DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOB

BULLETIN 546

MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON

BY

J. S. DILLEE,

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1914

CONTENTS.

Page.

Introduction.............................................................. 9

Purpose and scope of the bulletin...................................... 9

Field work............................................................. 9

Acknowledgments...................................................... 9

Geography of the region.................................................... 11

General relations of the Klamath Mountains............................ 11

Topography and physiography of southwest Oregon............ 1......... 12

Geology.................................................................. 14

Sedimentary rocks..................................................... 14

. Mica.schist........................................................ 14

Paleozoic rocks..................................................... 14

Lithologic character. ......*...................................... 14

Distribution of limestone....................................... 15

 Age of the Paleozoic limestones................................. 15

Composition of the limestones................................... 16

Relation of the Paleozoic to adjacent rocks...................... 17

Jurassic system..................................................... 17

Lithologic character............................................. 17

Formations and age............................................. 17

Relations of Jurassic formations................................. 18

Cretaceous system. L ............................................... 18

Tertiary system................................................... 19

Igneous rocks..........................:.............................. 19

Structure.............................................................. 21

Mineral production of southwestern Oregon................................ 22

Lode mines and prospects................................................ 23

Gold-quartz lode mines............................................... 23

General features. ..................................................... 23

Blue River mining region......................................... 25

Bohemia mining region........................................... 26

Port Orford quadrangle........................................... 80

Roseburg quadrangle............................................. 31

Riddles quadrangle............................................... 8].

Mining conditions............................................ 31

Greenback mine................................................ 31

Martha mine.................................................. 84

Baby mine.................................................. 34

Silent Friend mine........................................... 35

Daisy mine.................................................. 35

Mount Pitt mine............................................. 36

Orofino mine................................................. 36

Other mines in the greenstone areas............................ 37

Corporal G mine.............................................. 37

Lucky Bart group............................................ 38

Conclusions................................................... 39

3
4 CONTENTS

Lode mines and prospects Continued.

Gold-quartz lode mines Continued. Page.

Grants Pass quadrangle and Medford district........................ 39

Braden mine................................................. 39

Opp mine.................................................... 41

Granite Hill mine............................................ 42

Mountain Lion mine.......................'................... 43

Tin Pan mine................................................ 43

Star mine..................................................... 44

Maid of the Mist mine......................................... 44

Jewett mine. .................................................. 44

Oregon Strong Ledge......i.................................... 45

Other mines and prospects...................................... 45

Galice-Kerby-Waldo region........................................ 46

General features...........'.................................... 46

Oriole mine..................... i.............................. 48

Richmond group.............................................. 50

Golden Wedge mine........................................... 51

Arago group..................:................................ 51

Seven-Thirty mine............................................. 51

Kramer prospect............................................... 52

Elwilda (Hubbert) mine....................................... 52

Gold Bug and mines of Mount Reuben......................... 52

Mount Bolivar region.......................................... 53

Keystone group............................................... 53

Legal Tender group....................................'........ 54

Treasury group................................................ 54

Red Elephant claims........................................... 54

Blue Bell prospect............................................ 55

Buffalo group... t ............................................. 55

Mayflower property........................................... 56

Black Bear mine............................................... 56

Spokane property.............................................. 57

Black Hawk property.................'......................... 57

Nesbit group.................................................... 57

Three Lodes group............................................ . 57

Golden Pheasant group........................................ 58

Sugar Pine mine............................................... 58

Gold Plate property........................................... 59

Victor mine................................................... 59

Strenuous Teddy claim......................................... 59

Cold Spring copper mine....................................... 60

Carlton group................................................. 60

Lost Flat mine................................................ 60

Queen Gold & Copper mine.................................... 60

Buckeye mine................................................. 61

Ramsey mine.................................................. 61

Old Glory property........................................... 62

Eureka mine.................................................. 62

G. E. Anderson prospect........................................ 63

Calumet mine................................................. 63

Casey prospect................................................. 64

Higgins mine................................................. 64.

Black Bear claim............................................. 65
CONTENTS. 5

Lode mines and prospects Continued! 

: Gold-quartz lode mines Continued.

Galice-Kerby-Waldo region Continued. Page.

Hustis and Anderson claims.................................... 65

Miller and Bacon prospects..................................... 65

Williams & Adylott mine...................................... 66

Gold Ridge prospects.......................................... 66

Philips property............................................... 67

Chatty mine.................................................. 67

Mood mine.................................................... - 68

Neilmine..................................................... 68

x Canyon Creek Consolidated Gold mines......................... 68

^> Bowden prospects.............................................. 69

-^ ' Winters and McPherson prospects.............................. 69

Alta mine..................................................... 70

Roseburg and Fidelity groups................................... 70

Free and Easy mine........................................... 71

Other mines.................................................. 71

Copper mines and prospects............................................. 71

Copper production................................................. 71

Copper deposits................................................... 72

Distribution..................... '............................. 72

General character............................................. 72

Almeda mine................................................... 72

General features........................................... 72

Character of the ore........................................ 75

Origin of the ore........................................... 79

The smelter............................................... 80

Queen of Bronze mine......................................... 81

Other copper prospects in the Waldo region...................... "83

Reynolds mine................................................ 84

Chetco Copper Co. mine........................................ 84

United Copper-Gold Mines Co. mine............................ 84

Calumet mine................................................. 85

Collier Creek prospect.......................................... 85

Thompson mine................................................ 86

Green Mountain Copper prospect................................ 86

Copper prospects of the Riddles quadrangle..................... 87

Placer mines............................................................... 88

Auriferous gravels (conglomerates) of Cretaceous age...................... 88

General character................................................. 88

Cottonwood district, California...................................... 89

The Forty-Nine mines of the Ashland region, Oregon, by Frank M.

Anderson........................................................ 90

Historical sketch............................................... 90

Geology of the district......................................... 91

V The "Bedrock series"......................................... 91

Cretaceous conglomerate of Waldo.................................. 93

General character............................................. 93

High Gravel (Osgood) mine.................................... 94

' Auriferous gravels of the first cycle of erosion (Klamath peneplain)....... 95

Age of the Klamath peneplain...................................... 95

Situation of the gravel beds......................................... 95

- Gravels of Gold Basin.............................................. 96 ^

Gravel near York Butte.............................. -. .............. 96
b CONTENTS.

Placer mines Continued. Page.

Auriferous gravels of the second cycle of erosion......................... 97

Location and character............................................ 97

Old-channel gravel near Galice Creek................................ 98

Old-channel gravels near Briggs Creek............................... 101

Auriferous gravels of the third cycle of erosion........................... 102

General features................................................... 102

Placers of Sixes River and Johnson Creek............................ 102

Placers of the Umpqua and its tributaries............................ 103

Placers of Rogue River and its tributaries............................ 104

Wolf Creek district..........................:................. 104

Grave Creek district............................................ 104

Jumpoff Joe district................................ 7 ........... 105

Evans Creek district........................................... 106

Gold Hill district.............................................. 106

Foots Creek district............................................ 107

Champlin mine........................................... 107

Black Gold Channel mine................................. 108

Cook mine..«.............................................. 109

Lance mine.............................................. 109

Glen Ditch and other mines................................ 109

Jacksonville district............................................ 109

Sterling mine............................................. 109

' Spaulding mine............................................ 110

Old Sturgis mine.......................................... 110

Pearce mine............................................... Ill

Pickett Creek district......................................... Ill

Big Four mine............................................ Ill

Flanagan & Emerson mine................................. 112

Galice district......................... '. ...................... 112

Lower Rogue River district.................................... 114

General features........................................... 114

Tyee Bar mirie........................................... 114

Horseshoe Bar mine....................................... 114

Battle Bar mine........................................... 115

Winkle Bar mine.......................................... 115

Red River Gold Mining & Milling Co. mine................. 115

Applegate district............................................ 116

Lay ton mine............................................. 116

Johnston mine............................................. 116

Benson mine............./...............-................. 117

Brantner mine............................................. 117

Williams Creek district.................. . ..................... 117

Horsehead mine............................................ 117

Miller & Savage mine..................................... 118

Oscar Creek mine......................................... 118

Althouse and Sucker Creeks district............................. 118

Waldo district................................................ 118

Development.............................................. 118

Deep Gravel mine......................................... 119

Logan, Simmons & Cameron mine............................ 120

Josephine Creek district....................................... 120

Illinois River district......................................... 122

Anderson & Wilson mine. ..............r ................... 122

Sixmile Creek mine........................................ 123

Brigge Creek district........................................... 124
CONTENTS. 7

Placer mines Continued.

Auriferous gravels of the third cycle of erosion Continued. Page.

Placers on residual deposits........................................ 124

Beach placers..................................................... 125

Development of mining........................................ 125

Bandon district................................................ 125

Cape Blanco district..........................'................ 126

Eckismine.................................................... 127

Platinum................................................................ 128

Quicksilver.............................................................. 129

Nickel................................................................... 129

Coal..................................................................... 130

Production and character.........;.................................... 130

Coos Bay coal field.................................................... 130

General features.................................................... 130

Geology.......................................................... 133

Stratigraphy.................................................. 133

Structure...................................................... 133

Northern part of the field.......................................... 134

Middle part of the field............................................. 135

Southern part of the field.......................................... 135

Eckley coal field.......:............................................... 136

Eden coal field........................................................ 136

Lookingglass and Camas Valley fields..................................... 139

Coal field on the North Fork of the Umpqua ............................ 139

Kogue River valley coal field........................................... 140

Geological Survey publications on southwestern Oregon....... '............... 141

Index.................................................................... 143
ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATE I. Even crest of Coast Range as seen from Barklow Mountain, Curry Page. 

County, Oreg................................................... . 12

II. Even crest of Iron Mountain, Curry County, Oreg................. 13

III. A, Even crest of Klamath Mountains southwest of Waldo, Oreg.; B,

Klamath peneplain............................................ 14

IV. Map showing limestone outcrops in Grants Pass quadrangle and bordeting districts................................................. 16

V. Map showing the most important gold-quartz mines of the Grants

Pass quadrangle........................... ^.................... 40

VI. Geologic reconnaissance map of the Galice-Kerby-Waldo region.... 46

VII. Cretaceous conglomerate in Forty-nine mine, near Phoenix, Oreg.. 92

VIII. Map showing distribution of Tertiary and later auriferous gravels in

southwestern Oregon........................................... 96

I.. Map of north part of Coos Bay coal field.......................... 134

X. Map of middle part of Coos Bay coal field........................ 134

XI. Map of T. 27 S., R. 13 W.,' Coos Bay coalfield .................... 134

FIGURE 1. Index map showing topographic sheets and geologic folios published for southwestern Oregon................................. 10

2. Geologic map of the Klamath Mountains and adjacent ranges...... 11

3. Generalized cross section of a river valley........................ 13

4. Generalized section across Jurassic belt northwest of Grants Pass... 18

5. Map of the Bohemia region, showing its accessibility by the Southern Pacific Railroad......................................'..... 26

 6. Map of part of the Riddles quadrangle, showing the most important

gold-quartz mines in.1907...................................... 32

7. Section of contact in Oriole mine........................'......... 49

8. Plan and longitudinal section of Almeda mine..................... 73

9. An approximate shore line of Cretaceous islands when auriferous

gravel beaches were formed.................................... 89

10. Geologic section across Cottonwood Valley, Cal.................... 90

11. Section of tailrace of Logan mine.................................. 94

12. Cross section of Logan mine, 3£ miles north of Waldo.............. 94

13. Section showing relations of gravel of York Butte.................. - 97

14. Section of Old Channel mine at Home Place...................... 98

15. Section of gravel in Old Channel mine at Home Place............. 99

16. Section on western edge of Old Channel mine, north side of Rich

Gulch........................................................ 99

17. Section of gravel in Old Channel mine, north of Rich Gulch...... 100

18. Section of gravel in Old Channel mine, south of Rich Gulch...... 100

19. Profile of old-channel bedrock in Harvey mine.................... 101

20. Section of old-channel deposit at Column Rock................... 101

21. Cross-section profile of Josephine Creek........................... 121

22. Coal fields of southwest Oregon................................... 131

23. Map of Coos Bay coal field....................................... 132

24. Map showing location of Eden coal field.......................... 136

25. Map of Eden coal field........................................... 137

26. Generalized section of Eden coal field.. ........................... 138

8
MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

By J. S. DILLER.

INTRODUCTION.

PTJRPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE BULLETIN.

There are frequent calls at the United States Geological Survey for 

information concerning southwestern Oregon. The information 

desired has in part been published by the Geological Survey as separate reports, the supply of nearly all of which has been exhausted. 

Although a detailed survey of southwestern Oregon has not yet been 

completed, enough has been done to warrant a preliminary report of 

results attained with reference to the mineral resources, especially 

the metals.

FIELD WORK.

In the autumn of 1883, while making a general reconnaissance of 

the Cascade Range, I traversed southwestern Oregon, and at various 

times since then my reconnaissance has been extended and detailed 

surveys have been made of a number x)f quadrangles in that portion 

of the State. The index map (fig. 1) shows the areas of which detailed 

surveys have been completed and topographic maps and geologic 

folios published. This map also shows the location of Blue River and 

Bohemia*districts, concerning which the Geological Survey has published reports, as well as the Galice-Kerby-Waldo region, a report on 

which, containing the results of a reconnaissance made in the summer 

of 1911, is given in this bulletin. At the end of the bulletin is a list 

of Geological Survey publications concerning southwestern Oregon.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

In acknowledging the courteous aid rendered by the many mine 

owners and others with whom I came in touch during the progress of 

the work I can mention only a few of those whose services have been 

of special importance. I am greatly indebted to Will Q. Brown, 

geologist, of Riddles, Oreg., for much general and special aid extended 

through many years; also to P. H. Holds worth, of the Almeda; 

Fayette A. Jones, of the Oriole; C. L. Barlow, of Galice; W. S. Bacon 

and P. F. Hogue, of Kerby; W. S. Bowden and C. L. Mangum, of 

Grants Pass; E. W. Liljegran, of Medford; and many other residents

of southwestern Oregon.

9
10 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

Special mention is made of my indebtedness to members of the 

Forest Service, particularly to H. V. Anderson, of Kerby, and to 

those in charge of the Portland office for maps of the Siskiyou National 

Forest, which were used not only in the field, but also as a base for 

the geologic map of the Galice-Kerby-Waldo region (PI. VI).

TSpbgeapluc sheets published. Geologic -folios 

FIGUBE 1. Index map showing topographic sheets and geologic folios published for southwestern Oregon.

GaHce -Kerby region 

( Geologic mapinthiSTvpart)

Special mention should be made also of Frank M. Anderson, who 

contributed the account of the Forty-nine mines. (See pp. 90-93.)

My greatest indebtedness is to Prof. G. F. Kay, now State geologist 

of Iowa, who a few years ago examined the mines of the Riddles and 

Grants Pass quadrangles and from whose publications 1 I have made 

numerous extracts for this report.

i Diller, J. S., and Kay, G. F., The mines of the Riddles quadrangle, Oregon: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

340, p. 134,1908; Mineral resources of the Grants Pass quadrangle and bordering districts, Oregon: U. S. 

Geol. Survey Bull. 380, p. 48,1909.
MINEBAL RESOUKCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON. 11

GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION. 

GENERAL RELATIONS OF THE KLAMATH MOUNTAINS.

To describe the general relations of the southwestern portion of 

Oregon it is necessary to consider briefly the geography and geology

WJJ1 *? T-. V ==d V-"" ' '* V s / s f \ r////S///S* I" - . ' ' ^1

^^^tT J52£» Cretaceous .Jurassic, Paleozoic Schi8ts/ Lavas of to Quaternary Tertiary 

inclusive in California 

includesTriassic

Cascade Ran|e 

FIGURE 2. Geologic map of the Klamath Mountains and adjacent ranges.

of the adjacent mountain ranges. The mountain belt of the Pacific 

coast in California and Oregon includes a number of distinct ranges,
12 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

whose distribution and relations are in part illustrated by the accompanying map (fig. 2).

On the north are the Cascade Kange and the Coast Range of Oregon, 

separated by the Willamette or Sound Valley as far south as Eugene. 

On the south are the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range of California, 

separated by the Great Valley -of California. Surrounding the 

western part of the California-Oregon boundary, where all these 

ranges appear to meet, there is a distinct group of mountain ridges 

and peaks, extending from a point beyond the mouth of Rogue River 

in Oregon to Mad River and the Sacramento Valley in California, that 

constitutes the Klamath Mountains. They embrace the South Fork, 

Trinity, and Salmon Mountains of California, as well as the Siskiyou 

and Rogue River Mountains in Oregon. The greater portion of the 

mining region of southwest Oregon is in the Klamath Mountains 

about Grants Pass, although it reaches into the Cascade Range at 

Bohemia and the Coast Range beyond Port Orford.

The distinction of these ranges is based largely on geologic data, 

and will be more readily understood by referring to the geologic 

map (fig. 2). . The symbols on the map indicate in general the geologic age of the 

sedimentary rocks. To illustrate their areal distribution more clearly. 

all details of small areas have been omitted and outlines broadly 

generalized to cover large areas of igneous rocks. The map shows 

at a glance that although practically all the formations outlined are 

present in southwest Oregon, the sedimentary rocks form but a small 

portion of the great insular mass of the Klamath Mountains.

Before the formations are considered separately it may be observed 

that the Klamath Mountains are composed in the main of essentially 

the same formations as the Sierra Nevada, and furthermore that 

although in the southern part of the Klamath Mountains the trend 

of the formations and lines of structure are northwest and southeast, 

toward the Sierra Nevada, in the* northern portion the trend is southwest and northeast, toward the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. 

This general alignment of the formations of the Sierra Nevada and 

the Klamath and Blue mountains applies also to their mineral 

resources, in which they are strongly contrasted with those of the 

Cascade and Coast ranges of Oregon and California.

TOPOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST OREGON.

To obtain an impressive view of the general features in the relief 

of southwest Oregon one must climb from a narrow river gorge up 

the steep slopes of the canyon to gentler slopes, which rise in places 

to flat-topped summits on the main divides. Although great diversity exists in the scenic details of the mountains and valleys, there
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

EVEN CREST OF COAST RANGE AS SEEN FROM BARKLOW MOUNT
T OF IRON MOUNTAIN, CURRY COUNTY. OREG.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION. 13

are but three general features, whose relations may be illustrated 

by figure 3.

The flat-topped summits (a) are remnants of a once continuous 

plain of gentle relief due to erosion and now generally known as the 

Klamath peneplain. The earlier valley (&) of the river is broad with 

gentle slopes and strongly contrasts with the later valley (c), the 

canyon in which the river now flows.

The Klamath peneplain forming the even crest of the Coast Range, 

as seen from Barklow Mountain, is illustrated in Plate I.

The comparatively even crest of Iron Mountain at an altitude^of 

4,000 feet in Curry County (PI. II) shows the same feature, but the 

largest area of the Klamath peneplain in southwest Oregon is near 

the California line, west and southwest of Waldo (PL III, A and B), 

where it is traversed at an altitude of about 4,000 feet by the old 

wagon roads to the coast.

The Klamath peneplain is the result of the first cycle of erosion 

recorded in the topography 

of that region, and in Oregon only the highest peaks, 

like Preston and the summits of the Siskiyou, rise

as prominent hills (monad- FIGURE 3. Generalized cross section of a river valley, showing

nocks) above its general *^e relation of tlie Klamath peneplain (a) to the earlier valley

. . & (6) and the later valley (c). level.

