds of amalgam. Attached is a model furnace with muffles for assay purposes. We visited the weighing room, which is a type of neat- ness, well lighted and furnished with a number of improved scales and balances of various sizes. Mr. Butters tells me that he takes the mill as he finds it, and will do the best he can with what is at hand, adding as little expense as possible. One can see the difficulties he labors under in getting started, as owing to the in- capacity of former men, the foundations of parts of the mill were not made substantial enough, so that some of the machinery has to be re-set, shafting relined and adjusted, to say nothing of the vexatious delay of receiving parts of machinery ordered, which are to be used in the sampling of the ores, and which machinery is now being put to place and adjusted, with a prospect of starting in a few days. Mr. Butters is confident that he can treat the ores pro- duced here successfully in the above described method. I sincerely hope he will, .as it will solve one of the knotty questions of ore reduction, and his success will reflect much GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 33 honor and credit upon him. The sampling and purchase of the ores, I know, can be made a profitable success. The ore bins of this mill are now full of ore, princi- pally from the Forest Queen, which is making a large out- put; ore is being produced in quantities from five different places in the mine. From the mill to the Forest Queen is not much of a walk, and being the best developed as well as the oldest mine of the camp, it, of course, merited attention first. I learn its history to be briefly this: The property was discovered in 1879, purchased by the brothers, Harold and L. R. Thompson, for ;$40,ooo, who organized a private company, associating with themselves such men as D. C. Dodge, R. W. Woodbury, Mr. Woodward, of Denver; William T. Holt and other gentlemen of like reputation and means. The first year's product of the Forest Queen was over ^40,000, the shipping ores netting ^350 to ;^ 1,080 per ton in Denver and Pueblo, over and above the very ex- pensive cost of transportation and treating of those days. This gave the mine a reputation the country over, aside from the remarkable specimens of ruby and native silver that were distributed all through the East in various ways. The winter of '79 and '80 found the country new and still unprepared for active prosecution of work during the winter season. What work could be done, however, was vigorously pushed, drifts run from the bottom of a sixty- foot surface shaft each way, some of the pay stoped out ; while at the same time a tunnel was started on the ore face, at the end and lowest part of the claim. Here they had excellent pay for a time, but passed it. In the sixty- foot shaft it was apparently gone, cut off; at the end of one drift it was pinched, at the other the ore had apparently dis- appeared, and from this the story went abroad for a time that the Forest Queen had lost her vein, and gave the Ruby Mining District a temporary "black eye." It cer- 34 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. tainly has been temporary, for the mine now is taking out an average often tons'per day, which amount in the next sixty days can be trebled if it is desirable, proving that the vein and ore is there all right, and in larger quantities, as well as of more value per ton than the owners allowed themselves to hope for. As I was allowed free run of everything, I prefer to state what I have seen myself, draw my own deductions of the future, and try to plainly place before my readers things as they are now, rather than to take up and point out the errors that have occurred, and which all realize and can understand now. For it must be remembered that here was a formation of country rock that was entirely new to all miners, a rock, the formation and characteristics of which are peculiar to itself The mine is now working something over forty men, under the direction of the lessees of the surface ores, under contracts for driving levels in connection with the tunnel, and others in the direct employ of the company at so much per day. The surface of the claim measures i,ooo feet along the course of the vein, by 265 feet in width, and whenever I could get on to a part of the walls in place, I found it car- ried a regular dip approximating 45° to the southeast, the course of the vein being about northeast and southwest. At the time of my visit I found Mr. L. R. Thompson, part owner and lessee from the company of the surface ores, seated alongside of a ten-foot hole, out of which a couple of men were handing out large chunks of ore, on which Thompson was exercising himself with a hammer, breaking the ore in sizes suitable for sacking. I saw him break lumps of 150 pounds and over full of ruby silver, that would go anywhere from ^500 to $5,000 per ton, and as he rammed the pieces into a sack, he appeared to be full of remarks suitable to the occasion. To a "specimen fiend" GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 35 like myself, it was awful to see such beautiful specimens about to go through a mill ; but what does the average mine-owner know about the ^sthetical part of the busi- ness? The stuff that he threw to one side, as of not high enough grade to have treated at present, would make the .average mine-owner green with envy. Just above this spot is an old opening of 1879 from which surface pay ore was taken. I looked at it. The ore was east of the porphyry, and the other opening I speak of, had the same formation. I went down the sixty-foot shaft, along the south drift seventy-five feet, over piles of ore waiting to be hoisted up, to the end where the pinch oc- curred, and found the ore streak about four inches wide, the ore west of the porphyry. Within fifteen feet of this, understoping was being done on the face of over three feet of ore. I looked at the eighty-five foot drift west from this level into the barren sandstone or country rock ; right opposite is the thirty-eight foot cross-cut, which was finally started in the right direction, east, going through crevnce matter more or less mineralized, until the mineral became strong enough to be a regular pay streak. This has been drifted upon 130 feet north, and the ore is west of the porphyry. I went into the old north drift from this shaft eighty feet, and saw where the pay still stood along the east line of the drift. This shaft was sunk down 120 feet further, and not sufficient allowance being made for the dip of the vein, every foot of depth carried it that much further from the pay. After the re-discovery in the east cross-cut above mentioned, another cross-cut was run from the shaft at a depth of* 120 feet from the surface, a distance of sixty-five feet, and nearly twenty feet of pay ore was cut. The ore is west of the porphyry. At the bottom of the shaft, 180 feet from the surface, it took 5eventy-two feet to cross-cut to the ore, and the ore is still ^vest of the porphyry. 36 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. In company with Mr. Frank Winters, whom I have known for some time, and who now has charge of the con- tract work, etc., in the lower or tunnel workings, I visited this part of the ground. Frank is a practical miner and a hard worker, one who sees much that escapes the notice of others, evidently the right man in the right place, and also has the honor of firing the first shots in the right direction, viz: in the upper east cross-cut. When this tunnel was started much and good pay was taken out, and it is now being done from the surface over the tunnel entrance, where over four feet of ore is being stripped, and showing a large percentage of ruby silver. The tunnel, when necessary, is well timbered, a nice grade and track makes the complement for working. It is in a distance of 535 feet; a cross-cut from here reaches the ore body, which has been drifted south on for a distance of 130 feet, and the work still going; also drifted north on for fifty feet, a cross-cut here west in crevice material of twenty feet brought them to the real sandstone footwall, showing regular and in place, with its dip of 45°. Following a large pay streak north along this wall for 135 feet, regular almost the whole of the way as a line, it gives the impres- sion that here everything is in place. From the workings here the whole vein formation can in time be proved. The last few feet in this drift shows a sandstone "horse," which has caused the ore body to leave the footwall and deflect into the crevice material eastward. At this point a cross- cut has been started east through the porphyry, now in twenty feet, and which, if carried right on through the porphyry, I consider the most valuable piece of develop- ment in the whole mine, as it will prove everything, and show that the only fault in working was occasioned by those in charge not realizing, until very recently, the enor- mous size of this fissure, and its possible showing in value. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. 3/ To the kindness of Mr. Ira Brown, superintendent and in charge for some time past of the active working of the mine for the company, I am indebted for the permission to sketch the workings, and who kindly corrected the meas- urements that I might construct the geology of this vein, and which I find to be as follows: The country rock is granite-porphyry, overlaid with sedimentary rocks, or recent coal-measures, many hundreds of feet in thickness. Following this were recent volcanic eruptions (I am informed of lava outcrops a few miles southwest showing in place), which fissured this country rock, the fissures breaking through the over-lying sedimen- tary rocks. Their composition being alternating layers of shales, coals and sandstones, all soft and friable, they fis- sured without any resistance that would displace them. Some of these fissures were of large size, allowing the pas- sage to the surface of the eruptive paste, which makes a portion now of the true-fissure vein filling, is recognized as feldsitic porphyry, and which is always more or less min- eralized. So much for generalities; now we come to the Forest Queen surface. Where large bodies of mineral occur, a trough along the vein will show, or if large enough over the largest bodies of ore in the vein, a basin will be formed. This occurs from the oxidization of the sulphides, and the subsequent erosion of the surface material from meteoric agencies. The Forest Queen basin of this kind is the largest I have ever seen. Now take into considera- tion the character of the country rock along this crevice; it is soft, friable and easily eroded, w^iich would lead one to look for fragments of sandstone, metamorphosed to a quartzite in the vein material, also pieces of shale changed to a slate ; both of these are found, and their breaking off has contributed to the surface enlargement of the fissure. It will not be surprising, as the workings gain depth, to 38 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. find fragments of coal with native silver attached in the crevice matter. I am confident there will be. Now, having learned the structure of the fissure and the country rock, it is not surprising that several slips, slides and displacements of the ore bodies have occurred for a depth of sixty to lOO feet, and in large bodies, as the surrounding country rock was eroded to a greater or less extent along the vein or crevice in places. That in a vein of this width it would be reasonable to expect a good-pay ore body along each wall in place, and several ore streaks or stringers of large size will also be contained in the por- phyry, and that the whole of the crevice material, after 300 feet in depth, will pay to treat by some method. In fact,, it would require careful picking now to find rock that will not assay ;^20 per ton. Part of the above statement has already been proved to be true, and any one can see it now. The present cross-cut in the north drift at tunnel level will prove the width of the crevice, and, which I believe from what I have seen, to be over 100 feet. It will also prove the existence of an east ore body which has never been seen in the lower workings, and which, I maintain in a crevice of this width ought to be there, and which exists in similar veins that I have examined in other parts of the State. As depth is gained, from what I have learned of the surrounding country, between 600 and 1,000 feet the crev- ice will pass out of the sedimentary rocks into the true country rock — granite porphyry — here it may be expected the fissure will narrow, but with no diminution in quantity or quality of ore. The quality, I firmly believe, will in- crease, as in the change of country rock the gangue ought to change from silica to calc-spar. This will carry more native silver and silver glance than now shows, as well as the ruby silver holding its own. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 39 This mine now shows more ore of high grade in silver than any other mine in the State. Mr. Dilhngham told me after a visit here a few days ago, that he had seen more ruby silver together at once than in the whole of his exper- ience before in purchasing ores. . I can say the same, and I am assured that the showing now is far beyond what it was a few days ago. As I write I can look out of the door and see two lumps of ore of several hundred pounds weight, intended by Mr. Thompson for the Denver Exposition, full of rub}- and native silver, and in such quantity as the bulk of mankind never saw before. No man can compute the value ot the future output of this mine, in this piece of ground 265x1,000 feet of surface and unknown depth. That a large percentage in value of the National debt will come out of this space I fully realize. To the courtesy of the gentlemen here in charge I am under great obligations for the opportunity to examine and lay before my readers a description as above, of what I believe will prove to be the largest producing silver fissure vein now known in the State. There is much more to be learned and said of the mines of this district, of which Irwin is the centre, and as I learn it I shall take pleasure in laying facts, as I know them personally, before my readers. 40 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER VI. Elk Basin — Geology — Elk and Micawber Claim — Ruby Gulch— Oaks Claim— O-be-Joyful Gulch— A Pecu- liar Vein — Conglomerate — Anthracite Coals of Irwin — Flowers — Bituminous Coals of Ohio Creek — Lava Eruption — Castle Rocks — Gunnison City — Gypsum — Senator Hill's Ute Reserva- tion Bill— Natural Wealth of Irwin— Justice Basin — Redwell Basin — Peculiar Spring and Results, Etc.. Etc. Irwin, Gunnison County, Colo., July 30. — It is just two weeks to-day since I mailed my letter, in which the Forest Queen was described. In that time I have traveled over considerable territory in this immediate neighbor- hood, seeing much that is good, but, of course, not meeting with mining properties showing the development of the mine named above, nor having indications of as large ore bodies. Even in this universally rich district the mines on development cannot all be Forest Queens. I was very much interested in my first short trip, after my last letter, in visiting Elk basin, within three miles of Irwin, where I went under the guidance of Mr. T. Owen, who located the Elk lode claim and named the basin. The approach from Irwin is up past the Forest Queen, through the woods north, past a small lake, around by the Venango mine and Belmont Consolidated Company's work, then up the gulch with an easy ascent, until a height of 1 1,000 feet above sea level is reached, and you are in one of the repre- sentative mining localities that this region abounds in, viz: Elk basin. Here the geology of the territory is beauti- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 4 1 fully illustrated, as surrounding in all directions is the real country rock, granite porpln-ry; except in the direction of the basin's outlet, nearly east, towering up several hundred feet high in places, some parts of it still covered with the strata of sedimentary rocks, build- ing up higher still. These two kinds of illustrative rocks here, show the great depths of the gorges existing at one time among mountains of utterly barren eruptive rock, which shortly after forming must have been elevated above the waters. I cannot reason otherwise, from what appears to have occurred, but that this enormous eruption of granite porphyry took place at great depths in the ocean. Then at the feet of these rough, jagged crests, in quite shallow waters, commenced the building of the coal measures of this Crested Butte basin. The real foundation was not settled yet, but gradually and verj- slowly sank, making but slight changes at a time in shore depths, but each change of level is now distinctly drawn by the alternating strata of coal, shales, or sandstones, repeated many times. The territory occupied by this coal basin represents a local and limited area, as I can find no change made in the material used in building these sedimentar}' rocks until about 1,500 feet in thick- ness of these coal measure sediments had been deposited. Then came a change, showing that a larger area of sur- face was being acted upon ; as here in Elk basin, for the first tirtie in place, I found sandstone conglomerate at an elevation of 11,000 feet. I reasoned that the subsidence to this depth was confined to a limited area, as when this conglomerate appears, in addition to containing pebbles from the rocks near by, it also has in one horizon a beautiful red jasper peb- ble, very hard, but worn perfectly smooth, some of them quite small, showing that they had beat about a long time in the ocean's waters and traveled very much 42 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. farther than the other fragments associated with them. Here also with this conglomerate, in place, I found frag- ments of petrified woods. In one large piece the replac- ing material is iron instead of silica. It was here that I realized that the total depth of these sedimentary^ rocks now approaches 2,500 feet in thickness, building up over all of the mountains of granite porphyry to a total height that we cannot measure now, as doubtless very much has been eroded beyond what still remains. After this came the Assuring of all of the rocks, which openings are now represented by true fissures, and con- taining the rich mineral of this section. Now, as the rocks would break along lines of greatest weakness, the strong veins followed the course of the original gorges to a great extent. This occurred in Elk basin, three large fissures opened parallel to each other, now named as the Micawber, Elk and Silver Deal mining claims; also many cross fissures occured at the same time, and they too, carry pay ore as well as the larger crevices. This breaking or Assuring of the sedimerttary rocks along the old gorges gave the start for the present courses of drainage and erosion. Here, too, I believe is proved another fact, which has been held of late years, by leading geologists and mineral- ologists, viz. : That the contents of fissure veins are the accumulated atoms derived from the adjoining country rocks; because here I find where these strong veins outcrop in the conglomerate, the ore is of very much lower grade, with zinc and iron sulphides predominating ; while on the same veins apparently, but worked at places where greater surface erosion ha.'^ taken effect, such ores as ruby and native silver appear. Then again, where a vein is found in the granite porphyry, the gangue, is principally calc-spar instead of quartz. Such evidence, as the facts just stated, would lead to the inference that the vein material would be modified GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 43 b}' each different strata of rock passed through, and show the change in the same horizon. It would be interesting to have careful chemical analysis of country rock and vein matter from the same horizons of some of the veins here, when the mines are regularly and sytematically opened, so that one could select material and be sure of depth enough to pass all surface changes. I wish to have my readers remember, and try to thoroughly impress on their minds, that what I say about this country is derived from the facts as I see them ; that I am working in a formation, the like of which has never been described in any work on geology; therefore, in making deductions from these facts, they must not be taken as generalities, that will apply to other sections. This is the only real generality that I find everywhere, viz: Each locality must be worked up by itself, without reference to what appears to be similar elsewhere. The Elk lode was the strongest vein that I saw in the basin, though I am told the Micawber is showing splendidly in development, but could not get into it on account of water in the workings. This Elk lode is, in places, twenty- five feet wide on the surface, some high grade ore has been got at grass roots, also in a forty-foot shaft a little ruby silver occurred; but the best showing is in recent work and only twelve feet from the surface. Here over three feet of ore is seen, evidenly low grade, but for the reason given above, regarding change of quality with depth, is perfectly safe to go down on. Mr. T. Owen had taken two large pieces out at the time of my visit, aggregating i,ooo pounds weight. They are now in Denver as part of the Mining Exposition. Were there work enough being done in this basin, the cost for a wagon road would be comparatively small from any of the claims to Irwin. At present, how- ever, all that I could learn of was, that assessment work was kept up. 44 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. The next place was up Ruby Gulch, to see the Oaks lode, recently leased and bonded by R. R. Dun- can. I went there in company with W. E. Grov^er and T. H. Wheeler, the latter gentleman only three weeks from Boston and the sea coast. He appeared to take to mountain life as naturally as a duck to water. Pay ore was discovered at grass roots on this claim, and surface strip- ping was the work being done. The quartz-carrying min- eral is from one to three feet wide. What this ore will average in value I cannot tell, but while I was on the ground three shots were put off in the mineral streak, and all of the rock thrown out contained a good showing of ruby and native silver. Mr. Duncan has sent a very hand- some piece to the Exposition. One could not help but draw the conclusion that the Oaks mine from its surface showing has a real basis that will warrant development, and with careful management in time be a good paying property. I obtained some fine specimens here, one of them a real gem in mineralogy, a crystal of ruby silver inside of a crystal of quartz. The next day, in- company with two of the gentlemen named, I went into 0-Be-Joyful basin, about eight miles from Crested Butte. A good wagon road grade is found all of the way up to the head of the basin from Slate River. I saw one claim here that is a veritable curiosity in geolog}^ or fissure vein filling. It is a true fissure and about 900 feet up the mountain side, a fine outcrop of galena shows for 160 feet along the surface, ranging in the surface outcrop from five to nine inches in width; the galena partly changed to anglesite, and of an average value of about ^60 per ton. The total heighth from the basin level to the top of the ridge, that this vein cuts through, is about 1,200 feet, and divides Poverty gulch from O-Be- Joyful basin. Some 400 feet below the mineral outcrop a tunnel has been run in 150 feet, on a fine crevice, but no GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 45 mineral shows as above. A little soft gouge occurs in places, but the crevice is principally filled with a material fallen in from the surface and shows a dry crevice. This was so strange that I set about finding a cause for it and climbed clear to the top of the ridge. From there looking down nearly 1,200 feet, very steep, over a snowbank, into the next gulch. On climbing up past the 160 feet of min- eral showing named, the line of the crevice still appears to the top, but no indication of ore. On the crest, about twenty-five feet wide, I went 500 feet east and saw nothing that gave any clue to what had occurred, but in examining the surface west I found it. Here was, outcropping 300 feet wide, quartz porphyry, evi- dently the filling of an older fissure than those now worked for pay ore, and which existed previous to the forming of the sedimentary strata, which everywhere occurs here. Now we have it again, where the recent fissures occurred they followed lines of weakness in the country rock, and here were old fissures marked out, which easily opened. On the west side of this quartz porphyry is a very large recent fissure, filled to the top of the crest with crevice matter strongly mineralized. The conclusion in this case was obvious ; the west fissure from some local cause not now visible, took the bulk of the crevice or vein- filling matter, and left the east crevice partly dry of any vein filling at all, and quite uncertain as to what results might be on development. It is a real curiosity in vein making, but fully illustrates the folly of laying out large plans for the working of a mine until after the ground within the boundaries of a claim, as well as all of the adja- cent rocks have been examined thoroughly by some one who has made the formation of rocks and mineral veins a study, and whose experience would be able to point out the causes of what appears now as effect. On this crest I found the conglomerate in place, the 46 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. same as in Elk basin, and the first locality to have it show- ing on the Slate River slope. On the way back we stopped to look at the Spar Chief claim, which near the surface has eighteen inches of min- eralized calc-spar, assaying from ^50 to ^2,000 per ton. One day is hardly enough for a basin like this, and I expect to go there again and find many good things — not devel- oped mines, but opportunity to make them. About one and a half miles from Irwin is the anthracite coal basin. For the last two years I had disputed the existence of real anthracite in Colorado, because no one could give me any evidences of changes in the neighboring rocks with the coal that would show the geological change from bituminous coal to anthracite. On seeing this ground I had to acknowledge that I was wrong, because I could see where and how the changes occurred. They have an- thracite coal here, a four-foot vein of it, said by Pennsyl- vania experts to be equal to anything in the East; in fact, chemical analysis show an average of two per cent more fixed carbon than the best Lehigh Valley coals. It is being mined now for fuel to be used at the Pioneer mill, also for making the steam for power used in the mines here, as well as the local demand as a stove coal, for which purpose it never can be excelled in this State. The two railroads have graded — viz: the Denver & Rio Grande and the Denver & South Park — into this basin, and were it not that the officers of both of these corporations are extensively interested in coal lands personally elsewhere, I opine track would have been laid over these grades and Denver have the opportunity to use the finest stove coal in America. This city alone could use twenty cars per day. It could be sold there at a profit, with reasonable freight rates, and then be cheaper and much nicer than any fuel now used in Denver. These properties now being worked are owned by Mr. L. R. Thompson and associates, who have shipped GUNNISOX, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 47 some fine pieces of this anthracite, which, when seen by Denver people at the Exposition, will cause them to wish they had it to use in their stoves, instead of the soft coal that slacks so readil}-, and dirties everything it comes in contact with, causing constant vexation and annoyance to the neat housekeeper. The occurrence of this anthracite is very interesting geologically. Originally the coal strata laid flat, but in this section a small mountain range of granite-porphyry, from some local cause, moved upwards, raising the strata resting on the flanks of the mountains until they now stand at an angle of 21°. It was this movement of the adjoining rocks that gave the heat and pressure to make the change in the coals, from soft coal to an anthracite. W'here the sedimentary- strata broke, one of the drainage valleys of this section occurs, letting the surface waters out now through what is known as the South Fork of Anthracite Creek, and through that to the Gunnison River. The coal seam now opened has a splendid roof of solid sandstone; the inclination of the vein places it in excellent position to work, as it drains itself, and from levels run, it makes the coal in place, stop- ing ground, the same as a fissure vein, thus naturally giving the most economical facilities for working. Were this an- thracite coal field of the same extent, comparatively, as the Eastern coal fields of like character, petroleum oils in pay- ing quantities might be looked for and found in this neighborhood. In comparing the position of the opened vein, I thought I saw evidences of its being in the same horizon as the vein of semi-bituminous coals opened at Crested Butte, and of the same thickness. If this evidence should in time prove to be correct, then between this opened vein of anthracite and the mountains east, there ought to be two more, veins 48 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. of anthracite, and one of them approaching a thickness of eleven feet. As will be seen further, on subsequent knowledge proves this deduction to be erroneous, from the fact that the coal measures here do not extend deep enough to allow these other two veins to exist. Learning that there were large beds of semi-bitumin- ous coal southeast of this last described locality, along the Ohio Creek, I embraced an opportunity of accompanying Mr. F. W. Fuller, on a horseback trip, to Gunnison City. Following the wagon road over the small dividing ridge that separates the heads of Ohio and Anthracite Creeks. As one approaches the coal measures again in place, the vegetation becomes very luxuriant. In one place of about fifty acres, I saw a natural flower garden by the road side that surpassed in variety and gorgeous- ness of colors, anything I have ever seen outside often acres of lilies I once beheld in bloom, in the grounds of a florist on Long Island, a short distance from New York City. It would be worth the while of some of those Eastern flower-growers to spend one or more seasons in this coun- try; they would find very many new plants that they could make of practical use in their business. We stopped for dinner at Mount Carbon, where the Denver & South Park Railroad people have extensive coal land locations, now being worked, and the coal delivered by wagon at Gunnison City. From here, in company with T. Owen, I made a side trip of a few hours' ride to see the re- sult of some work that he had been doing as my agent. This ride would be a treat to a stockman, for I rode through miles of mountain grass that came up over my feet as I sat on horseback, plenty of water and timber, with coal under- neath the whole of it. I rather think Owen tried to feel of my nerves ; as we rode along he pointed out a place where he had shot a mountain lion a few days before. Nice in- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 49 formation for a tenderfoot, only armed with a penknife. I hadn't lost any mountain lions and did not want to find any. I found considerable work done on these coal loca- tions. I went into one opening showing a seven-foot vein for 400 feet of drift, of excellent coal, and saw other open- ings on coal seams in place that led me to think there was at least three separate veins here now opened, with perhaps more to be found in depth. This wagon road to Gunnison City is excellent. As we rode along I thought I could see where the coal basin formation ended on this east and southeast side, with the marked change in the boundary rocks. On one of the hills north of Ohio Creek is an outcrop of recent lava, which must have had an enormous outflow (want to go to it next), evidences of which I had already seen in the gravels at Gunnison City. This volcanic erup- tion must have been one of the causes of the recent Assur- ing of this coal basin, so that the silver veins could occur through coal strata, an anomaly that I think does not occur elsewhere to be known on the face of the globe. South of Ohio Creek is a natural picture — castle rocks — which stand up many hundreds of feet in height, and is an exact repre- sentation on a huge scale of the pictures one sees illustrating ancient castles of the middle centuries of European civiliza- tion. Here I want to go also. One of my greatest desires now is to learn the area of this whole coal basin and see what the geology of its surrounding rocks is. I realize now that this area will represent one of the most marvelous sec- tions, in many respects, of Colorado, Ohio Creek flows southeast through a broad and evi- dently fertile valley, mostly taken up with stock ranches, fenced on the bottom lands, with the rising or hilly ground, extending back for miles from the creek, open, making a first-class grazing ground. 