The Klamath peneplain has been differentially uplifted from an 

altitude near the sea level and deformed, so that portions of it may 

now appear at different levels. In general the plain rises toward the 

Siskiyou and Salmon Mountains, where the uplift has been greatest.

The rivers rejuvenated by the uplift deepened and widened their 

valleys to gentle slopes during the second cycle of erosion, forming 

for each river what is indicated in the diagram as an earlier valley.

Subsequent uplift rejuvenated the streams and initiated a third 

cycle of erosion, during which the streams cut deep, narrow, commonly canyon-like valleys in the bottoms of the earlier valleys. 

In the soft rocks the later valleys have been widened generally, and 

in many places gravel terraces form benches on their slopes.

The uplifts which resulted in carving earlier and later valleys out 

of the Klamath peneplain were irregular and intermittent, and a 

record was made of them along the coast in the elevated beaches 

carved by the waves on successive shore lines at the halting points of 

the rising land. The longer the halt the larger the coastal plain 

developed. About the time the earlier valleys were completed a 

peneplain of considerable size, much lower than the Klamath peneplain, was developed at favorable points along the coast.
14 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

One of the most important conditions contributory to the formation of rich auriferous gravels is the deep weathering and disintegration of rocks that contain gold-bearing quartz veins. By this means 

the gold is liberated in the residual material and prepared for concentration by the streams in their gravel beds. That auriferous 

gravels commonly originate in connection with peneplains is evident 

in the Sierra Nevada, where the high gravels are associated with the 

low relief of the peneplain and contain a large amount of residual 

material resulting from deep rock weathering on gentle slopes.

In the Klamath Mountains, as in the Sierra Nevada, it is evident 

that in the development of the Klamath peneplain much gold must 

have been liberated for concentration in stream beds belonging to 

the first, second, and third cycles of erosion.

GEOLOGY.

SEDIMENTARY BOCKS. 

MICA SCHIST.

Near the mouth of Kogue River is an area of schistose rocks, in 

part mica schist intermingled with slates in which the cleavage is 

highly developed. These rocks are invariably fine grained, rich, in 

quartz, and where most highly metamorphosed have much fine 

silky mica (sericite) on the foliated surface. They are much folded 

and crumpled, and on Brushy Bald Mountain pass into less-altered 

fragmental rocks.

A small area of these schistose rocks, not marked on the map, occurs 8 miles northeast of Crescent City. It is probably related to 

the long area in South Fork Mountain, where the more typical mica 

schists are developed.

Another belt of these rocks, the Abrams formation of Hershey,1 

extends north /rom the vicinity of Weaverville into the heart of the 

Klamath Mountains and is possibly related to a mass of well-developed mica schist on the Oregon line at the head of Applegate Creek, 

about 30 miles southwest of Ashland.

The age of these schists is not definitely known. Though some of 

them appear to be older than the associated Devonian rocks, others 

have resulted from the alteration of adjacent Carboniferous or later 

rocks by the intrusion of the neighboring granodiorite.

PALEOZOIC ROCKS.

LitTiologic character. The Paleozoic sediments consist of clay 

shales or slates, gray to dark siliceous, locally banded slates, and 

greenish slates, interbedded with volcanic tuffs and lentils of limestone, some thin-bedded sandstone, and some fine conglomerate:

i Am. Geologist, vol. 27, p. 226, April, 1901.
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

A. EVEN CREST OF KLAMATH MOUNTAINS SOUTHWEST OF WALDO, OREG.

B. KLAMATH PENEPLAIN. 

Looking northwest from the vicinity of the point from which the view shown in A was taken.
GEOLOGY. 15

Many of the siliceous beds are flinty and contain the remains of 

microscopic radiolarians, thus proving the oceanic origin of the 

material.

With these sediments is associated a very much larger proportion of igneous rocks, partly volcanic rocks of Paleozoic age and partly 

intrusive rocks of later date. The igneous rocks will be noted more 

particularly under a separate heading, not only on account of their 

large volume but because of their genetic relation to the metalliferous deposits,

In southwest Oregon by far the greater portion of the area marked 

Paleozoic is of igneous rocks, and this proportion continues well 

down into the central portion of the Klamath Mountains, but in the 

southern part of the Klamath Mountains and the Sierra Nevada 

the proportion of sedimentary rocks increases.

Distribution of limestone. Limestone is one of the most important 

Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in southwest Oregon 

and is especially valuable on account of its relation to the cement 

industry. The Paleozoic limestones only will be noticed at this 

place, those of Mesozoic age being described under the Cretaceous 

system. More limestone occurs in the Grants Pass quadrangle than 

in any other quadrangle of equal size in southwest Oregon.

The area occupied mainly by the Paleozoic rocks, both sedimentary and igneous, in the Applegate region has a width directly across 

the strike of about 30 miles, in which there are four more or less 

clearly denned belts of limestones containing about 50 masses, most 

of which are shown on the map (PI. IV). The largest outcrop is 

not over one-third of a mile in length and 200 feet in thickness.

The first belt of limestone includes prominent ledges 3 miles southeast of Kerby as well as several on Cheney Creek, where the conditions are favorable for handling the material and for getting it to 

Grants Pass by an easy haul of 12 miles.

The second belt is less regular. It extends from the vicinity of 

Gold Hill, on the main line of the Southern Pacific Co., southwestward by the Oregon Bonanza mine to the well-known Oregon 

Caves, and beyond into California.

The third belt, which has several readily accessible ledges on Kane 

Creek, appears to the southwest on Applegate River, on Steamboat 

Creek, and in the vicinity of Whisky Peak, where the belt enters 

California.

The fourth belt of limestone appears on Little Applegate River, 

and possibly also on Applegate River near Watkins, where a prominent limestone lens occurs close to the mica schist, which it appears 

to overlie.

Age of the Paleozoic limestones. The limestones at a number of 

points in Josephine and Jackson counties are fossiliferous, but the
16 MINERAL RESOURCES ,OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

fossils are too poorly preserved to permit definite, determination. 

However, they are sufficient to suggest that the first- and second 

belts noted above are of Devonian age, whereas the third and fourth 

are Carboniferous. These intermittent belts of limestone lenses have 

been traced far southward into California throughout the Klamath 

Mountains, where additional belts* of highly fossiliferous limestone 

appear and leave.no doubt concerning their Devonian and Carboniferous age.

Composition of the limestones. For the purpose of showing the 

adaptability of these limestones to the manufacture of cement the 

following analyses were made by R. C. Wells in the chemical laboratory of the United States Geological Survey at Washington:

Analyses of limestone from Grants Pass quadrangle, Or eg.

Calcium oxide (CaO) ...........

Water (H8 0). ..................

Silica (Si02)....................

Alumina and iron oxide ([Al, 

FelsOa)...................-..-

1

55.28

43.57

.50

.23

.28

.03

98.89

2

55.71

43.54

.37

.37

.20

.01

100.20

3

55.34

<n 93

.56

si

.44

.03

99.04

4

41.83

32.57

.46

23.86

.32

Trace.

99.04

5

55.55

43.63

.26

.13

.38

99.95

6

55.05

43.25fin

.53

.52

Trace.

99.85

7

55.38

43.51

.40

.06

.62

Trace.

99.97

1. Specimen 7015 A, sec. 19, T. 37 S., R. 6 W.

2. Specimen 7017 A, Carter's quarry, sec. 2, T. 37 S., R. 3 W.

3. Specimen 7017 B. Householders' quarry, sec. 2/r. 37 S., R. 3 W.

4. Specimen 7021, ridge 1 mile southwest of Gold Hill, sec. 20, T. 36 S., R. 3 W. 

6. Specimen 7025, marble southwest of Williams, sec. 31, T. 38 S., R. 5 W.

6. Specimen 7045, Applegate River, south of Watkins, in sec. 7, T. 41 S., R. 4 W.

7. Specimen 7074,3 miles S. 70° E. of Kerby.

An analysis of the limestone from the vicinity of Rock Point, 3 

miles west of Gold Hill, made by J. S. Phillips, is as follows: 1

Analysis of limestone from vicinity of Rock Point, Oreg.

Silica........................................................ 3.1

Iron oxide..................................................... 2,2

Lime carbonate................................................ 89. 4

Magnesium carbonate.......................................... 5.3

100.0

Two analyses by P. H. Bates of limestone obtained near Gold 

Hill are as follows: 1

Analyses of limestone from vicinity of Gold Hill, Oreg.

Lime carbonate. ................................................................

1

0.92

98.22

.84

99.98

2

25.21

69.82

1.30

96.33

1. One mile northwest of Gold Hill. 2. One-fourth mile west of Gold Hill.

i Darton, N. H., Structural materials in parts of Oregon and Washington: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

387, p. 29,1909.
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 546 PLATE IV

R.3W. ISTOO R.2W.

MAP SHOWING LIMESTONE OUTCROPS IN GRANTS PASS QUADRANGLE AND BORDERING DISTRICTS.

Outcrops of limestone indicated by /.
GEOLOGY. 17

Lime has been burned from several of the limestones noted above, 

and some has been used for flux. With the coal and the shales or 

clay of Rogue River valley it seems probable that some of the limestone of that region could be used to advantage in the manufacture 

of cement.

Relation of ike Paleozoic to adjacent rocks. The strata included in 

the four belts of limestone and associated rocks of Paleozoic age in 

southwest Oregon, if judged by their attitude and distribution, appear 

to be conformable throughout, although they are apparently unconformable not only to the older mica schists, but also to the younger 

Jurassic rocks.

JURASSIC SYSTEM.

Liihologic character. The Jurassic sedimentary rocks of southwest 

Oregon consist mainly of shales or slates and thin-bedded sandstones 

in variable proportions. Small beds of fine siliceous conglomerate 

are rare. The shales are dark, locally black, but weather gray, yellowish, or brown, and here and there are decidedly slaty. The sandstones are gray and hard. Locally in the sandstones quartz veins 

are decidedly abundant, but generally they are scarce or absent. 

The fine conglomerate of quartzose pebbles contains scattered on its 

surface small cavities from which soluble pebbles have disappeared. 

Variously colored chert, generally gray or red, is common in some 

localities. Near the contact with granite or other intrusives these 

rocks are in places altered to mica schist or blue hornblende schist. 

Jurassic sediments occupy only about half of the broad belt indicated in southwest Oregon west of Grants Pass, the other portion 

being occupied by igneous rocks, partly volcanic but mainly intrusive and of wide range in general character and composition.

Formations and age. The belt referred to above is shown in greater 

detail on the map of the Galice-Kerby-Waldo region (PL VI, p. 46), 

where the Jurassic sedimentary rocks are represented as two formations the Galice formation on the southeast and the Dothan formation on the northwest separated by an irregular belt of igneous 

rocks, mainly varieties of greenstone and serpentine. Characteristic 

late Jurassic fossils have been found in the slates of the Galice formation at the Almeda mine and also on Cow Creek, at the mouth of 

Rattlesnake, near Reuben Spur, showing that they are of about the 

same horizon as the Mariposa slate of the Mother Lode region in 

California.

The Dothan formation is composed mainly of slates and thinbedded hard sandstones, with some conglomerate and cherts. Fossils are rare and as far as known are so similar to those of the slates 

of the Galice formation as not to be distinctive.

18014° Bull. 546 14 2
18 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

5o 

0

"B . 

.. CJ si

Relations of Jurassic formations. The relative position of the two 

formations is shown in the generalized section of 

the Jurassic belt northwest of Grants Pass (fig. 4). 

The section represented is about 40 miles in length. 

The Devonian strata of the Kerby region on the 

southeast are carried up by a thrust fault so as to 

rest on the overturned slates of the Galice formation. The general dip of the strata is to the southeast, but the newer strata are on the northwest, 

where the Knoxville is unconformably overlain by 

the Eocene. The Dothan and Galice appear to be 

overturned, and their relative position indicates that 

the Dothan is younger than the Galice.

The great mountain-building epoch at the close of 

the Jurassic involved the irruption of great masses 

of igneous rocks and finally resulted in the formation 

of important metalliferous deposits. Nearly all such 

deposits in Jurassic rocks occur in those of igneous 

origin.

CEETACEOUS SYSTEM.

The Cretaceous rocks of southwest Oregon are 

comparatively soft conglomerates, sandstones, and 

shales, which on the basis of fossil evidence have 

been divided into the Knoxville, Horsetown, and 

Chico formations. A number of limestone ledges 

and some chert occur in the Knoxville north of Riddles. The Knoxville, Horsetown, and Chico formations once formed a continuous blanket for the 

older rocks over almost the whole of the Klamath 

Mountains, but most of this cover has been washed 

away, and the evidence of it is found only in the 

fossiliferous pebbles of the early auriferous gravels 

in that region. Remnants of this blanket occur 

along the western edge of Rogue River valley, also 

near Waldo in the Logan mine outlet, and on Grave 

Creek 6 miles east of Placer, as well as in the vicinity 

of Riddles and for miles along the coast. The Cretaceous is markedly unconformable to the Jurassic 

rocks beneath and is in general slightly unconformable to the overlying Eocene.

As the Cretaceous rocks are younger than the intense rock folding that closed the Jurassic, they are 

much less crushed, indurated, and veined with quartz 

than the Jurassic rocks. Locally, however, the Knoxville strata contain 

small quartz veins, but they do not contain any important lode mines.

3 a 

.2

1° 

5*

 3 b"

 ° 9 .2-2
GEOLOGY. 19 

TERTIARY SYSTEM.

The early Tertiary (Eocene) of western Oregon is largely developed 

in the Coast Range, extending as far south as the mouth of Illinois 

River. It' is chiefly soft yellowish sandstone but contains much 

shale and some conglomerate. Beds of coal occur at a number of 

places, more particularly in the vicinity of Coos Bay. On the eastern 

side of Rogue River valley the sandstones and shales, with some 

coal, dip eastward beneath the lavas of the Cascade Range. Similar 

beds occur on the Great Bend of Pit River and along the western 

border of the Sacramento Valley.

The middle Tertiary and later formations, including the Quaternary, 

chiefly clays, sands, and gravels, more or less indurated, form scattered patches along the coast where they are marine, and fill the 

broad river valleys inland where they are fluviatile. For the sake 

of clearness they are shown on the map only in the Sacramento 

Valley, the Willamette Valley, and about Honey Lake, but in fact 

they occur as auriferous gravels, once extensively mined, along all 

the important streams throughout the Sierra Nevada and Klamath 

mountains.

IGNEOUS BOCKS.

In southwest Oregon igneous rocks are abundant and cover a 

greater area than the sedimentary rocks. They are of great variety 

in composition, texture, and mode of occurrence, including greenstones, serpentine, granodiorite, dacite porphyry, and augite andesite.

The greenstones are widespread and of several different kinds, 

both effusive and intrusive, but for the most part they agree in being 

much altered pyroxenic rocks, greenish in color from the presence 

of chlorite or green hornblende.

The effusive volcanic greenstones spread over the surface as andesitic lavas rich in pyroxene, possibly some of them basaltic. They 

are abundant among the Paleozoic limestones and other sediments, 

especially in the Gold Hill and Applegate region, where they are in 

some places vesicular and associated with fragmental deposits due 

to explosive volcanic action.

Similar volcanic greenstones occur among the Mesozoic strata, 

particularly in the neighborhood of Rogue River a short distance 

above Galice and locally, about the Galice formation in the Riddles 

quadrangle.

These volcanic greenstones of various ages ranging through the 

Paleozoic and Mesozoic have been cut by numerous dikes and 

irregular masses of intrusive rocks of the same kind, and the whole 

has been so crushed, altered, and veined by later earth movements
20 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

in the process of mountain building that it would be very difficult to 

map them in detail separately or to determine their relative areas.

When fresh and fully crystalline the greenstone is commonly 

granular, like a gabbro composed essentially of pyroxene and limesoda feldspar, but it may contain hornblende and resemble a diorite, 

or olivine and pass into olivine gabbro, or have ophitic structure and 

pass into diabase, or be compact like basalt.

Although greenstone lavas of both Paleozoic and Mesozoic age 

occur, the age of the intrusive greenstones is not so completely determined. Many of them may be Paleozoic, but some of them were 

erupted near the close of the Jurassic, and with these in the Riddles 

quadrangle there is some quartz porphyry that might well be called 

ancient rhyolite.

In southwest Oregon the ore deposits are most frequently found 

in greenstones.

The serpentines for the most part clearly cut the great masses of 

greenstone. This is best illustrated in the Galice-Kerby region (PI. 

VI), where they have much to do in producing Oore deposits in the 

associated greenstone, although the serpentine itself rarely contains 

bodies of ore except copper.

Serpentine is derived chiefly from the alteration of peridotite, an 

intrusive rock that is composed for the most part of olivine with considerable pyroxene, usually enstatite, and small crystals or grains 

of magnetite and chromite. With the increase of olivine or pyroxene 

the peridotite passes on the one hand into dunite and on the other 

into pyroxenite. Much of the rock in the area mapped as serpentine 

is peridotite in which the alteration to serpentine is not far advanced. 

By the miners, however, all such rocks are regarded as serpentine.

Some of the serpentine appears to show transition to gabbro, as if 

derived from olivine gabbro and not from peridotite intruded in the 

greenstone. Such serpentine has no mineralizing influence on the 

adjacent greenstone.

The granodiorite of southwest Oregon is well illustrated by that 

about Grants Pass and Williams Creek, which extends northeast by 

way of Evans Creek to Umpqua River. It is granular in texture and 

includes rocks which vary considerably in composition. The more 

acidic forms approach the granites and the more basic ones include 

quartz diorite. These rocks are composed chiefly of feldspar, quartz, 

and hornblende or mica, or as is most common both hornblende and 

mica. The color varies, depending on the amount of dark-colored 

minerals present, but the prevailing color of the fresh rock is dark 

gray. The feldspar is chiefly plagioclase which belongs to the acidic 

end of the soda-lime series. It is generally present in greater amount 

than the quartz. Most of the mica is biotite, but muscovite also 

is found, and in places both are present. Apatite, magnetite, and
GEOLOGY. 21

locally garnet are accessory minerals. Granodiorite generally occurs 

in masses many miles in extent. Mines are not common within its 

area or along its border, except in such localities as Granite Hill and 

the rich pockets to the northeast, where granodiorite is in contact 

with both serpentine and greenstone.

Dike rocks are not generally abundant in southwest Oregon but 

are more common in serpentine areas than elsewhere. They have a 

wide range in composition and structure, from dacite porphyry to 

camptonite and augite andesite. Some of the last-named rock 

appears to have altered to greenstone.

The dacite porphyries are thought to be closely related genetically 

to the granodiorite. They have a rather sparse distribution, occurring as small knoblike areas and as dikes cutting the serpentine as well 

as the slates of the Galice formation at Ahneda and near the Rand. 

The porphyritic structure is prominent in much of the rock, being 

due to conspicuous crystals of plagioclase, rounded grains of quartz, 

and rather sharp crystals of hornblende. Not uncommonly, however, the rock is without porphyritic structure, and pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite are absent. A rock of this type cuts the serpentine at the Alta mine on Josephine Creek, near Kerby. The dike 

is impregnated with pyrite and is being mined and crushed.

The groundmass of this rock where most siliceous is composed 

chiefly of fine granular quartz and feldspar, but in others places 

hornblende becomes more and more abundant until the rock appears 

to pass into a camptonite. The basic form's are less likely to be 

associated with ore deposits.

The latest dike rock seen in southwest Oregon is augite andesite, 

a dark-colored hard rock that in the form of small dikes cuts greenstones and granodiorite as well as the Horsetown formation of the 

Lower Cretaceous. It occurs chiefly on the eastern side of the 

Klamath Mountains, near the Cascade Range.