50 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, We arrived in Gunnison City about midnight and left the next day at noon, so that I had not time to learn much here personally. I saw some good building sandstone from near the city, now being used in the new bank build- ing, also some gypsum, some of which had been burned making the whitest plaster I have ever seen, as well as sam- ples of fire clay which was stated to exist in a bed nearly ten feet thick. If I did not see much, I heard of many things that I do want to see, and will make an opportunity to do so as soon as I can. We returned to Irwin in good order, myself especially, with the feeling that I had seen and learned something. I was at this place the evening that the dispatch came say- ing Senator Hill's Ute Reservation bill had passed the House. Irwin, of course, broke loose, and the Senator's health was drank many a time and often. That bill means to this locality and people just what the original Declara- tion of Independence and peace meant to the men who first celebrated the Fourth of July, one hundred years ago. Now that President Arthur has signed the bill, this coun- try is a part of the United States, instead of being relatively, as it has been for the last three years in the position of a foreign territory. That is the view that capitalists and in- vestors have taken of this part of Gunnison County. Now that — thanks to the efforts of Senator Hill — this barrier is removed, and actual titles can be obtained to lands here, these people that have so patiently waited can go to work with renewed energy and confidence that the capital will come even on the showing that can be made this year. Its effect is to be seen already, as the Windsor House tables are full every meal, the Pioneer mill is running day and night, while on every hand one hears of new work started or about to be commenced. I have already seen much of this section, and can frankly say that I have seen more evidences of natural GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 5 I wealth, with fewer barren prospect lode^, than any section that I have seen of the older mining regions of the Eastern slope. This being an off-)'ear in mine selling for Colo- rado, now is the time to buy prospects, especially with the .showing that these have here, and at the prices and terms on which they can be purchased. With judicious selection, adding to them the work that can be done between now and spring, the man with a few thousand dollars to use can make many hundreds of per cent, profit in the next year or two. This is an easy country to work in, has advanced far enough to prove that there is an abundance of rich ores; it also has transportation near by to carry ores to market, as well as bring supplies in. In addition to which is the home cash market made by the Pioneer mill, and Messrs. Rose, Reed & Co., ore samplers and purchasers. About three miles north of Irwin is Justice basin, de- viation about 1 1, GOO feet; can be made readily accessible by wagon road at small cost of money and labor. Up there I went in company with Messrs. H. C. Thompson and F. W. Fuller. Here only prospect and assessment work has been done. It is a duplicate, on a smaller scale, of Elk basin, but contains very large veins with good mineral showing near to the surface. We saw the Justice, Homestake, Alaska and Tacomah mining claims, any of which, when worked, ought to turn out large amounts of ore. In this basin I think the gorge was not so deep as in that of the Elk, the granite porphyry coming nearer to the surface and a less thickness of sedimentary rocks appearing. I do not consider that this will be found to be any detriment to the fis- sure veins, but rather a benefit, from the fact that the veins will sooner, as depth is gained in working, be found to pass within smooth solid walls, containing an easy gangue to work but holding their own in size of ore bodies as well as richness. The veins here showed surface croppings of ten to over fifty feet wide. 52 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. Hearing much regarding Redwell basin, about five miles from here, on the Slate River slope, I went over there a few days ago. The approach from Irwin is made- through Elk basin, already described, up out of this basin, over a rapdily rising grassy slope of about 3,000 feet — top of the crest about 12,000 feet above sea level — and then — it took my breath away for a time — I found myself suddenly looking down to a depth of fully 1,000 feet into Redwell basin, with a spider line marked out along the side, ending just acro&s a snow-bank from me, which, on examination, proved to be a trail. Having tied my horse where the grass was most abundant, and taken in my second wind, as well as getting my nerves steadied after the first surprise, I slid over that snow-bank and fetched up on the trail all right. It did seem for a few moments as if it would be an easy thing to expedite the descent and go head foremost down the side for 1,000 feet. However, following the trail was much the better way. As I neared the bottom I heard the sound of hammers on an anvil. There I went, finding Mr. A. S. Stover and partners encamped. They have taken up some good claims here, one especially, the Little Addie, in surface cut shows over seven feet of mineralized rock, and not acoss the vein jet. It is claimed to be the same vein as the Micawber, in Elk basin, and can be traced the whole way across the dividing ridge that I had just come down. Also saw the St. George, with a five foot crevice, and good solid ore in it. Stopped at the Rebecca ; on which work is now being done, showing strong possibilities of good ore near by. From a claim known as the Boston, with an eighteen-inch mineral streak, I obtained good specimens near the grass roots; value per ton I do not know, as in most of these basins only prospect holes have as yet been worked. About the middle of the basin a very strong ledge of iron stained quartz appears. Over this breaks a small GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 53 stream of fresh water, next to it a smaller stream, highly charged with sulphur, then another stream of fresh water, beyond which is the iron spring, from which the name Red- well is given to the basin. This spring is over ten feet deep, nearly twelve feet square, with waters so clear and pure that it seems as if you could pick stones off the bot- tom with your hand from the edge. The water contains so much iron that a rim of that material is built up around the spring as well as staining the whole of the rocks for hundreds of feet down the basin. The sulphur, fresh, and iron waters all mingle together, running onwards to the Slate River. Mr. Stover had^kindly accompanied me that I might see and learn as much as possible in one day. I found his knowledge of localities of much value to me. From the spring we went down the basin, following the water-course in the bed of the stream. I saw the iron was being precipitated and cementing the loose stones into an iron conglomerate. I realized then that I was in one of Nature's workshops and was on the lookout for everything that was going on. We had not far to go, when we came to the croppings of a coal seam; just below that, in time past, was evidently a small basin. Into this basin the mingled iron and sulphur waters had poured, but the vege- table matter, taken up in solution from the coal seam, had acted as a precipitant, and here the manufacture of minerals had been and is still going on. For, in an excavation made into a flat deposit apparently, was large cubes of iron pyrites, with a fair showing of zinc and some galena. Now, if my deductions of what I saw in this spot are correct, it is ahead of any laboratory experiments ever made, for here nature is doing the work and on a scale that is comprehensive. Further, if my reading is right, it is the most wonderful spot now known, for it shows how easily, quietly and perfectly nature does work, and, as one examines what is being done, the marvel is that the old 54 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. straining theories of fire to make minerals were ever held as tenable at all. I spent just five hours in Redwell basin, and now feel that I saw and learned more in that space of time than I ever accomplished in a similar period of my life. It is a most interesting spot. I could spend days there and not tire of it. As I read the notices in the Republican of the ap- proaching meeting of the association of mining engineers in Denver, I cannot help but wish that I had the means per- sonally to invite them into this country for a week or ten days, that they might enjoy it with me. What is to be seen that relates directly to their business is simply marvel- ous. Nowhere else in the world, that I ever read of, can rich silver veins be found breaking through recent coal measures, all to be seen and realized as occurring in place. They could learn more here, that is really new, in ten days,. than in almost a life-time anywhere else that I know of The curiosity of it is not all ; nowhere else have I seen a territory so naturally blocked out for the use of and ac- tive working by large corporations. Everyone of these mountain basins contain veins worth working. If organized capitalists would secure single basins for their own use, at the prices that they can now be obtained at, with cash enough in hand for a couple of years development and expenses, I know places that can be made to pay dividends of one per cent, per month on ;$3,ooo,ooo to ;^5,000,000 capitalization, and keep it up for years. It It would not take so many thousands to do it, either. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 55 CHAPTER VII. Durango and Mexico Claims — Venango Properties- Comstock — Iron Basin — Silver Basin — Swan Basin — A Perilous Position. Just after my last letter I had an opportunity to exam- ime the Durango and Mexico mining claims of Ruby gulch, represented by Mr. Wilder as principal owner and active manager. These veins cross each other, and as the Mexico is much the stronger crevice, it holds its course across the Durango, the crevice material of both intermin- gling at the junction, but the ore body at this point really is governed by the course of the Mexico. The first-named has the most development, a tunnel having been run in past the intersection, good ore taken out up to the Mexico ore body and then lost. My examination showed that the miners had worked over and into the hanging wall, and if a cross-cut is now run for the foot wall, I am very certain a good, continuous ore -body will be found on that side of the crevice; as in this mine the foot-wall is the one that should carry the largest body of pay ore. The surface of this mine has good shipping ore all along past the junction of the two veins for some hundreds of feet, and there is nothing to indicate but that the same should continue below. This mine is equipped with a neat little hoisting engine manufactured by Hendey & Meyer, of Denver. It is used for hoisting the rock from a shaft lOO feet deep. This shaft is sunk on the hanging wall, some good ore obtained but not the continuous ore-body that the foot-wall ought to show. The crevice of the Durango is fully fifteen feet wide. 56 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. and in addition to the quartz carrying ore is filled with feldsitic porphyry, which I consider the best vein filling known, always finding it with strong and rich ore bodies. Not much development has been done on the Mexico as yet; surface stripping is now going on, as they have ^lOO ore for 700 feet along the vein out-crop, from twelve to eighteen inches wide. Its chances ought to be excel- lent for developing in time, into a first-class paying mine. After this I examined the workings of a block of prop- erty (I have forgotten the name of the company), situated near Elk Creek, and managed by Mr. Copley. There is one principal vein — the Venango — and two cross lodes, the Souri and Tioga. Good ore was obtained by sinking in the Venango. This was left when tunneling was thought to be the order of the day. The opportunity for tunneling here is good, as considerable depth can be gained. A tunnel to cut the Venango, has been run 400 feet in solid rock, expensive dead work. When within fifty feet of the vein the work was turned at right angles, and has been continued 200 feet to catch the Tioga, and is now just upon the edge of it. There is something singular about such work as this, for here is at least ;^20,ooo ex- pended in dead work on this property, that practically is not worth one dollar, from the fact that the tunnel starts within twenty feet of and parallel to the Souri vein. Had the work of tunneling been done on either the Tioga or the Souri veins from the surface, the ground would have been developed to show what the veins con- tained, and the Venango could be worked all right from either point of intersection. Such work as I saw on these properties is evidence of gross mismanagement somewhere, and when I see money that is meant by the parties advanc- ing it to [do the most good, spent in this way, I cannot wonder at Eastern investors cursing mining as a losing business. Whose fault this is I do not know. I take GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 57 things as I see them and judge for myself. These people really have good properties, and it would make a practical mine manager ache all over in the desire to take hold of them and show the owners what they really have got. These veins are close upon the real country rock; are large crevices, and should soon pass within smooth, good walls, with an abundance of good shipping ore, besides an easy gangue to work, viz : calc-spar. It was the calc-spar appearing in the lower workings of the Durango claim, mentioned above, that helped to give me such a firm belief that there is good ore below as well as on the surface of this vein, and will be found to hold its own in quality, especially if searched for the right side of the crevice. They are sacking some very fine ore in the surface stripping of this mine. It was in the Venango claim that I first got copper pyrites, while among the ores of the Mexico claim a little copper stain appears. The absence of both lead and copper in this Ruby mining district is something remarkable, as, of the ores produced, the average of galena is less than three per cent., and of copper less than one per cent. These facts alone, are sufficient for a thinking man, even if he does not know much about ore reduction practically; to realize that the way to do with these ores is to ship them to the larger smelters for treatment; the principle of ore reduction being to produce an artificial ore most economically from a com- bination of natural products ; and from it in its turn the gold and silver can be easily separated. This being the fact, I do not believe that any known means of reduction can be applied to these Ruby District ores and be locally successful, but they must be shipped to smelters who are also purchasers of galena and copper ores ; these latter making the best matte, or artificial ore product. In the smelting process it is by the judicious mingling of the high 58 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. grade gold or silver ore, with those containing a large per- centage of either copper or galena that the greatest value of the first is saved. There is no quick process by which silver ores can be chlorodized, or made free milling; and I am certain the Pioneer mill of Irwin is proving this to be a fact, as they must be losing money on every ton of ore that they treat, and the mill will soon be an idle monument of Professor Jacob's ignorance. The mill shut down October i, 1882, and the manager published a statement that the loss was even thirty per cent., may other investors take warning. To fully connect the geology of Ruby gulch with the other mineral basins, I must mention the Comstock, which is a very strong vein, the northwest extremity of one of the largest veins of the gulch. Only a ten-foot hole has been sunk, beside the granite-porphyry hanging wall, with calc- spar already appearing and showing mineral. Twenty-five feet more ought to bring them into a good showing. The vein is a very large crevice, filled with feldsitic porphyry, strongly impregnated with oxide of manganese, also con- taining concentrated spots of ore in the surface float, show- ing what the crevice matter ought to be when depth is gained. As the vein breaks through the ridge that makes the divide between Ruby gulch and Iron and Silver basins, I climbed to the top of this ridge to examine the other side, and could not find that the same strength of crevice material appeared there. On searching for the cause of this, I found that the crest of the ridge was a strong mass of porphyry, and continuing on up to Ruby Peak. This probably cuts off the supply of mineral, and makes a very great difference in the value of the veins on the Anthracite Creek slope. The basins along this Anthracite Creek were next in order for me to see. Finding T. Owen and a Mr. Berry were going to Iron basin, to do some assessment work, I GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 59 accompanied them. The route was up Ruby gulch, with fine grass-covered slopes to the east of Ruby Peak. Prom the top of the ridge, elevation, about 12,000 feet, a fine view of Peeler and O-be-Joyful basins is obtained. The trail skirts the rim of the last-named basin many hundred feet above the level parts of it. Part of the trail passes over large fragments of rock filling a deep rift in the mountain side, and underneath this a strong stream of water flows, giving one a peculiar sensation as he walks over it — the impression being that you are in the midst of a thunder storm, with the noise all about you, and the sun still shin- ing brightly overhead. Then we crossed a snow-field of nearly 500 feet from there to the gap, where the descent is commenced on the other side the trail is really dangerous, known instances being authentically related of horses and "burros" having gone over the precipices. We had two loaded burros with us, and at one place where steps were cut in the rock, close to the precipice, the leading burro lost hold with his fore-feet and began to make motions for back somersaults. Once started, he would have made many of them; but, fortunately, the burro had on the eatables, and Berry and Owen, realizing on the instant that some- thing to eat was more convenient right there than 1,000 feet below, sprang forward in time to give the animal a boost that set him safely on his feet. Down from the gap on the ridge, over quite a long but good trail, we passed into Silver basin. Here we found some men encamped who had a contract on a cross-cut tunnel ; but they did not appear to be very well posted on the geography of the section, as I found that my compan- ions had never been that route before, and could not learn anything from those whom we had just met. However, we knew where Iron basin ought to be, so we skirted the dividing ridge vainly, seeking for a trail ; going through wet, marshy ground and brush, over fallen trees and rocks, 6o GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. raining, too, to help out the misery, mosquitoes thicker at times than bees swarming, but finally arriving after nearly five hours' tramp, dinnerless, at the first claim to be worked. While the men were getting supper and putting up the tent, I set to work to examine the vein, extending down a rift in 500 feet of precipice. I found that what, at that depth, appeared to be min- eralized quartz and very strong vein matter, was in fact only country rock, iron stained from oxidization of pyrites con- tained in a very narrow streak of quartz. Up at the divid- ing ridge I looked, and there was the porphyry dike that I had seen when examining the Comstock, and this showed how well it had done its work, both for Iron and Silver basins. As I climbed back up the 500 feet I had just come down, I found that in many places the rocks leaned the wrong way, so that I had to exert myself to the utmost to get up, as well as to keep from falling. On arriving at the tent I was, from over-exertion, trembling like an aspen leaf. However, a good, hearty supper and a restful sleep made all right, so that I was off by sunrise the next morning. Taking my own course, I went up a grassy slope, and down a similar one on the other side, and I was in Silver basin in less than one hour, that had taken nearly five hours to go round from the day before. I looked at some of the holes in Silver basin, but find- ing that they were apparently governed by the same in- fluences as in Iron basin, it did not seem to me that any quantity of pay ore could ever be got, no matter how^ much work might be done. This being the case I hurried along to Swan basin, starting up a couple of mountain grouse on the road, the nearest approach I saw to game anywhere. At 8 A. M. I was in Swan basin, eight miles from Ir- win. As I came down the trail into this basin — a small GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 6 1 one, but beautifully located — I saw that there was a radical change in things, and something new had come in as a governing influence. I visited some sixteen claims with strong veins from five to ten feet wide, finding an entire change in the char- acter of quartz filling the crevices, and the mineralizing ele- ment being principally arsenical iron pyrites, the quartz having the appearance of gold quartz; and knowing that gold, arsenic, iron and sulphur make one of the strong com- binations for that precious metal, I immediately began a search amongst the oxidized pyrites for free gold, and found a little. The next move was to find a cause of such a change in the whole of the mineral showing, for it was very evident to me that if any of these veins are worked down to pay ore the product would be gold, while the prospectors were looking for silver. After some search I found the rock that does the whole business — a large outcrop of Archaen granite in place, with the granite porphyry flowing over it, and the sedimentary strata built up against both. Now, when the veins are worked down into this kind of country rock, the ores produced ought to be tellurides, the same as in Boul- der County. In fact, on the Little Indian claim, owned by Swan Bros., I was shown some dark looking streaks in the quartz produced, and from such as this they claimed to have different test assays of 200 ounces in gold per ton. These dark streaks have all of the appearance of a telluride ore, and depth may prove them to be the upper parts of petzite streaks and very rich. This basin not having produced any surface shipping ore, and all of the quartz containing arsenical iron pyrites up to the grass roots, it is impossible to say, with the present developments, that they will be paying veins, even at rea- sonable depths. There is nothing proved and nothing in this part of 62 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, the country to compare them with. Personally I have the highest opinion of what I saw here, but work must be done to prove that these veins enclose ore that contains profita- ble pay; and I most earnestly advise the owners of these claims to go down upon them at the lowest surface places that they can find to work to advantage. I have had the pleasure of dining with Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, who are occupying a new and comfortable log cabin. They are the owners of some of the best of the prospects in the basin; and Mrs. Stevens, who came over from Irwin the day before I did, has the honor of being the first white lady in that part of the country, and certainly is entitled to the credit of displaying great courage and nerve in coming over the trail that she did. Mineral and Kansas basins make up the remaining two on the north fork of Anthracite Creek. As I had found a gold-bearing sections which may prove to be very rich in time, and in such close proximity to a very rich silver district, I was anxious to see more of it. I could not help but connect the primitive granite found on the divid- ing crest of Poverty gulch with what I found here, and it ought to underlie both of these last-named basins, govern- ing the character of ores accordingly. Having but three hours to spare, after making some inquiries, I started for a short cut over the dividing ridge from Swan basin. This ridge is about 600 feet high, and where I attempted to pass is built up of sedimentary strata, held in place by two large cross-dykes of porphyry, about 1,000 feet apart. The climb was very steep from the bottom up ; the last fifty feet was as steep as the roof of a house, covered with a couple of inches of loose shale, not giving any secure foothold. Up this I scrambled like a cat, and then lay down faint and sick, for I was looking straight down 800 feet into Mineral basin, from a ridge only five or six feet wide, and no chance of getting there except by one jump. GUNNISON, TIIF. BONANZA COUNTY. 63 As I looked back my head swam, for it appeared as steep where I came up, and to return that way was impos- sible, unless I wished to arrive at the bottom in a condition that would not realize much practically of thini^s pertaining- to this mundane sphere. After a time my head cleared somewhat, so that I could see that Mineral basin was much larger than Swan, and from some indications that I could make out, might have a little better chance for surface pay ore. The next move was to get down. After moving back- wards and forwards several times, to accustom myself to the place, and motion on such a narrow ledge, I finally crept, on my hands and knees, to one of the porphyry ledges named. Holding to the projecting points of this, that I might not slide away from myself, I gradually slid down for 300 feet to a jumping off place of fifteen or twenty feet high. Here, fortunately, a spruce tree was growing, and by the aid of it I clambered down to terra firma, and thankful to have got around safely .^^ Concluding that this part of the country would not get out of the hands of the prospectors for some time yet, I packed up to return, leav- ing the other basins for future years. As I started I came across a party more tired and worn out as well as older than myself To him I gave the use of my horse, when it was practicable to ride, and on top of the hardest trip I have had yet, I footed it eight miles into Irwin ; but not at all sorry that I had been and .seen what is herein described. 64 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER VIII. Anthracite Range and Other Mountains — Description of Coal Measures — Story of a Pebble-Cochetopa Gold Belt — Lubricator Mine — Gage's Camp — Volcanic Ashes — Physical Ap- pearance of the Gold Belt — "What Ought to be Looked For — Gypsum. Irvin, Aug. 26, 1882. — Since writing my last letter, appearing in your paper, {Denver Republican) on the 20th Inst., I have been to busy to do any writing ; am away be- hind with my notes; and really beginning to be afraid that snow will come before I can get the section, north and east of the Slate River, examined ; that I may fit its geology on to what I have already done. However, to connect my recent observations, with the last recorded, I must commence with the Anthracite range, where I camped two days to examine the Anthracite coal-beds ; and to try and find out, how it was that only about 2,000 acres of the finest Anthracite coal on the'con- tinent should occur here in a little locality, and be sur- rounded with such a wide extent of bituminous and semi- bituminous coals, and all of the same age and geological horizons. The Anthracite range is something over six miles in length, stands nearly east and west, and composed of gran- ite-porphyry. Further west, single peaks of the same material stand up, known as Mts. Edgely, Beckwith and Marcellina; filling the gap to another mass of granite- porphry, known as Ragged mountains, and here the Elk Mountain range joins on. From the east of the Anthra- cite range, after passing a gap, this eruptive granite makes GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 65 another short mountain range, — the Wheatstone group — to the south of which stands Mt. Carbon. The Wheat- stone group makes the connection through to the Slate River, dividing the coal basin of Crested Butte from that of Ohio Creek on the south. The coal measures build around, and upon the sides of Mt. Carbon. I am thus particular in locating these mountains, that I may more plainly show what has occurred. Beyond the Wheatstone group, and on the Divide be- tween East River and Ohio Creek is the large outcrop of recent lava, covering both slopes with detritus down to each stream. When I had climbed to the top of Anthracite range, so that I could see all of this described country; I found the slope gradual towards the north, but very abrupt, and approximating 2,500 feet down to Ohio Creek, on the south. Rising up from a forest of pines, was the Castle Rocks but how different in appearance, now that I was above them, and seeing them from a different position than the Ohio Creek road. Instead of the massive front showing there, with its battlements, towers, and turrets, here it had the appearance of a sham, or castle of cards, perhaps a bet- ter simile would be, that it appeared as a stage representa- tion of a castle. Standing on top of this range and looking east to the place where this volcanic eruption occurred, on the east border of this tertiary coal basin, I could see that a large crevice or gorge had opened from that westward; passing north of Mt. Carbon but striking the end of Anthracite range. Opening a gorge into that, and setting off a portion of it, as a mountain north. This effect can only be realized from the places where on I stood. Now the conclusion must not be jumped to that I am describing the result of any sudden action, or quick move- 66 * GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. ment of the rocks for I cannot realize that such action oc- curred. The movement was slow, but the result of a vastly powerful force, making this fragment of a mountain range, move slowly northward, until the sedimentary rocks lying on the north base, were crowded so against, that they gradually slid upwards, against the pressure of the granite- porphyry, until they now stand at an angle of 21° as described in a former chapter. This movement must have been slow, or the sedimentary rocks would have been crushed into innumerable fragments, and subsequent ero- ding agencies would have cleared away the whole of what remains to-day of the coal measures. Now we have locally 2,cxx) acres of these rocks moved from horizontal strata to the inclination given, the heat and pressure generated by this rock movement, metamorphosed these originally bi- tuminous coals, to the finest lot of anthracite now known. This 2,000 acres is all I can find of it in this part of the basin, and I feel very certain that I have coirrectly described the manner of its occurrence. As I came down the side of the Anthracite range, I picked up a couple of red jasper pebbles, sole remnants of over 1,000 feet of tertiary conglomerate that formerly cov- ered the upper part of the sides, and over the top of this granite-porphyry range. Could these pebbles talk what a history they could relate; they could tell of their early life and residence ; how at one time they jutted out, the portion of a large whole, on some mountain side; how below them was swift run- ning waters; how the mountain top was snow-capped; how the frosts split and set loose large fragments of the formations above them ; how one of these crashing and tumbling down the mountain side, broke off fragments of this jasper; how as sharp cornered, angular stones, these pebbles formed part of the detritus of the mountain side ; how thfe swift running waters at the mountain foot, kept GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 6/ clearing away the masses below, so that each season found them nearer and hearer to these waters; how slow this part of the journey was, compared to the traveling that followed when they reached this madly rushing mountain stream; how after a time, into these waters they fell, and commenced their journey seaward; how in this journey they were knocked against other rocks, all rolling through an unknown country to an unknown end; how here a cor- ner was chipped off, there a rough spot ground smooth ; how they gradually diminished in size under nature's rough handling, until from many pounds weight, a few ounces would out-balance them ; how at last, they, with many others, reached a sea shore; was there caught up in the waves on a shallow beach and thrown hither and thither with the crowd, rubbing and jostling against each other still wearing, on the sands, smoother and smaller; how they gradually worked their way by ocean's currents to deeper waters, and there had the rest their long wearisome journey entitled them to; how in this sea was no animal life utiliz- ing its waters ; how the waters of this ocean also received floating masses of wood from the streams coursing through its border land covered with the trees of the tropics ; how these went their weary course hither and yon, never resting except as they rotted and sunk ; how these woods revenged themselves on what was their master, for as a particle of wood left the larger whole it took from these waters an atom of silica; how this atom of silica attached itself to the woody mass, and so the exchange went on until what was once a portion of a growing tree, became a stone still re- taining its identity in form, but nevertheless was stone and stone only ; how this teaches that na- ture uses what she has at hand for her purposes ; how these petrified woods helped also to make the sea bot- ton; how all of these changes were ages upon ages going on ; how these same pebbles were buried hundreds of feet 68 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. deep by the material brought from the lands, by swift running fresh waters, to this hungry maw, that never could seem to be satisfied; how a seemingly endless time passed in this grave, never expecting to meet fresh waters again, nor see that bright sun which had daily shown on them in the long gone times; how there came a change, a gradual upward movement, and with it the rendingof rocks, strange sounds, and the waters gradually draining out from among them as a mass ; how another long, long period of rest fol- lowed ; how after a time they again heard the mad whirling of waters, but this time above, instead of below them ; how these waters appeard, in their rage and spite, to be tearing away all that had been so long building, getting nearer and nearer to them ; how at last they too were caught in its rough swirl, but only for a short time. So hard did these new waters work that, in far less space of time, all that had been so laboriously accumulated, was again torn from their last home, and swept away, where to, these pebbles know not, how quickly these waters got below them again ; how they, with a very few others, were left stranded upon the mountain side to wonder what had become of the millions upon millions of their fellows ; how the sun shone upon this moun- tain ; how in one season the frost attacked its barren sides, at another season warm showers fell upon the frost detached atoms; how after a time the green plant life came to them; how this lived and died year after year, adding by its death new elements to the Tock dust, which each year became stronger to do that which nature wanted, that is, give sup- port to more and more life ; how at last another character of life appeared, that could move about, animals of all kinds, with two feet and four, clawed or hoofed; with birds among all that at times disdained the ground and flew hither and thither; how, strangest of all, one bright sunny day one of a new kind of animal passed them by, stopped and came to them, gathered them up, sent them to his GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, 69 museum in Denver; how this being tried to write their story, in a few short pages, when the largest hbrary could not contain the volumes that could be filled with all they might say of their old, old, story. Such is a faint sketch of what these two insignificant stones might tell us of, could they only talk. From this locality across to Jack's Cabin, or Howville on the Slate River, to be sure of the connecting links in the rocks that I have been trying to study and describe, was the next trip. Then I had to go to Denver on some business needing immediate attention, was kept there only three days, when back I came to Gunnison City ; at this place I was detained some days during the culmination of matters of personal interest, and took the opportunity to practically examine the Cochetopa gold belt, south and southwest of Gunnison. The rocks of this belt appear to be Archa^n granite, showing an average surface of ten miles wide and thirty- five miles in length, or an area of 350 square miles, and only prospected in places and evidently not at all in the best parts of it. Gold was first discovered, on August 5, 1880, in the Lubricator claim and considerable excitement occassioned, which rapidly died out, as the most of the dis- coveries were made in a trachyte formation that I found bordering each side of the granite belt; in some place this trachyte gives way to the older metamorphic rocks. In this trachyte the veins have all of the appearance of gash veins filled with a very hard white quartz, oc- casionally containing remarkably fine specimens of free gold, just sufficient to lead the prospector on, but do not appear to carry their value as depth is gained. In fact, all of those that I saw, with but one or two exceptions, invariably pinched out a few feet from the surface. This trachyte country rock the prospector wants to avoid. About six miles from Gunnison City is Gage's camp. 70 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. near here some of the finest gold specimens have been ob- tained. A short distance from this camp, bedded upon the country rock, is a large deposit of white volcanic ash, loosely cemented to a rock with a small percentage of lime. It is very interesting, as it contains angular fragments of coun- tr}' rock, which must have been ejected by the volcano while active, at the same time as the ashes. This eruption must have been very strong and continuous for a time, as the ashes fell thick and fast enough to fill the waters to an amount, which made the whole a thick mud, resulting in a homogenous mass of volcanic ash rock now very Arable. Had the eruption of ashes been lighter, or intermit- tent, the result would have been that the sedimentary material would have been washed and sifted by the waves, leaving horizontal strata instead of the present homogenous mass. • This ash bed also has another peculiarity, within it is found egg-shaped geodes from an inch or two in diameter, to one I saw of fifteen inches longest diameter, and nine inches through the thickest part of the short diameter of the oval. These are evidently the linings by infiltration of cavities in the rock, formed by the removal of some easily decomposed substances buried in the ashes, but what, I do not know. I spent three days in this section, the last day riding some forty miles with three others, one of the gentlemen being Judge D. L. Murdock, of Fairbury, Illinois. The whole country is covered with sage brush, and for game has an abundance of sage hens. It is most deso- late in appearance, looking like an old worn out countrj'-, and such it really is. The monotonous appearance of the Colorado Divide, south of Denver, being the nearest to it for comparison of any section that I have examined. But its mineral wealth may turn out to be something wonder- ful, I certainly saw one or two evidences of what may be. GUNNISON. THE BONANZA COUNTY. /I and as it is my business in this work to give information that ma)- be of value to mining men, whether I get any im- mediate returns or not; I feel very much Hke placing my- self on record as to this section by outlining what ought to be found. The best veins will be found in the granite itself, and will show a true crevice of five to ten feet, or even wider ; filled with a gangue composed principally of feldspar, at times a little lime, and occasionally streaks or spots of white quartz. This gangue would be originally filled with ar- senical iron pyrites rich in gold, now decomposed or oxi- dized leaving the ore product free milling, and a value can be expected of from $15.00 per ton upwards. This vein material will be almost picking ground for manj- feet down, and the entire mass filled with gold finely but evenly distributed. The depth of free milling ore will be from 300 to 1,000 feet. This estimate is based upon the fact, that this section has no springs or running water and the con- sequent decomposition of the arsenical iron pyrites down to the real water level of this section \vhich will vary as above estimated. The finding of rich specimen pieces of gold in such veins will be the exception ; in fact gold visible to the eye may hardly be expected, but it will show readily enough in panning or testing in a horn. Now such veins as these would naturally erode on the surface, leaving a trough or sag along the course of the vein, into which would be washed small boulders, pebbles and sand ; covering all evidences of any vein at all. As no white quartz is in these veins of any amount, there will be no float abundant on the surface near them, as seen in the gash veins appearing in the bordering trach}-te. Con- sequently the best veins and the only ones to be relied on for continuous pay, will be more difficult to find and will 72 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. have to be prospected for in a manner very different from the finding of most mineral veins. « That this granite has been very much fissured, so as to allow such veins to form, there is abundance of evidence in the surrounding eruptive rocks, showing so near by. In fact I know that such has been the case for I found a large dike of an eruptive, porphyrytic paste, which only occurs in fissured granite country rock; and where encountered be- fore, there is an abundance of free gold to be had. I feel almost certain that in time many such veins as I have described will be found in this 350 square miles of gold territory. The above are the deductions I have made regarding this section as a geologist, and I know that I am right; may those who can take advantage of the knowledge I am able to give, and prove that I have read these rocks aright, and the result be of profit to themselves as a reward of their labors and faith in what I have said. I might go one step farther and add, that if there is any geological section of Colorado, where there is a possi- bility of finding those rarer metals, known as Osmiridium, Palladium and Platinum, it would be in connection with the ores produced from such a locality as this Cochetopa gold belt. In this granite formation and near to Gunnison is also found large deposits of gypsum (sulphate of lime), making, when calcined the finest plaster of Paris I know, as it has a brilliant white lustre equal to zinc white when used as a paint. To this point was as far as I had time to put my notes in order, and make them public through the Denver Republican. Winter was coming, I had much work yet to do and I could not take the time to write, therefore what follows in this volume has never before been published. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 73 CHAPTER IX. Coal Creek and Redwell Basin Divide — Snow — Cause of Iron Swamp and Iron Spring — Leaving Irwin — Peculiarities of the Ruby Silver Belt Prospective Product of Ores — Concentration — Specimens Collected. On my return to Irwin, I was called upon to examine certain claims situated on the dividing ridge between Coal Creek and Redwell basin, about three miles from Crested Butte. The route from Irwin was up through Elk basin, by trail around to the Coal Creek side, and into Coon basin. I found a large vein, twenty-five feet between walls, with a body of mineralized quartz, three to six feet wide, con- taining, originally, iron pyrites, now oxidized and leaving most brilliant colors of irrisdescent iron in the surface material. The owners claimed as high as ^50 in gold per ton, for this quartz ; it certainly appeared to be a gold quartz. Unfortunately at the time of my visit there w^as not devel- opment enough done to prove anything further than that here was one of the very strong veins ofthe section, and well worth an expenditure of cash and labor to develop it. I climbed up to the dividing crest, and had a most noble view. Red- well basin, I could look down into, also 0-be-Joyfull, up the valley of the Slate, over into Washington gulch, out and beyond Gothic and Cressed Butte mountains ; down Coal Creak, pa.st Crested Butte town, down the valley of the Slate, in and amongst the Wheatstone ^group, over the points of Wheatstone and Anthracite ranges to the great Uncompahgre range beyond. 74 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. It snowed (August 24, 1882), a few minutes, while we were up there. I saw something else, of more personal interest to me, than the above described, magnificent panorama. I saw that I had been examining the vein, which crossed Red- well basin, and from which is leached the material contained in the iron spring, and produces the other curious results de- scribed in my visit to Redwell. I saw that this same vein came through to the Coal Creek side, and here, by leach- ing, it furnishes the material for the bog iron ore of the iron swamp, on Irwin and Crested Butte road. ■ Seeing these results the question naturally arose, was not this vein of greater age than the other veins of the same locality, which carry the ruby silver ores? I think it is, and actually existed as a fissure vein, well mineralized before the commencement of the deposit of the tertiary rocks amongst which it occurs, and that subsequent erosion has again exposed it to view. The fact of its containing a gold value, instead of silver, is another local anomaly and would induce the belief that its source of supply here is from primitive granite, and that this country rock at this spot is quite near by. If future working should prove these surmises to be correct, and I feel quite sure that they are, the probabilities will be that here is one of the future bonanzas. It is worth trying, I could assure the owners of that. Having spent more weeks than I at first thought, I would have to stop days in this Ruby Mining District ; and, feeling that if any one had seen it thoroughly I cer- tainly had, it was time for me to be moving, as. I had very much yet to do before my season's work as I laid it out, would be accomplished. Before leaving Irwin, where I met very many pleas- ant people, I would like to say a few words regarding its possible future, especially as it appears to have been very GUNNrSON. THE BONANZA COUNTV. 75 much misunderstood as a mining district, and in some in- stances perhaps willfully misrepresented. Its geological structure, as a whole. I must leave until I get through my season's work, that I may have all the real knowledge possible, in order to make correct deduc- tions, and show without error, how it was possible for rich silver veins to occur breaking through tertiary' rocks and in some instances passing up through coal veins. Such is the anomaly of this ruby "silver belt, and it is no wonder that errors have been made in mining, and owner of properties threw up their holdings, disgusted and discouraged; but all did not, some held on and worked, partly because of a bull-dog tenacity that sometimes makes or ruins a man; others because they could not but reason, that if such rich sulphide ores were to be found at grass- roots, the ores must keep on down — Prof Jacobs to the contrary notwithstanding — so that at the time of my visit things were looking better than they had for nearly two years. Mines enough were opened and proved to warrant an estimate, that if all that had been proved were worked, and worked as mines should be, a daily output would be had of 300 tons; worth, on an average $'j'i^ per ton of shipping ore, or ;^22,500 gross value per day. To accom- plish this, such mines can be named as the Forest Queen, Bullion King, Buby Chief, Howard Extension, and four more claims in the Ruby Chief group, as well as the Mexico, Durango and Lead Chief In addition to this grade of ore, I never knew a mine yet, producing pay ore, but also yielded three to five times as much in tons of a concentrating product. Sup- posing we figure the minimum amount, and we have 900 tons per day of concentrating ore. This character of gangue, with mineral, will reduce ten to thirty tons to one, an average would be twenty tons to one, making forty-five tons per day, additional of shipping ore. These concentrates jd GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. would average $200 per ton, or a gross shipping value of $9,000, making a total product per day of 331,500. This is hot an over-estimate at all, in fact, I think some of those locally interested will say I am considerably be- low the mark. This, however, I felt I had obtained suf- ficient data for, and that a very short time, say two years, would actually show an excess over my figures, for there is very many more prospects to be developed into mines, within a radius of three miles of Irwin, and which prospects show just as good at the surface as most of those that I have named, it is only a question of practical knowledge and work. It obtained, personally, nearly 1,000 lbs. of the geo- logical and mineralogical representations of this district, perhaps a better representation than has ever before been collected for practical use, by anyone to have them all to- gether, that the relation of the different rocks may be seen in connection with the various ores, which occur in these mineral veins. There is no doubt in rny mind, but that I have actually obtained sufficient data and evidences, to prove the actual age of these ruby silver veins, and that when I come to sum up the whole, they will be found to have occurred at a more recent date in the geological his- tory of the world than has been before supposed, and very much later than the occurrence of most vein formations. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. "jy CHAPTER X. Return to Crested Butte — Mining Claims in O-Be- Joyful Basin — How Knowledge is Needed — Work Required to Obtain Practical Knowledge — Geology of O-Be-Joyful Basin — North Fork of Anthracite Creek — Silver King and Bay Billy Claims — Fossils — A Hard Day's Work — Elko— Gothic Road— Bellevue Mt. — Central Mining and Milling Co — Crested Butte Again. On August 26, 1882, I returned to Crested Butte, and the Elk Mountain House, to make that point the starting place again of future work. I was called upon almost at once to examine some ten prospects that had been located and a little worked by an Eastern company. We were off the next morning early for a long day's work, as these claims were scattered along the course of O-Be-Joyful gulch, and while it does not take long to decide upon a prospect hole, after the surrounding country rocks com- prising the geological formation is learned, still ten for one day's work — Sunday at that — was considerable. I am thankful to say they turned out a little better than the average of such groups, as six of them showed evidences enough to prosecute work upon further, and only four utterly worthless. A circumstance occurred between myself and the superintendent of the property, whicli I cannot help rela- ting, as it illustrates one of the phases of mining, and how prone men are to lead themselves astray. Amongst the last claims seen, was one situated very high up on the mountain top, entailing a climb of some 1,200 feet up, to see where the discovery was made and the work done. I 78 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, ■ * was taken to an opening on another claim at the foot of the hill, from which some high assays had been obtamed, and informed that as the claim I was to report on was the ex- tension on the same vein, I could use what I saw here as the basis of a report. I looked at the dump and then enquired if "they were interested in this property." "No we are not, but ours is just the same as this." "Well" I replied "I only know in this kind of work "the ground that I actually examine. I am going up to "your claim and expect you to come with me." "All right" he said, "but it is a very hard climb." "That makes no difference to me." We started having a good trail two-thirds of the way, and the rest — until a trail is made — would bother a "burro." Arrived at the discovery shaft I found a well mineralized true fissure vein, and a showing that caused me to say, "this is not the same vein as that where we stopped." I saw my man's face elongate as he replied: "Why we always thought so, it seems to be the same "course, and since they have obtained such good assays, we "have thought this to be one of our best properties." "So it is" I replied "barring its present inaccessibility, "it is very much better than the one below, for here you "have twelve inches of gold quartz, well enough mineral- "ized to be pay if there was a stamp mill near by." "Ah!" said he, "I remember now, two years ago I "had an assay of ^40 per ton in gold from near the top; "but all of this country carries silver, so I did not believe "that the returns were right." "They were right" I said, "and here is the reason, on "the other side of this mountain or ridge is Swan basin, "the country rock changes there and the fissures carry gold "ores, the same country rock must come under this ridge "to this side, and the crevice of this claim reaches down "into it. It is from that rock that your vein filling and ore GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. 79 "supply comes, and if I am correct we can get furtlier "proof, as \vc go down the mountain we will follow the "outcrop, and as the erosion allows us to get deeper down "on the vein formation it will probably widen and there is "a possibility of finding a telluride quartz with this vein." About 700 feet down we found where the vein widened to over ten feet between walls, and I obtained some nice quartz specimens showing the presence of tellurium. With this result my party was well satisfied; but sup- posing I had taken his word that the vein below was the same as the one belonging to this company, as another expert did who followed me a few weeks after, and en- dorsed my report throughout except this claim, and stated that he did not understand how I could call that gold bear- ing quartz; but he did not tell the party to whom the re- port was made that he did not take the trouble to climb up and actually examine their claim, but accepted the statement that the claim at the foot of the hill was identical with the one he should have seen. The gangue in this lower claim is calc-spar with a little galena and some fine particles of gray copper that runs high and is, of course, a silver bearing vein; but has no more to do with the vein on the mountain top than if it was a fissure filled \\ith blue mud. We cannot be too careful and painstaking in this kimd of work ; very frequently there is the expenditure of many thousands of dollars and perhaps the probity and honor of a mining company's officers, depending on the statement made by an expert. With such weights in the balance of careful or careless work, it seems to me always best to climb the hill, even if it happens to be three times 1,200 feet, than to allow a chance for error. The men in actual charge of properties do not have the opportunity for a practical knowledge by comparison over large tracts of country, and many different mining sections, 8o GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. the same as men following the professional part of the trade ; and v^ery frequently, as was the case here, the super- intendent honestly believed that their vein was the same as the other, merely because a line could be drawn beiu>ee?i two points, and knew nothing about the difference in the rock formations, which really would govern the character of ores even if the crevices were the same, which I ver}' much doubt, as the course taken from the top of the hill carries the gold vein several hundred feet away from the one con- taining the calc-spar. It is such facts as the above and those recorded in previous chapters, isolated instances though they are, that are the keynotes to geological sections, and enables one afterwards to fit the different points together into one har- monious whole, and reason out the structure of very many square miles of rocks; and I can assure my readers that it is no childs play, but requires years of toil, close study of what others have done, and constant practice, never losing sight of the principles of — shall I say — world making, and care- fully working out each locality by itself upon such princi- ples. Avoiding, of all things, being biased, or having your judgment warped by the knowledge of some other section that you are already perfectly familiar with, and be inclined to try and force the present to what you knew before. It is this that causes more loss in mining than any- thing else, aside from out and out rascality, and why so many mining men successful in one part of the country, which they had to thoroughly understand to start with, fail, and miserably fail when they change to a new mining section. I hope this kind of preaching will do some practical good ; these are facts that cannot be stated too often or too forcibly for the good of all concerned; as what is for the good of the individual is for the good of the community, the good of the community is the good of the State, the GUNNISON. THE BONANZA COUNTV. 8 1 good of the State results in benefit to the nation, and na- tions make the world. There is not much more to be said about O-be-Joyful basin, as prospectors appear to be bothered with what they find, and do not push work. There is primitive and erup- tive «jranites, there is cretaceous quartzites and slates, with tertiary sandstones, shales and conglomerate, all having mineral veins breaking through them, and the ores gov- erned by the countrj' rocks through which they pass. All of this in a space of three miles square, it is not to be wondered at that prospectors become mixed, to say nothing about a mine expert fresh from Boston. We were back to the hotel at lo p. m., to learn that there was a call for a longer, and what proved to , be a harder trip early next day. This morning found three of us on the road, with the head of the North Fork of Anthracite Creek as the des- tination. The route was up Slate River to Pittsburg, hence up Poverty gulch, to the dividing ridge, near the "Little Nell" mining claim, and which route and locality was partially described in a former chapter. From the crest we had a very steep trail to descend, made zig-zag down an eroded gully on the mountain side, not making more than twenty-five feet descent on each turn, for nearly 800 feet down. The country was new to me. and to our guide also, as we found out; but all things, mining business as well as others must have a "first time;" within half a mile of the prospects the trail — such as it wa.s — ended, as far as the use of our horses were concerned. I had an excellent one, light weight, quick as a cat, good for trails, speedy when necessary, and withal gentle as a house pet. Fanny and I had many a climb afterwards, and she never re- fused to follow anywhere, I led. After leaving the horses we soon lost the trail entirely 82 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. • and divided to try and find the property, I taking the upper side or mountain top, that I might have all of the view possible. 