The relative age of the igneous rocks in southwest Oregon, aside 

from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic greenstone lavas, is fairly well established. The greenstones are the oldest, followed in order by the 

serpentine (peridotite), granodiorite, dacite porphyry, and augite 

andesite. Although some of the greenstone lavas and perhaps also 

some of the intrusive greenstones are Paleozoic, the bulk of the 

intrusive rocks, including greenstone, granodiorite, peridotite, and 

dacite porphyry, belong about the close of the Jurassic.

STRUCTURE.

The strata older than the Cretaceous strike generally northeast and 

southwest, parallel to the rock belts, and their dip for the most part 

is to the southeast, though in many places they are vertical.
22 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

From the position of the strata alone it appears that those in the 

northwest portion should be the older and that they should decrease 

in age to the southeast. Just the reverse, however, is the case, as is 

shown on the map (PI. VI) and in the section (fig. 4).

Except the overlapping Tertiary and Cretaceous, the youngest 

rocks, Jurassic, are on the northwest, and the oldest rocks, the mica 

schists, are on the southeast, with the Paleozoic between.

This apparent reversal of the natural order is due either to folding 

and overturning of the strata or to faulting, by which the older rocks 

are made actually or apparently to overlie the younger. Both folding 

and faulting very probably have contributed to the complex structure 

of the region, but the part played by each is not as yet understood and 

will require detailed investigation.

The most evident line of faulting noted in the region crosses it 

northeast and southwest in the vicinity of Waldo and Kerby, where 

the Jurassic strata, as shown in figure 4, appear to pass beneath the 

Devonian. In figure 2 (p. 11) the approximate position of this fault 

is shown by the boundary between the Paleozoic and Jurassic.

A similar line of displacement may occur in the southeast portion of 

the Applegate region, on the California line between the Paleozoic 

rocks and the mica schists, but the evidence thus far observed is not 

conclusive.

Both of these supposed lines of faulting have been traced, mainly by 

Hershey, southward through the Klamath Mountains.

MINERAL PRODUCTION OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

From its earliest history Oregon has been known as a region of 

important mineral resources. In a general way its metallic mineral 

production comes from two portions of the State the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and the Klamath Mountains of the southwestern portion of the State

Oregon was organized as a Territory in 1848, when its rich placers 

were beginning to attract wide attention. No record was kept of its 

precious-metal production in early days, but important estimates have 

been made by R. W. Raymond and the Director of the Mint, who 

report* that the gold and the silver from Oregon deposited at the 

United States mints and assay offices from the time of their organization to June 30, 1882, amounted to $16,816,275.39 in gold. From 

1882 to 1899, inclusive, Oregon produced $22,582,422.41 in gold, 

of which $5,808,831.11 came from the southwest portion of the State.

Only within the last decade have more complete and reliable 

records been available, and they are given in the following table. 

From 1900 to 1912, inclusive, Oregon produced $15,663,258 in gold

i Kept. Director of Mint, p. 44,1882.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 23

alone, and of this amount approximately $5,448,941 came from 

southwest Oregon.

The total gold production of Oregon from 1848 to 1912, inclusive, 

appears to have been $55,061,956. The gold production of southwest 

Oregon before 1881 can not be very closely estimated, but beginning 

with that year to 1912, inclusive, the production has been $11,257,772.

During the period from 1903 to 1912, inclusive, the placer mines of 

southwest Oregon produced $2,014,715 in gold and the lode mines 

$1,523,226. Besides this in the same time the production of silver 

was valued at $63,385; of platinum, $15,293; and of coal, $2,602,122. 

Considerable copper was also produced.

Gold and coal have always been the most important minerar 

products, and except in 1910 the value of the gold exceeded that of 

the coal. Definite statistical data concerning copper, quicksilver, and 

limestone are not available for most of the period under consideration.

Value of the mineral products of southwest Oregon, from 1900 to 1912, inclusive, compared 

with the total gold production of the State for the same period.

Year.

1900..............

1901..............

1902..............

1903..............

1904..............

1Q(K

1906..............

1907.............. ions

1909..............

1910..............

1911..............

1912..............

Total gold 

production 

of Oregon.

$1,694,700 

1,818,100

1,816.700

1,290.200 

1,412,186 

1,405,235 

1,366.900 

1,129,261 

865,076 

781,964 

679,488 

633,407 

770,041

15,663,258

Southwest Oregon.

Gold.

Total.

$531,631 

504,163 

364,900 

600,000 

396,478 

250,664 

274,245 

209,324 

188, 971 

217,565

3,537,941

Placer.

$297,371 

250, 132 

179,480 

289,560 

239,942 

193,484 

185, 252 

130,103 

123,008 

126,383

2,014,715

 Lode.

$234,260 

254,031 

185,420 

310,440 

156, 536 

57, 180 

88,993 

79,221 

65,963 

91,182

1,523,226

Silver.

$14, 278 

482 

5,348 

14, 551 

4,085 

4,229 

2,609 

1,204 

6,256 

10,343

63,385

Platinum.

$1,912 

2,000

836 

4,940 

1,121 

3,265 

1,219

15,293

Cool.

$220,001 

173,646 

160,075 

221,031 

243,588 

282,495 

212,338 

166,304 

236,021 

235,085 

235,229 

108,033 

108,276

2,602,122

LODE MINES AND PROSPECTS.

GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES.

GENERAL FEATURES.

The diverse stresses and consequent earth movements involved in 

the development of the Klamath Mountains have resulted in widespread crushing and shearing of the rocks, but the fissuring was 

general instead of being concentrated in narrow belts. The final 

veining of the rocks and the accompanying ore deposition in general 

formed many small though commonly rich ore bodies instead of a few 

larger ones. This condition has greatly encouraged prospecting and 

led to the development of a multitude of small lode mines. Placers, 

too, are abundant on many streams and have guided the search for
24 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

ore bodies. In fact they afford one of the best indications of the 

whereabouts of lodes in residual material.

Many mines and prospects, some of which have produced only a 

few hundred dollars, others thousands of dollars, and a very few as 

much as $100,000, are now lying idle. At present some development work is in progress on new prospects and in mines which have 

until recently been closed, as well as in the mines that have been 

producers for some years. The total production of the 22 lode mines 

of southwest Oregon reported in 1910 was $79,221, as compared with 

$130,103, the output of 64 placer mines of the same region during the 

same year.

The gold-bearing quartz is widely distributed and occurs in small 

veins, veinlets, and brecciated zones in several kinds of rock. Most 

of the mines and prospects are situated in the greenstones, but some 

lie in the granodiorites, some in metamorphosed sediments, and a few 

prospects in peridotites or their decomposition product, serpentine.

A striking feature of many of the gold-bearing veins is that they are 

found in proximity to serpentine. This is well illustrated in the 

general distribution of the mines of the Galice-Kerby region, as shown 

in Plate VI. Usually, however, the veins are cut off sharply at the 

contact and the ore rarely extends into the serpentine. This may be 

due in some measure to faulting, for the distribution of the serpentine 

suggests that the hydrothermal action consequent on the intrusion of 

the peridotite resulted in the deposition of the vein matter.

The ores are found in several relationships in these rocks. In some 

places they occur in greenstones at considerable distances from other 

kinds of rock; in others they are in the greenstones but at the contact 

with or near to granodiorites and related rocks. Some veins are parallel to the schistosity in the greenstones. Again, some veinlets occur

in both greenstones and sediments, and in such places it is not unusual 

to find rich ores near the contact of these rocks and closely related to 

dikes which cut them. This relationship of the rich ore to dikes is 

also shown where the veinlets lie in the sediments only. In the 

peridotites some of the veinlets are present at the contact with or near 

dikes related to granodiorites.

Many of the veins and veinlets have never produced important 

bodies of ore.but only "pockets," some of which, although filling but 

small spaces, were remarkably rich, the gold usually having been 

coarse. In general most of the gold in these pockets has been taken 

from depths less than 25 feet from the surface.1

The veins and veinlets run in all directions. However, a comparison of the more persistent of them showed that more lie in an eastwest direction than in a north-south direction. The dips of the veins 

vary greatly; most of them have fairly high dips, but some are nearly

1 As to the origin of " pockets" in the Klamath Mountains,' see Ferguson, H. G., Gold lodes of the 

Weavervrlle quadrangle, California: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 540, pp. 40-43,1914.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 25

flat and some are vertical. The widths of the veins are generally less 

than 1 foot; a great many are considerably less, and in some places 

they form an intricate network of stringers. On the other hand, some 

veins are more than 10 feet wide. Such veins are either separated 

into several parts by "horses" or there is a decided brecciation of 

their materials. In one of the best mines in the region, the Greenback, 

the average width of the vein is 18 inches.

The vein filling consists mainly of quartz, which is usually of a 

milky-white color. Many of the veins contain quartz crystals with 

perfect outlines, indicating that the deposition took place in open 

fissures. Calcite is commonly found with the quartz, and subordinate amounts of sulphides, chiefly iron pyrites, but not uncommonly 

arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, and galena are also present. A few of the 

veins contain pyrrhotite. The sulphides rarely exceed 3 per cent of 

the ores. Telluride ores are reported from a number of mines, and 

samples of undoubtedly rich telluride ores were exhibited as coming 

from those mines, but the writer did not see any of this ore in place.

A study of the fillings of the veins in different kinds °of rock suggests 

that the nature of the country rock has not influenced the contents of 

the fissures to any appreciable extent. The gold is present as free 

gold in the quartz and is also associated with the sulphides and 

tellurides, some of the concentrates being rich.

Little gold has been found in the country rocks adjacent to the ' 

veins. These rocks in some places are only slightly altered, but in 

other places they have been chloritized and in still others the products 

of alteration consist of carbonates, albite, quartz, and pyrite. The 

presence of albite rather than sericite, a common mineral in the wall 

rocks of the gold-quartz mines of California,1 is no doubt due to the 

fact that the Oregon rocks, as indicated from the analyses thus far 

made, are considerably richer in sodium than in potassium.

The lower limit of the zone of oxidation is in general less than 100 

feet below the surface, but in places it exceeds 200 feet.

In the Bohemia region the gold-bearing quartz veins, being in 

Tertiary lavas, are evidently of later age. In some other localities in 

Oregon the quartz veins may be younger than the earlier Cretaceous 

but older than the Eocene. By far the greater portion of the vein 

filling and ore deposition in southwestern Oregon took place about 

the close of the Jurassic and the beginning of the Cretaceous.

BLUE RIVER MINING REGION.

Very little is known of the Blue River mining region, although it 

has kept up a small production for many years. A very brief account 

of this district was given in my report on the Bohemia mining region.2

i Lindgren, Waldemar, Am. Inst. Min. Eng. Trans., vol. 30, p. 665,1901.

a Diller, J. S., The Bohemia mining region of western Oregon:, U. S. Geol. Survey Twentieth Ann, Rept., 

pt. 3, p. 31,1900..
26 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The Blue River region lies on the western slope of the Cascade 

Range, near McKenzie Fork, about 45 miles east of Eugene. It 

is 50 miles a little east of north from the Bohemia region, and its 

rocks, like those of that region, are wholly igneous and of comparatively recent origin. The rocks differ, however, from those of 

the Bohemia district in being generally more siliceous, although both 

andesites and basalts occur. Rhyolite is common, especially on the 

slope of Gold Hill, where much of it is so conspicuously banded as to 

be mistaken for a stratified rock. Some of the prospects lie in 

altered andeeite. The summit of Gold Hill is capped by wellmarked basalt, very rich in olivine.

Many claims have been opened up, but as yet that of the Blue 

Bird Mining Co. appears to be the most active. The company is the 

only one in the Blue River region reporting a production in 1910 

and continued to operate in 1912.

The veins of quartz contain pyrite, some of which is reported to be 

highly auriferous. Sphalerite and galenite are less abundant than in 

the Bohemia district. The veins strike N. 60°-88° W. and dip 75°-9° 

SW., approximately parallel to those of the Bohemia region, and it 

may be inferred that they originated in practically the same earth 

movement.

BOHEMIA MINING REGION.

The Bohemia mining region lies on the crest of Calapooya Mountain, a shoulder that juts out from the western slope of the Cascade Range and forms the divide between Willamette and 

Umpqua rivers as well as the 

boundary line between Lane 

and Douglas counties. The 

region is 30 miles southeast of 

Cottage Grove on the Southern 

Pacific Railroad, as shown hi 

figure 5, and may be reached 

by a branch railroad to Disston and 12 miles of staging 

to Champion. Two reports 

on this mining district have 

been publishd by the Geological Survey.1

The Bohemia region is one .of special interest. Its ore deposits, 

occurring in the Tertiary lavas of the Cascade Range, are apparently 

the latest formed in southwest Oregon. They lie in the line of the 

most northern mineralized belt in Curry and Douglas counties.

i Diller, J. S., The Bohemia mining region of western Oregon: .17. S. Geol. Survey Twentieth Ann. Kept., 

pt. 3, pp. 7-36,1900. MacDonald, D. F., Notes on the Bohemia mining district, Oregon: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 380, pp. 80,84,1909.

FIGURE 5. Map of the Bohemia mining region, showing 

its accessibility by the Southern Pacific Railroad.
GOLD-QUABTZ LODE MINES. 27

The following description is taken directly from Mr. MacDonald's 

publication: 1

PHYSIOGRAPHY AND GENERAL GEOLOGY.

The relief of the district is pronounced. Several peaks are more than 6,000 feet 

high and the elevation of the lowest valleys is less than 2,000 feet. This bold relief 

is the result of mountain glaciation and stream erosion. The luxuriant vegetation 

due to the humid climate has somewhat masked the geologic features of the region. 

Great forests clothe the mountain slopes and the region is notable for its timber value.

The rocks of the district are andesitic lavas and tuffs of Tertiary age which are cut 

by dacite porphyry and probably by basalt. The andesites are the most abundant 

rocks. Seven consecutive flows aggregating 500 feet in thickness appear on the south 

face of Bohemia Mountain. They vary from light to dark gray in color and in hand 

specimens show small elongated phenocrysts of feldspar and very small greenish 

crystals of pyroxene or chlorite. In weathering the rock assumes a light-gray to 

buff color, the feldspars becoming white and powdery. Good exposures of andesite 

are shown on Bohemia, Elephant, Fairview, and Grizzly mountains.

The tuffs, in the main, are of andesitic composition and at many places are interbedded with andesite flows. A tuff composed of coarse fragments occurs near the 

White Ghost claim on City Creek. Fine tuff interbedded with lava is shown in the 

crosscut to No. 2 level in the Noonday mine. The slope east of Horseheaven Creek 

shows a considerable area of light-gray stratified tuffs. Fine gray banded tuffs were 

seen on the slopes below Judson Rock. These tuffs are contemporaneous with the 

andesites, particularly with the later flows.

A light-gray rock, probably dacite porphyry, cuts the darker andesites and tuffs in 

many places. This rock on fresh fracture shows minute aggregations of quartz, larger 

crystals of feldspar, and small dark crystals of pyroxene and hornblende. The fine 

groundmass between the large crystals is gray to slightly greenish, the green tinge 

 being due to the presence of chlorite. This dacite porphyry cuts andesites and interbedded tuffs at several places along the road about halfway between Disston and 

Orseco. It also occurs within half a mile of the Musick mine, both to the northeast 

and to the southeast.

Basalt.occurs in one or two small outcrops. It is a fine-grained dark lava, best 

shown on the south edge of Bohemia Mountain', Its small outcrop suggests that it is 

intrusive in the andesite.

ORB DEPOSITS.

The ore deposits of this district are fissure veins, which cut the andesites and tuffs. 

Small sulphide impregnations also occur in the vicinity of altered diabasic dikes, but 

they have no economic value. The general strike of the veins is north to northwest, 

with a dip of 60° to 85°. They vary from 1 foot to 12 or 15 feet in width. Some are 

single veins; others consist of two or more parallel veins, separated by a few inches to a 

few feet of highly altered country rock. At the Musick mine there are three parallel 

veins, 1 to 4 feet in width, separated by thin walls of altered country rock. Only the 

fissure veins which have suffered postmineral fracturing have produced profitable ore. 

These veins, because of their oxidized and easily workable condition, gave good 

returns in free gold in their upper workings. Veins which have not been fractured 

since they were mineralized, or which are situated in regions of maximum erosion, 

such as old glacial cirques, show sulphide ores at the surface. They are tightly 

cemented and relatively impermeable and represent the conditions of mineralization 

that prevail in all the veins below the oxidized zone. The minerals which they contain are sphalerite, pyrite, a little galena, and very little chalcopyrite, with a gangue

i U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 380, pp. 80-84,1909.
28 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

of quartz, altered country rock, and some calcite. So far these veins have not been 

found profitable, because their sulphide ore can not be cheaply treated, the tightness 

with which the ore is cemented makes mining more expensive, and the gold tenor is 

less than that of the oxidized material.

HYDRO-THERMAL METAMORPHISM.

In the vicinity of the veins the mineralizing solutions have greatly altered the 

country rock. Several hundred feet distant from a vein the dark color of the rock is 

in many places changed to a greenish tinge, while close to the deposit it is gray to buff 

in color, has a clayey appearance, and crumbles easily. The pattern of the rock is 

fairly well preserved, however, the outlines of the feldspar phenocrysts being clearly 

visible, though the feldspar material has been changed to a white or yellowish powder.

Under the microscope it is seen that the basic feldspars have altered into sericite, 

calcite, and quartz, the quartz, however, being in relatively small quantity. The 

ferromagnesian minerals have been changed to calcite, and the iron }n them appears 

now as limonite or hematite. Farther away from the vein, where metamorphism was 

less intense, these minerals have reached only the chloritic stage of alteration. In 

many veins soft disintegrated country rock forms a considerable part of the vein matter. 

An examination of this material showed that near the surface it is composed essentially 

of very fine granules of quartz with considerable iron-stained kaolin. At greater depth 

the same rock contains an abundance of sericite and calcite with very little kaolin.

SECONDARY ALTERATION AND ENRICHMENT.

Some of the veins were brecciated after they were filled, and as a result oxygenated 

waters were able to percolate downward along the fractured zone. The ores were 

thus oxidized and sulphides leached out to depths of 100 to 300 feet, depending on the 

degree of brecciation and the rate of erosion. The gold occurred as threads and filaments included in the pyrite. The pyrite was leached away, leaving the relatively 

insoluble gold and some iron oxide occupying a part of the small cavity left in the vein 

material. This process brought about an association of free gold with iron-stained, 

spongy quartz, and enriched the ore by leaching out the valueless sulphides. It also 

rendered the ore soft and porous, so that it is much more cheaply mined and milled 

than the unaltered ore.

Small local enrichments of free gold occur at the junctions of fissures, pyrite being 

abundant at these junctions, as shown by the mass of iron oxide left. It is probable 

that the smaller particles of gold were dissolved from the upper parts of the vein by 

the ferric sulphate solutions of oxidized pyrite and were precipitated by the local 

masses of pyrite below.

Some secondary sulphides were observed, but these are of no commercial value. 

They consist of pyrite crystals deposited in cracks in primary pyrite and of very small 

masses of sphalerite and galena. Other secondary minerals noted were calcite and, 

rarely, cerusite.

MINING DEVELOPMENT.