1 saw the workings on the claims first and fi-om where I was could direct the others to it and soon was on the ground of the Silver King claim also. A couple of years' assessment work comprised the development, made to show the most by having an open cut on the hill side, and exposing the ore body three to four feet wide, principally composed of galena. Some carbonates also, resulting from oxidization of the sulphides, and with a calc-spar gangue. This ore stood up twelve feet on each side of the opening, while the surface showed galena croppings forty feet north- .west and 250 feet southwest, with a continuation on the surface of 150 feet more of vein material. The outcrop is in cretaceous shale, and it was on this mountain side that I first obtained any evidences of fossils, here finding casts of the fossil shell-fish bwccravius. This shale had been par- tially changed to a slate by metamorphism, afterwards I found the granite showing further down the mountain. The Silver King made a much better showing for the amount of work done than I anticipated, and when prop- erly developed ought to be one of the regular producing mines of the section, with a surprise ahead for the owners as depth is gained; for the ores will certainly increase in quality and character, soon after depth is made below the shale, and where the vein enters the granite. Five hundred feet below the "Silver King" is the "Bay Billy" mining claim which shows outcrops of six to eight feet of calc-spar well mineralized, carrying a value across the vein of ^22 per ton, an excellent ore to mine and con- centrate; test on the latter gave by a crude process over $160 per ton. In practical work this ore ought to concen- trate ten tons into one and have a milling value of over ^200 per ton. These are prospectively more valuable GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. . 83 properties than the surface material shows, owing to the near proximity of a better country rock, into which the veins must pass. It is only a question of practical intelli- gent work to make these properties of large producing value. Since my visit good trails have been made and addi- tional work shows the property ahead already of what I intimated in my report. Examining these Silver King and Bay Billy mining claims resulted in being the hardest trip that I made the whole season, as having missed the trail coming we did not find it going out. I struck out for where I thought it ought to be and fetched up at the head of a rift in the mountain, standing on a narrow ledge that I could not turn around on ; I did not have hands and feet enough, being loaded with some forty pounds of mine samples and country rock. Below me was the rift running down 800 feet, filled with small stones, and an eight-foot jump into it. There was no help for it I had to jump and alighted upright starting an avalanche of small rocks, in company with which I went down that 800 feet in less than two minutes. As I neared the bottom, I thought it looked as if the rift sud- denly ended, and was fortunate enough to catch a small pine branch and work onto solid rock in time to look down forty feet straight. Over this small precipice, tons of loose stones were pouring that my rapid descent had put in motion. It seemed a narrow escape after I had climbed down to the bottom by roots of bushes and clefts in the rock. Thirsty, hungry and tired I could look up 3,OCK) feet that I had to climb to get back to the Poverty gulch side . it was four o'clock in the afternoon, and not a mouthful since seven a. m. Moving along the bottoms in search of a trail I had heard of, I came across my comrades, who had just been 84 ■ GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. through a similar experience and appeared to be more used up than myself. The trail was soon found, and nearly i.ooo feet up we came to the first water, drank the little spring dr>', and waited for it to fill up again, this was repeated three or four times. Above this we came to some prospectors tents, where my friends stopped, completely tired out. I had to go on as I must start for a ride early next morning. On reaching my horse I found Fannie had cast herself, receiv- ing a good choking, and was as badly played out as my- self, and unable to carry more than my sacks of rock. This nearly broke me all up, but it would be moonlight and I was not going to lose any ground by going back for some- thing to eat. It was a beautiful moonlight night, so clear that as we reached the crest after nine p. m. I halted to enjoy it. Far west could be seen the borders of Utah, and under the magic influences of the night, the moonlight and surroundings, it seemed then, and now as I write, as a reminiscence of dreamland. From out of this beauty on the one side, I stepped into a cloud on the other side, and could not see ten feet ahead of me. I had to feel my way for 500 feet down the trail, then we were below the cloud and could make fair progress. Before coming to Pittsburg I remembered a prospecting acquaintance, his place I found, told my story and in twenty minutes a supper was read)% although the boys were in bed and asleep after a hard day's work. Such a meal — everything was good — as one might expect it would be — seven o'clock a. m. to after ten p. m- without a bite, after all of that climbing. An hour's rest made good for the remaining distance to Crested Butte; here I arrived at three o'clock a. m. feeling completel}- played out; but withal very much satisfied that I had pushed through, and now know nearly what my powers ot endurance are. eUNNISON, THE BCiNANZA COUNTY. S5 With the working of these properties that I visited much better and shorter trails have been made, so that the same trials will not have to be encountered on another trip. The next day I was off after dinner for a sixteen snile ride to Elko, over a most excellent road from Crested Butte through Elko, along the banks of the East River, which heads at the foot of Bellevue and Baldy Mountains. This river receives its start from a beauty of a little lake just on the divide from the Rock Creek slope. Here is an extremely easy pass and grade for the wagon road — it might be of great advantage to a railroad one of these days when the country beyond is sufficiently developed to warrant the building — and at six p. m. I was at Elko. Here the Central Mining and Milling Company have laid out a town, built a forty ton ore concentrator, sawmill, store and offices. It is all under the direct charge of Mr. J. H. McCoy, he also being one of the principal stockholders. I was most pleasantly entertained by Mr. McCoy and lady for three days — snowing and raining most of the time; and only learned that I must come back to stay as soon as possible. For here was a locality that showed evidences of more mineral and fissure vein results than I had dreamed of. The evening of September ist found me back at Crested Butte, finishing up local notes, preparatory to seeing all that the Rock Creek country had to show. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER XI. Slate River — Geology of Treasury Mt. and Vicinity — Ha-wk-Eye Mine — Cretaceous Rocks Here — Rocks of the East Slope — Veins of the Head of Slate River and Rock Creek — Paradise Basin, Bellevue and Baldy Mt. — Crystal Basin — Eureka Mine--Shakespeare Mine and Other Veins — Gov. Kearney's Claims — Marble. As I rode up Slate river on September 4, 1882, re- turning to get a fuller knowledge of Rock Creek country, I was enabled to get a few points in the geological struc- ture, that in the future fitting together of the rocks, I found to mean much. Let any one interested in rock structure follow the road to Pittsburg, and in the wagon road cuts, he sees an older sedimentary rock than those occurring with the ter- tiary coal measures at Crested Butte. By the roadside is cretaceous shales, partly metamorphosed to a slate, con- taining casts of Inoccrarniis, the characteristic fossil of that age. These shale beds dip nearly 30° on the average, and can be followed along Slate river for nearly fourteen miles, to the top of Treasury mountain. Above this, for nearly half the distance is a bed of granite porphyry, of varying thickness — six to twelve feet I saw it — and above that again the tertiary coal rocks. Here was food for thought, as it is just possible that this condition of things may very much limit the coal area of the Crested Butte basin, and cut off a short distance from that town, the two lower and most valuable coal seams. There was another strange thing I perceived had oc- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. 87 curred; as I examined the coal beds I found that they dipped slif^htly away from the recent lava beds, which had been erupted through them, showing its influence in rais- ing those measures. While on the contrary the beds of the cretaceous rocks dipped toward the granite porphyry cen- tres, that showed strongest the eruption of that rock, through the sedimentary beds of the older age. Evidently opposite results produced b}' similar action in different ages. It might be explained possibly by the fact, that the granite porphyry eruption was so enormous locally, that its weight graduall)' depressed the then plastic sedimentary rocks of the cretaceous age — ^just by mere weight or ton- nage. Should this surmise prove to be correct it would also account for the tertiary strata filling in the depressed cretaceous basins in after ages and building up in the gorges between the mountains of granite porphyry. Later on the recent lava eruption could only upraise, it did not overflow enough to depress. At Pittsburg we dined with one of the owners of the Hawk-eye mine, a property that has some characteristics worth looking into, I found zinc sulphides that gave 500 ounces of silver per ton — pretty high grade zinc for Colo- rado — as well as some other things, that set me to looking more closely as I rode on up the river bank. Cretaceous shales, or slates were the country rock, and it is well fissured; very many mineral veins occurring, but of low grade ores. To one acquainted only with the mining districts of the east slope, where the fissures carrying mineral break through ; for a time the formations here are more or less a puzzle. There the rocks, are either granites, porphyries, or metamorphic rocks, of an age, ante-dating possibly the carboniferous period — very hard, the fissures much nar- rower, hard quartz gangue, ores varying somewhat, and apparently of a wholly different method of occurrence. 8S GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. Here the country rocks are soft, the fissures break through partly metamorphosed shales; this kind of country rock crumbles, drops into the fissure, mixes country rock and gangue, so that it is almost impossible at times to have a certainty of defined walls. Through such rocks fissures are more or less irregular, much wider than if they occurred through firmer surface rocks, of lower grade ores on an average, as this character of country rock adds no value to vein material; but rather for the reasons stated detracts from it. So that when the prospector gets a good mineral showing here, generally galena ores, and has high hopes of success, all at once his ore is gone, and only pieces ot country rock cemented by silica, or frequently calc-spar gangue, remains as an evidence that he ever had any min- eral showing at all. He cannot understand it and in many instances throws up the prospect and leaves disgusted and discouraged, cursing his luck, and the country'. Now it is not the fault of the country; I am not going to apologize for it, but will attempt to explain. These mineral fissures all lead to a harder and better country rock, viz: primitive granite, and when this section is prop- erly worked and proved it will be found that with the change in country rock these veins will pass between smooth walls, narrower crevices, have a larger percentage of mineral in proportion to gangue, and of a much higher grade. The sulphides will change more from galena to a copper, and carry more value in gold. The geological formation proves this, and it is a for- unate thing that this is so; I mean that there is some dif- ficulty in getting to the real values of this section, as the rest of the State of Colorado wants some show for exis- tence, and were the gold and silver values as readily ob- tained here as in many other sections, these precious metals would soon depreciate in purchasing power somewhat. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTS'. S9 The mineralizing action in this country has been simply marvellously enormous. There is large returns for the proper employment of capital, it costs money to reach the depths, and it will cost money to take care of the water that will be encountered in these large open fissures. All that is as nothing in these days of enterprise and abundant capital. Show the busi- ness man of means, a certain profit, proportionate to risk, and he will try; and here by the use of inteligence, money and grit, he can succeed beyond anything I dare to put in figures. Nature has said, "Here I have done more work in "storing ores, than anywhere else in the world, covered b)- "the same surface of square miles, wrest it from me if you "can and dare." Nature does not lie, and man can and dare. Fannie and I had company, this trip it is quite a scramble over the Slate divide to the head of Rock Creek, and at times we saw things that we wanted to examine closer, and did not always follow the trail,but went straight for what we wished to see. Looking back once after a hard scramble, the horse keeping close to me, I was some- what surprised to see our friend coming on all fours. I did not realize before that the climb was so steep. I had been told to come to Elko and make myself at home. I did so, and enjoyed it thoroughly; who would not? something new to see and learn every day. The head of Rock Creek with its strong mineral veins every few hundred feet, only needing development to prove their im- mense wealth ; Paradise basin the same, Bellevue Moun- tain and Baldy cut through and through in every direction with ore bearing fissures, some of very high grade too. A wagon road had just been completed to Crystal basin, three miles from here. At the head of this basin is Treasury Mountain, over 13,200 feet high, on top of it is 90 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. the Eureka properties with fourteen feet of soHd ore, aver- aging $45 per ton net. Galena and copper sulphides from the base of these ores. On one side of the basin is the great Shakespeare vein. I climbed to the dividing ridge from the next basin — the one General Grant named as Carl Schurz — so that I could get the Shakespeare formation in place, and broke mineralized rock across one hundred and fifty feet of surface ground. This vein is a flat one, that is, it follows a course of cleavage between stratified rocks, having the same dip as far as can be seen or is developed. In the next basin I could see primitive granite outcropping, so that I knew all of these veins pass soon into that rock. There is almost as positive evidence of this in the gangue and character of ores of these veins, as if it was already a proved fact by de- velopment. Across the basin from the Shakespeare is another flat vein, traceable for two and a half miles continuous, with an average of ten feet of ore solid, and all of a shipping grade. It hardly seems credible, but any one can see it, the largest continuous ore body of strong pay ore now known. Its future output is beyond computation. Across these flat veins and their enclosing sedimentary rocks, break many vertical veins, smaller in size of fissure, and in many in- stances, carrying a higher per centage ofsilver value. These probably in depth pass more quickly into the granite, and it was these vertical veins and their ores that helped to con- vince me, that all of the veins of this section and geological age would in depth reach the same underlying country rock, and proportionately increase in value as depth is gained in working. I went one day to see some properties managed and partly owned by Gov. Kearney, of Kansas. There is quite a group of them in this Crystal basin on the Galena Moun- tain slope. In one of the vertical veins some very high GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. 9! grade shipping- ore is being taken out, and considerable work had been done on others of the claims, not with the the very best results, whatex-er the intention was, and mis- takes made just from the lack of a little knowledge of the rock, it often happens, and I suppose always will. I thought I was a good climber, but the Governor who showed me around, in spite of his gray hairs, gave me nearly enough. He is the first man I ever met, who seemed fresher than myself, after such a climb as we had that day. In this same basin is a bed of marble, it appeared to be originall)^ a conglomerate, composed of small rounded quartz pebbles, cemented by a lime deposit. Subsequent meta-morphism changed it to a marble; it ought to make a beautiful and unique stone when dressed. The quartz peb- bles sparkling, when polished, in the lime matrix, ought to make a finish for inside work, that would give a beauty of finish surpassing many of the marbles that are now used for that purpose. 92 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER XII. Elko a Cash Market for Ores — Concentrating Mill- First Day's Run — Such Mills Needed in all Min- ing Camps — Prospects Around Elko — Some Geology — Copper Creek — Pass to Connun- drum Gulch — Observations About — Capital Required — Dividing Ridge of Con- nundrum and Castle Creek — Bellevue Mountain its Possibilities — Lower Rock Creek Country — Roads of Gunnison County — Mines on Road to, and Upon Sheep Mt., Etc. While this Rock Creek .section has not been to this date ranked as an ore producer in any sense of the term, ex- cept perhaps the Eureka mines, and it might be a question, if past shipments from here have not been more as belong- ing to the Slate River section, than to Rock Creek — the wagon road finished into Crystal basin this fall should bring this territory to the front at once on the opening of another season. They will have a cash market at Elko at the hands of the Central Mining and Milling Co., where this company have put in a forty-ton concentrator with the avowed pur- pose of making the ores of this district shipping ores, out of all produced below the grade of hand-sorted ores, and that will concentrate. I was kept here a number of days to see this new mill start, which I was more than willing to do, from the fact that for three years past I have strenously advocated the use of these mills in all mining camps, rather than the num- berless reduction processes that almost every mining dis- trict, has idle monuments in their midst; standing adver- tisements of incapacity and ignominous failure. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 93 The mill was to use a patent slimes table, which if proved a success in Colorado ores, would mark a revolu- tion in ore saving. The trouble heretofore has been that in the gangue to be concentrated, the greater proportion of value worth saving, existed in the form of rich sulphides, such as gray copper, ruby silver, etc., etc. These minerals are so very brittle that the crushing power used has always reduced such sulphides to slimes, and the machinery heretofore principally used failed to save and separate the slimes. Consequently the object of concentrators has been to make as little slimes as possible, with a practical result giving a wide difference from the theoretical result. That is the ores were not concentrated to as high a grade practically, as theoretical tests showed they could be. The patentee of the slimes table, Mr. Jno. B. Wilford, had charge of the building of the mill throughout; all that was required of him was to build a mill that would run, and do its work. This he certainly accomplished to the satis- faction, not only of the owners, but of ev^ery one who has examined the mill as well as myself I put it thus strongly from the fact, that the patentee claimed a saving of ninety per cent, of any gray copper in the ore being treated. As this was the point where I knew other concentrating mills failed, I certainl)' had personal doubts, and strong ones ; though I did not feel called upon to express them until the mill had a chance. When the mill started up I was present, and while there was no gray copper or rub}' silver ore, to run upon, I saw those table saving an oxide, that settled it. I had not a word to say except praise, as there was the machinery, doing more than was claimed for it, and if they could save such an o.xide as I saw them doing, they certainly could save and separate the sulphides, no matter how fine they might be crushed. 94 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, I feel that a full description of the mill would not be out of place here. The power is water and ample for three times the mills present plant of machinery. The capacity now is forty tons per twenty-four hours. The mill is furnished with a sixty-ton Blake crusher, twenty-six inch Cornish rolls of the latest and most improved patterns, three sets of Brad- ford's improved ore jigs, and the slimes are saved and separated by a Wilford's slimes table, which, as asserted above, is the most successful machine of the kind I know. The power comes from a forty-nine foot head of water through a thirteen and a half inch Lefifel water-wheel with the latest and most improved attachments, such as gover- nor, etc. The modus operandi is as follows: the ore is loaded into a car from the ore bins, which have a capacity of over 900 tons; from the car to the crusher, thence to the rolls by elevator; from these to the first screen of six meshes tc^ the inch, the ore that will not pass this screen is returned automatically to the rolls; the second screen is ten meshes for the second jig, and the third screen is twenty-four meshes to the inch. The success of the whole machinery of course being based on the even sizing of ore particles as shown by the above grades of screens. Each jig saves a first and second class grade of con- centrates, as well as sending out the worthless gangue. Never before has there been such a perfect success in the State of Colorado, in a new mill, starting into work as this did the first day the power was applied and running and doing work as if it had always been going. The merest tyro in knowledge of mill machinery and ores, cannot help but be impressed with the economical ar- rangement of all about the mill; when he sees that the ore is fed to the crusher, and all is automatic from that point GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. 95 to the ore vats under the jigs and slimes tables. Kven every natural advantage of the ground, upon wliich the building stands is made to count, and nothing forced to a point that made great cost in preparing a mill-site. The first day's run was about six tons of very lean ore, of about eight tons raw material to one of concentrates. For one to take a handful of concentrates, then go to the natural ore and compare the two, it did not seem possible that such results could be produced, but there it was. It is just such investments as this that all mining camps want, and not reduction works, which in ninety-nine cases out of 100 are merely idle monuments of stupid invest- ments if no worse. This was one of the most interesting days 1 have spent in this part of the country; principally because I realize personally what this kind of work means to mining men, and it is of real benefit to me individually to see what I have always advocated, proved a practical success. The mill started on September 18, 1882, and run con- stantly until the ore on hand was cleaned up, and of no ore delivered to it could I find, but that a material advantage was gained, although some only went two and a half tons into one, which is very low. The idea of concentration being to arrive at a result by which the freight and treat- ment in cost of reduction, will be saved on the gangue or waste, and even on this lowest quantity of concentration, the saving on one and a ha^f tons was equal to $47.50 on each two and a half tons of raw material less the cost of concentrating. In and around this Rock Creek country in the imme- diate neighborhood -of Elko, I examined many prospects which certainly should have a promising future, too numer- ous in fact to mention individually ; but which will soon be able to talk for themselves if pushed by the owners, to the 96 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. " development, which the present showings certainly seem to warrant. Hearing much from outside rumor, (this Mr. O. R. is a very irresponsible individual), of Conundrum gulch, we concluded to have a look at it. On Sunday morning September loth, Mr. McCoy and myself took an early start, fine bracing, clear and beautiful was the air, no where but in Colorado do we have such constant treats. It was such a morning as Theodore Win- throp — that fresh, hearty writer — described when he said he could go out and get drunk on fresh air before break- fast. We started early, passing over the divide which sepa- rates Rock Creek from East River. This divide like the one between the Slate and Rock Creek, is principally cre- taceous shales, more or less fissured; but here is a new illustration in the geology of the country. A dike of gran- ite porphyry comes up through these shales by the road- side; and proves what I had advanced as theory on seeing the mountains of this granite porphyry in other localities. A little further down the road tertiary shales, unchanged, rest upon cretaceous shales, partially metamorphosed to slate, without the eruptive rock between as seen along Slate River. We breakfasted at Gothic after a ten mile ride; there are many good things in this neighborhood and I regret extremely, that it was impossible to make time to give it the thorough examination which I know the district merits. The finest lumps of native silver I ever saw pro- duced any where in the State came from the Virginia mine at Gothic. From Gothic our route lay up Copper Creek, follow- ing the Sylvanite road as far as it kept with the stream, from there on the county was making a wagon road over into Conundruum gulch. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 97 Our climb was up by trail, and such a trail, it might have been good with ten feet of snow to level up between boulders. How in the name — of the first prospector — material and supplies were ever packed up there, is a con- nundrum with me to this day. The elevation of the pass must verge on 13,000 feet above sea level. In one shel- tered place was last winter's snow, four feet thick yet, through it the trail went. The wagon road, now building, will make a good sum- mer road without doubt, but to keep it open in winter will need rich ores to be produced and large quantities of them. The descent into Connundrum is not nearly so bad as the ascent from Copper Creek. We pulled up at the camp of G. A. Jackson and party, who have comfortable log cabins and appear to be satisfied that they have one of the Bonanza districts of Gunnison County. We looked at several prospects that same after- noon, and while we found strong true fissures, and geological evidences in abundance of possibility of large and rich ore bodies to be opened by dev^elopment ; this work and actual proof was yet lacking. There seemed to be plenty of natural evidences which said "go-ahead," and as this party with the gentleman named had made up their minds to stock up with supplies for the winter and work it through, I sincerely hope that the spring will see all that is needed proved in fact, as well as theoretically, viz: actual ship- ments commenced of ores that will pay. I think that they are there, but at greater depths on an average, than the representatives of the district seem to be willing to allow. I base my judgment upon the following observations: The claims that I saw either outcrop in primitive rocks, or through their covering of metamorphic rocks. The fissures are very strong and free, the mineral quite evenly dissimin- ated through the gangue, no concentrated pay streaks along 98 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. either walls, nor ore chimneys giving pay ore from or near to the surface. That is what the present development shows. As a whole, I do not consider this character of formation of ore bodies a real objection, from the fact, that when depth does reach the horizons of pay ore, they will be continuous pay throughout nearly the whole length of the veins, and not divided into extremely rich ore pockets or chimneys with a corresponding amount of nearly barren ground. Of course, it is impossible to say at what depths such ore horizons will be encountered, but that they do exist I am confident from my knowledge of rocks, and the method of occurrence of the veins here. It will take capital to prove all this without remunera- tive returns for many feet down; but there is this hope to fall back upon, when the returns do come, they will be in proportion to the delay and risk encountered in developing them. We heard much of better things lower down the val- ley, but it was impossible to see them this trip. The dividing mountain range between Conundrum gulch and Castle Creek on this slope, carries such strong, rich veins as the Tam O'Shanter and Montezuma mines, now being worked from the Ashcroft or Castle Creek side. The day of our arrival we Avere treated to quite a snow storm, but it had all disappeared when we started next morning at 7 a. m., to arrive in Elko in time for dinner. I cannot be quite certain about the mineral formations at the head of Copper Creek, but it appeared that all of the mineral veins occurred in the contact rocks, between or near to the cretaceous formations and granite, while the upper part of the basin showed almost wholly granite, and apparently not fissured at all, thereby giving no opportunity for the formation of ore veins, awa}- from the immediate neighborhood of the lines of contact. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. QQ While at I'^lko, I paid particular attention to Bellevuc mountain, partly, I must confess, because an expert had passed his opinion on it eight years before, and stated that it was barren, not worth working upon, and it had to a great ex- tent been left alone. I wanted to find out how my obser- \-ations would agree with those of another. This is what I found, and I do not fear to place my.self on record regarding it. That there is a combination of rocks in this mountian, well and strongly fissured, which on development will gi\'e the rich ores of Washington gulch and the Irwin district. I think that is a plain enough statement to be under- stood, and if I am deceived it will be the first time that rock combinations have misled me; again it may be time for some of the conceit to be taken out of me, and here is where it may be done. I can and am willing to learn yet, but constant work for ten years in practical field geology may have a tendency to make one overestimate their actual knowledge. If so, I am as anxious as any one to find out when and where I am wrong; but, in the meantime, I will -Stand by my statement of Bellevue mountain. Some gentlemen from the east arriving, who were di- rectly interested in Gunnison County by monied invest- ments, I was invited to accompanv' them on a trip to the lower Rock Creek country. W'e started the morning ofSeptembei' i6th, five of us, the State of Missouri represented by an overwhelming ma- jority. It had rained heavil)- the night before, so that the roads and trails were not in the most pleasant condition. So much did the resident member of the party resent this, that an occasional derogatory remark could be heard com- ing under his breath, and not at all complimentary to tiie weather managers; but, what could not be cured we found lOO GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. could be endured, and we certainly got through all right, and I, for one, heartily enjoyed the trip. We stopped a few minutes at Schofield, one of the fron- tier towns and probably the oldest in this section, where nothing ante-dates three years. Here was as far at the wagon road went at present, although graders were at work on down Rock Creek canon, opening a wagon road through a most difficult section to the lower country. It is the road making this summer that will help Gun- nison County in the immediate future, as by the time snow comes again, every available and proved mining district will have good wagon roads connecting it with the railroad shipping points. To capitalists seeking investment, this is a good point, as it gives the opportunity to economically market the ore produced, and places this country in that respect ahead of some of the districts where mining has been carried on for the last twenty-three years. The first and best developed claim that we saw is the Lulu on Mineral Point slope just up from the last named town. There was about seventy-five tons of ore on the dump, out of a crevice claimed to be twelve feet wide with pay ore streaks on each wall averaging two feet each. The ore consisted of iron, copper and zinc sulphides with a stated shipping value of $120 to ^$170 per ton. Shaft at the time of my visit about sixty feet deep. Next along the trail came the Whopper lode, which had a ten year history, possibly the pioneer location of the district. There was 100 tons of ore on the dump out of a ten-foot crevice. The gangue was silica carrying zinc sul- phides with an accompaniment of iron, galena and copper, stated to have an average value of twenty-one ounces silver per ton, evidently an ore that would pay to concentrate. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. lOI Soon after this the trail (?) led down hill into the val- ley of North Rock Creek, part of it was excellent, the rest, — well it was a comfort to know that there was a wagon road being opened around the other way — near the valley we switched off to see the New York mine, having quartz and calc-spar gangue, with a three-foot pay streak, the ore here was the same as the Whopper, only the zinc sulphides predominated, if there is anything to be reaWzed by com- parative looks, these zincs ought to carry well in silver, as it almost duplicated the Hawkeye mine of Slate River, but then the geological formation is different, and as that gov- erns the ores, appearances do not count. At the foot of the trail is the town of Snow Mass, we dined here, that is we picnicked, we had a good lunch with us, the storekeeper sold us good sardines, and the water of North Rock Creek, I am ready to affirm, is the best drink in the world. From Snow Mass the trail winds up Meadow Moun- tain, branches off to Sheep Mountain, one of the well adver- tised districts of this section. The first claim seen on Sheep Mountain was the Irene lode, developed by a sixty-foot shaft and thirty foot level, a perpendicular vein claimed to be opened eleven feet wide and only one wall found. It has two feet of well mineral- ized quartz gangue, and more or less ore disseminated through the whole material showing in the ore house and on the dump, there being about seventy-five tons of con- centrating ore on hand, the mineral was the usual four sul- phides, copper being the least in quantity. The iron py- rites are in some instances a mineralized curiosity as upon breaking some of the cubes, I found them enclosing parti- cles of another sulphide, possibly molybdenite. After the above we visited the Sifter, the Forest King, the Grand Republic, all showing more or less similarity according to development, to those already described, the I02 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. latter claim showing some manganese in addition to the sulphides named. The Bonanza lode had a change in the gangue of the crevice, weich caused me to think, comparatively, more favorabl}' of its future possibilities, than of some of the others. We rounded up at James' cabin, had a splendid venison supper and slept in the best built log cabin I ever saw. Very much money has been laid out here in some surface improvements on some properties ; but there was an appar- ent hitch in the programme somewhefe, and the ground has not as yet been shown up to produce, what the surface improvements would seem to warrant. According to the almanac the next day was Sunday, (in this country that is the principal means of knowing when Sunday comes), and having a fine morning we con- tinued our tour of investigation, visiting such claims as the Mammoth, the Cleopatra, the Gothic Belle, the Home- stake the City of Detroit and the Milwaukee, this last is the only one seen producing ore that can be shipped at once, as mill returns give 293 ounces silver per ton, and tests have been run up to 1,700 ounces per ton. A few other prospects were visited but did not show any material difference from most of those named. Having decided to go still lower, we went over the north side of Sheep Mountain, taking a short cut until we reached a trail leading down to the valley below. From here we rode on until within sight of the lake on lower Rock Creek, just below Hat Mountain. It rained, it snowed and the sun shone. Here I could see where the tertiary rocks again came in place, and report said that below here was still larger veins of coal than those I had already seen in the Crested Butte and Ohio Creek basins. Owing to the weather and perhaps the feeling that we had seen all that there was to be seen at present of interest. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. IO3 WO determined to return to Elko that afternoon; having all varieties of weather as we ascended or descended the mountains our trail led over. Of course as usual I was loaded with rocks, and wet through, so much so that for comfort's sake I walked most of the way back leading Fannie, who was quiet enough until she began to realize the possibilities of a warm barn and oats for the night. Then what a race we had across the flats of Rock Creek below Elko in the face of a driving storm of sleet. The highest elevation of Sheep Mountain is 10,975, it is 3,000 feet down to Rock Creek, and all sedimentary rocks. Now the granite below is what is the governing influence upon the ore bodies of all this country, so that here is possibly an exception to the rule, as the granite is too far off to count upon an increase in the actual value of the ores, beyond what now shows in the sulphides obtained at or near the surface of these veins of vSheep Mountain. They are fine strong" fissures and many of them, and even if they do not show richer ores, until very great depths are reached in working, it is jjossible for them to increase in quantity, and so bring up the output to a 23rofitable return for working. I had spent all of the time in this section 1 could spare, and having shipped over 400 pounds of the rep- resentative rocks and ores of these districts, I returned to Crested Butte with the feeling that my season's work was accomplished, except for some special work that I had engaged to do. 104 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER XIII. Crooke's Station — Tomichi Dome — Hot Springs Park — White Pine — North Star Mine — Tomichi Min- ing and Concentrating Company — Granite Porphyry Again — Trout Fishing and a Dinner — Cebolla Iron Mines — Colorado Iron and Coal Co. — Iron Product of Col- orado — Brush Creek — Carboniferous Rocks and Fossils — Mt. Teocalli — Brush Creek Mines — Alcyon Mine — Pearl Pass — Sulphate of Baryta Gangue — Tertiary Coal Measures—Cement Creek — Hot Springs — Bowman's—Head of Taylor River— Ital- ian Mt. — Crested Butte, Its Future. My next trip was entirely away from the country I had been spending so much time in; and the afternoon of September 19th saw two of us getting off the D. & R. G. train at Crooke's station, twenty-three miles from Gunni- son City. We stopped with Mr. C — all night, this gentleman and family were amongst the early settlers of the county, and to judge from the real home comforts surrounding them, and amidst which they were living, they had come with their minds made up to stay. Although but of a fe\r hours' duration my halt there was a delightful change from hotel and camp life. The next morning had two inches of snow on the ground, and the atmosphere still lowering and misty. By nine o'clock a. m. we had the promise of a clear day and started. Our route was to the south of Tomichi Dome, across one end of Hot Springs park, a delightful summer resort, and which will become one of the noted places for tourists in the near future. Up and over — by good wagon road — GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. IO5 a divide, on down to the Toniichi valley, arrivinp^ at White Pine in time to dine. The principal mine I .saw here wa.s the North Star, developed 115 feet deep, cro.s.s cut.s of thirty-five feet and no walls, the ore is galena with a claimed value of forty-five to seventy per cent lead, and about twenty-eight ounces of silver. Some copper stains showed in places, and an abundance of iron oxides. The gangue is lime or calc- spar, with ore and gangue standing in alternate bands. There were a number of prospects in Galena gulch, where the North Star is, but not developed to a point where they showed any pay ore. For supper and lodging we went on up the stream three miles to Tomichi. Here the Tomichi Mining and Concentrating company are just completing a large mill, which we went through. If an opinion ma}' be expressed, I am afraid that the ores which we saw in the mill^ will be found quite difficult to handle, and save values, by the ma- chinery that is being placed. The ores we saw were principally oxides, and how in the name of a suffering public, these light ores are to be concentrated by any wet process, I am very curious to find out. There must be many opportunities for good mines here, we were shown some high grade ores, and a char- acter of country that should yield them abundantly. Arsenical iron pyrites carrying $4,100 in gold and silver is high grade ore. I saw more, viz : the granite porphyry of the Slate River country, and began to feel that instead of my sea- son's work being done, perhaps it had only commenced. As I rode back alone to Mr. C — 's I had time to think it all over, making up my mind that as I had seen two ex- tremes of a section of a country, I must see that between I06 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY.' those points if it was possible, and so fit my rock sections together from one extreme to the other. The Tomichi was a good stream for trout, my friends put in a couple of hours fishing on the 22nd of September, before the train was due. Their success was excellent, for- tunate for us that it was so, the train being seven hours late, but no telegraph station to let us know that; what a wear}' wait it was, and how vexatious to the sportsmen, an elegant trout stream within a few rods of the track, and the train expected every minutes for seven long hours. Hunger brought out some resources, C — and I could clean fish and Mr. L. said he could cook them. The sec- tion house was invaded, the stock of ranch butter was se- cured, as well as the use of a stov^e and frying pan. We had a meal fit for the gods — it was worth waiting seven hours to learn that trout could be cooked so that they melted in one's mouth, and tasted good hours after they were eaten. In a few days a part}' was made up to go from Gun- nison City to visit the iron ores of Cebolla, two carriage loads, a twenty-six mile drive over a first-rate road, the old Lake City stage road. The route was through the granite countr}', a part of which has been already described, when at Gunnison City, eai'lier in the season. The Cebolla iron deposit is a peculiar formation unto itself 1 was asked regarding its geology ; I had to weaken ; I never saw anything like it, or read of anything similar. There is iron enough, over a mile square of it. appar- ently overlaid by trachyte at one time. The country rock is granite. The ore is heavy, black magnetite, of fair grade of iron, but carrying, as I \\as afterwards in- formed by one of the representatives of the Colorado Coal and Iron Company, too much titanium to be prac- tically available in iron manufacture. That appears to be the great drawback of Colorado (.iUNNlSON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. IO7 iron ores, but there are such enormous bodies of iron in such various methods of occurrence throughout the Cen- tennial State, that I for one hope in time to see Colorado furnishing more of tliat metal than either of the states of Pennsv'lvania or Missouri. The Colorado Coal and Iron Company have proved this for Colorado ores, that when they can be utilized they beat the world. Railroad men say the Bessemer steel rails turned out of the works at Pueblo, are better than those made any- where else in the United States. Foundry men say that their pig iron makes castings as near wrought iron for toughness as it is possible for castings to be; and builders show the nails of the C. C. & I. Co., and claim they are as good as the hot-pressed nails of the east. In four months from the starting of the nail works at Pueblo dealers could not sell an Eastern nail in the State. After the foregoing trip I spent a couple of days again going over the coal measures of Ohio Creek and Crested Butte basins, in compan}^ with a gentleman from Pittsburg, Penn., one of the large coke manufacturers there. A few days afterwards my friends started east, evi- dentl}- well pleased with what they had seen and learned; leaving me to do what I was aching to accomplish, viz : ex- amination of the country through, from Copper Creek to the head of the Tomichi. It seemed a big undertaking to do right, before snow came, but I had this to help me out, past experience in this countr\-, had given me many points, and I could work more rapidly than I had been doing. The first trip was from Crested Butte up Brush Creek, starting on the 29th of September. I had the use of a fine, powerful horse, broken to trail and mountain climbing for two years before, one of these knowing horses who would not stand tied, but drop the bridle on his neck loose, and lOS GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. and he was always to be found where you left him. He would gallop with sacks of rocks on the saddle, and seemed to know that I did not want them to rub, as he hardly shook them; and, before "Nig" and I parted, he had got so far along in my business, that, as far as he could see a freshly broken pile of rocks, he made for them, stopped for me to get off and examine the pile; and, if I did not, he turned his head to me, an apparent look of inquiry would be in his eyes, as much as to ask, "Well! what is the mat- ter with that lot?" The route was over the new wagon road, made up Brush Creek. Shortly after leaving East River on this road, one soon observes a remarkable change in the geological for- mations, and for some reason which I could not determine at the time, much lower rocks in the geological horizon appear. I found one strata of limestone with carboniferous fossils, and near by was another rock which had every ap- pearance of being useful some time in the future for the manufacture of hydraulic cement. These were the oldest sedimentary rocks that I was certain I identified in the whole of the Gunnison country. As the road ascends in its course, the student finds himself climbing through a geological series, as it were. The first of the cretaceous is a red sand stone conglom- erate, and which is possibly at this locality the equivalent of the Dakota red sand stone, or number one of the eastern slope series of the cretaceous rocks ; afterwards a few of the older metamorphic rocks are found, and finally you ride out amongst the primitive. Of course a series of up- heavals and erosions have apparently reversed the forma- tions. In connection with the oldest rocks, I found a beau- tiful fine grained syenite. From several places on the road I had an excellent vicM^ of Mt. Teocalli, and regretted much that it was not GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. IO9 directly on my route, as from where 1 saw it, the structure appeared to be strata of undisturbed sedimentary rocks, which past convulsions of nature, had, from a possible local cause, left alone. But the breaking of strata all p.round, with the aid of subsequent erosion, had left this fragment of vast horizontal beds of sedimentary rocks in the form of an elevated mountain. Apparently there all of the strata were from the latest, except the tertiary, on down through the series for thousands of feet. This Mt. Teocalli may stand relatively to the rock his- tory of this country, as the stone discovered in Egypt did to the unknown symbols of a very ancient people and a more modern language, and which enabled the student to unravel the history of ancient and unknown races of mankind. So may you Mt. Teocalli, carved by nature be the key to all of the foregoing history of your small part of earth structure; I would have liked to have made your personal acquaintance anyhow, but I had to do without that this time. Clear across the country to the great Uncompahgre range one can have an almost unobstructed view, and amongst the highest of its peaks, there is apparently the duplicate of Mt. Teocalli ; what you both have to say I will know sometime, I promise myself that much. The mineral section commences again at the head ot Brush Creek, veins outcropping in cretaceous rocks, flat ones following the dip of the strata. Here I found Capt. McCarty and party, and accepted the miners hearty invitation to stay all night and make myself at home. The latch string always hangs out among these men ; and nowhere on earth does one feel he is more heartily welcome, than among the mining men of Colorado, it is in the air they breathe. The next forenoon I used in visiting the Alcyon claim, elevation nearly 13,000 feet, and which, while it had not I lO GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTV. much development, showed a strong crevice, in one place ten feet of croppings. Very high assajs are claimed for this property, the extremes being thirty-five ounces to 14,000 ounces silver per ton. I also saw the Kansas City claim, this occasionally yields small lumps of horn silver in the surface workings. There were other holes to be seen, but I wanted to see the formation to the top of Pearl Pass. After dinner I started up the road, recently finished as an outlet from the Castle Creek, and Ashcroft sections ; as I neared the top the appearance of the possibility of a min- eral district became much stronger, and although the ele- vation is so great, the road being nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. I saw some evidences that promise good things, and believe work will find them. From the Pass late in the afternoon I could look over a vast extent of new and to me unknown countr)', but of which I had heard much, and which I must lea\e until an- other season's work. However the causes for veins and ore bodies, on the Ashcroft side of Pearl Pass divide, were in their da}' and generation very much more actively at work than on the Brush Creek side. This I know from the visible results; being belated I rode on down to Ashcroft to stop all night, then obtaining an early start next morning, I took time to ride around somewhat, and found more and larger outcrops of certain kinds of ores than I was accustomed to seeing. Some of the veins showed sulphate of baryta (heavy spar) in the croppings. While it is not proved what this may indicate in this part of Colorado, this spar frequently occurs with rich silver ores in Custer, Park, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Boulder Counties. In Clear Creek County the miners from experience call it "mother of silver,", and will go down on it, even if it does not show in startmg an ounce of silver per ton; and have in\ariably run into rich silver ores in paying quantities. GUNNISON, THK BONANZA COUNTY. F I I Now the foregoing; must not be taken as a j^eneral i-ule applicable in all cases, by any means, as it mioht be entirely different in this Pearl Pass countr)-. I advance the statement that the workers of these claims may ha\'e an additional knowledge for practical observation in their individual localit}'. Sunday evening found me back to ni)- quarters in the Elk Mountain house. A short trip was made to satisfy m)'self regarding the practical result of a theory, I had adx'anced in connection with the Tertiary coal-measures, and finding the proofs of my theory I felt satisfied, it will be noted elsewhere, when I come to sum up the geology and practical values of these coal-measures. Eight miles down the valley from Crested Hutte Ce- ment Creek empties into East River. One fine morning in October found "Nig" and I out on an exploring expedition up this creek. I could not learn much about it previous to a personal visit, although in an earlier day I was told that a trail went through here on across Taylor Park and over the range to Leadville; but since the building of railroads into Cunnison County, this route had fallen into disuse, and as near as I could learn from those whom I questioned, it is at present more or less of a terra incognita. Haifa mile up the creek, out of the East River valley, there is a large spring from which a foot of tepid water is constantly flowing, the largest spring I saw in the county. It is heavily charged with carbonate of lime, and has made a thick deposit of travertine along the bank of the creek. This .spring is quite a place of resort in the summer .season by the Crested Butters for bathing, and might be made an enjoyable summer resort, perhaps will be in time. This travertine has been utilized to some extent by burning into lime, but of what quality I do not know. 112 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. Appearances are certainly against the commercial product^ as the kilns and surroundings are now wholly deserted and idle. About three miles up, the creek comes through a nar- row gorge with nearly 300 feet of fall, an opportunity for considerable water-power when the day comes for its use. The trail turns to the left and winds up another and more accessible gulch, crosses a small open park, then down to the most lovely valley of Cement Creek. From here for twelve miles the ascent is quite gradual on the south side of the stream, the north side where the trail goes being broken by abrupt, outstanding ledges of the cretaceous rocks; notably the red sandstone conglom- erate seen up Brush Creek. About two miles from the head of the stream, is a very strong .spring of sulphur water in the bed of the creek. Up here on the south bank is Italian Mountain, one of the landmarks of the United States geological survey un- der Prof Hayden. Seeing that the dividing ridge at the head of Cement Creek was low, I rode on up to its crest. There are abundant evidences of minerals here, but no work of any account done, some prospectors had com- menced, as I found their stakes with a date not sixty days before my visit, but they had all left for the winter. Seeing some cabins and evidences of work in the other valley from the one I had traversed, my horse and I slowly wended our way down a trail to them. VVe found evi- dences of recent occupation, but the inhabitants were not there, and I had to conclude that with the birds they had migrated until spring. I was in somewhat of a quandary, as I did not feel certain of the correctness of my geographical position. It was palpably evident that I was there, but where was I^ and how far was it to the nearest supper and lodging ? It was a conundrum that I had to give up, but soon found GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. II3 "Nig," thought he could solve it, so giving him his head, off he started down stream of an unknown country. The trail was marshy, it was getting very dark, and at times I could feel my horse under me making mighty efforts to keep from being mired. A couple of hours brought us within sight of lights, and a little after seven p. m. I was dismounting at the toll- gate, on the road between Ashcroft and Buena Vista, in Taylor Park, locality Bowman's. Here was accommoda- tion for man and beast, and we were glad to find it. A good supper a large open hearth fire to sit by and I was soon recovering from the effects of a really hard day's work. I learned we had come down one of the branches of Taylor River for six miles, and my geography was soon cleared up. At seven a. m. of October 4, 1882, we were on the road returning over the route of the night before. I was bound to climb Italian Mountain if it were a possible thing; it proved to be quite a climb too, up a steep slope of uptilted cretaceous rocks, more or less fissured, and showing some evidences of mineral, but not enough to pay as yet has been opened ; a few holes had been scratched in various places, but not a soul appeared to be around, whom I could question, some recently dated stakes showed that prospectors had been there within sixty days, trying their luck, they were all gone however at the time of my visit. The view from the top of Italian Mountain is bounded by mountain ranges in every direction, but what thousands of square miles lie within this boundary. One could over- look the whole of Taylor Park, all of the valleys of the streams centering at Gunnison City, and beyond to the boundaries of the San Juan and Uncompahgre Countries; sweeping round to the -eastern borders of Utah, thence onward connected by ranges and mourttain peaks to the grand old Continental Divide nearest to me. 1 14 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. . I could not help but think that if the whole of this circumscribed area was proportionately as rich in natural products as the small part I had so carefully seen, why here in time could be produced wealth equal to the present known wealth of the whole world ; and withal it is a coun- try beautiful to live in, and progressive enough to have a feeling of pride ringing in the words of the man who will say "here I live." I was pretty well loaded with specimens when I came down the slope. I had learned a trick on the North Fork of Anthracite Creek, so selecting a* wide rift filled with small stones, etc., I went down in less than fifteen minutes a mountain that had taken three hours to climb. "Nig" had not been idle while I was absent, for get- ting one of my sacks opened he had made away with ten pounds of oats and looked more than contented with him- self He carried the outfit into the Buttes in time for supper. Having thus finished all of the territory that was most convenient to Crested Butte as headquarters, I packed up and shipped to Denver a large amount of ore illustrations of the country which I had seen so far, and made ready to move on to Jack's Cabin. Before leaving Crested Butte it ought not to be out of place to say something regarding its future, which prin- cipally lies in its possibility of making a second Connells- ville. Here it is that such excellent coking coals are known, and through the Colorado Coal and Iron Company are being utilized. Heretofore cokes has been manufac- tured from the slack, or fine product of the mines, by being burned in open pits, a wasteful method. Having proved in this way the possibilities of the property, this company is now building fifty coke ovens which ought to be in full operation by the spring of 1883, if not before. The railroad is being continued up the Slate River to the Smith coal- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. II5 banks, where it is contemplated laying out extensive plants of breakers, etc., for active and large mine working during another season. These operations will give employment to large num- bers of men, and be the pioneers perhaps of other and larger industries in the near future. It already appears to be object enough for the South Park Railroad to find a way to get there, and share the freight of the natural output of this basin. The town is situated in a lovely part of the Slate River valley,* and plenty, of interesting places for sight-seeing near by, as well as many things yet to be secured and developed by the capitalist. Withal it is blessed with a good and well managed hotel, the Elk Mountain House. Il6 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. CHAPTER XIV. Good-Bye to Crested Butte— The Doctor Mine— The Northern Lava Mesa — From Howville into Gunnison City--Geological Changes--Ohio City — Mistakes of Mining Men in Regard to Smelters — Moving Onward to Pitkin. On the afternoon of October 6, 1882, I bade good-bye to Crested Butte for the season, and rode on down to Jack's Cabin. At the foot of, and to the north of Round Mountain, Cement Creek joins East River; here I saw a dump and leaving "Nig," I climbed up to examine it. I found a foot of iron stained material in a forty-toot tunnel, evidently of no commercial value. As I returned to my horse he had taken a notion that it would be a fine thing to roll with all my traps on his back. I began to scold, when I got within ten feet of him he deliberately trotted off That horse made me wade Cement Creek once and East River three times, before I headed him off at Wallace's Camp near the foot of Crested Butte Mountain. He knew he had done wrong, and car- ried me to Jack's Cabin in little over an hour; then without supper he had leisure to study upon the error of his ways, with a probable conclusion not to do so any more; as that was the first and last trick "Nig" ever played on me. The East River valley widens considerably south ot Round Mountain, and here are the houses of Howville, or Jack's Cabin, occupied at the time of my visit by Ben Sherwood, one of the pioneers of Gunnison County. At his house I was entertained for five days, occupying the time in examining the surrounding country. The princi- pal place of interest that I saw was the head of Spring GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 11/ Creek and the "Doctor" mine. At this time to get there we crossed the low dividq between East and Taylor Rivers, passing a profitable potato ranch in the Taylor River val- ley, then on up stream past the mouth of Spring Creek, hence by trail up a side gulch to its head, then over a di- vide to the "Doctor" mine or head of Spring Creek. On this property I found a tunnel run in 150 feet on ore lying nearly flat, and development of over thirty-five feet in width each side. The ore body ranges four to ten feet thick, and is much liked by smelters on account of easy treatment and high per cent, of lead. This ore is spoken of as carbonates ; but the most of it is rather a sul- phate than a carbonate, as I found a great deal of angle- site, (sulphate of lead) among it. The gross value is about ;$44 per ton, ^10 net is paid by the Hillerton smelter for this ore on the dump, the owners of whic4i pack it by burros to Taylor River road and from there haul by wagons through Union Park to the smelter, where it is used as the lead, or bullion base for the reduction of the higher grade ores of Tin Cup. This mine at the time of my visit had about ;^ 1 60,000 gross in sight with the small amount of development named ; the ore is very easily and cheaply worked. The ore-body has a slight dip east, with the hill- side, and as it is followed in that direction I think it will turn downwards much more rapidly, and with depth change from the present form of ore composition to galena, with possibly a higher value in silver. Next to the "Doctor" claim is the King lode, from which in an open cut not over twelve feet deep. I saw masses of galena taken out as large as could be lifted into a wheel-barrow. The country rocks are cretaceous and with the granite will make contact walls for ore bodies. Up Spring Creek itself, a large force of men were at work opening a county road to its head. Through here Il8 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. an easy grade down hill will be opened from this mining district, connecting within eighteen miles, with the D. & R. G. Railroad at Taylor station, thus making the outlet and possible cash market for this district at Gunnison City. There does not seem to have been as yet the amount of prospecting in this Spring Creek district that the present showing and rock formations seems to warrant; but that will rapidly follow, as soon as transportation (another sea- son) is opened, and there is a strong probability of many more ore bodies being found as good as those already named. I spent one day climbing and examining the northern lava mesa on the divide between Ohio Creek and East River, to find that the two mesas were originally one, and that subsequent erosion had cut them in two. The lava was about fifty f^et thick, flat, table like on the top, covered with a growth of pines, not much deadwood or fallen tim- ber, a little over a mile square, and from each edge a mag- nificent view of the surrounding country. I started up an elk family while I was there, consisting of a buck, doe and fawn, also saw plenty of wood-grouse. The lava flowed over, and is subsequent to the tertiary formation. It was this volcanic eruption that fissured the tertiary rocks, so that the ruby silver veins of Irwin could occur, and makes them the most recent of any in geolog- ical age. I came down on the west slope of the mesa examining the tertiary rocks exposed, and on through the eroded basin to East River. I hoped to find evidences of coal seams, and that the heat and pressure of the overlying eruptive rock would have changed such coals to an anthra- cite. I did not find any coal float whatever, only masses of lava which show continuously from the mesa every- where down the slope, the same as on the Ohio Creek side. While at this place I climbed Round Mountain, find- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 1 19 ing it a combination of uptilted sedimentary rocks, with trachyte, eruptive granite and granite-porphyry, represent- ing perhaps three different ages of eruptive rocks in the one mountain. This locality is referred to again in the summing up of the season's work, so that it is sufficient to say now that I was somewhat disappointed in what I expected to find; those expectations were wholly based upon the representa- tions of others, and that evidently without sufficient knowl- edge of what they were attempting to describe. From Howville I meant to ride up into Union Park, where extensive gold placers are worked each year. I had been quite curious to get into this park all of the summer, that I might learn, if possible, the source of and the method of occurrence of this placer gold. The day I had set upon for going snowed, and I was most forcibly reminded that Gunnison was a very large county, and I had places to go yet that I must have bare ground for examinations, and that what I could not see well now I had better leave for an- other year. So on the morning of October nth instead of Union Park, saw "Nig" and I headed for Gunnison City in a snow- storm that had been threatening to catch us for the last two days. We followed the toll-road down the East River to its junction with Taylor River, at this place is where Gunnison River commences. We appeared also to be descending the geological scale, as soon no more tertiary rocks were to be seen, then passed out from us the cretaceous, the last of the sedimen- tary rocks being a sandstone and which I would place amongst those of a carboniferous age, this was broken through in places by red eruptive, feldspathic granite. Then we finally rode out into the flat gravel deposit upon which Gunnison City is built. 