Gold was first discovered in Bohemia in 1858. In 1875 the first mill, a five-stamp 

battery, was built on the Knott claim. From 1877 to 1891 little was done in the district. In the nineties the Musick, Champion, Noonday, Vesuvius, and several other 

mines became active, and mills aggregating 35 or more stamps were built. At the 

time of visit, in August, 1908, no ore was being milled in the district, nor had any 

milling been done since the previous summer. Several companies, however, had men 

employed in prospecting and development.

Figures for the total output of the camp are not available. As nearly as can be 

judged from the statistics published in "Mineral Resources of the United States," 

and from verbal reports, the total product is probably between $300,000 and $400,000,
GOLD-QUABTZ UODE MINES. 29

mainly in free gold. Although some rich shoots occur locally, the average tenor of the 

ore is low, generally running $3 to $5 a ton. The soft, spongy, iron-stained vein material is cheaply mined and milled. The cost of mining is from $1.50 to $2 a ton, and of 

milling little over 50 cents a ton. The concentrates range in value from $20 to $70 

a ton and consist in the main of auriferous pyrite, with silver and a little lead and 

copper. Values less than $25 a ton can not be profitably shipped because of present 

high freight rates.

The principal mines of the region which have produced values are the Musick, 

Champion, Vesuvius, Noonday, Helena, and California, and there are others of lesser 

note. The Musick leads in development, with about a mile of drifts along six 50-foot 

levels. Of these, levels 4 and 6 are reached by short crosscuts which tap the vein 

from the basin at the head of City Creek. About 2,000 feet to the west, on the other 

slope of the divide, a portal from one of the lower drifts opens out close to a good stand 

of mining timber. A shaft 80 feet deep connects directly with the two upper levels 

and through various stopes with most of the lower workings, thus giving good ventilation to the mine. Most of the ore was hauled out at the lower level, which attains a 

maximum depth of about 300 feet.

The Champion, Vesuvius, and Noonday have each about half a mile of workings. 

In the Champion most of the development work has been done on two levels, the 

lower of which attains a maximum depth of about 200 feet and is reached by a crosscut 

a few hundred feet in length through which all the ore is brought out. A considerable 

amount of stoping has been done, particularly where the greatest oxidation occurred. 

The lower workings here show considerable amounts of primary sulphides. The Vesuvius has been worked from several levels to a depth of about 300 feet and has many 

stopes. The steep slope on which it is situated has facilitated its development by 

tunnels and has afforded a gravity transfer for the ore from stope to mill, as well as 

good ventilation and drainage for all the workings. The Noonday has three principal 

levels, all tapped by crosscuts from the steep slope of the Horseheaven basin; the lowest 

level attains a maximum depth of about 300 feet. Considerable stoping was done, 

and the ore from the stopes was sent down to the mill on an aerial tramway about 

one-third of a mile in length. The Helena has more and the California somwehat 

less than 1,000 feet of workings. Both are developed by tunnels which will attain 

100 to 300 feet of depth. The Helena has two levels and has produced some very rich 

specimen ore.

The ore from the Musick mine was hauled over a practically level electric tramway 

about a mile in length and dumped into the ore bins of the Champion mine. Thence 

the ore of both mines was sent down to the mill on a steep incline, 3,400 feet long. 

Haulage was effected by an endless cable to which the mine cars were attached by 

means of an automatic grab, the loaded cars going down pulling the empties up. The 

Musick-Champion mill, the largest in the district, has 30 stamps and is run by a 

water-driven electric generating plant located on Frank Bryce Creek, 7 miles below 

the mine. It handled the ore from both the Musick and Champion mines. The electric plant was designed to develop 300 horsepower and to operate the stamp mill, a 

small sawmill, and a local electric-light plant, and to furnish mine power. A small 

auxiliary steam plant is provided for use in case of need. Other milling plants in the 

district are a 10-stamp mill at the Vesuvius mine, a 5-stamp mill at the El Calado 

property, and a 20-stamp mill on the Noonday group. 

SILVER AND COPPER PROSPECTS.

The Riverside and Oregon-Colorado claims are promising copper prospects which 

show some good chalcopyrite ore and are located on strong veins. The Combination 

property covers a somewhat extensive lode, consisting of one large vein and some 

smaller veins, and is said to have produced ore which assayed more than 25 ounces of 

silver to the ton.
30 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

FUTURE OF THE DISTRICT.

The Bohemia district contains many well-defined veins and lodes. Many of those 

which show on the surface have not yet been explored, and no doubt many more are 

obscured by the dense vegetation which covers a large part of the district. It seems 

reasonable to suppose that other mines will yet be opened and will find workable 

gold ore, at least in the upper and oxidized portion of the veins. Workable bodies of 

copper and silver may possibly be discovered in the district.

In 1910 there were four producing companies in. the Bohemia 

region. The entire output of the Bohemia district in 1912 came from 

deep mines, the largest producer being the West Coast mine, which 

is opened by a 1,000-foot tunnel and has a 30-stamp mill. It is 

reported as one of the large deep mines of Oregon by C. G. Yale in 

his preliminary estimate for 1913, but details are not yet available.

PORT ORFORD QUADRANGLE.

The placers of the Sixes River and Johnson Creek region, extending 

15 miles in a direction N. 80° W. from Coos County into Curry 

County, have long attracted attention, and many attempts have been 

made to locate the source of the gold. The principal endeavors were 

made at Rusty Butte, Salmon Mountain, and on Poverty Gulch. 

Several quartz mills have been erected and small pockets found. 

At Poverty Gulch on Johnson Creek the work has been most persistent, one lode mine and two placers being reported in 1910, but the 

total output was small. The quartz veins containing free gold and 

auriferous pyrite are in gabbroid greenstone.

On Rusty Butte, which yielded some fine specimens of wire gold, 

prospects were at one time very encouraging. Some portions of the 

disintegrated iron-stained material contained quartz and others contained calcite, associated with pyrite, arsenopyrite, and small cubic 

crystals of galena.

On the northwest slope of Salmon Mountain, not far from the 

contact between gabbro and Mesozoic slates, auriferous quartz veins 

have been prospected by several tunnels, but the search has not been 

as successful or persistent as at Poverty Gulch on Johnson Creek, 

where several mines have reported a small production for years.

The principal mine on Johnson Creek some years ago was an open 

cut into a steep slope exposing a very ferruginous seamy quartz mass 

containing much black manganese oxide. It is situated on the contact of a form of dacite porphyry and slates, intermingled with other 

igneous rocks which the dacite porphyry intersects.

The black oxide of iron and manganese interferes mechanically to a 

considerable degree with the amalgamation of the gold. The east-west 

dike of dacite porphyry has doubtless had much to do with the 

mineralization of the Johnson Creek region. In 1912 Curry County 

produced placer gold to the value of $12,786, besides 39.91 fine 

ounces from lode mines.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 31 

ROS'EBURG QUADRANGLE.

The Roseburg quadrangle lies in the middle portion of Douglas 

County and includes, in the mining region of Myrtle Creek, the only 

lode mines between the Bohemia region on the north and the Riddles quadrangle on the south.

The Myrtle Creek region has not been visited by geologists of the 

United States Geological Survey within the last 10 years. Only 

one producing mine was reported in 1910. The earlier developments 

were by placer mining in disintegrated gabbro that carried small 

auriferous quartz veins, but the later production has been reported 

chiefly from lode mines. The total production of gold in Douglas 

County in 1912 amounted to 684.07 fine ounces, or 25.64 ounces 

more than that of Curry County. Of this quantity 539.91 fine ounces 

came from the placers.

RIDDLES QUADRANGLE. 

MUTING CONDITIONS.

The northern half of the Riddles quadrangle (see fig. 1, p. 10) is 

in Douglas County and the southern half is almost equally divided 

between Jackson and Josephine counties.

The location of the principal mines and prospects of the Riddles 

quadrangle in 1907 is shown in figure 6, and their descriptions are 

chiefly as given by Prof. Kay.

Much prospecting for gold quartz veins has been done during the 

last 15 years within the area of the Riddles quadrangle. Comparatively few important discoveries have been made, but, although some 

of the mines are no longer producing, others, once idle, have resumed 

work and become important producers. Some of the principal mines 

are described below,

GREENBACK MINE.

The Greenback mine, once the largest producer in southwest 

Oregon, has again obtained that distinction. It is situated on Tom 

East Creek, a branch of Grave Creek. On the same stream, a little 

farther down, is the Columbia placer mine, which is one of the largest 

in the State.

The Greenback was discovered in 1897 by two prospectors who 

lived in the vicinity of Placer, on Grave Creek. They worked the 

deposit for about a year, 'treating the ore with an arrastre at Placer. 

They then sold the property for $30,000 to the Victor Junior Gold 

Milling Co., and Messrs. Moffatt & Smith, of Denver. In 1902 more 

than 90.per cent of the stock was purchased by Mr. Brevort, and the 

corporation was named the Greenback Gold Mining & Milling Co. 

No transfer has since been made.
32 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN" OREGON.

From the time when the property came into the possession of the 

Victor Junior Gold Mining Co. until 1906, the development of the 

mine was rapid, more equipment being added each year. At first 

a 5-stamp mill was installed, later 5 stamps were added, and in 

1902, when Mr. Brevort became the chief owner, there were 15

Gold mine (in operation) © Gold 

" 0 i Z

line (not in operation) X Gold prospect 

3 4 smiles

FIGURE 6. Map of part of the Riddles quadrangle, showing the most important gold-quartz mines in 1907.

stamps, besides a crusher, an air compressor, and three Wilfley 

tables for concentrating. Mr. Brevort's company soon began the 

construction of a new mill, about a quarter of a mile farther down the 

stream. At first 20 stamps were used in this mill. This number was 

increased until, in 1905, 40 stamps were being used. The new plant 

has three large Bisdon crushers and 12 concentrating tables. There
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 33

is also a cyanide plant, consisting of four large tanks, with a capacity 

»of 100 tons a day. For a while the mill was equipped with both 

steam and water power, but in 1905 a complete electric system was 

installed. The power was brought, by way of Grants Pass, from the 

Ray dam on Rogue River, a distance of about 30 miles. In August, 

1906, work at the mine was suspended, but it was resumed before 1910.

The workings of the mine are extensive, consisting chiefly of crosscut tunnels to the vein and drifts and shafts on the vein. Much of the 

ore has been stoped along the whole length of the vein to a depth of 

about 1,000 feet from the surface. The lowest workings are on the 

twelfth level.

The country rock is greenstone, which is considerably metamorphosed, but which, where most free from alteration, resembles a gabbro. To the east and southeast of the mine a considerable area of 

serpentine is present, and a short distance to the north lies the 

southwestern limit of a band of siliceous slates which extends for 

some miles to the northeast.

The Greenback vein has a direction almost east and west and dips 

in general about 60° N. It averages about 18 inches in width but 

ranges from less than 6 inches to more than 4 feet. A crushed zone 

of quartz stringers and country rock, forming in places a beautiful 

breccia, is present where the vein is widest. The country rock of the 

breccia is strongly chloritized and'contains sulphides which carry 

gold. In many places the foot and hanging walls of the vein are 

fairly definite, but where considerable brecciation has occurred there 

is no distinct boundary between the vein material and the chloritized 

country rock. The vein is cut off sharply to the east against serpentine and to the west by a fault. Between the serpentine and the 

fault plane the vein has an average length of more than 500 feet and 

within this distance there are only minor displacements. The vein 

has not been picked up to the west beyond the fault plane, nor has it 

been found in the serpentine to the east. This latter fact tends to 

prove that the rock from which this serpentine was derived was 

younger than the vein, rather than that the present relations are due 

to displacements between the greenstone and its decomposition 

product, the serpentine, as is indicated in some places in the quadrangle.

The vein filling consists of quartz, calcite, and pyrite, which vary 

in amount in different parts of the vein. The average content of 

the ore mined from the first and second levels was between $8 and 

$9 to the ton; a few assays on these levels ran above $40 to the ton. 

Capt. Buck states that over 75 per cent of the gold was free milling. 

The concentrates ran about $75 to the ton and after cyaniding the 

ores contained less than $1 to the ton. Within the mine there is but 

little evidence of oxidation of the ores, except near the surface, 

18014° Bull. 546 14 3
34 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON".

The Greenback mine was reported as operating in 1912. Its plant 

has a maximum capacity of 100 tons a day.

A short distance south of the Greenback vein and running almost 

parallel to it is the Irish Girl vein, on which very little work has 

been done.

MARTHA MINE.

The Martha mine is in the SW. J sec. 28, T. 33 S., R. 5 W., about 

1£ miles north of the Greenback. It was purchased by the Greenback Co. in 1904 and somewhat extensively developed. The electric 

power of the Greenback was extended to this property, and in 1906 

an aerial tramway,- said to have cost $20,000, was constructed to 

connect the two mines. For a few months the ore of the Martha 

was conveyed by the tramway to the Greenback plant and treated 

there. The company also installed a 75-horsepower air compressor. 

When .the Greenback was closed the company also stopped all work 

at the Martha, but since then both mines have resumed work. 

) The mine was prospected by four tunnels whose length aggregates 

nearly 3,000 feet. At the time the property was examined (June, 

1907) it. was leased by J. M.Clarke, of Golden, Oreg., who had brought 

in five stamps and was treating the ore which had been mined by 

the Greenback Co. but which had not been shipped to the mill.

The country rock is greenstone. The ores resemble those of the 

Greenback but do not carry as much gold. They occur in narrow 

veinlets and stringers in zones of shearing and brecciation, which 

have a general trend between northwest and west and a range in 

width from a few inches to more than 4 feet.

BABY MINE.

The Baby mine is situated in the northwest corner of sec. 16, T. 35 

S., R. 5 W., and is owned by the Capital City Gold Mining Co. The 

property was located in 1897 and since that time has been extensively 

developed by its present and former owners. It is now leased by 

R. S. Moore, .of Grants Pass. During the summer of 1907 three 

stamps were in operation, but they appear to have ceased before 

1910. Mr. Adams, the manager of the company, says that the mine 

has yielded gold to the value of more than $20,000.

The equipment comprises a 5-stamp mill, two boilers, a concentrating table, and a small crusher. The development consists of more 

than 1,500 feet of tunnels, shafts, drifts, upraises, and crosscuts.

The vein occurs in greenstone and averages about 4 feet in width, 

but in places becomes a fissured zone more than 10 feet wide comprising many parallel stringers of quartz which carry gold. The 

vein ranges in direction from northwest to nearly west and dips 

northeast, generally at high angles, although in some places it is 

almost vertical and in others almost flat.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 35

A striking feature of the mine is the prevalence of faults, which 

are not only numerous but vary considerably in direction and in 

amount of displacement. Ojie of the most prominent of the fault 

planes runs S. 80° W.

The vein material consists of a somewhat sugary-looking quartz, 

some calcite, and some pyrite. The gold is carried chiefly by the 

quartz; in many parts of the vein free gold may be seen with the 

unaided eye. The sulphide varies in' amount in different parts of 

the vein and when concentrated yields about $75 worth of gold to 

the ton.

SILENT FRIEND MINE.

i

The Silent Friend property lies in the southern part of sec. 15, T. 

33 S., K. 5 W., on the north slope of Post Mountain. It is owned by 

the original locators, John Scribner and George Henderson, both of 

Speaker, Oreg. They discovered the vein in 1900, worked it until

1902, and then leased it for 18 months to Joseph Dysert. From the 

expiration of this lease until August, 1906, no development was carried 

on, but for some time after that date the owners worked the mine 

on a small scale. Mr. Scribner states that from the oxidized material 

on the surface, overlying a network of small stringers, he has taken 

gold to the value of more than $7,000.

The chief development has been by two tunnels, the lower of which 

is 320 feet in length and crosscuts several small stringers. The upper 

tunnel is 75 feet in length and has an upraise to the surface.

The country rock is greenstone, which is strongly chloritized adjacent to the veins. The chloritization is no doubt due to the action 

of the mineral-bearing solutions. The ores are found in veinlets and 

stringers which run in various directions, but the majority of them 

have a general trend between southwest and west.

The filling consists of quartz, calcite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, and 

locally chalcopyrite. Some specimens of ore, which were found to 

consist largely of calcite, chlorite, and arsenopyrite, contained considerable free gold visible to the unaided eye. These specimens, which 

were taken from the bottom of one of the drifts, appeared to represent 

in the mine the ore of an 18-inch brecciated zone, which could be 

followed for several feet.

DAISY MINE.

The Daisy mine, which is situated on the divide at the head of 

Jack Creek, is on one of six claims that constitute the Oregon Mohawk 

gold mines, owned by G. R. Smith, of Grants Pass. It was discovered in 1890 and for a time was worked under the name of the Hammersley mine. Then the stock was acquired by Morton Lindley, of 

San Francisco, who later disposed of it to the present owner.

Preparations were being made during the summer of 1907 to pump 

the water from the mine, which had been idle for some time, and
36 MINEBAL BESOUBCES OF SOUTHWESTEBN OBEGON.

mining operations were to be resumed. Mr. Smith stated that the 

mine had produced gold to the value of more than $200,000.

The workings consist of an inclined shaft 175 feet in depth, from 

which, at 115 feet below the surface, a drift runs along the vein for 

350 feet to the west and 50 feet to the east. All the ore above has 

been stoped. From the bottom of the shaft a drift runs eastward 

on the vein for 140 feet and westward for 243 feet.

The veinlets of gold-bearing quartz carrying pyrite run about east 

and west and are in a chloritized greenstone. The ore-bearing zone 

has a width of about 3 feet.

MOUNT PITT MINE.

The Mount Pitt nnne is situated in the southeast corner of sec. 36, 

T. 34 S., R. 5 W. It was located by H. G. Rice, of Grants Pass, the 

present superintendent. The property is owned by A. C. Hooper, of 

Portland.

The present workings consist of an entrance tuimel of 225 feet to 

cut the vein, a drift of 100 feet along the vein, and an upraise of 200 

feet from the drift to the surface. A mill has recently been erected, 

containing a crusher, an automatic feeder, 5 stamps, and a concentrating table.

The ore is found in small irregular veins in sheared greenstone, 

the sheared zone being usually about 3 feet wide. The quartz veins 

are rarely well marked, the greatest width of quartz seen being 4 

inches, and this is not persistent for more than a yard or so. The 

quartz veinlets are in general parallel to the plane of shearing, but 

some of them are small cross gash veins nearly horizontal.

OROFINO MINE.

The Orofino property, which is located in sec. 3, T. 35 S., R. 5 W.,

has been closed for several months, and the workings are beginning 

to cave. The present owners are Messrs. Monahan & Mason, of 

Seattle. The last work was done by B. F. Chase, of Portland, who 

had a lease.

C. D. Crane, of Grants Pass, stated that nearly 2,000 feet of work 

had been dojie on this property. Fourteen carloads of ore have been 

shipped to smelters at Tacoma, Wash., and Ashland, Oreg. At one 

time the mine had considerable equipment, including a 2-stamp mill, 

cyanide tanks, rock crushers, boilers, and hoists, but much of this 

material has been sold and shipped away.

The ore occurs in. veinlets and stringers in a much fractured, brecciated, and chloritized greenstone. Many of the fragments of country 

rock of the breccia contain considerable pyrite. The vein filling consists chiefly of quartz and calcite, and, as shown by the relations of 

the two, the calcite was deposited later than the quartz. Sulphides
GOLD-QUAETZ LODE MINES. 37

are also present in some parts of the vein in considerable amounts, 

but in other parts they are almost entirely absent. A large amount 

of ore is now lying on the dump, and many sacks of ore are ready for 

shipment.

OTHER MINES IN THE GREENSTONE AREAS.

All the mines thus far described, are associated with greenstones 

and the descriptions indicate that the character of the ores and their 

modes of occurrence are very similar. Many other mines and prospects associated with the greenstones might be described, but they 

would show few new features. Some of these, as for example the 

Gold Leaf and the Black Diamond in the Cow Creek region, are now 

being developed and producing; some have been extensively prospected but have never produced; others have, in the past, produced 

small amounts but are no longer being worked. Among such mines 

and prospects may be mentioned the Lucky Queen, Mill's prospect, 

Star mine, Olympic prospect, Spotted Fawn prospect, Blalock & 

Howe mine, Eagle prospect, Cramer prospect, Gopher mine; Trust 

Buster, and Dick prospect, most of which are indicated on the map 

(fig. 6, p. 32). To the north of the area shown on the map are the 

Gold Bluff and Levens Ledge mines, both near Canyonville.

CORPORAL O MINE.

Of the mines which are not associated with the greenstones but 

with metamorphosed sediments the chief are the Corporal G mine 

and the Lucky Bart group, which lie west of the Left Fork of Sardine 

Creek.

The Corporal G mine is located in the southern part of sec. 19, 

T. 35 S., R. 3 W. It was discovered in 1904 by J. R. McKay, who, 

after taking out considerable rich ore, sold it to Mrs. Nina M. Smith, 

of Gold Hill, the present owner. The property is now leased by J. E. 

Kirk.

The workings consist of three tunnels, one above another, on the 

vein. The longest tunnel is 92 feet in length, the shortest 63 feet. 

The ore occurs in a small vein which has fairly definite walls of micaceous quartzite and mica slate. The average width of the vein is 

about 7 inches; it strikes S. 85° W. and dips steeply to the north. 

The filling consists chiefly of quartz and calcite, but pyrite, pyrrhotite, 

chalcopyrite, bornite, sphalerite, and galena are also present. A few 

of the hand specimens show free gold.

Close to the Corporal G is the Volunteer claim, on which a stringer 

running parallel to.the Corporal G was followed by a drift for 135 

feet, where it pinched out. This stringer intersects a barren cross 

vein running about N. 30° E.; at the intersection the ore in the 

stringer is said to have been enriched.
38 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

LUCKY BART GROUP.

The Lucky Bart group consists of 11 claims in the NW. J sec. 29 

and the SE. J sec. 30, T. 35 S., R. 3 W. The chief claim, the Buckskin 

or Lucky Bart, was discovered by Joseph Cox, who sold it in 1892 

for $15,000. This amount he had to share with his partner, Bart 

Signoretti, who had had no part in the discovery, hence the name 

Lucky Bart. The company which bought the property worked it 

four years, when one of the shareholders, J. H. Beeman, of Gold Hill, 

purchased the rights of his associates and became the owner. About 

the same time Mr. Beeman purchased adjoining claims until he had 

title to all the property included in the Lucky Bart group. At present 

mining operations are being carried on at only one of the claims, the 

Yours Truly. The workings on the other claims, mainly on the 

Lucky Bart, are in such condition that it is unsafe to enter tliem. 

The only workings examined were those of the Yours Truly. Information with regard to the other workings.of the group was obtained 

from J. H. Beeman and J. E. Kirk. The Lucky Bart group was 

reported as operating in 1912.

Ore has been mined from five veins which run in a general direction 

a little south of west. These veins are on the average less than 2 

feet wide. The country rock is metamorphosed sediment, mainly 

mica slates and micaceous quartzites. The general strike of'these 

rocks in this vicinity is somewhat east of north; the dip is to the 

southeast and is in general at fairly high angles. The total amount 

of ore that has been milled exceeds 14,000 tons, which yielded from 

$4.80 to $100 a ton of free-milling ore. The ore from the Lucky Bart 

claim carried an average of 3 per cent of sulphides, which ran from 

4 to 8 ounces of gold to the ton and a like amount in silver. Nine 

tons of ore from the deepest workings of this claim were shipped to 

the Tacoma smelter and gave returns of $130 to the ton. Practically 

all the ores from the group have been treated at a mill on Sardine 

Creek; the sulphides were shipped to the smelters at Tacoma, Wash., 

and Selby, Cal.

At the Yours Truly, where work is now being done by J. E. Kirk, 

who has a lease on the property, the workings consist of an entrance 

tunnel of 75 feet to the vein, 100 feet of drifting on the vein, and a 

shaft of 30 feet. The country rock is mica slate. The vein has an 

average width of about 1 foot and strikes S. 85° W. At the end of 

the drift there are two veinlets, 8 inches and 4 inches in width, and 

also a small seam. Within the workings there is evidence of considerable faulting. The directions of the fault planes observed were 

somewhat east of north. Mr. Kirk states that the veins carry more 

gold adjacent to the fault planes than elsewhere. The ores of the 

Yours Truly are highly oxidized and carry an average value of more 

than $30 to the ton.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 39 

CONCLUSIONS.

Of the many veins and veinlets within the Riddles quadrangle on 

which work has been done, comparatively few have been developed 

into profitable mines. The chief reason is to be found in the structural 

features of the rocks in which the ores occur. The Paleozoic and 

early Mesozoic sediments with their associated igneous rocks were, 

previous to the mineralization of the region, subjected to earth movements of such a nature that no definite, continuous fissures were 

formed but rather, in general, innumerable minute and irregular 

fractures running in various directions. Later, when the mineralbearing solutions, which may have been connected with one or more 

of the igneous intrusions, passed" through these rocks and deposition 

therefrom took place, the gold was not concentrated in definite lodes 

but was widely distributed through the rocks in small veins, veinlets, 

and stringers, few of which are continuous except for short distances.

Furthermore, in many places where fairly distinct and rich veins were 

formed subsequent faulting has been so prevalent that it is difficult 

and costly to find the continuations of the veins. Notwithstanding 

these unfavorable conditions, however, the gold-quartz veins have 

produced and will probably continue to produce considerable amounts 

of gold. The hope of finding vein deposits which will develop into 

large and profitable mines is stimulated by the reopening of the 

Greenback and Martha mines.

The veins and veinlets have been subjected to erosion for many 

thousands of years, during which time an immense amount of material 

has been freed of its gold. Much of this gold has been deposited in 

the neighboring streams, from which it has been and is being mined 

as placer gold.

GRANTS PASS QUADRANGLE AND MEDFORD DISTRICT.

The eastern half of the Grants Pass quadrangle, which lies just 

west of the Medford district, is in Jackson County and the western 

half in Josephine County. Grants Pass, the county seat of Josephine 

County, is the most important mining center in southwest Oregon and 

is the distributing point for a large district to the south and west.

The location of the principal mines and prospects is shown on 

the accompanying map (PI. V). For the description of most of them 

I am indebted to Prof. Kay.

BRADEN MINE.

The Braden mine is in the SE. | sec. 27, T. 36 S., R. 3 W., about 3 

miles from Gold HOI. It is owned by C. R. Ray, of Tolo,.but in 

1907 was leased to the Opp Mining Co., which continues operation.
40 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

E. W. Liljegran, mines manager for Mr. Ray, has given the following 

information with regard to this property:

This mine was located about 25 years ago by B. A. Knott, of Gold 

Hill. He began development, the ores being treated in an arrastre. 

The ownership of the mine passed in succession to several persons, 

one of them being Dr. James Braden, after whom the mine is named. 

He sold to Mr. Ray in 1900. The greatest production of this mine 

for any one year was in 1907, when the value of the output was more 

than $30,000.

The equipment of the mine consists of a 10-stamp mill, one giant 

crusher, four Johnston concentrating tables, one air compressor, 

and machine drills. The plant is equipped with, electric power, 

brought from Tolo, on Rogue River, a distance of about 5 miles. 

The property has been developed mainly by drifts along the vein 

and by winzes and upraises from these drifts. The vein outcrops 

along the southeastern slope of a hill and dips southeastward. The 

angle of dip of the vein is greater than the angle of slope of the hill; 

hence the lower drifts on the vein are at greater depths below the 

surface than those higher up on the vein. There are four main drifts, 

one above another. The aggregate length of these drifts is nearly 

3,000 feet, and the greatest depth below the surface less than 250 

feet is in a winze from the lowest of these drifts. The longest 

drift is the lowest on the vein. It is more than 1,200 feet long and 

considerable high-grade ore has been taken from the whizes and 

upraises made from it.

The rocks in which the ores are found are fine grained and of a 

dark-gray color; in hand specimens small crystals of feldspar may 

be seen. Under the microscope the rock appears distinctly porphyritic, the groundmass being microcrystalline. The phenocrysts

are mainly plagioclase feldspar, but a few crystals of hornblende, 

probably secondary from augite, are also present. This rock is 

related to the greenstones, a large area of which lies in a northeastsouthwest direction in this part of Jackson County. The area widens 

greatly in a short distance to the south. The main part of this 

large area of greenstone is thought to be composed of volcanic rocks 

interbedded with Paleozoic sediments. The evidence in favor of 

these rocks being volcanic consists of the presence in many places of 

amygdaloidal and tuff-like characters. Where such characters are 

absent it is difficult to distinguish those greenstones which are of 

volcanic origin from those which are fine-grained intrusives.

The vein in which the ores are found strikes about N. 30° E. The 

average width of the vein is not more than 2 feet. In places it pinches 

out entirely, and in other places, instead of one distinct vein with 

definite walls, there is a brecciated zone, which varies from a few 

feet to more than 15 feet in width. Within this zone the aggregate
U. S. QEOUOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 646 PLATE V

$( Gold-qnatti mine (in operation) ® Gold-quartz mine (not in operation) X Gold-quartz prospect o Placer mine

MAP SHOWING THE MOST IMPORTANT GOLD-QUARTZ MINES OF THE GRANTS PASS QUADRANGLE.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MltfM. 41

width of the quartz veinlets does not exceed 3 feet. In general the 

dip of the vein is about 25° SE., but in some places it is nearly flat 

and in others the angle of dip is high. There are several faults, but 

they are of small throw generally from 1 foot to 3 feet, exceptionally 

as much as 20 feet. These faults are approximately parallel to one 

another.

The vein filling consists chiefly of quartz and sulphides; a very 

subordinate amount of calcite is .present. The most abundant 

sulphide is pyrite, but arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, and galena occur 

in small quantities. The best ore is found in those parts of the vein 

which are richest in sulphides; where the quartz is comparatively 

free from sulphides the gold content is low.

During 1907 the average yield of concentrates was 1 ton from every 

12.2 tons of crude ore, these concentrates having an average value of 

$26 a ton, The average gold and silver content of more than 3,700

tons of ore treated in 1907 was worth about $9 a ton; the silver content 

was worth only about 22 cents a ton. About 65 per cent of the gold 

and silver of the ores was saved by amalgamation and about 25 per 

cent by concentration; the remaining quantity was lost in the tailings. 

The concentrates were shipped to Selby and to Tacoma.

Most of the production of the mine has come from two shoots, 

nearly 600 feet apart, on the lowest drift of the mine. One of the 

shoots extended along the vein in this drift.for about 55 feet, but in a 

winze its width increased to about 80 feet, below which it narrowed 

abruptly. The direction of the shoot was the same as that of the dip 

of the vein. The other shoot had a length along the strike of the vein 

of 75 feet; in a winze from it the length increased to 125 feet; at the 

bottom of the winze, which was run 200 feet below the drift, the ore 

was low in grade. The direction of this shoot was about S. 50° E. 

Usually the best ore was found along the footwall of this shoot, 

although in places the gold and silver were uniformly distributed 

across the vein, which here had an average width of about 18 inches.

The zone of oxidation does not extend farther than about 100 feet 

below the surface, and in parts of the vein sulphide ores are found at 

depths considerably less. Along the fault planes the ores show enrichment.

OPP MINE.

The Opp mine, a short distance southwest of Jacksonville, is one 

of the important producing mines in southwest Oregon. It is an old 

mine reopened within the last few years but was not examined by 

Prof. Kay when he was in that region. It is reported in 1912 as 

operating a crusher and a 20-stamp mill, with equipment for amalgamation, concentration, and cyanidation.
42 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

GRANITE HILL MUTE.

The Granite Hill mine is in sec. 29, T. 35 S., R. 5 W., near the north 

boundary of the Grants Pass quadrangle. A good wagon road runs 

from Grants Pass to the mine, a distance of about 9 miles. In July, 

1908, this mine had been closed for several months and all the workings were filled with water. From Mr. C. M. Morphy, the former 

superintendent, many of the following facts were obtained. The 

mine is now owned by the American Goldfields Co., which also owns 

the property in the vicinity, including the Red Jacket and Ida mines, 

on which several hundred feet of development work has been done. 

The present owner obtained the Granite Hill property in 1901, and 

almost all the development work has been done since that time. 

During the years 1904 to 1907 the value of the production was more 

than $65,000, the largest output having been in 1905.

The mine is equipped with a 20-stamp mill, which has a capacity 

of 90 tons a day, a crusher, concentrating tables, engines, compressors, hoists, machine drills, and a Worthington mine pump. Electric 

power was used. When the mine was in operation as many as 50 men 

were employed.

The mine was developed by workings which aggregate nearly 3,000 

feet. A vertical shaft of 420 feet intersects the vein at a depth of 

about 120 feet. From depths of 200, 300, and 400 feet on the shaft 

crosscuts were run to the vein and drifts made along the vein. The 

profitable ore between the levels was stoped out and raised through 

the shaft to the surface.

The country rocks are related to the granodiorites, a narrow tongue 

of which extends southward into the Grants Pass quadrangle from a 

larger area of these rocks in the Riddles quadrangle. To the east of 

the granodiorites is greenstone, to the west serpentine. At the 

Granite Hill mine gold has been found only in the granodiorite, but at 

the Red Jacket and Ida mines it occurs in the greenstone.

The vein runs in an east-west direction and has an average width 

of about 5 feet. In places the vein is brecciated, the fractured zone 

having a maximum width of about 20 feet. The dip of the vein is 

about 70° S. The vein filling consists of quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, 

and galena, carrying gold. The sulphides comprise about one-half 

of 1 per cent of the ores, and as concentrates they yield about $75 

to the ton. The average gold value of all the ores treated in 1907 was 

about $5 a ton.

Mr. Morphy stated that the richest ores were found in shoots, of 

which there were three, each having a length along the vein of about 

150 feet and a dip west of south.

The zone of oxidation extends to a depth of more than 200 feet 

from the surface, and the oxidized ores were the richest in gold.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 43 

MOUNTAIN LION MINE.

The Mountain Lion mine is in the western part of sec. 25, T. 37 

S., R. 5 W. It was discovered in 1889 by the Messrs. Bailey, who, 

with Messrs. Davidson, Jewell, and Harmon, are the present owners. 

No work has been done on the property for several months. The 

equipment consists of a 5-stamp mill, concentrating tables, compressor, and engines*. When the mine was in operation before 1908 

as many as 25 men were employed.

The property has been extensively developed, there being about 

8,000 feet of crosscuts, drifts, and other workings. Work has been 

done on two veins, which are in greenstone and slates and which are 

close to the contact of these rocks with an area of granodiorite. The 

slates occur as narrow lenses in the greenstones, and the best ore 

of the veins has been obtained near the contacts of the greenstones 

and the slates. The better-defined vein of the two strikes N. 80° W.

and dips 65° S. It averages about 1 foot in width and is faulted at 

many places. The vein filling consists chiefly of quartz, calcite, 

and sulphides, the sulphides constituting about 1 per cent of the 

whole. Owing to the prevalence of faults the vein has been difficult 

to follow. In 1912 the Mountain Lion was reported in operation.

TIN PAN MINE.

The Tin Pan mine is in the SE. 1 sec. 31, T. 36 S., R. 3 W., on the 

divide between Galls Creek and Foots Creek. The property was 

located many years ago. It is now owned by the Pacific American 

Gold Mining Co. T. T. Barnard was superintendent during the 

summer of 1908.

The mine is equipped with a 10-stamp mill, a Blake crusher, and 

two concentrating tables. No large body of profitable ore has been 

found, although more than 1,200 feet of drifts, shafts, and other 

workings have been made on the vein.

The country rocks in which the ores occur are slates, limestones, 

and greenstones, the greenstones apparently being intrusive in the 

sedimentary rocks, although some of them may be volcanic. The 

sedimentary rocks strike about N. 13° E. The strike of the vein 

is between northeast and east and the dip is nearly vertical. The 

vein ranges in width from less than 18 inches to more than 6 feet of 

solid quartz between definite walls, which are in general but slightly 

altered. In places there is a gouge from 1 to 3 inches in width. 

This material is claylike, but it contains carbonates and sulphides. 

Most of the gold content of the vein is in the sulphides, which run 

about $60 to the ton. The sulphides are pyrite and galena, which 

together constitute less than 2 per cent of the ores. Some faulting 

has occurred.

The zone of oxidation reaches a depth of more than 100 feet.
44 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

STAR MIKE.

The Star mine is in sec. 6,.T. 39 S., R. 4 W., west of Thompson 

Creek and about 4 miles from Applegate post office. This property 

was located in 1896 by J. J. Kunutzen. Very little development 

work was done until 1904, when E. B. Hawkins and Harry N. Morse 

became the owners. They spent about $20,000 in development. 

Thus far only about 800 tons of ore has been milled. The gold content was low, running only from $2 to $4 a ton.

The ore was quarried from an area of fine-grained greenstone 

in which numerous small stringers of gold quartz run in various 

directions. No distinct vein was found.

MAID OF THE MIST MINE.

The Maid of the Mist mine is in sec. 4, T. 39 S., R. 4 W. It is 

owned by William Wfight, who did considerable work on the property 

during 1906 but suspended operations in May, 1907. During the 

summer of 1908 it was bonded by the South Oregon Mines Co., and 

preparations were being made to conduct extensive developments. 

More than 500 feet of work, mainly in shafts and drifts, had already 

been done, and compressors and hoists were being installed.

The country rock is greenstone. The gold-bearing quartz occurs 

in veinlets, which run in various directions. One of the most persistent of these strikes N. 85° W. and dips 55° S. The gold is 

irregularly distributed through the quartz, which is fairly free from 

sulphides. Of the sulphides, arsenopyrite appears to be more 

prevalent than pyrite. Calcite is subordinate.

JEWETT MINE.

The Jewett mine is close to the boundary between sees. 27 and 34, 

T. 36 S., R. 5 W., about 4 miles from Grants Pass. It was discovered about 1880 by Thomas Jewett. It now belongs to the 

estate of Benjamin Healy, of San Francisco. During the summer 

of 1908 no work was being done, but J. T. Hoare, the superintendent, 

stated that development was soon to be resumed. A short distance 

from the mine is a 5-stamp mill. There are seven claims, on which 

more than 1,500 feet of work has been done.

The country rocks are intrusive greenstones closely related to 

gabbro. Near the workings a dike of granodiorite cutting the 

gabbro was observed. The ores do not occur in a vein with definite 

walls but in small stringers in a brecciated zone, which is irregular 

both in direction and in width. The most pronounced direction is 

about N. 20° W. In places the width of the zone of brecciation is 

more than 20 feet. The filling between the fragments of the breccia 

consists chiefly of quartz and calcite, the latter being subordinate. 

Irregularly distributed through the quartz is a small amount of
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 45

pyrite, pyrrhotite, and a glistening steel-gray mineral which, when 

boiled with concentrated sulphuric acid, gives the purplish-colored 

reaction characteristic of a telluride. The properties of the mineral correspond to those of sylvanite. It was found without difficulty in several tons of ore on the dump.