120 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. ■ A rest here of one day to recuperate, which meant in my case catch up on correspondence, purchase a few neces- saries of clothing, etc., and then I was off for what is locally known as the gold belt near to Ohio City about twenty miles from the City of Gunnison. A ride of twelve miles up the Tomichi River to Par- lin's in time for dinner, here Quartz Creek joins the Tom- ichi. This twelve miles is over an excellent road, with the hay ranches along the stream bottoms, the roadside bordered with a strange character of conglomerate, eroded in some instances into fantastical shapes. Upon examination of this conglomerate it appears that the cementing material is volcanic ash. In a former chapter I have mentioned beds of volcanic ash found near to Gunnison City. It would seem as if at one time in past ages that the present site of Gunnison City was the bed of an inland lake or sea, into which the drainage of the surrounding country centered, and not so very many ages ago either. Near this body, perhaps to the eastward of it, there was an active volcano, which in its period of life gave out large quanti- tities of ashes. These falling into the lake, were mingled with boulders and pebbles brought down by the stream, thus making the present accumulation. I must confess that the above is only a partial theory, as to work the basin out in detail, and be able to make proper deductions from facts found, one must carefully examine the outlet (Dark Canon) through which this body of water was drained, find out if it was the result of long and continuous erosion or the result of a volcanic eruption producing a fissure, afterwards enlarged by ero- sion. The point or locality at which the ejection of ashes occurred must also be found, "the fact determined whether it was of the same age as the lava flows found near jack's Cabin, or later in geological history. I do not GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 121 think from the present condition of the material it could have been earlier. To read this basin aright one must determine whether there was a lava flow first from a crater, followed by ashes without an intermittent period, or determine whether there was only one outbreak to produce the seen results, and that continuous until the volcanic force was spent. It would, on the small examination that I could give this sec- tion, appear to be one continuous pouring forth of hot ashes, this deduction is made from the present appearing result of a homogeneous mass of ashes on what might have been the shore line of the body of water and a similar result in the water, as the whole mass of conglomerate shows the same cementing material. I have not time to prove all of that now, and make a note of it, to jog my memory in the future, of something still to do in this part of the country. It is eight miles from Parlin's to Ohio City, up the Quartz Creek valley. Through here the Denver & South Park Railroad has found a way to the City of Gunnison, and is now bidding for its share of business with the Den- ver & Rio Grande company. If I have read the country's "title clear," there is, in the near future, business enough for both. As one enters what is a new geological field a sharp lookout is kept for changes in the formations. Here we start with a showing of carboniferous sandstones, these give way as we ascend Quartz Creek, then the red granite shows in small patches, as well as occasional spots of the older metamorphic rocks, mica, shists, etc., but about five miles up the stream from Parlin's, all changes to primitive granite. In this last noted change, one sees the possible approach to a mineral section, by the frequent appearance of strong veins of white quartz in the granite. A turn in the road soon brines us within sight of the railroad station 122 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. and collected houses and cabins designated as Ohio City. I found a hotel kept here by a genuine Michigan ten- derfoot, slightly adulterated with a year of residence in Kansas, simple and honest, but withal rather inclined to imagine that the investment in mining properties did not require so very much judgment as it would require to buy a mule. This gentleman died of pneumonia shortly after I had left his house, I am sorry to say. The mining section about Ohio City is but three years old, the same as all of the rest of the country I had seen so far. The lesser Ohio Creek joins Quartz Creek here, and is some nine miles to its head, cutting through primitive granite, birds-eye porphyry and the older meta- morphic rocks, such as mica and garnet schists, gneiss, etc. Through these rocks break very many gold bearing veins, showing free gold ores from the surface to a small depth, then changing to arsenical iron pyrites carrying gold. This section is a duplicate of Gilpin County, Colorado, on a smaller scale. The usual mistake has been made here to start with, that appears to be a necessity of all mining camps, new as well as old; mills were put up before the properties were sufficiently developed,- to prove what the permanent ores were to be. These mills were for saving free gold by amal- gamation, but as soon as any depth was gained, or develop- ment reached a point where the ores changed from oxides to sulphides, the mills would not, and could not, save the value. Consequence as usual the district condemned, where it is not the fault of the mines, but of the men controlling them. If mining men will only learn that it is necessary to fully prove their properties before building mills, very much of these loses will be saved; but it almost makes me despair when I go into mining camp after mining camp. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I 23 and see that they all go through the same courses of loss without variation. A mining man has no right to believe that any process will treat his ores until it is proved, and it cannot be proved until his mine is developed. There are now, and more will be found, very many good prospects in this district, but the kind of mills needed are stamp mills, with improved concentrating machinery to get the sulphides in the ores into a condition that will pay to ship to smelters. That is the only kind of mill that it is safe for a mine owner or mining camp to touch at all ;" as where hand sorted shipping ore can be produced, there is always a much larger quantity that can be made available by concentration ; and the recent improvements in concen- trating machinery are such as to make ;^iO rock pay ore if it exists in quantity enough, and there is sufficient gangue or waste to be got rid of, to let seven tons of natural pro- duct make one ton of concentrates. I keep urging the above so strongly, and always at every opportunity, because I am personally interested. That is, the success of my business is based upon success- ful mining in Colorado, and I know what it means to see camps using proper concentrating machinery, rather than sinking money in any contrivances, which are only good on paper, and not much use there. Past the head of Ohio Creek the contact formation also goes through towards the direction of Pitkin, which now has the reputation of being the liveliest camp in Gunnison County. Considerable prospecting has been done along this contact, but no pay found as yet. At the head of the North Fork of Ohio Creek is a very peculiar schist, and an immense dike of birdseye por- phyry crossing in the direction of Chicago Park near Pitkin. At the time of my visit the Midnight claim was 124 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. ■ down with a shaft 175 feet, and other similar claims were opened more or less, most of them much less, among which might be named the Dollar Store lode, Dodson Extension, Idaho Girl, Lead Chief, Goldsmith, and very many others, which are as yet mere prospects, but all mines must be prospects first. Some very high grade gold ores have been found in this neighborhood, as well as some showings of copper pyrites and galena. On the whole I am favorably inclined to the vicinity of Ohio City, and think that development will prove very much more in value than now shows, but work must be done to prove this, and a claim is only worth what it shows itself, without any reference to what occurs near by. I spent five days riding around this section, and having given it all of the time I dared to, not as much as \ would like, I moved onwards to Pitkin. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 125 CHAPTER XV. Prettily Situated Town— The "Silent Friend" Some Very Promising Properties — A Superior Railroad Outlet — The " Porcupine " Group — The Mineral Farm, a Geological Puzzle— The Silver Islet and Fairview Mines. The town of Pitkin is prettily situated on Quartz Creek, about seven miles above Ohio City; an easy wagon grade existed and the South Park Railroad finds no trouble in building from here to Gunnison. Pitkin must have between two and three thousand in- habitants, and during the year 1882, attracted more atten- tion than any other camp in Gunnison County. The rock formation for most of the way from my last stopping place was metamorphic, which changes to granite and cretaceous rocks just before one rides into the open flat upon which the town is built. These rocks are in what is the mineral belt of Pitkin, and in many instances give the opportunity for contact veins, very large, strong and well mineralized. Of these at present the finest and best developed is the Silent Friend mine, about four miles from Pitkin. This mine at the time of my visit had acquired a wide-spread reputation for the size and value of its devel- oped ore body. The shaft was seventy-five feet deep, with five feet of solid argentiferous galena in the bottom. In the ore house was 150 tons of the same, that I esti- mated had not 500 pounds of waste in the whole lot. The value claimed was about $80 per ton in silver and lead. Occasionally very nice specimens of grey copper are found that will assay into the hundreds of dollars in a silver I 26 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY.. value. At this time they were placing a hoisting engine on the mine, and would soon be in shape to work double the force of men and treble the output. The South Park Railroad comes up this North Fork of Quartz Creek, making a "U" as it climbs out of the val- ley, here a shipping station has been put in, apd makes a great convenience to the present and future mines of North Fork. I did much riding about here and visited some very promising properties, showing large bodies of ore in pro- portion to development. Among which might be men- tioned the Silver Islet and Fairview, and later the "Way Up" mine, is acquiring a good deal of prominence. Having to visit Pitkin in February, 1883, I found nearly 100 men employed here in mid-winter with three to four feet of snow on the ground. It is a God-send to Col- orado to be able to find out that work here can be carried on all winter; instead of miners and mine owners spending this season in Denver and other cities they have found out in the winter of i882-'83 that their time can be more profit- ably employed at home. A good wagon road leads from Pitkin to the head of Ohio Creek, the gold belt, and makes as good an outlet here as down to Ohio City. Another road has been made up the North Fork of Quartz Creek crossing the divide of Taylor Park and giving Tin Cup a better railroad outlet than she was blessed with before. On this divide and near to Mt. Sigel, is the Porcupine group of mines, embracing 4,500 feet on one vein, and which shows a continuous outcrop of mineral for the whole distance named. This company has a fine property and appears to be doing this work right. On the principal vein a cross-cut of seventeen feet was run towards the hanging wall, but not to it, all mineral. The owners claim an average of ^50 per ton in gold, silver and copper; of GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 12/ which one-half ought to be free milling ore and can be mined, milled and reduced to bullion at a cost of ^5 per ton, with the sulphides concentrated and shipped as a smelting ore. Judging from the size of this vein, its char- acter of ores in connection with the country rocks in which it occurs, this ore ought not to change much in composi- tion for nearly 200 feet in depth. It evidently can be made a very large producing property in the near future. Chicago Park, two miles from Pitkin, has numerous prospect holes through it; they appear to have been sunk down to a coal seam of the cretaceous age and then aban- doned. This is the first coal of this age which I had seen on this slope, although from the immense mineralising action of this neighborhood the coal was entirely worth- less, being strongly impregnated with iron and sulphur. I was pleased to know ofits occurrence, as it helped me very materially to identify geological horizons. While I cannot mention all of the prospects and indi- cations which I saw in this neighborhood, I was particularly struck with the properties known as the Mineral Farm. It was claimed that this had been a geological puzzle to all who had seen it; perhaps it was, and I may be over- confident regarding my own judgment of undeveloped properties; but I said then, and feel now, that it is one of the bonanzas of the Pitkin district. The trouble appeared to be that there was so much rich float, that they did not know where to look for the ore body in place. It appeared to me to be a simple matter to demonstrate, and I am sure it can be found and at no ex- traordinary expense either. They find float and plenty of it carrying 50 to 700 ounces of silver, and quite frequently native silver occurs. I had a pleasant stop of several days at Pitkin, made many acquaintances I would like to meet again, and saw some things and heard of more, that I will not rest con- 128 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. . tented until the time comes for me to know more of them; which I hope may be the coming year. The Denver & South Park Railroad is doing for this section what the Denver & Rio Grande is accomplishing for the mining districts which it passes through. There is one trouble with both of them, apparently, which I do not understand, and I may be wrongly informed too, and that is the attempt to force products the whole length of their line to Denver and Pueblo. These two roads both meet at Gunnison City, which is the natural and commercial centre of all this country I have been traveling over. Now it seems to me that if these two roads would combine to give Gunnison what naturally belongs to her, they would, from increased population, requiring the bringing in of enormous supplies for their subsistence, as well as the out-freight of bullion and manufactured products, have in a very short time much larger freight earnings, than it will be possible to get on mere transportation of the ore product over the Continental Divide. But railroad men are business men, and more fre- quently farther seeing than those whose experience is locally circumscribed, and to the managers of these roads there may be good and sufficient reasons for discriminating against a large commercial city at the point named, all I can record is what seems good to me. We had a couple of spurts of snow but the warm sun had cut it off within twenty-four hours after falling, with the exception of spots on the north side of the mountains, the country was still bare enough for me to continue my work. Following the old stage road some nine miles up the Middle Fork of Quartz Creek. I think it is (where the south branch is I did not see) one comes to Woodstock, the first station on the South Park Railroad west of Alpine tunnel. The country rock this distance is almost wholly prim- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 129 itive granite, and not much evidences of mineral that I could discern riding along the road, until one comes nearly iti sight of the water tank, below here is the Silver Bell with ninety feet of development, which the owners represent as giving $1$ per ton silver with a trace of gold on the sur- face; while the cross-cut below gives iron pyrites running from $200 to ^400 per ton in gold. This is an evidence of what will be found, from here on over the divide to the headwaters of the Tomichi, from the fact that hereabouts I saw many strong and promising veins, some apparently developed properties ; but of what kind of ores, of what quantity and quality, I could not tarry to learn, as I was more than anxious to reach Tomichi that night, and I had five miles to make from Woodstock to that town. Before passing entirely away from Pitkin, I should say that the Silver Islet people are building a mill for the treat- ment of their own ores, putting up machinery and furnaces to carry out the Carter-Bancroft idea of amalgamation. I fear it will be another failure, as the principal is not right for silver ores to save their full value. The mill was not completed while I was there on my first visit, so that I could not judge entirely of its possibilities, and what might seem to be good in theory, viz: the roastingfurnaces might fail in practical use. I have said so much already about chlorodizing and amalgamating silver ores, in referring to the Pioneer mill at Irwin that it might almost seem a worn out part of the story. But as near as I can learn, this Carter-Bancroft pro- cess is the old Lightning amalgamation process under a new title. Under the old cognomen it cost New York par- ties, on property near Lake City, ^80,000 without any ade- quate returns; under the last name it has reappeared at Empire in Clear Creek County, to treat low grade gold ores, and the only real work there that has been published and attested to was over the signatures of Prof. J. Alden 130 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. Smith and Mr. E. E. Burlingame, of Denver, who watched the treating of about ten tons at a cost of about ;^4.50 per ton, on ore that was only worth ;^3.50 per ton before it was treated; I never could figure out anything so very practical and good in that. Finally it turns up at Pitkin as a chlo- rodizing mill for silver ores, if this practically fails, as I fear it will, I do hope enough will have been paid on this pro- cess for experience by mining men in this State. On the other side I must be just, and add that the gentleman in charge of this property and mill, assures me that he has thoroughly tested the process and that it is most certainly a triumphant success. Should it prove to be so, no one will more cordially welcome and make known such facts than myself, as it will be the first silver amalgamating mill to be a success in the State of Colorado; and I should be only too glad to do my part in making a success that means so much to all mining districts, known everywhere. A new wagon road was opened this fall from Wood- stock to Tomichi ; after one crosses the divide by this road, the evidences of strong v^eins with possible ore-bodies, become more and more apparent. What they really were, or appeared to be to me as I examined them more closely, I will leave for another chapter. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I3I CHAPTER XVI. First Knowledge of Tomichi — Fissure Veins of Gold and Silver — Causes Against Its Development — On the Edge of the World — Convinced of Negligent Prospecting — A Recall — Between Two Fires — A Ten Mile Walk, then Salida— The End of a Narra- tion of an End- less Work. Tomichi was first known to the outside world a little over three years ago; then Tomichi and White Pine stood prominent as two of the new camps, of which great things were expected at once, but of which great things did not come. Not from any fault of the country I now find, but rather from the fault of the men occupying this section. They have a country with naturally boundless wealth, but having the great drawback of individual inertness pertain- ing to the inhabitants. The reason Tomichi did not come up to first expectations at once is to be found in the now realized fact, that work was not and is not being done on the scale and basis which the section really warrants. For five miles down the stream on the north side, the granite is laid bare, and fissured on an average nearly every 500 feet, with good gold and silver veins, containing those metals in a native state sometimes, veins two to seven feet wide with very high grades of ore. The iron pyrites here, like those of almost all rich sections are high grade, I saw a picked specimen of arsenical iron that would assay ^4,100 of gold and silver per ton, from a dump I obtained a num- ber of specimens of wire silver, and still these mines are not worked, or were not at the time of my visit. Among the claims that mio-ht be named which I 132 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. visited personally, and all of which showed sufficient en- couragement for more and greater development, are the Lilly, Rights of Man, Alwilda, Twin Lakes lode. Little Laura, Hiawatha, Tucker, Gypsy, Grand View, Niagara, Lewiston, Sleeping Pet, Lehigh and Carrie tunnel. These are all in the granite and were they anywhere else than at Tomichi, they would be worked. The owners claim that they have not means to develop them, but should one want to buy he is asked ten prices for them. This must be changed, to make the camp a success, my advice is sell part of your holding for what you can get in cash, take that money and develop the rest to something that will sell at the larger prices; the day has gone by when ^10,000 will be paid for ten and twenty foot holes; and just as long as you do not see, that there is no end of new mining property added to the market each year, just that amount of time is lost irrevocably to you men of Tomichi, and in time, a very short time too, you will freeze yourselves out. Buyers will not pay thousands for what they can get elsewhere for hundreds that is just as good. At the head of the stream is Monumental Mountain, composed of the same granite-porphyry that I found so much of at the other end of the country. This mountain makes part of the great Continental Divide, rearing a crest heavenwards, until an altitude of nearly 14,000 feet is reached above sea level. Below this, arfd running nearly parallel with the Tomichi River, commences the great contact belt, now opened more or less to Galena gulch at White Pine, a distance of nearly four miles. This belt ought to yield vast quantities of mineral, of , medium and low grade ores. There is opened on it the New York Claim, Pocahontas, Red Cloud, and Legal Tender on Clover Mountain, which is nearly as high as Monumental Mountain; of this "Nig," and I went to the top, one might almost imagine themselves looking over the GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 1 33 edge of the world. Thousands of feet below us was the valley of the Arkansas, stretching out for miles a clear and uninterrupted view far down the stream to Salida. In another direction we could look far across country to the valley of the Gunnison; if we were not looking over edges of the world, we did stand upon the very back-bone of the American Continent. Although not a Columbus by any means, in a small degree I realized that I too, might at such times and places, have all the feelings of the moment, when the great dis- coverer first set eyes upon the New World. Below Clover Mountain, and opposite to the town of Tomichi, an entirely different formation sets in, which if it does contain ore bodies will be found to have very different mineral compositions from the contact veins. After this again comes the cretaceous rocks and granites to Galena gulch and beyond. The most promising mines are the North Star, men- tioned in a former chapter, the Parole, Iron Duke, and Carbonate King. This last was opened after my first visit, galena was found at grass-roots, giving in car load lots, thirty-five ounces silver, and fifty-five per cent lead. The first six feet gave a car load of ore, ditto the next three feet, and so on, large masses of galena, no walls, and hole about twelve feet deep when I saw it. Since then, or at the present writing, it is reported that two car loads per day are being shipped. I think I have scolded enough about Tomichi, so will leave it with the hope, that when it is my lot to revisit it, that the claim owners, instead of waiting for some one to buy undeveloped prc^erties, will have gone to work and proved in fact that my judgment is right regarding the real wealth of their own bodies. Sargent's is the shipping point on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad for this country, and wishing to see the I 34 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. grade, I rode for about fourteen miles, down a good road, very even grade, down hill, to that place. After dinner, between Sargent's and Parlin's, I was caught in the worst storm of sleet I ever was out in, it came up so sudden along the river bottom that I could not get time to reach shelter, and was drenched through in a moment almost. I stopped all night at Parlin's and rode into Gunnison City before breakfast, the morning of October 27, 1882. I had traveled many miles since I had left ; seen very mnch that is good now, and more that will be better when developed. Much as I had seen, I could not help but feel that hard as I had worked, I could not begin to do justice to the country, without coming again and giving it more time. Having a few days to spare I made two trips through part of the granite belt near Gunnison City. I did not find anything new, but was more strongly convinced than ever, that this section has not been properly prospected. I thought I had got through, but just as I was ready to leave, I received word, that just beyond Sargent's were some formations which I needed to see to complete my Summer's work. Not wishing to leave anything undone that I could possibly accomplish this year, I took the train for Sargents on November 6th. On my arrival there I could not get a horse at all, nor could I learn anything of the surroundings from the people of the town apparently. I got rather desperate, and on the morning of the 7th I started for a walk up Agate Creek, a new and apparently undisturbed part of the country, as the trail was almost in- visible and every few hundred feet was fresh beaver dams. The ascent is quite gradual and how many miles I walked I do not know; but sundown found me on top of the Con- tinental Divide, rapidly feeling chilled as the elevation was high and the time of the year November. I had come most of the way through a country of red granite, entirely baren GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I 35 and worthless, with not a sign of a cabin or camp anywhere. It was impossible to go back, and not the most cheerfuU prospect to camp where I was. It took about two minutes to decide that I coul9 not be worse off by going on, so down the east slope of the range I went, through a mile of snow, over my boot tops. To my delight, in the bottom of the gulch, I found a wagon road, instead of going down the gulch it struck me I might find shelter the quickest by going up, as it could not be far to its head and the end of the road, the evening also had got to be very dark. Less than half a mile brought me to a deserted saw-mill camp, with a fair cabin, a chimney and plenty of firewood lying around ; a few minutes more and I had a roaring fire built in the fire-place, with myself stretched out on some boxes in front of it, as comfortable and contented as if I really knew where I was, which I did not. Pretty well tired out with the days tramp I was soon dozing, and then suddenly awakened to the fact, that the cabin had another tenant besides myself; the biggest, fattest, and sauciest mountain rat that I ever beheld. That blessed rat had an insane idea that he must try his teeth on my boots, well, he just kept me up all night. I had a good look at the great comet of 1882 between four and five o'clock of the morning of November 8th anyhow, then as it was light enough to see the road plainly I started down it, perfectly confident that a wagon road in this country would lead to — some where — between its ends, and as I was starting from the upper and worst end I was satisfied I was not passing or leaving any place of note behind me. A ten-mile walk brought me to Maysville in the Ar- kansas valley, where I learned that I had come down Poise's gulch. I went to bed getting up in time to take the train for Sal i da. 0.1 the morning of the 9th I got off the train at Mar- shall Pass, with my mind fully made up to see what kind 136 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. of rocks the railroad cut through between the summit of the range and Sargent's. I found tertiary and cretaceous rocks, recent lavas, obsidian, porphyry and trachyte, as well as metamorphic rocks and granite. I found some indications of ore and veins, and I am certain I found the longest eighteen miles in Gunnison County, when I reached Sargent's in the after- noon with forty pounds of rocks in my sacks. The next morning I returned to Gunnison and in a few days more to Denver. Here ends the narrative of five months geological work, with what success in knowledge gained and given I leave my readers to judge, I merely have the feeling that I have tried. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I37 CHAPTER XVII. "Misled" Capitalists — Soft and Hard Coal Found in Gunnison — Definition of 'Anthracite" — "What Is It?"— A Revelation— Beautiful Building Stone — A Little Local Reasoning — Five Days' Search for an Illusion — Data — Test From Smith Bank. A PENNSYLVANIA EXPERT DISCUSSES THE GUNNISON COAL BEDS. To the Editor of the Times: Sir : — My attention has been drawn to an article headed "Cretaceous or Carboniferous" and referring to the question of the occurrence of anthracite coal in Colorado, that appeared in your issue of Thursday evening last, 9th inst. The article alluded to gave the substance of a conver- sation that took place between two geologists, and a capi- tolist who made an investment in lands believed to contain anthracite coal, situated some twenty miles northwest of Gunnison City. The geologists were distinctly represented as agreeing in the opinion that there was no anthracite in Colorado ; the hard coal of the Gunnison country not being anthracite, because it was not of the same geological age as that of the Pennsylvania. coal measures; while the capitalist was spoken of as having been "misled," rather as though he had made a serious, if not costly blunder. The question involved is one that will sooner or later be of interest to the people of Colorado in general, and there is in several ways enough room for misapprehending the force of statements, such as those cited, to render the truth or its further elucidation desirable. Moreover, if the details 138 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, pass without comment, they will convey a wrong impression and may possibly work injury in quarters where considerable interest in lands of like character are held, such, for instance,, as Philadelphia, and I understand, Pittsburgh. I, therefore, beg to offer some particulars touching the hard coal of Col- orado, and shall be glad to profit by the experience of others if any be incorrect. There are certainly two kinds of coal found in Gunni- son region, namely : bituminous or soft coal and the hard coal, commonly called anthracite. A statement has been published to the effect that there exists a large deposit of coal specified as the semi-bituminous. Some details were given, but very little seems to be known about it and no samples are obtainable that I am aware of With respect to the first of the two sorts undoubtedly existing, no one has apparently thought for an instant of questioning the propriety of its familiar name. It is called "bituminous coal" because it is "bituminous" — or contain- ing bitumen. A name more accurate in its designation could hardly be devised or applied ; indeed any other, even more convenient or appropriate could not now come into use. Bituminous coal is so called on the one account wher- ever found, those giving and using that name are little likely to confound it with other descriptions of coal, and seldom if ever, think of the geological epoch during which it was formed. As regards the the hard coal of the Gunnison country, on somewhat similar grounds, I demand that it receive without question its just and proper title, by which it may always be known and distinguished, namely, anthracite. I am disposed to doubt that the geologists, already spoken of, meant to convey the idea that, because the coal was not, geologically, of the same age as the anthracite of Pennsylvania, it was not anthracite at all. If so I submit that their distinction has been drawn from an abstract rather GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I 39 than an economic or practical standpoint, which later, I hold, should hav'e been the one to determine the question, being much the more important in its relations thereto. In this connection it might have been instructive to have touched upon the geological age or ages of the hard coals recognized as anthracites that exist, though to a limited ex- tent outside of Pennsylvania; notably, in Rhode Island, and in several countries in Europe: Wales, France, Germany and Russia. The name anthracite, indeed, first used to designate a peculiar form of mineral coal by the German mineralogist, Karsten, about the beginning of the present century, was doubtless originally bestowed upon a sample from a European deposit. It was given as a mineralogical necessity to a coal that has been characterized by Dana, substantially, as follows: "A hard, compact variety of min- eral coal of high lustre, consisting largely of carbon, con- taining but little bitumen, and remarkably free from sul- phur." There is not, however, in this definition the slightest requirement that the coal must belong to any par- ticular geological epoch. Without presuming in any way to dispute the assign- ment of the Gunnison hard coal by experienced geologists to any age, arrived at as a result of their investigation, it would be difificult to say why this coal should not be called anthracite if it present the distinctive characteristics com- prised in the definition thereof That it does so can be readily shown. It is anthracite in external character. Being desirous as a Pennsylvanian of satisfying myself concerning the ques- tion of Colorado anthracite. I, last September, visited Crested Butte, in the Gunnison region, were both the soft and hard coals occur in close proximity, though not to- gether, so far as explored; the soft coal out-cropping along the face of the hill that forms the south side of the narrow gulch of Coal Creek, while the hard coal is found but a HO GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. short distance beyond the mouth of the gulch to the north. In company with two Pennsylvania coal operators of many years' experience, I examined the hard-coal veins at the several different points where development has been done. We found the coal hard, dense, compact and lustrous ; not to be distinguished from Pennsylvania coal. The question of its being other than anthracite coal never presented itself and was never raised. The extensive acquaintance of the others amongst Pennsylvania coals led to their concluding that it corresponded nearest in physical characteristics to what we know as Buck Mountain coal. All the coal in the veins is not of the same hardness, some portions are harder than others, but the difference is scarcely greater than what might exist in other hard coal veins. The question is only relative, and one cannot justly say it is softer than Pennsyl- vania anthracite, since this, as is well known, is also vari- able. It would not, I judge, be difficult to select the coun- terparts of the Colorado coal as to differing degrees of hardness amongst those of Pennsylvania. This coal is anthracite from its combustion. It shows the usual incandesence with retention of form. Little if any flame is seen after thorough ignition. It developes an intense heat, "lasts" a long time, and is a slow-burning, red- ash coal. It is anthracite from its specific gravity. This is Penn- sylvania coals varies from 1.3 to 1.7, giving an average of 1.5. The figures I have determined from four samples of the hard coal from Crested Butte vary from 1.4 to 1.5, with an average of i .4. It is anthracite from its composition. The rough var- iations in the constituents of Pennsylvania anthracites, as determined by analyses in the laboratory of the State Geo- logical Survey, are as follows : GUNNISON, THE DONANZA COUNTY. I4I Water 2 to 4 per cent. Violatile matter 4 to 6 per cent. Fixed carbon 80 to 90 per cent. Ash 4 to 10 per cent. Sulphur 1.4 to 1.5 per cent. 1 subjoin the composition of a hard coal from Crested Butte : Water 0.73 per cent. Volatile matter 5.63 per cent. Fixed carbon 87.83 per cent. Ash 5.81 percent. 100.00 The deduction as to the value of the above may easily be drawn. I understand that hard coal has been discovered else- where in the Gunnison, of greater thickness than at Crested Butte, and it is claimed, containing ninety-two per cent, of fixed carbon. Of this I have not had an opportunity of ex- amining the full analysis. If, now, I have not shown the Gunnison hard coal to be anthracite, I feel like asking, after the manner of the capitalists already cited, "What is it?" I contend that it is anthracite, but whether it really be so, or whether the capitalists have to supply it with a new name such as "anthracoid" — meaning "like anthracite," there is this to be said : there is no cause for discourage- ment on this score; the coal is excellent and when it is once mined and marketed at a fair price consumers will care but little whether it is "cretaceous or carboniferous." Yours respectfully, Charles Henry Baker, Mining Engineer. Denver, November 15, 1881. — Denver Times. The foregoing appeared in the Denver Times, and after- wards in the Gunnison News-Democrat. The following is my reading of these coals, and may 142 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. be taken as a reply to the query regarding the tertiary coal measures of Gunnison County : Thinking it might help to settle the question, as well as give some additional information of possible practical value; this being the result of personal observation during a close examination lasting nearly five months, spent in and around these coal measures, with a view to determine their age, structure, and, in a measure, their commercial value as seen locally, and in comparison with data obtained from other sections. The first five years of my geological work being among the coal measures of Missourj and Kansas, I have always been much interested in what had been brought to me in the way of specimens from the Gunnison country coals. For two years these specimens had come, the par- ties having the same claiming the product to be anthracite. This I disputed, as no one could inform me of any change in the connecting rocks that showed an opportunity for a change in the coal, by metamorphism, from a bituminous coal to an anthracite. In fact, I considered (without tests) that the appearance of the specimens were, in gravity, frac- ture, and luster, against such a result. The coals appeared more like the Albertites of Nova Scotia, or a coal highly charged with bitumen. On the other hand, the chemists' analyses shown me, gave such high results in fixed carbon that it must be rated as an anthracite ; and if the latter, the rocks accompanying the coal-seam must show a corres- ponding change. As stated, of this none could tell me, and, as a geologist, I must confirm what the chemist had shown, or find out the reason why. The geological structure of this coal measure forma- tion, as seen by myself in the Crested Butte and Ohio Creek basins, was a revelation, as nothing like it is known or described in any works that I have; many things ap- peared to be reversed, and not at all analogous to other GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 1 43 known localities where coals occur. So great was this dif- ference that I must give the facts as seen by an ordinary observer, and then try correctly to describe the geological structure, adding thereto a description of the characteristics of other sections, that the difference may be realized. Take the first opening back of Crested Butte town, and to my amazement the coal lay upon shale, with a solid sandstone roof; and for 1,500 feet thick, as these measures appear to be, the rock formation is shale, coal and sand- stone; no limestone belongs to this series, and nowhere does any animal life appear to have existed in the waters that deposited the sediments making the present existing sandstones and shales. All other coal measures known have most abundant remains of shell-fish in the limestones, sandstones, and shales of their respective ages. The only fossils are the impressions of leaves of land plants and trees, that floated out to sea, sank, and left a record in the sands, saying here was a tropical climate, as most beautiful palm-leave impressions are obtained in one horizon, as well as many other leaves grown in a like lat- itude or climate, whose names I do not know. The sandstone itself is a marvel, in places many feet thick, and repeated just the same many times in different strata; as, in looking for a cause that would account for the absence of life in these waters, I found the sandstone was not the detritus from the wearing away of other rocks, but was a precipitation of particles of quartz from a hot sea carrying an excess of silica in solution, cemented by a small amount of material that was produced from dissolved feld- spar; not a rounded pebble in the whole series, but even- grained and homogeneous throughout. I examined loo square miles of these measures, and in the midst of it all found 2,000 acres of anthracite coal, the finest of its kind known on the continent, a four-foot vein, 144 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. giving from 90 to 943^ per cent, of fixed carbon, and no iron or sulphur in an appreciable quantity. To finish with, 1,000 feet of conglomerate had a1: one time been deposited over the whole of this, and in another locality recent lavas were found overlying these tertiary sandstones. If the above, which can be seen by any one, was not a geological problem, I have never met one. To solve it, I had to find the rocks of the next oldest age, which proved to be cretaceous, large shale beds of this age existing partly metamorphosed to a slate, and containing the characteristic fossil — Inoceramiis — of the cretaceous seas. The closing of this age gave me the key to very much,^ as locally it is marked by one of the most stupendous erup- tions of volcanic paste that ever was known, covering hun- dreds of square miles on a cretaceous sea-bottom, not only flowing over these muds, where lived the In oceramus, hut slIso elevated in enormous masses, which now show as mountain ranges, as well as single mountains or cones. This volcanic mass is now geologically identified as granite porphyry, its constituents being silica, horn-blende, feldspar, a small amount of mica, and occasionally a small crystal of sani- dine. The feldspar separated into beautiful crystals, with perfect sides and terminations, some of them of large size, held most firmly by the silica which makes the bulk of the paste. So much harder is this inclosing paste that it was difficult to get good specimens of the crystals, the latter de- composing more readily, and leaving perfect casts in the rock. This granite porphyry would make the most beautiful building stone, as it is more easily quarried than Maine granite, more readily dressed, is just as durable, will take as high a polish, and when finished is as beautiful as any marble known, has no mineral constitutents to oxidize and stain, and is in inexhaustible quantities. It comprises such GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 145 mountains as Crested Buttcs, Gothic, Carbon, Edgely, Beckwith and Marcellina, as well as the ranges known as Ragged Mountains, the Anthracite range, and Wheatstone group. Near to part of these now run two railroads, and in time along these lines will be mammoth quarries ; for here is a better rock to sendEast than the East can possibly send west. The next move of nature in this locality was to elevate these submarine mountains above sea-level, so that shallow marshy seas were at their bases. The climate was at this sea-level I think, more tropical than any thing that we are acquainted with at the present time ; as not only was the latitude such as to have hot seasons, but, in addition, tow- ering up thousands of feet in every direction, were these mountains of volcanic material, giving ofiflarge volumes of heat by radiation: large masses of volcanic rock cool slowly in the atmosphere. In the gorges and open shallow seas of this tertiary age, at the feet of these mountains, and among all of this warmth — and very great moisture there must have been in the atmosphere, too — commenced the growth of the plants that now make these tertiary coals. How long time is, under such circumstances, as we reckon it, we can have no data; but sufficient was the period of rest here, for these plant-growths to accumulate several feet thick. Here, I want to do a little local reasoning, that in principle may apply to other eruptive localities. To begin with, this eruptive matter must have been'' the product of internal heat below the earth's surface; the overlying crust must have been proportionately strong to]J,hold such a vast quantity, confined, with its cumulative force of steam and gas ; when this power had accujnulated sufficiently to exert itself, the eruptive power was in ratio to the results pro- duced, which again was in proportion to^thickness or resist- ance of the overlying earth-crust; after the eruption, there I 146 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. would be an internal cavity approximating in size to the cubic contents of the mass recently brought to the surface; the original surface rocks would have the tonnage to sup- port represented by the mass of eruptive material; this weight on the underlying shell then became to a greater or less extent plastic, and, without internal support, would cause a local sinking at varying periods, which periods of subsidence were represented by changes in the more recent sediments which' were afterward deposited on the new floor or sea-bottom ; and each and every one of such changes of sea depths can be counted by the variations in the newer strata of rocks. Noting the above reasoning, in these coal basins, we find after a time a subsidence, and on top of the coal plants flowed a greater depth of water. The mountains were still hot, the exposed surfaces somewhat decomposed, this influx of water was heated to a great degree, and took into solu- tion silica, which coming in contact with the organic mat- ter in the then sea bottom, was precipitated, and also by the gradual cooling of the waters. Here this section for a time was stationary, and the sands gradually filled with these watery depths until an- other shallow sea was repeated, and a subsidence followed which washed all of the loose movable soil of the adjoining lands and islands into the deep sea. This material made the mud deposit — shales now — which follows the sand- stone. On these muds, in shallow water, the growth of the coal plants again commenced, to be followed in repeti- tion by what has already been shown; and this was re- peated six different times, or eighteen different subsidences and periods of rest are now shown to have occurred here locally; perhaps more, if we could get at the deepest part of any one of these basins. The strata built up, as near as I could ascertain, aggregates i ,500 feet in thickness. Then followed a greater subsidence at once than at GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, 14/ any single time previous; a wider r.rea of territory was acted upon by deeper waters; and instead of sandstones, resulting from precipitation, we have i,ooo feet of con- glomerate, which covered all of the named mountains of granite porphyry. This tertiary age was closed by the eruption of the lava showing on the dividing ridge between Ohio Creek and East River near Howville or Jack's Cabin. Subse- quent erosion shows this lava on top of the tertiary sand- stones, and subsequent erosion has worn down these sedi- mentary rocks deposited in the old mountain gorges be- tween peaks and ranges of granite porphyry, laying clear the structure from the latest strata to where it began, and all to be seen and reasoned out as I have shown. Now for the anthracite. I spent two days on Anthra- cite range, camping out to get at the following : Standing on the top of this range, it could be seen that, at the time of the recent or lava eruption, a deep gorge or crevice had opened from the eruptive point through between Wheat- stone group and Mount Carbon. The opening came against the end of the Anthracite range, with the effect of setting or splitting off a single mountain mass by itself. This crevice, evidently, was also filled with eruptive mat- ter, not coming to the surface, but exerting force and pres- sure sufficiently to slowly crowd this single mountain north- ward, which in its turn pressed against the coal measure strata built up at its feet and against its sides with such force that these originally horizontal sedimentary rocks were raised to an angle of 2i°. The heat and pressure generated by this rock movement metamorphosed a coal- bed under 2,000 acres from a bituminous coal to a four-foot vein of the finest anthracite that is now known. Here geology and chemistry agree, and at this point, I think, Mr. Charles Henry Baker, M. E., is answered that it is an- thracite. 148 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY.' The eruption of this lava raised the tertiary beds so that all of the strata dip away from the lava outcrop, 8^ feet in each 100 feet; although in the Ohio Creek basin, I think, from what I saw, that the dip gradually increases as the lava mesa is approached. The sedimentar}^ rocks broke in short cross-sections ; along these breaks, lines of erosion now exist, wearing the surface into numerous gul- lies, exposing the coal-seams and thus making opportuni- ties for original discoveries. In the Ohio Creek basin, the greatest development is in the South Park coal-seam, opened under the superin- tendence of Mr. William Housley. The v/ork is laid out on the English or long-wall system, and certainly showed the best work and most economical result of any of the de- velopments which I examined. In this basin, another vein, the Richardson, has been opened on the Augusta and Owens claims, as well as on many others. A section of these coal measures in the Crested Butte basin, where they are principally worked, would approxi- mate as follows : No. I. 300 feet from top of hill is i foot of coal. No. 2. 80 feet below this is 3 feet of coal. No. 3. 65 feet below this is 4 feet of coal. No. 4. 185 feet below this is 6 feet of coal. No. 5. 78 feet below this is 10 feet of coal. No. 6. To this add in the Ohio Creek basin 200 feet below is 7 feet of coal. Seam No. i is practically worthless. Seam No. 2 is that opened and known as the Howard F. Smith bank, up Slate River. Seam No. 3 is opened on the Smith & Jefferson claim, on the Weaver property, and one place between the anthra- cite coal near Irwin, on Anthracite range, is in this horizon. Seam No. 4 is opened by the Colorado Coal and Iron Company, and in Baxter's gulch. In the Ohio Creek basin. No. 4 is represented by the Richardson, Augusta, Kubeler and Owens openings. GUNNISON, THE BQNANZA COUNTY. 1 49 No. 5 is the coking coal vein now worked in the Crested Butte basin, by the Colorado Coal and Iron Com- pany. No. 6 is only known in the Ohio Creek basin and in the South Park Company's openings. The eruption of the lava caused the Assuring of these tertiary rocks, so that now we have what has hitherto been unknown, namely, silver veins containing rich ruby and native silver ores, passing through coal measures. Where these veins break through, the coal-seams are liable to be broken and faulted ; and in immediate vicinity to the fis- sure-vein, the coal will contain more or less iron and sul- phur ; at the same time, fragments of the coal will be found in the gangue-rock of the crevice. Having some remarkable analyses of fixed carbon shown me from an opening up Slate River, three miles be- yond Crested Butte,. I went especially to examine the open- ings on the property. This vein would be the No. 2 of the series. The coal originally outcropped in a small gulch eroded into the side of the ridge rising from Slate River, and opposite to the entrance to 0-be-Joyful basin. The coal was followed in for nearly 200 feet, most of it being good merchantable coal,. some of it having fixed carbon enough to be rated as an anthracite, and showing remarkably well in the face for this No. 2 vein. Numer- ous cracks or faults occur in the roof of sandstone, now making mud seams; near these, the coal was broken and worthless. A new opening has been made into the hill from the head of the gulch, now nearly 300 feet in. On one side of this opening the coal is constant ; on the other, a fissure- vein filled with eighteen inches of calc-spar, coming from the direction of 0-be-Joyful gulch. This will certainly carry mineral with depth, and makes a connecting link through to the veins of Washington gulch, and absolutely 150 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. proves in fact what I had first advanced as a theory, that in locaHties the mineral veins would be found passing through coal-seams. I followed these tertiary rocks across the head of Washington gulch, between Gothic and Baldy mountains, back of Belleview mountain, down the valley of Rock Creek, over Mineral Point, Meadow and Arkansas moun- tains ; and could see where they again came in below the lake near Rock Creek. Here erosion shows these old tertiary sea-bottoms to have been deep enough for the coal-seams to again appear, and report says there are much stronger veins than those in the particularly described basins. The coal series of the Front range of Colorado, as well as in Middle and South Parks, belong to the cretaceous age. While I found cretaceous rocks in abundance on the Avest slope in the section examined this season, I did not find the coal of the same age, except in one locality, namely, Chicago Park, two miles from Pitkin. Here some holes have been sunk, disclosing the coal, but also showing, from evident and easily perceived causes, that it is worth- less, being highly charged with iron and sulphur. The quantity here also must.be very limited. As to the character of plants that grew in these waters to make these coal-seams, there appears to be such a diversity of opinion among the highest authorities, that I do not think this character of metamorphism has been suf- ficiently proved as yet. This I would like to record, that from my personal work this season, the great difference be- tween ordinary bituminous coal, and that which is called the coking coal, would certainly seem to arise from a material difference in the original vegetation. I spent five days at Jack's Cabin, examining the rocks in connection with the lava outcrop, principally, because I had been informed that large bodies of hematite iron ex- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I5I isted here; in fact, one of the United States geological re- ports gives this locality as the place where the largest body of iron ever seen occurs. After five days' work, I could not find it, and came to the conclusion that the first ex- amination was a hasty one, and the conclusion jumped to that this black lava was hematite iron, when, as a matter of fact, it does not contain ten per cent, of iron. I thoroughly examined the eroded basins between two lava mesas, hoping to find evidence of the coal-seams here, and that the heat and pressure from the over-lying erup- tive rock would have changed such coal to an anthracite, but I could not find a particle. At present, I feel, from the showing, that the basin is not eroded to great enough depth to catch the coal-seams. On the other hand, there is a pos- sibility, for all that now shows, that on this edge of the coal basin the underlying rocks rose, and only allowed the up- per coal measure strata of sandstones and shales to be de- posited over the older rocks, and the coal-seams do not exist. I note the above from the fact, that, farther up on the Slate River, this same thing has occurred, from about the entrance to 0-be-Joyful basin. The cretaceous shales ap- pear by the roadside, and above them is the overflow of granite porphyry, overlain in turn by the strata of tertiary rocks, but only having in places the upper veins of coal Nos. I and 2, while the two seams worked by the Colorado Coal and Iron Company are entirely wanting. This oc- currence is repeated up Coal Creek, a short distance from the Colorado Coal and Iron Company's openings; a break occurs across the hill between Coal Creek and Baxter's gulch, which, I believe, will mark the end of the two lower veins of this basin westward. Such results as are set forth in the above paragraphs show how limited in the real coal area of the Crested Butte basin, while on the Ohio Creek side, such things do not ap- 152 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. pear to have occurred, which makes the area of this latter basin ver}^ much greater for a possible product of mer- chantantable coal. In speaking of the geology of coal sections, Dr. J. S. Newberry says "that many of the coal-seams of Ohio have been worked into, and exposed the following phenomena to view : "i. A fire-clay below each seam, permeated with roots and rootlets of stigmaria. "2. A coal-seam having a maximum thickness of six feet in the bottom of the basin, thinning out to feather edges. "3. The coal on the margin of the basins is some- times thirty or forty feet above its place in the the bottom. "4 An average of two one half per cent, of ash. "5. A roof composed of argillaceous shale, of which the lower layers are crowded with impressions of plants." The above might be used for a general description of all bituminous coal fields of the carboniferous age. The field I examined differs from No. i, in that there is no appreciable amount of fire-clay, and argillaceous shales make the floor; from No. 2 in that in one place I found the seam of coal full size, abutting directly against granite porphyry, although, when the field is fully ex- plored, there may be localities thinning out to feather edges, the same as in Ohio. ¥0. 