OREGON STRONG LEDGE.

Among the producing mines of the Grants Pass region in 1908 

was the Oregon Strong Ledge, reported from the vicinity of Murphy. 

At the time of my visit in that region the mine was not in operation, 

and it has not been examined.

OTHER MINES AND PROSPECTS.

Several other mines and prospects might be described, but they 

would present no new features. Among such may be mentioned 

the Bill Nye mine, which was closed for several years but recently 

started up again, also the Sylvanite and Gray Eagle, on Sardine 

Creek, as well as the Michigan mine, near Murphy. Though foi a 

number of years inactive, the Michigan mine, in charge of Adolph 

Maier, according to the Rogue River Courier, has recently erected a 

24-ton mill in which a hydroelectric chlorination process is employed. 

In 1912 the Michigan u mine, together with the Norling mine, which 

has a 5-stamp mill, and the Buzzard mine, which has a 3-stamp 

mill, were reported in operation. Other properties which should be 

mentioned are the Lawrence mine, McMurtry mine, Alice group, 

Gold Pick mine, Gardner prospect, Pratt prospect, Millionaire mine, 

Oregon Bonanza mine, Oregon Belle mine, and Owl Hollow prospect. 

On the first seven of these no work has been done for some time; 

on each of the others a small amount of development is being done.

Chief among the "pockets" of ore that have been found within 

the area are the Gold Hill, the Roaring Gimlet, the Revenue, the 

Steamboat, and the Harrison. The locations of these are shown 

on the map. For the following account of the famous Gold Hill and 

Roaring Gimlet pockets I am indebted to Mr. E. W. Liljegran, of 

Medford, Oreg.

The most famous pocket so far discovered is the one from which 

the town of Gold Hill takes its name. It was discovered in 1857 on 

top of the mountain about 2 miles east from the town of Gold Hill.

The outcropping rock was so full of gold that it could scarcely be 

broken by sledging. The crystallized quartz associated with the 

gold was not honeycombed, as it generally is where sulphides have 

leached out of the rock, leaving sprays of gold in the cavity. The 

gold in this pocket went down only 15 feet and occurred in a fissure 

vein, strike about S. 20° E., dip about 80° E., with a gash vein 

cutting the fissure nearly due east and west and dipping vertically.
46 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The fissure vein averages fully 5 feet between walls, with 1 to 2 feet 

of gouge on the footwall, which contains some calcite and quartz 

mixed with a little sulphide of iron, in spots containing free gold. 

A mass of micaless granite, about 5 feet wide by possibly 200 feet 

long, outcrops in the footwall side of the fissure. The country 

rock is pyroxenite. It is said that this pocket produced at least 

$700,000. There were a number of smaller finds in this immediate 

vicinity, none over 300 feet from the large deposit.

The Roaring Gimlet pocket, discovered in 1893, is situated at the 

mouth of China Gulch, about 2£ miles due south of the Gold Hill 

pocket. The Gimlet pocket gold was apparently liberated from 

oxidized sulphides, with very little quartz; the surface showed a 

porphyry dike 2 feet thick on the footwall and a slate hanging wall. 

The soft gouge, from one-fourth of an inch to 6 inches thick, between 

the slate and the porphyry, contained.gold. The strike of the vein 

was east and west; dip 80° N. This vein contained a number of 

pockets, three between the surface and a depth of 40 feet, where the 

gouge continued down between solid dioritic walls, with a sprinkling 

of iron sulphides in small kidneys of calcite and quartz, looking 

very much like the vein filling in the Gold Hill vein. Several small 

pockets were extracted just east of the large Gimlet pocket, all 

within 300 feet of the first. Then- combined production is said to 

have equaled $40,000.

GALICE-KERBY-WALDO REGION. 

GENERAL FEATURES.

The most important mines and prospects of the Galice-KerbyWaldo region in 1911 are shown on the map (PI. VI). Of the 119 

mines and prospects noted 52 are placer mines and 67 are lode mines 

and prospects. Among the lode mines and prospects 58 are for gold, 8 

for copper, and 1 for both gold and copper. All the placer mines are 

productive, but Of the lode mines only 2 are accredited with a production of gold and copper and 20 with a production of gold alone.

The chief mineral resources of the area under consideration, which 

lies almost wholly in Josephine County and forms about one-fourth 

of its area, are gold, copper, silver, and platinum, and these metals 

are obtained from both lode and placer deposits. The production 

of copper ceased in 1910, but began again in 1911 and increased decidedly in 1912, by the Almeda Consolidated at Galice and the Elder 

Mining and Smelting Co. at Takilma.

The total gold production in Oregon during the last 13 years 

amounted to $15,663,258. Of this approximately $5,749,976 came 

from southwest Oregon, $3,434,915 being from the placers and 

$2,315,061 from lode mines. Of the total amount of gold produced
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 546 PLATE VI

Base from map of Siskiyou National Forest,1911 

Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 6789 10 Miles

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

TERTIARY CRETACEOUS JURASSIC PALEOZOIC1

Placer mines.

Red River Gold Mining & Milling Co., Rogue River.

Winkle Bar Mining & Development Co., Rogue River.

Battle Bar, Rogue River.

Tennessee 1 and 2, Rogue River. 

, Horseshoe Bar, Rogue River. 

, Little Windy Bar, Rogue River. 

, Black Bar, Rogue River. 

. Pyles Bar, Rogue River. 

, Tyee Bar, Rogue River. 

, Victory, Cow Creek. 

, G,old Flat, Cow Creek. 

, McNair Flat, Grave Creek. 

, Scandinavian-American Co. dredge, Rogue River.

Dean & Corliss, Rogue River.

Jewell & Lewis, Rogue River.

Old Channel, Harveys Diggings, Rich Gulch, near Galice.

Old Channel, Home Place, Galice Creek.

Old Channel, Reed Diggings, Galice Creek.

Old Channel, Blue Gravel Diggings, Galice Creek.

Galice Consolidated Mines, Galice Creek.

Taylor Creek Placer, Taylor Creek.

Mine near Massies Ferry, Rogue River.

Hellgate Mining and Development Co., Rogue River.

Big Four, Pickett Creek.

Flanagan, Rogue River.

Cheldelin, Silver Creek.

Baker, Silver Creek.

Barr, Briggs Creek.

Miller, Briggs Creek.

Courier, Briggs Creek.

McDow, Onion. Creek.

Lost Jack, Onion Creek.

Emerson, Red Dog Creek.

West, Briggs Creek.

Gold Basin, Tin Cup Creek.

Sixmile Creek, Illinois River.

Coon Skin, Illinois River.

G. E. Anderson and W. P. Wilson, Illinois River.

Ray, Illinois River.

Rich Bar, Canyon Creek.

Butler, Canyon Creek.

Bylee, Canyon Creek.

China Bow, Canyon Creek.

Bowden, Canyon Creek and Josephine Creek.

Gold King, Josephine Creek.

Gold Leaf, Josephine Creek.

Illinois and Josephine, Josephine Creek.

Mud Flat, Josephine Creek.

Huff, Josephine Creek.

Logan, between east and west forks of Illinois River, near Waldo.

Deep Gravel (Wimer), between east and west forks of Illinois River, near Waldo.

High Gravel (Osgood), between east and west forks of Illinois River, near Waldo.

Gold-quartz lodes.

Elwilda, Whisky Creek (Rogue River).

Benton, Whisky Creek.

Copper Stain, Whisky Creek.

Gold Bug, Whisky Creek.

Looney, Whisky Creek.

Devortney, Whisky Creek.

Keystone, Rogue River (Rum Creek).

Legal Tender, Rum Creek.

Seven-Thirty, Rogue River.

Arago, Rogue River.

Norberg, Rum Creek.

The Shirt, Howard Creek.

Treasury, Head of North Fork of Galice Creek.

Red Elephant, Howard Creek.

Blue Bell, Howard Creek.

Golden. Wedge, Bailey Gulch.

Oriole, Rocky Gulch.

Kramer, Rocky Gulch.

Buffalo, Quartz Creek.

Mayflower, Rocky Gulch.

Black Bear, Rocky Gulch.

Spokane, Rich Gulch.

Black Hawk, Quartz Creek.

Nesbit, Blanchard Gulch.

Three Lodes, Blanchard Gulch.

Golden Pheasant, Blanchard Gulch.

Brill Pine, Galice Creek.

Sugar Pine, Galice Creek.

Gold Plate, Galice Creek.

Strenuous Teddy, Galice Creek.

Cold Spring, Galice Creek.

Carlton, Galice Creek.

Lost Flat, Chieftain Gulch, Galice Creek.

Queen Gold & Copper, North Fork of Slate Creek.

Buckeye, East Fork of Slate Creek.

Ramsey, West Fork of Slate Creek.

Old Glory, Silver Creek.

Eureka, Soldier Creek.

G. E. Anderson, Rancherie Creek.

Calumet, Rancherie Creek,

Casey, Rancherie Creek.

Higgins, Slide Creek of Chetco River.

Anderson and Hustis, Miller Creek.

Miller, Miller Creek.

Bacon, Baby Foot Creek.

Williams & Adylott, Hoover Gidch.

Gold Ridge (T. M. Anderson), Hoover Gulch.

Philips (Vanguard), Days Gulch.

Chatty, Days Gulch.

Mood, Fiddlers Gulch.

Watson & Andrews, Fiddlers Gulch.

Neil (Segno-Tomek), Fiddlers Gulch.

Canyon Creek Consolidated, Canyon Creek.

Telluride Gold Mining Co. (Bowden), Canyon Creek.

Winters, Canyon Creek.

McPherson, Canyon Creek,

Alta, Canyon Creek.

Roseburg, Tennessee Gulch,

Free and Easy, Illinois River.

Copper lodes.

30. Almeda, Rogue River near Galice.

31. Rand, Rogue River near Galice.

77. Calumet, Rancherie Creek.

78. United Copper-Gold, Fall Creek.

99. Mides, Canyon Creek.

100. Bailey, Chetco River.

101. Chetco Copper Co., Chetco River.

115. Reynolds, Rough and Ready Creek.

119. Queen of Bronze, East Fork of Illinois River.

Auriferous gravel Eocene sand- Horsetown Knoxville Dothan Galice Carboniferous and Serpentine Greenstone. Flacer mine Gold-quartz mine Copper mine

of first and ^cond stone, shale,and formation formation formation formation Devonian slates, orprospect orprospect orprospect

cydes of erosion conglomerate cherts/dndlimestones.

7 ° mr.hirliTHS including -rnanv many 

igneous masses

GEOLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE MAP OF THE GALICE-KERBY-WALDO REGION.
GOLD-QUAETZ LODE MINES. 47

in Josephine County, as shown in the following table (S3,682,055), 

approximately $1,905,258 came from placers and $1,776,797 from 

lodes.

Comparative value of the annual production of gold in Josephine County and the entire 

State of Oregon from 1900 to 1912. o

Year.

1900....................................................

1901....................................................

1902....................................................

1903

1904....................................................

1905....................................................

1906

1907....................................................

1908

IQflQ .... ...............

1910.................................................... ion. ...................................................

1Q19

Total............................................

Josephine County.

Total.

68449,397 

6482,973 

6481,748 

342, 133 

c 373, 670 

c 401, 986 

362,289 

160,668 

152, 722 

 148,997 

150,048 

99,363 

76,061

3,682,055

Lode.

68210,463 

6225,873 

6225,299 

160, 008 

c 229, 608 

c 280, 596 

233, 128 

39,405 

36, 134 

42,364 

63,273

12,806 

17,842

1, 776, 797

Placer.

68238,934 

6257,100 

6256,449 

182, 127 

c 144, 062 

c 121, 390 

129, 161 

121, 263 

116,588 

106, 633 

86,775 

86,557 

58,219

1,905,258

Oregon.

$1,694,700 

1,818,100 

1,816,700 

1,290,200 

1,412,186 

1, 405, 235 

1,366,900 

1,129,261 

865, 076 

781,964 

679,488 

633,407 

770, 041

15,663,258

a Compiled chiefly from statistics by Charles G. Yale in U. S. Geol. Survey Mineral Resources for the 

years 1905 to 1912.

6 Estimated from the annual production of Oregon on the proportional production of 1903. 

c Includes production of Lane County also.

Gold is said to have been discovered in this region on Josephine 

Creek on May 2, 1852.1 Placer mining began with a rush and has 

continued more or less vigorously ever since, but the annual production was greatest in the last cantury, when the richest placers were 

worked. It seems, therefore, well within the bounds of probability to 

regard the average annual production of gold in Josephine County 

from 1852 to 1900 as not less than $450,000, for during the first three 

1 years of this century the average must have been somewhat greater 

than that amount, although there has since been a decline, owing 

especially to the decline of the placers. On that basis,, which 

although generous seems reasonable, Josephine County has produced 

only about $25,000,000 in gold. The claims sometimes made that a 

small portion of the district has produced many millions are highly 

improbable. A fair estimate credits the Galice-Kerby region with a 

production of $10,000,000 in gold alone. In general the Galice and 

Kerby districts have been about equally productive. This might be 

expected from the fact that the same rock belts and other geologic 

features, as shown on the map (PI. VI), traverse both districts. The 

productive portion of the Galice-Kerby region is a belt about a dozen 

miles in width, made up chiefly of igneous rocks serpentines and 

greenstones. This belt includes patches of Mesozoic slates and is 

bounded both on the northwest and southeast by slates of essentially 

the same character.

Pamphlet on mining in Josephine County, published by Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce, 1911.
48 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

A distinct but small belt of unimportant production includes lode 

prospects and placer mines in the neighborhood of Mount Bolivar, near 

the northwest corner of the area mapped (PI. VI). This belt lies 

about 15 miles northwest of the Galice-Kerby belt, and the two belts 

are in a measure united by the placers of the two transverse master 

streams, Rogue and Illinois rivers. Both belts contain prospects 

or mines of gold and copper.

ORIOLE MINE (32).i

The Oriole mine is situated in Rocky Gulch, 2 miles by wagon road 

northwest of Galice, at an altitude of about 1,200 feet above sea level 

and 400 feet above Galice on Rogue River. It is 19 miles from the 

Southern Pacific Railroad at Merlin and may be readily reached by 

stage.

The Oriole Gold Mining Co. was organized and began work in 1909. 

The company owns nine claims, in places four in width and three in 

length, which lie along the lode with some variation nearly north and 

south. The mine, which was developed under F. A. Jones, mining 

engineer, has four levels. The main adit tunnel of 890 feet taps the 

lode over 500 feet beneath its outcrop. More than 3,200 feet of 

underground workings on the four levels open the lode through a 

depth of 340 feet and a length of 1,085 feet.

A 50-horsepower water head and dynamo is to light the mine and 

plant, which includes a well-equipped laboratory. Near the site of 

the hydroelectric plant a combination mill will be erected according to 

the plans of Mr. Jones. The dam and headrace are partly completed.

The Oriole lies on a well-marked fault along the contact of quartz 

porphyry and greenstone. The course of the fault in the mine is 

N. 5° E. and the dip is 76° SE. beneath the quartz porphyry of the 

hanging wall. The evidence of displacement is clear from the presence of a conspicuous gouge and the polished striated surface of the 

hanging wall of quartz porphyry, but the amount of the displacement 

could not be determined. The gouge, which is generally 6 to 8 inches 

thick, is a greenish to bluish gray clay, and few of the striatiqns on 

the fault plane are vertical. They are generally inclined but not 

uncommonly are horizontal, showing very distinct movements at 

different times. The greenish-gray gouge is composed largely of 

ground-up greenstone, which crushes and shears more easily than the 

quartz porphyry.

For many feet from the contact the greenstone is greatly sheared 

and contains irregular lenses or veins of quartz, as shown in the section of the contact (fig. 7).

The levels are run hi the greenstone and have numerous crosscuts 

only 10 to 25 feet in length to the contact. A few crosscuts are run

i Numbers refer to location on the map (PI. VI, p. 46).
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 49

in the opposite direction 50 to 210 feet into the greenstone. The 

greenstone in the shear zone is highly chloritic. In fact, the veins 

or lenses of quartz are completely incased in a deep-green chloritic 

mineral of which Mr. Jones has made the following analysis:

Analysis of chloritic minerals from the Oriole mine, near Galice, Oreg.

SiO2 .......................................................... 37.70

FeO......................................................... 13. 54

A1203 ......................'................................... 18.16

CaO. 

MgO. 

H20.

.................................................... 3.00

.................................................... 17.21

.................................................... 10. 32

99. 93

This analysis shows the material to be a mixture of chloritic minerals or possibly related to clinochlore. The high percentage of 

silica may be due to included quartz, to which the chloritic minerals 

adhere. It is the gangue, so to speak, of the quartz nodules and contains cubes of pyrite.

The quartz is milk-white to grayish white in color and forms 

irregular rough-surfaced bodies which range in shape from a mere 

filmy vein to lenticular bunches 

several feet in diameter with their 

greatest dimensions in the plane of 

schistosity and parallel to the contact, as shown in figure 7. The 

quartz bodies generally contain a 

few irregular filmy patches of 

chlorite besides the scattered particles of ore minerals and are 

traversed at various angles by 

slickensided surfaces on which 

there has evidently been movement since the deposition of the 

quartz.

The ore minerals are apparently pyrite and chalcopyrite in small, 

sparsely scattered particles or crystals in the quartz, but are more 

abundant as irregular crystalline scales on the fracture planes and 

fault planes which traverse the quartz. Some of the scales are polished, showing that fault movements continued after the deposition 

of some if not all of the ore. Some lenses of milky quartz occur 

without visible trace,of ore, whereas in others, generally of gray 

quartz, the ore appears to form as much as 5 per cent of the quartz 

body. Portions of the pyrite and chalcopyrite are strongly tarnished, 

giving iridescent purplish to black colors. Possibly, however, the 

18014° Bull. 546 14 4

FIGUBE ?. Section of contact in Oriole mine.

°' Quartz V0^* b> fault Plane' Polished 

quartz porphyry; Cj greenisii to bluish-gray

gouge, 6 to 8 Inches thick; d, ore zone of quartz

' * 10 " to
50 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

black dustlike particles are of a third mineral, perhaps a telluride, 

which it is claimed assayers have reported in the Oriole ore. The 

pyrite crystals are cubical and generally have a decidedly goldyellow color suggesting, to the miner at least, the presence of gold.

F. A. Jones, the engineer of the Oriole, assayed the ore and 

regarded it as probably a sulphotelluride of gold, silver, copper, and 

iron, for which he suggested the name oriolite, after the name of the 

mine in which it occurs. A typical sample of the ore was selected 

for the purpose of mineralogic determination. It was submitted 

to qualitative test in the Geological Survey laboratory by W. T. 

Schaller, who reports that "the concentrated sulphides contain 

much iron, a small amount of copper, and doubtful traces of tellurium 

and gold. Neither tellurium or gold is present in appreciable amounts 

and the sulphides of the ore consist essentially of pyrite and chalcopyrite."

I was informed at the mine that the workable ore ranges in value 

from $4 to $200 a ton, the average being from $15 to $20 a ton. 

To judge from the aspect of the ore in sight, the average value would 

not appear to be so high and the average value on level 4 would be 

somewhat less than that on the higher levels. On the higher levels 

the ore lies near the contact and is so distributed as to suggest shoots 

which have not yet been found in the lower level. It is proposed to 

erect a combination stamp mill for treating the ore after concentration, 

but actual construction of the mill has not yet begun, although the 

Oriole Gold Mining Co. has recently bought and moved to its own 

property the old stamp mill of the Sugar Pine mine.