3 might be found to differ locally in all coal basins. Of No. 4 the same might be said. I think these tertiary coals average more than two and one half per cent of ash. They differ from No. 5 in that the roof is sandstone, and the shale occurs below the coal. A recent examination of the cretaceous coal at Golden, Colorado, shows veins varying from six to sixteen feet thick, average nine feet, standing nearly vertical, a GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I 53 slight dip to the west, with a roof of fire-clay , affording ex- cellent material for the manufacture of fire-brick and terra- cotta. Concerning the economic values of the tertiary coals, I obtained the following data. Tests were from the Smith bank : Moisture at 105 degrees 1.16 Volatile matter of red heat 4.70 Fixed carbon 90.20 Ash 3.94 Specific gravity at 60° Fahrenheit 1.4 19, a cubic foot of coal weighing eighty-eight pounds. Of five samples: Moisture and volatile matter was 7-346 Fixed carbon 85.062 Ash 7-592 Other tests gave the lowest fixed carbon at seventy- seven per cent. Average amount of sulphur is 0.403 from three separate veins. In caI,orific power, the maximum amount of carbon is 80.80. Pennsylvania anthracite gives 77-88 Colorado " " 74.08 Canon City, Colorado, cretaceous coal..., 69.61 Wyoming cretaceous coal 63.74 VVeberCanon, Utah coals 57-57 California coals 55-26 The above is the statement made by Charles P. Wil- liams, chemist, Philadelphia, Pa. , Had the anthracite from the Anthracite range section been used for a comparison of calorific power, I am confi- dent the record would have equaled the best Pennsylvania anthracite, as this coal is constant in fixed carbon from ninety to ninety-four and one half per cent. From another source I learn that the amount of illum- inating gas from these tertiary coals is seven one quarter cubic feet per pound of coal, or 14,500 cubic feet per toi\ of 2,000 pounds, not equaled anywhere as far as now known, except perhaps by the Albertites of Nova Scotia. 154 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, Of the coking coal seam, the following was obtained from Mr. James K. Robinson, superintendent of the Color- ado Coal and Iron Company's mine. Sample came from 1,200 feet in, and was the latest test up to October 6, 1882 Water 72 Volatile matter 23.24 Fixed carbon 7i-9i- Ash 3.93 In comparison, Connellsville coal shows : Moisture 1.260 Volatile matter 30. 107 Fixed carbon 59-6 16 Ash 8.233 Sulphur o 784 While tests from a coking coal in Kentucky ranged in Volatile matter 30.060 to 37.160 Fixed carbon 54.740 to 62.100 " Moisture 2.000 to 8.000 Ash 2.900 to 4.340 Sulphur 494 to 1.475 Thus showing these tertiary coals far ahead in econ- omic value. The average value of bituminous coal at Golden, Colo., for two years has been $2,-30 per ton; cost of min- ing and hauling, ;^2.57 per ton. In the East, this grade of coal is worth, on an average, ^1.22 per ton; cost of mining, ;^0.88. Connellsville coke at the ovens is worth ^$1.75 per ton, and a protective freight tariff in favor of Colorado produc- tion of $20 to ^45 per ton. With the above named freights, Gunnison County ought to get a share of that business on a very profitable basis. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 155 CHAPTER XVIII. 4 The Final Summing Up of the V<. ork Done. The following might be considered a general summing up ot the geology and connecting mining interests of what I found in these five months' constant work, over an area of territory covering 3,000 square miles; through which I have daily traveled, examining its geological and mineral bearing sections. Walking and riding nearly i;500 miles to thoroughly learn the same; and, I now realize that it has been a more complete examination than has ever been at- tempted before. This district, examined, is bounded by the North Fork of Anthracite Creek, Treasury Mountain, Crystal basin, and below Sheep Mountain on the north, the head of Conun drum gulch, Teocalli and Italian mountains, heads of Spring Creek, Quartz Creek and Tomichi River on the east. The Granite belt south and southwest of Gunnison City, for forty miles, through from Pitkin to Cebolla on the south. The coal measures of Ohio Creek, the Anthracite range and Ruby mining districts on the west. Of this-3,ooo square miles I find nearly 2,000 of it would be embraced under the head of mineral lands; nearly 100 square miles as coal lands; the rest as ranch, grazing and timber lands, including some barren rocky districts in which nothing of practical utillity has yet been discovered. The geological structure would be found to be briefly as follows : A belt of primitive or archaen granite extends from the Continental Divide on the head waters of Quartz Creek and Tomichi River, through southwest to White Earth River, a distance of over 55 miles, averaging ten miles in 156 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, width; is well fissured and evidently contains the basis of many fine gold mines, as well as large bodies of iron ore; the latter are shown more strongly at Cebolla, while the gold veins are most prospected in the neighborhood of Pitkin down to Ohio City, seven miles, and some near Tomichi, the best districts to my mind not being prospected and worked at all yet. This same granite is encountered again in Swan basin, eight miles from Irwin, on the Anthracite Creek slope, it is also the dividing crest of Poverty gulch, showing twenty feet wide and half a mile in length, at over 12,000 feet ele- vation. It makes the underlying rock of Paradise and Carl Schurz, or Bear basins; it is the rock of Snow Mass moun- tains; from here continues almost in a direct line south, showing as the dividing range between Conundrum gulch and Gothic, or head of Copper Creek, continues down and along Taylor Park and River, and through to the Contin- ental Divide at the head of Tomichi River, or place of be- ginning. I am thus particular in describing these rocks, owing to their governing influence on the quantity and quality of the minerals that are found in connection with them. Of sedimentary rocks I could not find those of the Devonian and Silurian ages at all, unless they are repre- sented by some detached localities of small area, showing now thin bedded and metamorphosed to mica schists, etc. The oldest sedimentary rocks to be identified, were the sandstones near Gunnison City, and a limestone with fossils a few miles up Brush Creek; these rocks are car- boniferous. This period was closed by the eruption of the red- feldspathic granites, which occur most abundantly on Cement and Brush Creeks. I also found some evidences of the same on Taylor River, Quartz Creek and the Tomichi. The closing of the carboniferous age on this GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 15/ slope does not appear to have been attended with the same extensive eruption of red granite, as is evidenced on the eastern slope or Front range of the Rocky Mountain system. The principal mineral veins of this period are marked as very wide, filled with a quartz porphry gangue, partially mineralized with a very low grade ore, principally iron sul- phides, and generally not of practical value, except where more recent veins break through this rock again, allowing a reconcentration of the mineral particles. Where this has occurred the ore appears to be exceptionally rich in the last formed veins. Following the eruption of the red granite, came the building up of the cretaceous rocks, consisting of sand- stones, limestones, and shales alternating. No coal occurs here with these rocks same as is shown in connection with those of the same age along the Front range, excepting a small and very limited era in Chicago Park, two miles from Pitkin, and which is now practically worthless, owing to subsequent changes, which have thorough charged it with iron and sulphur. This little spot is all of the cretaceous coal I have so far found on this slope. The closing of the cretaceous age in this described section, was marked by one of the most stupendous eruptions ever recorded, cover- ing hundreds of square miles with one class of eruptive material, building up not only single mountains but moun- tain ranges, and one peak with this rock for its dome, is one of the highest in the State, viz: Monumental Moun- tain at the head of Tomichi River, and of nearly 14,000 feet elevation. This rock is known as Granite porphyry, and is the material of such ranges as the Wheatstone group, Ragged mountains and the Anthracite range, also of single peaks, such as Crested Butte, Gothic, Carbon, Edgely, Beckwith and Marcellina. As has been noted before, I believe it to 158 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. be one of the finest building stones on the continent- The heat and pressure (for this eruption occurred at great sea depths) generated during this age or Granite porphyry eruption, partially metamorphosed these cretace- ous rocks, the sandstones to quartzites, the shales to slates^ and the limestones towards a marble in some localities. Now, geologically speaking, before we can have min- eral sections, we must first have volcanic or eruptive centers, from which long, and generally parallel fissures ex- tend through the earth's crust. The fissures principally^ follow one general course, and if carefully traced on, or by the surface evidences, will be found to lead from one erup- tive point to another, and so on for many miles, especially- through a mountainous and mineral bearing country. These fissures and eruptive places also denote a mechanical fact, that they always occur along a line of greatest weakness in the earth's crust, and this deduction gives a common reason for the continuance of mineral belts in a general course. These fissures are filled with mineral atoms, derived from the country rocks through which the crevices open^ representing practically a concentration of atoms, taken up in solution from the neighboring country rock. The waters- passing along these earth crust openings being mainly thermal, and of strong solvent powers. T. Sterry Hunt says the solvent powers of cold water are sufificient to take into solution any known mineral element, and in thermal waters this power is increased. Of this fact I obtained ab- solute proof in nature, in one locality finding iron pyrites, galena, zinc and quartz crystals, all being deposited to-day as a precipitant from a cold water stream. Agassiz says, when referring to the possible ages of mountain chains, that the power required for the eruption of volcanic masses is in proportion to the thickness of earth crust to be broken through, that the results obtained are GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. I 59 in proportion to power used or required, consequently the largest eruptive masses and highest mountain ranges are of the latest ages. Now follow out this method as applied to mineral sections, and if my deductions are correct as stated, regarding the forming of mineral veins, as the resultant of the Assuring of the earth's crust by eruptive forces; then the amount and size of veins with their ore contents should be in proportion to the eruptive masses, produced at the commencement of the era or age, represented by the erup- tive rock. This section having locally the largest amount of this character of material known in any one locality, it would be reasonable to look for a proportionate amount of min- eral and fissure vein products, and if absolute proof of the correctness of such reasoning is not found in this described section of Gunnison County, it never will be proved by the geology of any other section of the world. Commence at the head of Slate River, cross over the divide to the head of Rock Creek, pass around Galena Mountain into Crystal basin at the foot of Treasury Moun- tain, and every few hundred feet there is vein after vein of ores, large and strong, carrying iron, zinc, galena and cop per sulphides. These veins break through cretaceous slates, which character of country rock adds nothing to the value of the vein product, but rather allows a deterioration from the fact, that the slate is friable, breaks and crumbles into the fissures, mixes country rock with the vein material, thus enlarging the crevices, allows them to become irregu- lar, and generally cursed by the prospector and miner. However, in this locality it is but small depth, compara- tively speaking, to the underlying country rock, viz: prim- itive granite, and into which the veins must pass. Here^ as noted elsewhere in this book, the ore will be found to be concentrated into fissures with good and true walls, also l6o GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY, an increase will be found in the quality, especially of the gold and copper product. So great was the mineralizing action, especially in one of the basins named, that the rocks parted between layers of quartzite, slate and limestones allowing bands of ore to form in horizontal beds between the strata, as well as in the vertical fissures that are found breaking across the stratified rocks. These flat veins have a general inclination, or dip of 30° above a horizontal line, but at some depth will pass into the granite. This basin, I believe to be the most wonderful mineral section now known. The principal base ores are iron, zinc, galena and copper sulphides, earring a fair average value in gold and silver; the latter, where combined with antimonial galena, rises to a grade of several hundred ounces per ton. One vein, a flat one, can be traced from the point of Treasury* Mountain, where| it is opened four- teen feet solid in ore, round to the entrance of the basin, fully two and a half miles, and a continuous average ore body of at least ten feet solid of mineral. From the principal mine opened, ore was shipped by burros eight miles, by wagon six miles, by rail to Denver at ^8.00 per ton freight, and then after deducting smelter charges and cost of mining paid the owners, ^45.00 per ton net in car load lots. I saw one car load of lead ore that was settled for at the rate of seventy-seven per cent, for the metallic lead, while a picked assay test gave eighty-six per cent, of the same metal in the ore, the highest grade galena now known. The copper sulphides give twelve to fifteen per cent, metallic copper. From this single basin can be produced — it is only a question of the number of men put at work — more tons of ore per twenty-four hours than the whole Leadville district now produces, — nearly 1,500 tons per day — and of as fair an averag-e grrade in value. GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. l6l On the other side of the basin is another large vein, across the surface of which, where I had the rocks in place, I broke mineralized rock for a space of 150 feet wide. To this section and veins of this age may be added, Paradise basin, Baldy Mountain, part of Belleview, Mineral Point, Meadow and Sheep mountains, all of them according to my reasoning, showing a good foundation for the belief that the ores will increase in quality, after certain depths are passed, except Sheep Mountain. On this mountain the ores will be no better in quality for great depths, than the sulphides show at the top of the veins, from the fact that the cretaceous rocks show much greater strength here than elsewhere, it being nearly 3,000 feet down to Rock Creek from the mountain top, and all stratified rocks. This places the granite the practical source of supply, at this locality, to deep to act as a gov- erning influence over the whole vein product. However, the lower grade ores found here will prob- ably increase in quantity with depth, if not in quality. Coming back to this age of veins, we have on the headwaters of the Slate River, veins breaking through an older vein formation, viz: the quartz porphyry, here the zinc sulphides as a re-concentration, rise in value to over 500 ounces of silver per ton, the highest grade zinc I have met. The next district of this age we find by passing from the head of Copper Creek to Conundrum gulch. Prospect- ing has only begun here and the real value of the section not proved. Next in order is the head of Brush Creek, and over Pearl Pass to Ashcroft. Between Pearl Pass and Ashcroft occurs the largest outcrop of ore I have ever seen, with but one exception. The next section will be found geographically as the head of Cement Creek and Taylor River. Here prospecting 1 62 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. has only begun, but the veins and geological structure be- ing the same as the Rock Creek country, many good things ought to be found, as well as large ore bodies. After this came south of Italian Mountain to the head of Spring Creek. The cretaceous limestones commence to show here, and make contact veins highly charged with galena sul- phides. The Doctor mine is the principal one opened, and with only the development of one season, has $160,000 gross in sight. Next to this is the King lode claim, out of which I saw large masses of galena taken from an open cut. More of these ore bodies ought to be foK.md near here and doubt- less will be in tlie future. This belt probably extends from the head of Spring Creek, across the Taylor River, through or near by Union Park, above the head of the lesser Ohio Creek, above Pit- kin, crossing the heads of Quartz Creek, and showing an abundance of ore in the Silver Islet, Fairview, Way Up and Silent Friend properties, as well as many prospects on the same belt too numerous to mention. At the head of the North Fork of Quartz Creek, many other veins pass through in the direction of Tin Cup. It is at the head of this creek that the Porcupine group of mines is situated, already described in another place. About six miles from Pitkin this great contact series of veins crosses the North Fork of Quartz Creek on to Prospect Mountain. Here the only mine opened is the Celestial, from which iron ore to be used as a flux, was be- ing shipped to St. Elmo. Some very high gold assays were claimed from this mine, one showing thirteen oz. gold per ton. From Prospect Mountain the contact I have been fol- lowing appears to pass over to the east side of the Con- tinental Divide, sweeping around by Hancock, and re-ap- GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. 163 pearing again on the west slope at the head ofTomichi River and below Monumental and Clover mountains. These mountains are capped with granite porphyry, here the eruptive rock broke up the line of possible con- tact. However, where it has come in again it has lost nothing in strength, as there is 6,000 feet opened that shows the third largest outcrops of mineral, and now the greatest possibilities of galena ores of any part of the belt. The North Star, Carbonate King, Iron Mask, Iron Duke, Iron King, and other claims in Galena guch, at White Pine are on this belt. From this place I found the contact veins again crossed the range, some where above Agate Creek, on the west slope, re-appearing in the Arkansas valley near Maysville. To this point is as far as I have traced the veins of the granite porphyry age of eruptive rock, but the granite on the west side of the Tomichi appears also to be fissured for five miles down stream. This I have called particular at- tention to, when describing this locality in a former chap- ter, and refer to it as a very rich gold and silver section, but not worked as it should be. In giving a condensed statement of the mineral belt of this age, it would appear as follows : That it is continuous through from Snow Mass to White Pine, a distance in an air line of over 100 miles; that the veins vary in width from ten to 500 feet; that the belt is three to five miles in width; that the strongest veins originally had heavy bodies of iron as the surface ores followed by zinc, galena and possibly copper as depth is gained in mining; that subsequent surface erosion has cut off most of the iron, but the galena can be found with the limestone, more or less constant the whole distance, and where the whole of the limestone is eroded, I find the veins constant in granite, a larger percentage of copper as base, and the ores higher grade in gold and silver ; that in a geological sense the 164 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. veins and ore products are in proportion to the granite porphyry eruption, and a direct result of the same geolog- ical age, viz : the closing of the cretaceous period. Further, that this belt of veins and ores of the same age, ought to continue on the other side of the nucleus described, crossing over to and continuing in connection with the Uncompahgre range as it does with the Elk Moun- tain system, varying only in quality of ores as the country rocks may change. The quieting down of this locality, after the great and radical changes just described, allowed the commencement of a new geological period, viz: the tertiary which pro- ceeded to build up locally as I have attempted to illustrate, with its coal formations, in the preceding chapter, so that with reference to the rock formation of this latest age, I may now pass on to the time of their close. This is a repetition of the two preceding ages, inasmuch we find that the carboniferous period was closed by an eruption of red, feldspathic granite, the cretaceous age by a local eruption of granite porphyry, and now the tertiary we find was terminated by the eruption of lava, the principal locality showing, is on the dividing ridge of Ohio Creek and East River, a few miles from Gunnison City. This time the eruptive power was not required to rend the overlying rocks to the same extent as noted in the pre- vious ages. Consequently the eruptive material produced was not so great in quantity, nor the accompanying fissuring of the rocks larger in proportion than would be naturally looked for in a comparative ratio to the other results pro- duced. The eruptive rock of this age was a black vesicular lava, proving an eruption into the atmosphere by the large number of air-cells or blebs in the material. This occurred just south of the Wheatstone group, and flowed over the tertiary formation some square miles. Subsequent erosion GUNNISON, THP: BONANZA COUNTY. 1 65 cut the mass in two, leaving at the present time, two flat or table-Hke formations several feet thick, capping a dividing ridge between the two named streams. When the lava eruption occurred, a proportionate amount of fissures opened, proving again a mechanical fact in relation to veins, which is, that they always open through lines of weakness in the earth's crust. For these latest fissures followed the lines of the old gorges between moun- tains of granite porphyry, then filled with tertiary strata, instead of following possible direct lines, and Assuring such mountains, I did not find a single vein of mineral passing through the large mountain masses of granite porphyry. While on the other hand the gorges between these moun- tains were full of them. As these veins are of the latest age, so they are in proposition to the eruption, that they are the direct conse- quence of, and as compared to the veins of the immediately preceding age, are quite limited in extent. But they carry the richest ores of the whole section, as proved by the de- velopments at Irwin, the product being ruby silver with na- tive metal also, and very high grade zinc and galena sul- phides. It is only in connection with these described rocks and age of veins, that I found ruby silver ores. The opening of these fissures started the present lines of erosion and drainage, so that now the country presents the appearance of a number of mineral basins eroded down into the coal measures, with granite porphyry peaks and croppings occurring in every direction around them. A beautiful illustration occurs in these districts of the direct influence of country rock through which the fissures opened, over the character of the vein product. I could start at the head of one of these basins, where the vein material outcrops in the conglomerate, and the ore would be low grade, principally zinc, iron and galena sulphides, with only a value of $15.00 to $20.00 per ton in silver. 1 66 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. Follow the same vein down to where the conglomerate is removed by erosion, and the vein outcropped in the real coal measure sandstones, there ruby and native silver be- gins to appear with the named sulphides, but the gangue combining with the ores, is still silica. Follow the same vein down to where all of the coal measure strata has been eroded, and the vein outcrops in granite porphyry, here I find the same rich ores as ruby and native siver, silver glance, also high grade galena and zinc, but the gangue changes from quartz to calc-spar. This is the first experience that miners had in Color- ado of rich silver veins occurring through horizontal coal measure strata, and with such an anomaly to work in, it is not to be wondered at that mistakes have occurred, some of them expensive ones. But where I can get rich ruby and native silver ores outcropping at grass roots, with sul- phides of iron, zinc and galena, as I have on many claims in the Ruby district, I am not afraid to bank on the future product of the section. These ores go down, and are in just as permanent true fissure veins, as those occurring in any other geological section known. This section is bounded on the north by the North Fork of Anthracite Creek, on the west by the South Fork of the same, on, the south by Coal Creek, and on the east by the Slate River. It comprises such basins as Ruby district, Ruby gulch Justice Elk, Independence, Coon, Evans, Peeler, Redwell, Deniocrat, Hardscrabble and 0-be-Joyful basins. In Swan, Mineral and Kansas basins. Poverty gulch as well, and also the North Fork of Anthracite Creek, the ores change in accordance with the change in the country rock, while Iron and Silver basins do not show much to be counted upon for pay of any kind of ore whatever. The head of Washington gulch, eight miles from Crested Butte, gives ores of the same character as the Ruby district, and I am certain the same belt extends further on, passing to the east of Belleview Mountain, but not now de- veloped enough to prove the value of the ore bodies. GUNNISON, THE KONANZA COUNTY. 16/ On dcveloi)nicnt some of the veins of this ago will be found passing through coal seams of the tertiary period. The foregoing represents as succinctly as possible a resume of what is the general characteristics in mineral wealth of this country, so that I have found in brief, that within a radius of sev^enty-five miles of Gunnison City, there are 2,000 square miles of mineral lands, with more ore per square mile than was ever seen before in the world to know it. That the drainage of all but three points is towards a common center meeting at Gunnison; that the whole coun- try is readily accessible, having two competing railroads, narrow gauge, with a prospect of a third and broad gauge road within three years ; that branch lines have been or will be extended to both coal sections; that Gunnison County has expended this year (1882) ;$ioo,coo in making good wagon roads from railroad points to all of the most developed mining camps. That, although this country is barely three years old, work enough has been done to prove that these mineral sections are permanent and productive. That Gunnison City is located in the centre of the largest mineral belt now known; with coal fuel the nearest by of the very best quality, and in quantity sufficient to smelt the ores produced. That this season saw one of the most successful con- centrating mills in the State, built in this part of the coun- try, viz: at Elko on Rock Creek. That, personally, I have not visited a single mining camp, but that is capable, in time, of furnishing forty to 1,000 tons per twenty-four hours, of concentrating ore for just such mills, and which are the practical mills for all mining districts. That, at Gunnison City there is now a smelting fur- nace building by one of the most successful men, connected with ore reduction (lead ores) in the United States. That, I have seen, personally, enough gold and silver districts, in this described territory, to produce more of those values per annum, after the next five years' develop- ment, than was the output of the whole State of Colorado in the year 1882. That, I have seen lead ore enough, and indications of it sufficient to warrant the statement, that the product will in time compare favorably with the output of the State of Missouri. 1 68 GUNNISON, THE BONANZA COUNTY. That, I have examined more iron ores than is now known in either of the States of Pennsylvania or Missouri. That, I have seen districts enough, with copper sul- phides in their veins, to run a smelter plant on the Copper- Matte basis, ten times as large as the present works at Argo, Colo. (Hill's works). Such works ought to be established at a central point like Gunnison City ; that the gold ores of Ohio City, Pit- kin, the Granite Belt and Tomichi, could meet the copper sulphides half way in transportation and be reduced with them. That, within this territory I have found Tellurium ores. That, I have been over more than eight square miles of territory containing nickel and eobalt — more than was ever seen before in paying quantities. That, there is 350 square miles of gold territory, al- most wholly unimproved, in which it may be possible to find Iridium, Palladium and Platinum. That, I have found traces of tin, but have not proved its existence in paying quantities. That, there is building stone of unsurpassed quality and inexhaustible quantity; that limestones, gypsum and marbles exist in large quantities. That, I have found that rare mineral Uranium to exist in paying quantities. That, while I did not find fire-clay at all, I found im- mense quantities of ordinary clay for building brick. Last, but not least, the climate is unsurpassed, eleva- tion not too great, nor winters too severe, but that work in the mines can be carried on the whole year through with a proper preparation, that the valleys are mild, w^ell watered, and the finest stock country in Colorado. What more I would ask can be wanted, to make a large and prosperous city at a central point in this desdribed region, where all of the products of this unusually natural rich section, can meet on a down hill grade, at a common center to be handled, while the same place in turn will be the distributing center of this whole section for what is consumed. Such are the present and prospecting advantages of Gunnison City, the commercial center of the future Bon^ anza County of Colorado, as seen by the writer. FINIS. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. ■>• «. J^flJI^edule: 25 ceft^e^on first day overdae f'^W' * 50 C^aj^o^Jpanh day overdue . h day ov^Zta^ ,NOV 4 1947 ,eN.^'^^^^^ MAR25 196S3 5 REC'D LD JUL 3 1 1952 LD 21-100m-12,'46(A2012sl6)4120 i ^ Halloirell Gunni 8011 bonanza c<» NOV 4 19 !^7 r '."V; 590159 > Colorado »B .■No fA7j4 ^^fl'^ll eroa ;rkeley 90159 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY JOHN K. HALLOWELL, Mines Examined and Reported Upon ■ at Reasonable Prices. Address : Room 9 Witter I'A^c^, Cor. :6iJtVi'd Blake Sts., * ' ■ Denver, Colorado. F. G. TAXON, ' Ore ^v^illin.g^ ^v^a.c]r:Lin.er3r Concentraiiiig Mills a Specially. Mills Dcsi,i>ned and lUiilt under Contracts, adapted to Ores of any Locality. Investigations made 01 ores, and advise ! given as to proper Machinery to ns(\ Address: Room 9 Witter Block, Cor.J6tli and Blake Sts., Denver. Colorado.