RICHMOND GROUP.

The Richmond group, north of the Oriole, embraces 12 claims

hi the head of Rocky Gulch and laps over into the head of Deer Lick,

a branch of Bailey Creek. Seven tunnels, aggregating 600 feet or 

more, have been run in various directions into the sheared greenstone, 

exposing some quartz kidneys and veins with but little visible ore. 

Most of the gold was found with quartz near the summit on both 

sides of the divide. A ball mill and an old arrastre, both in ruins, 

were once in operation, but their output I was unable to learn. The 

Oriole fault and lode enter the Richmond group, but farther north, 

near the divide, are not so well marked, though quartz veins are 

more numerous, some striking west of north toward the Golden' 

Wedge, whereas. others run east of north toward the Arago. The 

only work in progress in July, 1911, was on the Deer Lick slope, 

where an 18-inch rusty quartz vein appears, which is said to assay 

$15 to $20 a ton.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 51 

GOLDEN WEDGE MINE (29).

The Golden Wedge, 4 miles northwest of Galice, was discovered 

by Mr. Hutchins in 1893. Later the company became the Golden 

Road and reorganized as the Bailey Gulch Mining & Milling Co. 

The property embraces about half a dozen claims.

The total production of this mine operated by the two companies 

mentioned above may have been as much as $50,000, and if an ore 

body is found, as the present management expects, in the deep tunnel 

where it cuts the Oriole fault, the mine may again become an active 

producer.

Nearly 1,200 feet of underground workings in greenstone exploit 

the deposit for about 500 feet in length and to an equal extent in 

depth. The plant consists of a 14-stamp mill with numerous vats 

for cyaniding the ore and is reported to run on an average about four 

months a year. The ore belt strikes nearly north and south and dips

38°-70° E. The quartz veins and lenses in the sheared greenstone 

are irregular as if folded, and many of the quartz lenses or kidneys 

that have a covering of graphitic material with grains of pyrite are 

said to average $10 to $20 a ton in gold. Considerable ore has been 

stoped out of a belt ranging from 16 inches to 5 feet. The graphitic 

material interferes with milling the ore. The country rock is greenstone, but varies widely.

In an old tunnel near the mill on Bailey Creek a fault appears which 

contains grayish-blue gouge between the hanging wall and quartz 

lenses in sheared greenstone like that of the Oriole. Though it lies 

a short distance west of the line of the Oriole fault, most likely it 

belongs to the same movement. The tunnel being driven in 1911 

was already in about 500 feet and was expected to reach the line 

of the fault in a short distance.

ARAGO GROUP (23).

The Arago group, embracing seven claims, lies northeast of the 

Richmond and reaches Rogue River 2 miles below Almeda. Three 

tunnels, aggregating about 300 feet, run in on the veins near the 

river. The plant consists of a small unused ball mill. Schistose 

greenstone is the country rock. The irregular quartz veins, stringers, 

and kidneys occur in a belt about 3£ feet wide. They strike N. 28°- 

35° E. and are generally vertical, but in some places dip 76° NW. 

The quartz contains but little pyrite, though in places it yields a 

small amount of gold. The only deposit yet found is said to have 

been worked out years ago in the bed of the river.

SEVEN-THIRTY MINE (21).

A short distance northwest of the Arago is the old Seven-Thirty 

mine, now closed but reported to have been at one time productive.
52 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON".

Quartz prospected in that region recently has panned a small amount 

of free gold.

KRAMER PROSPECT (35).

The Kramer prospect is situated at the head of the west branch of 

Rocky Gulch, about a mile northwest of the Richmond, at an altitude of nearly 3,000 feet. There are numerous prospect holes and 

tunnels and an old arrastre and cabin. It is said that in the winter 

of 1909-10 ore was packed over to the mill at the Golden Wedge to 

be worked.

The country rock is a banded quartzite containing numerous scales 

of mica and grains of pyrite changed to limonite that give color to 

the rock and soil.

There was no one at the mine, no bodies of ore were seen, and I 

was unable to obtain satisfactory samples.

ELWILDA (HTJBBERT) MINE: (10).

The Elwilda group of 11 claims extends from Rogue River up 

Whisky Creek. About 250 feet of tunnels open the property at three 

levels. The old four-stamp combination mill is being replaced by a 

Lane type of wheel arrastre. There are two points of work the 

upper near Whisky Creek and the other, a mile farther southwest, 

nearer Rogue River. In both places the country rock is greenstone 

and serpentine, and the deposits prospected lie in the greenstone not 

far from the contact.

The quartz vein of the upper tunnel strikes N. 5° E. and dips 68° 

NW. It has a thickness of 3£ feet for a short distance where worked 

out. The gold in the vein is reported to average about $5 a ton. 

When tested by panning a small amount of free gold and pyrite was 

observed. Some chalcopyrite was seen at the lower opening, where

the ore was obtained some years ago for the old mill. Mr. J. C. 

Hubbert, the manager of the property, informed me that 300 tons 

from this mine shipped to Selby & Co. yielded a good profit.

The lower openings in the greenstone are nearly 300 feet from the 

contact with the serpentine and expose a fault that strikes N. 85° E. 

and dips 52° SW. The principal quartz vein in these openings is 3 

feet thick and is much crushed and faulted. The strike of the vein 

is nearly east and west across the belt of greenstone toward the contact with the serpentine. The crushing indicates that the faults are 

due to compression. The contact at this point runs S. 40° W. across 

Rogue River toward the Keystone mine.

GOLD BUG (13) AND MINES OF MOUNT REUBEN.

The serpentine cutting the greenstone at the mouth of Whisky 

Creek extends northeast and probably has had an influence in the 

mineralization of the mines about Mount Reuben, the Gold Bug (13),
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 53

the Benton (11), and the Copper Stain (12). The Looney (14) and 

Devortney (15) 'claims, farther northwest, are nearer the contact of 

the greenstone and slate. While in the Whisky Creek region I learned 

that little or no development work was going on at that time on any 

of the mines about its head. A large amount of development work 

has been done in that region and several mills have been erected. A 

few years ago the Gold Bug was an active producer. The Benton 

and the Gold Bug are connected directly by wagon road with the 

Southern Pacific Railroad at Reuben Spur.

MOUNT BOLIVAR REGION.

The mineralized belt of greenstone in the Mount Bolivar region is 

impregnated at many places by pyrite, chalcopyrite and bornite, 

and contains many veins of quartz and calcite. It is best developed 

about Saddle Mountain and Mount Bolivar and extends from Rogue 

River northeast along John Mule Creek across the west fork of Cow 

Creek and disappears beneath the covering of Eocene rocks.

Many prospects have been opened in this belt, especially about 

the two peaks mentioned. The most important prospect, locally 

known as the Thompson mine, has been exploited by several tunnels 

and inclines which yielded approximately 50 tons of copper ore, 

chiefly chalcopyrite and bornite. The works were closed at the time 

of my examination, but the occurrence of so much ore on the dumps 

apparently shows the existence of ore bodies of considerable size.

KEYSTONE GROUP (19).

The Akron Gold Mining & Milling Co. owns 5 claims on the south 

slope of Rogue River canyon nearly opposite the mouth of Whisky 

Creek. It is reached by trail and is only about 12 miles from Galice. 

There are two openings far above the river. One of them, 115 feet in 

length, cuts the ledge at a depth of 100 feet; the other, 160 feet lower, 

is only partly completed.

The country rock is greenstone near its contact with intruded 

serpentine and the general relations of the prospect are the same as 

those of the Hubbert mine, about 1£ miles northeast, across the river 

on Whisky Creek.

The gold occurs in irregular quartz veins or stringers, forming a 

belt about 3 feet in thickness and approximately parallel to the 

serpentine contact.

The ore appears to be pyrite in fine particles sparsely disseminated 

through the quartz. It is oxidized near the surface, where the quartz 

is porous and striated by limonite. No assays are available to show 

its value.
54 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

A number of other claims have been located near the same belt of 

serpentine farther south, the Norbourg (24), the Shirt (25), and the 

Treasury group (26) all in greenstone on the west, and the Legal 

Tender (20) and the Buffalo (36) in banded quartzite on the east.

LEGAL TENDER GROUP (20).

The Legal Tender group embraces three claims located on the east 

fork of Rum Creek at an elevation of 2,850 feet. A tunnel 100 feet 

long penetrates what appears to be rotten greenstone, but farther 

up the ridge the rock is seen to be more or less distinctly banded 

quartzite cut by serpentine. There are about 5 tons of ore at the 

mouth of the tunnel. It consists largely of decomposed ferruginous 

quartz with some pyrite unchanged and is reported to have assayed 

$12 per ton. The owner plans to erect a 5-stamp mill on the property.

TREASURY GROUP (26).

The Treasury group, embracing four claims, is located about 4£ 

miles northwest of Galice, at the head of the north fork of Galice 

Creek. At an elevation of about 3,500 feet a tunnel 150 feet in length 

reaches a fault with a small deposit of ore. The fault runs east and 

west and dips 45° S., beneath the hanging wall of greenstone which 

is clearly derived from pyroxenite, about one-third of which has 

changed to green hornblende. The ore body in bulk is at least 75 

per cent quartz, with scattered grains of copper and zinc ore chalcopyrite, pyrite, malachite, and sphalerite.

The upper openings near the crest of the ridge expose a 4 to 5 

foot vein of quartz with scattered sulphide ores. This vein, however, runs north and south at right angles to the vein noted in the 

tunnel several hundred feet below. It is said that a short distance 

farther west prominent quartz veins run east and west as in the tunnel, but the development work is not sufficiently advanced to determine the relations of the veins. The character of the ores in the 

limited quantity seen is such as to suggest the necessity of concentration before working.

RED ELEPHANT CLAIMS (27).

The Red Elephant consists of two claims, at an elevation of 1,500 

feet, on Howard Creek about 7 miles northwest of Galice Mountain 

trail. The claims are opened up near the creek level by four tunnels aggregating about 165 feet in length, on which active work is 

continued. The country rock is greenstone and dacite porphyry 

permeated by a multitude of small veins and veinlets of quartz running in all directions. Both rocks are well exposed in the bluff of 

Howard Creek above the cabin. Thus the rocks are highly silicified 

and at the same time both veins and country rock are richly impregnated with pyrite. The mineralization is such as to render it diffi-
GOLD-QTJABTZ LODE MINES. 55

cult to trace the boundary between the dacite porphyry and greenstone. In fact, the presence of the dacite porphyry, though suspected in the field, was demonstrated only by the microscopic 

examination of the sections after returning to the office. The dacite porphyries cut the greenstones and the serpentines, and in all 

probability come from the source of the mineralizing agents of the 

region.

The mineralized belt is several hundred feet wide, and if the pyrite 

contains considerable gold it might be well worth concentrating for 

shipment or treatment on the ground. A sample, assayed for the 

Survey by E. E. Burlingame & Co., of Denver, Colo., yielded 0.023 

ounce of gold to the ton.

Near the southeast side of the impregnated belt a 6-foot vein of 

gray quartz runs N. 35° E. The quartz contains a small amount of 

pyrite. It is said to have assayed $119 a ton in platinum and 15 per

cent in tin, but there is no visible evidence in the hand specimen of 

the presence of such rich ore.

BLUE BELL PROSPECT (28).

The Blue Bell prospect is situated 6 miles northwest of Galice, on 

a branch of Howard Creek, a mile above the Red Elephant. It was 

opened up some years ago by nearly 200 feet of tunnels. A number 

of tons of ore were mined, but none of it was shipped. The ore is 

chiefly pyrite, like that of the Red Elephant, but contains also some 

chalcopyrite and dark bluish scales of molybdenite. This prospect 

was not examined, though the neighboring greenstone was seen on 

the hill to the northeast, where it is so rich in pyroxene as to be 

practically a pyroxenite. Some of the ore samples from this locality 

are much sheared and slickensided. Ths molybdenite appears to be 

the latest deposit on the shearing planes but before the final 

movements.

BUFFALO GROUP (36).

The Buffalo group of 14 claims on Peavine Mountain (elevation, 

4,000 feet) is situated at the head of Quartz Creek, along the eastern 

side of the serpentine belt. Open cuts, short tunnels, or shaft prospects have been made on most of the claims, but only two deserve 

notice.

One of these claims is near the eastern side of the serpentine belt, 

where the abandoned quartzite is more or less richly impregnated with 

pyrite that is said by Mr. Wayment, the owner, to be auriferous. 

It is exposed at intervals for a mile by open cuts, shallow shafts, and 

tunnels. The dissemination of pyrite is rather sparse and no bodies 

of ore were seen. The belt of quartzite is approximately 300 feet in 

width, and the pyrite is most abundant near the serpentine contact. 

East of the quartzite is greenstone.
56 MINERAL EESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The second prospect to be noticed in the Buffalo group is on the 

Dixie claim in the greenstone. It lies at the head of Rocky Gulch, 

some miles above the Mayflower mill (37). A tunnel has been run in 

279 feet, exposing several kidneys and irregular veins of quartz that 

contain some pyrite and chaloopyrite. The veins and kidneys run 

N. 23° E. and dip 68° NW., parallel to the slickensided wall showing 

faulting. About 2 tons of ore, pyrite, and chalcopyrite, have been 

taken out of the tunnel. The ore forms small irregular bodies in the 

sheared greenstone. No ore bodies were seen in the tunnel.

MAYFLOWER PROPERTY (37).

The Mayflower property is situated on the south fork of Rocky 

Gulch at an elevation of 2,810 feet, about 3£ miles northwest of Galice, 

near the main Peavine Mountain trail. It embraces three claims 

taken up in 1910. The rocks are well exposed on the steep slopes 

of the canyon that cuts across the contact between the greenstone 

and serpentine. The serpentine contains small remnants of the 

olivine and pyroxene of which the peridotite was originally composed.

The two small prospect tunnels are in greenstone near the contact. 

The gold is free or is in the pyrite, and chiefly, if not wholly, in the 

rotten quartz of the greenstone schist adjoining the contact. There 

is little if any gold in the white quartz. A small amount of chalcopyrite is present.

Some distance west of the serpentine contact and beyond the more 

siliceous greenstone there is a dark graphitic-looking rock which in 

thin section is found to be a graphitic mica schist containing two 

kinds of mica, muscovite and biotite, with graphitic dust and numerous particles of pyrite. This rock appears to contain free gold and 

forms a north and south belt which appears to be related to the 

banded quartzites of the eastern slope of Peavine Mountain.

The quartz mill recently built at the Mayflower is of the Chilian 

wheel arrastre type, and is to be run by a small Pelton wheel. It 

promises to be effective not only in proving but in developing the 

property.

BLACK BEAR MINE (38).

The Black Bear mine, situated about 2£ miles northwest of Galice, 

on the south fork of Rocky Gulch, is owned by the Black Bear Mining 

& Milling Co. Several tunnels, one of which is about 1,000 feet in 

length, and a 30-foot shaft constitute the development work.

The country rock is greenstone near its contact with serpentine 

that is derived in part from pyroxenite. A vertical belt of quartz 

veinlets and kidneys 2£ feet in width runs nearly north and south 

approximately parallel to the contact. Other quartz veins, some of 

which carry pyrite, run nearly east and west at right angles to those 

mentioned above. The ore, which is rich in pyrite, with some chalco-
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 57

pyrite, is scattered rather irregularly in the vein belt. About 4 tons 

of ore has been obtained from the 3Q-foot tunnel, and its value as 

shown by assays is said to range from $4 to $27 a ton, chiefly in gold 

and a little copper. Some of the ore is cut by shearing plains, on 

which the slickensided ore shows decided movement since the ore 

was deposited.

SPOKANE PROPERTY (39).

The Spokane property is situated about 2£ miles northwest of 

Galice, near the head of Rich Gulch. It lies in greenstone near the 

southwest edge of the serpentine-pyroxenite belt which separates it 

from the Black Bear mine. A number of prospect holes and small 

tunnels give evidence of considerable work but of short duration. 

The small arrastre is in ruins and the cabins deserted.

BLACK HAWK PROPERTY (40).

The Black Hawk property lies on Quartz Creek, not far from the 

eastern contact of the Peavine serpentine belt. Development work 

only has been reported for the last year.

The Black Jack group is near the Black Hawk. Although neither 

of these mines was visited, I have learned from good authority at 

Galice that the ore of the Black Jack group is free milling and that 

between $6,000 and $7,000 in gold was won from a pocket by hand 

mortaring.

NESBIT GROUP (41).

The Nesbit group, embracing 3 claims, lies about 2 miles northwest 

of Galice, near the Peavine Mountain trail, at an elevation of about 

1,750 feet. The country rock is chiefly rotten greenstone a short 

distance southwest of the serpentine belt. The slopes are gentle and 

the greenstone is covered by a deep capping of yellowish iron-stained 

residual material which in places yields free gold. Considerable gold 

has been, won from this residual material by panning. The average 

of a number of assays is said to be $6.50 a ton, and it seems probable 

that it would pay well to hydraulic the whole slope. However, the 

available water is all controlled by the Old Channel Co. The claims 

lie only a short distance above the Old Channel diggings and may well 

have contributed to their richness. A short tunnel and incline have 

been run into the decomposed material, and a longer tunnel is in 

progress to tap it at a level about 100 feet lower.

THREE LODES GROUP (42).

The Three Lodes group includes a number of claims on Blanchard 

Gulch, about 2 miles by road directly west of Galice, at an elevation 

of about 1,500 feet. The country rock is greenstone and serpentine 

and the 30-foot tunnel follows a fault gouge near the contact. The 

presence of water and the slippery serpentine render tunneling some-
58 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON".

what difficult. The serpentine in places along the tunnel is impregnated with pyrite but not so jichly as to form ore bodies.

Several local assayers reported tin from this mine and also from the 

near-by Golden Pheasant, but there is nothing in the character of 

the rock as seen in the field that would suggest the presence of tin. 

Under the guidance of the general manager, F. F. Johnson, five samples of the reported tin-bearing rock were collected for test. Mr. 

Chase Palmer tested them in the chemical laboratory of the Survey 

and reports on every sample "no tin found." These tests simply 

confirm the tests previously made by Profs. Parks and Swartly, of the 

Oregon State Bureau of Mines and Agricultural College at Corvallis.

A short distance west of the Three Lodes opening, at the falls of 

Blanchard Gulch above the road, a vertical 5-foot ledge, apparently 

of banded quartzite, strikes N. 10° E. Farther up the hUl toward 

the Hidden Treasure the ledge is prospected and the ore is said to run 

from $6.90 to $8.20 a ton in gold. Other prospects have been made 

farther northeast on quartz veins running N. 22° E. in slaty greenstone. They contain a little chalcopyrite and scattered pyrite in 

chlorite.

GOLDEN PHEASANT GROUP (43).

The Golden Pheasant group lies about If miles directly west of 

Galice near the contact between the slates of the Galice formation and 

the greenstones. A number of tunnels have been run into the greenstone at several levels. In ,quartz veins and kidneys running N. 30° 

E., in the lower tunnel, a bluish-black foliated mineral occurs sparsely. 

Chemical tests prove it to be molybdenite. From a pile of chloritic 

schist containing films of calcite on the shearing planes samples of the 

reported tin ore were taken, but careful tests by Dr. Palmer in the 

chemical laboratory of the Survey failed to show any tin.

The slates of the Galice formation and the greenstones are particularly well exposed near their contact at the falls in Blanchard Creek. 

Except that the country rock is greenstone instead of quartz porphyry, the mine seems to be at the horizon of the Big Yank lode of 

the Almeda mine, but front outcrops in view in Blanchard Gulch 

there is no evidence of the existence of important ore bodies.

SUGAR PINE MINE (SO).

One of the mines that has attracted considerable attention in the 

Galice region is the Sugar Pine, on the North Fork of Galice Creek, 

about 2£ miles in a direct line southwest of Galice. It was opened 

by Cassady & Draper in 1860 and worked by Daniel Green and his 

brother for some years up to 1881, when it was sold to the Sugar 

Pine Mining & Milling Co.
GOLD-QTJABTZ LODE MINES. 59

The mine has over 2,800 feet of underground workings, of which the 

principal entrance and level, 800 feet in length, is at an elevation of 

about 1,700 feet. The country rock is greenstone, composed chiefly 

of green hornblende. The mine is only about 1,200 feet west of the 

contact between the slates of the Galice formation with the greenstone and serpentine.

The sheared belt, 1 to 5 feet in width, with its ribbons, veins, and 

kidneys of quartz along a well-defined hanging wall, runs approximately north and south and dips steeply to the west. As in the 

Oriole, the bunches of quartz are incased in chlorite. The ore minerals, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and galena, carrying values in gold and 

silver, are scattered here and there through the quartz. The ore 

from a rich shoot mined out by the Green brothers yielded between 

$25,000 and $30,000 when treated in an arrastre. A 10-stamp mill 

with two concentrators was erected in 1908, but ran only several

months before closing. The mill has since been sold and removed to 

the Oriole.

GOLD PLATE PROPERTY (51).

A short distance south of the Teddy, on the steep north slope of the 

West Fork of Galice Creek at an elevation of 1,500 feet, lies the Gold 

Plate prospect, recently located and prospected by a number of tunnels. The greenstone is greatly crushed and the cavities filled with 

quartz crystals similar to those commonly present in a region of 

pockets. The veins in places near the cabin appear to lie flat, but 

near by on both sides they are vertical and strike N. 25° E. There 

is s.pme pyrite in the quartz, but no important ore bodies are in sight.

VICTOR MINE.

The Victor mine is about 7 miles from Galice on the West Fork of 

Galice Creek. When in the region in 1911 I was unable to visit it, 

but Mr. C. L. Barlow, of Galice, informs me that the owners struck 

a rich vein, and took out about $2,500 in a month with a hand mortar. In 1912, 5 men were still at work and were averaging more than 

$4 to the man a day.

STRENUOUS TEDDY CLAIM (52).

The Strenuous Teddy claim is situated about 3£ miles southwest 

of Galice, on the West Fork of Galice Creek at an elevation of about 

1,620 feet. Two belts of vertically banded siliceous rocks, probably 

quartzites, running N. 15° W., form prominent bluffs. Each belt 

is about 150 feet thick and the two belts are separated by 125 feet of 

intrusive greenstone similar to that which bounds the quartzite on 

both sides. Tunnels have been run into both belts of quartzite, and 

the sheared rock has been found impregnated by pyrite richly for 

2 feet and sparsely for 5 feet. Part of the dark rock so rich in pyrite
60 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

appears indistinctly micaceous. To test the auriferous character of 

the pyrite a specimen of this rock was assayed for the Geological 

Survey by E. E. Burlingame & Co., of Denver, Colo., and yielded a 

"trace" in gold, but no silver. Farther up the slope are quartz veins 

containing cavities lined with quartz crystals and free gold.

COLD SPRING COPPER MINE (53).

The Cold Spring copper mine lies on the southwest slope of the 

West Fork of the Galice Creek nearly opposite the Sugar Pine. It was 

lately examined in detail under option by the Almeda Co., and half 

a ton of ore shipped for test. Although I did not see the mine, Mr. 

Daniel Green informs me that large bodies of copper ore, chiefly chalcopyrite, is in sight. The ore is said to be of good grade, but it has 

no associated galena, as at Sugar Pine.

CARLTON GROUP (54).

The Carlton group, embracing 9 claims, lies on both sides of the 

South Fork of Galice Creek 3 miles southwest of Galice, at an elevation of nearly 1,400 feet. The country rock is slate and greenstone, 

and their contact corresponds to the position of the Great Yank 

lode, on which the Almeda mine is situated. Two tunnels, aggregating about 250 feet in length, run into the greenstone near the 

contact. The greenstone in places where sheared is richly impregnated with pyrite and some chalcopyrite. The rock is so richly 

pyritized that if auriferous it would afford a concentrating ore. 

An assay made for the Geological Survey by E. E. Burlingame & Co. 

yielded a trace of gold. Some ore bodies are reported on the hillside a short distance south of the tunnels referred to, but the tunnels 

have not yet reached them.

LOST FLAT MINE (55).

The Lost Flat mine is on Chieftain Gulch about 4 miles southwest 

of Galice. It was discovered in the latter part of the seventies and 

operated irregularly for four or five years with an arrastre. Its 

production, however, is said to have been less than that of the 

Sugar Pine. A small amount of ore was shipped, but for test only, 

and the mine was closed.

QUEEN GOLD & COPPER MINE (61).

The Queen Gold & Copper Mining & Smelting Co. owns a mine 

about 3£ miles northwest of Wonder. The 11 claims, whose greatest 

length is northeast and southwest, cross the divide between Water 

and Limpey creeks and cover a belt of greenstone lying between 

the slates of the Galice formation on the northwest and serpentine 

on the southeast. A small placer at the head of one of the forks of
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 61

Water Creek near the contact between the greenstone and the serpentine yielded $3,000 in gold some years ago and started prospecting 

to find its source. A number of tunnels and crosscuts aggregating 

over 800 feet of underground workings have been run in the greenstone. At the time of my visit I found no one at the mine and did 

not see all of the openings. An interesting breccia of greenstone, 

cemented by quartz and about 12 feet in thickness, is exposed by the 

tunnel on the Limpey Creek side of the divide and may be locally 

mineralized. Outcrops of this breccia were seen as far west as 

Slate Creek, 2 miles below the Buckeye mine.

BUCKEYE MINE (62).

The Buckeye mine is on the East Fork of Slate Creek at an elevation 

of about 2,800 feet. It lies between the Queen and the Kamsey 

mine, about 5 miles northwest of Wonder. The country rocks are 

greenstone, serpentine, and slates of the Galice formation. The mine 

is near the contact of these rocks, and the several tunnels, probably 

not over 100 feet in length, are in the igneous rocks.

The plant reached by the Slate Creek road includes a small mill 

and cabins. The only ore seen was at the cabins. It consisted 

of quartz from veins and kidneys in greenstone. The quartz contains grains and bunches of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and resinous particles which appear to be zinc ore. There may have been a small production from this mine, but the amount has not been learned.

The gold is all in the greenstone and is most abundant within 30 

feet of the contact, where much of the greenstone is crushed and 

brecciated. The rotten iron-stained greenstone of the shaft when 

crushed in a mortar and panned yielded a number of colors of pyrite 

and gold but none of platinum. This rock was supposed to carry 

high values, and for this reason a sample was assayed by Burlingame & 

Co., of Denver, who report as follows: Gold, 0.01 ounce to the ton; 

silver, 0.00 ounce to the ton.

In the tunnel near by another sample was taken of rock which 

Mr. Ramsey states a local assayer reports to contain high values in 

platinum. Burlingame & Co. report from an assay of this material 

as follows: Gold, 0.01 ounce to the ton; silver, 0.00 ounce to the 

ton; platinum, none present.

KAMSEY MINE (63).

On the West Fork of Slate Creek, about 6 miles northwest of Wonder, there is a group of three claims owned by W. H. Ramsey. The 

claims cover greenstone and its contact with serpentine. The 

workings include two small tunnels about 40 feet in length and a 

12-foot shaft at an elevation of about 2,800 feet,
62 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The soil in the immediate vicinity of the contact of serpentine and 

greenstone has been sluiced off for nearly 100 feet and is said to have 

paid well in relatively coarse gold. In fact, all the dirt I tested 

thereabouts when panned yielded numerous colors of fine gold.

In the upper tunnel the fault contact of the serpentine overlying 

the greenstone is well exposed, striking N. 259 W. and dipping 62° 

NE. This is, however, in a bend of the contact, for the general 

trend of the contact of serpentine and greenstone is N. 30° E. and 

dip 40° SE.

Some distance west of the contact toward the creek another tunnel 

has been run into crushed greenstone, and the iron-stained rock has 

been reported by local assayers to contain a small percentage of 

tungsten.

A sample selected by Mr. Ramsey and myself to test this matter 

was sent to the laboratory of the Geological Survey, where it was 

tested by R. C. Wells and found to contain no tungsten but a small 

fraction of 1 per cent of vanadium.

Mr. Ramsey has a small water-power arrastre by his cabin on 

Slate Creek conveniently located with reference to the mine, with 

which it is connected by a trail. Road construction would be comparatively easy, but very little has yet been accomplished in either 

production or development.

A report on this mine by Adolph Maier, of Grants Pass, was published in the Courier of that city, June 25, 1911, giving much higher 

values for the ores than those noted above.

OLD GLORY PROPERTY (66).

The mine of the Old Glory Gold Mining Co. of Grants Pass is on 

Silver Creek about 25 miles almost due west of Grants Pass and

nearly 20 miles from Galice, from which it is reached by trail. It 

is the only lode prospect noted on Silver Creek and I did not visit it, 

but I am informed that there are four claims on the strike of the 

vein besides a large tract of placer ground. Two tunnels 40 feet in 

length open up a large quartz vein carrying on the average $10 a 

ton in free gold and sulphides. Smaller veins near by carry both 

gold and copper. The ledges run east and west and cut across the 

formations, which are well exposed on the walls of the canyon.

EUREKA MINE (74).

The Eureka mine on a branch of Soldier Creek, about 12 miles 

northwest of Kerby, is owned by a company in Eureka, Cal.

The property embraces six or more claims and is reached by trail 

only. There are probably 1,000 feet of underground workings, also 

air drills, electric lights, and a 10-stamp mill with concentrator and 

cyaniding plant now idle. The mine was operated more or less
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 63

irregularly for about four years, beginning in 1901, with a Huntington mill. The output, though considerable, is not definitely known. 

The country rocks are greenstone and serpentine and the^ore 

occurs in irregular but abundant veins or bunches of quartz on the 

contact or near it in the adjacent greenstone. The quartz streaked 

with a dark ore mineral, reputed to be a telluride, is richest and is 

said to run as high as $500 a ton. Such ore was rare and is not now 

available. The general average of ore is low, much of it about 40 

cents a ton, and would not pay for working. The ribboned veins of 

quartz strike N. 50° W. and dip 75° NE. The contact has been 

worked 250 feet in depth and 500 feet in length horizontally.

G. E. ANDERSON PROSPECT (76).

Mr. G. E. Anderson has recently opened a prospect near Illinois 

River and the mouth of Rancherie Creek in greenstone close to the 

border of serpentine. The sheared belt of rock, 10 feet in width, 

carrying a fair grade of ore, runs N. 45° E. and dips 47° SE., approximately parallel with the neighboring contact. Irregular quartz 

veins occur in about 4 feet of this belt and yield some free gold when 

mortared and panned. The most prominent ore minerals are pyrite, 

chalcopyrite, and galena, so that the ore contains copper, lead, and 

possibly silver, as well as gold. Assays are reported from $1.80 to 

$180 a ton on picked samples, and the quartz is said to average about 

$9 a ton.

About a mile farther southwest, on the west fork of Rancherie 

Creek where it cuts across a point of tuffaceous greenstone flanked 

by serpentine, a fault in the greenstone is well exposed. The fault 

runs nearly east and west and dips 68°N. The rock is much crushed, 

slickensided, and mineralized for a short distance on both sides, but 

most richly on the fault. In places there is much quartz on the 

fault plane. The small body of ore along the fault is chiefly pyrrhotite and is said to contain some nickel and free gold. This deposit 

is evidently related to that on the Calumet in. the forks of Rancherie 

Creek.

CALUMET MINE (77).

The Calumet mine embraces nine claims, extending from Illinois 

River at the mouth of Rancherie Creek southwest by the forks of the 

creek for a mile and a half.

The country rock is serpentine and tuffaceous greenstone. The 

fragmental character of the greenstone demonstrates its volcanic 

origin and also shows that it is intruded by the serpentine. As a 

result the greenstone at a number of places on or near the contact is 

more or less richly mineralized with pyrite, pyrrhotite, and some 

chalcopyrite and galena.
64 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The principal openings of this mine for pyrrhotite and auriferous 

chalcopyrite are near the mouth and forks of Rancherie Creek. They 

are described in this report under the head of "Copper mines," because of their relation to the deposit on Fall Creek. It is reported, 

however, that most of the value is in gold. (See p. 85.)

The greater underground workings of the Calumet mine are in a hill 

of tuffaceous greenstone nearly surrounded by serpentine about a 

mile southwest of the forks, higher up the spur than the outcrops of 

pyrrhotite. On the summit of the hill is a prominent quartz ledge 

said to carry $4 to $8 a ton in gold. The hill has been tunneled from 

all sides by nearly 2,000 feet of workings designed to test its ores. 

Quartz veins are common and run in various directions from N. 40° 

W. to N. 70° E., centering in the hill. The best quartz veins visible 

carry chalcopyrite and galena, but the material generally carries free 

gold. The hill contains a great deal of low-grade ore that might be 

concentrated, and if the large 500-foot tunnel now far beneath the 

summit ledge strikes paying ore it might furnish a convenient means 

of removing a large body of ore.

CASEY PROSPECT (79).

On the west fork of Rancherie Creek, at an elevation of about 3,200 

feet and nearly 11 miles in a direct line northwest of Kerby, a group 

of six claims is being actively prospected. The openings are near 

the contact of greenstone and serpentine, and a soft black deposit 

rich in pyrite has attracted attention on account of its rapid oxidation and the development of heat when exposed. The material had 

not been assayed at the time of my examination, but when panned 

and treated with nitric acid to remove the pyrite it yields numerous 

colors. The serpentine shows some copper stains, and the decomposed greenstone deeply covering the hill slope is .said to pan well in

free gold. Assays of the ore by a local assayer are said to indicate 

a content of $60 a ton. Water is being turned on this property to 

wash the crushed material at the contact.

HIGGINS MINE (80).

The Higgins mine, at the head of Slide Creek on the Chetco side of 

the divide, 12 miles on a direct line or 20 miles by trail northwest of 

Kerby, has recently attracted much attention. The holdings embrace 

10 claims taken up, at least in part, by L. G. Higgins in 1903. They 

extend northeast and southwest along a contact of greenstone and 

serpentine. The contact has been sluiced at a number of places and 

most of the gold has been won in this way. The gold is very fine and 

flaky. It has not been transported, but was set free by decomposition 

of the rocks in place along the contact. The gold does not occur in 

quartz veins, according to Mr. Higgins, but between the folia of the 

talcose minerals in the shear zone along the contact.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 65

The latest strike of this mine in the Golden Dream at the head of 

Slide Creek, at an elevation of about 3,500 feet, has been sluiced by 

lessees. The ore was rich, but not richer than that obtained by Mr. 

Higgins years ago on the same contact, three-fourths of a mile farther 

southwest. Mr. Higgins has erected a 3-stamp mill with a concentrator to mill the contact rock. A 100-foot tunnel, somewhat meandering, has been run along the sheared contact to open it up, but there is 

no evidence to show 'the relative value of the rock at and beneath the 

surface. A short distance west of the earlier mine some slaty rocks 

outcrop which may be of sedimentary origin, but no gold is reported 

along their border.

The Higgins mine affords one of the best examples of the general 

character of the pockety lode-gold deposits in southwestern Oregon.

BLACK BEAR CLAIM.

The Black Bear claim, located on the ridge between Hoover Gulch 

and Fall Creek, recently yielded some rich samples of free gold that 

attracted considerable attention. It is described as a well-defined 

quartz ledge plainly traceable on the surface of the steep mountain 

slope. The ledge was opened at four different points. It extends 

northeast and southwest, and where the rich samples were taken it 

was not less than a foot thick.

HTJSTIS AND ANDERSON CLAIMS (81).

The Hustis and Anderson claims are on the northwest slope of the 

Ch'etco divide on Miller Creek, nearly a mile southwest of the Higgins 

claims, at an elevation of nearly 2,300 feet. The main contact of 

serpentine, running N. 20° E., lies just west of the mine, which is 

mainly in greenstone. A 100-foot tunnel to the east in greenstone 

reaches another contact with serpentine.

An old arrastre, now in ruins, gives evidence of milling some years 

ago. The principal serpentine contact with greenstone extends 

directly from the Higgins mine to the Hustis and Anderson claims, 

where it meets another body of serpentine from the east.

MILLER AND BACON PROSPECTS (82 AND 83).

The recent strikes of the Higgins mine have greatly invigorated 

prospecting in that region, and numerous claims have been located 

near the same horizon to the south on Miller Creek and Baby Foot 

Creek, tributaries of the Chetco.

The Miller and Bacon prospects are on the ridge between Miller 

Creek and Baby Foot. At the northern foot of this spur, along Miller 

Creek, a mass of serpentine strikes nearly east and west and cuts the 

volcanic greenstones which form the body of the ridge. The greenstones are well exposed in the great bluffs overlooking Baby Foot and

18014° Bull. 546 14 5
66 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

are intruded by smaller masses of serpentine, offshoots of the larger 

masses which lie at some distance on both sides.

Considerable quartz occurs in irregular veins or bunches in the 

greenstone, especially near the contact with serpentine, where it is 

impregnated with chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite. The veins strike in 

general about N. 60° E. and dip SE. Their gold content is not evident, though it is said that assays show a considerable amount. The 

gold at present remains in the decomposed and rotten rock, ready to 

be released by sluicing.

In the Miller group of 10 claims, a portion of the contact has been 

sluiced. A ditch is being opened from Miller Creek to the crest of the 

divide at an elevation of about 2,760 feet, for the purpose of sluicing 

the available auriferous residual material clinging to the slopes on 

both sides of the spur.

WILLIAMS & ADYLOTT MINE (84).

A number of claims on Hoover Gulch, about 8 miles directly northwest of Kerby, are owned by Williams & Adylott. The claims were 

seen from a distance only. The country rock is mainly greenstone 

and greenstone tuffs, which are well exposed in the bluffs about the 

head of the gulch, but there is an intruded mass of serpentine also in 

the neighborhood, and possibly, too, some cherty slates and quartzites related to those at the head of Hoover Gulch.

A shaft has been sunk 40 feet in rock that is said to contain gold 

all the way down. The residual material has been piped off and 

$500 cleaned up, though much of the gold is reported to have been 

lost.

GOLD RIDGE PROSPECTS (89).

Pocket Knoll and the divide between Mike and Days gulches, 5 to 7 

miles northwest of Kerby, have long been noted for their pockets of 

free gold. Pocket Knoll is composed of serpentine with a greenstone contact near its western base. From this contact northwest 

on the divide, to the head of Hoover Gulch and beyond, the ancient 

lavas and tuffs include much reddish and siliceous slates of sedimentary origin. The cherty masses, especially about the head of Hoover 

and Mike gulches, have recently been prospected. With a small 

hand outfit consisting of a Simplex rock crusher weighing 150 pounds, 

and a 25-pound muller and plate for pulverizing, T. M. Anderson, of 

Kerby, is said to have taken much gold out of a number of rich 

pockets.

There are a number of claims, four or more, on the flat divide at 

the head of Hoover and Mike gulches. The divide is occupied by a 

belt of more or less cherty slates, about 100 feet in width and covered by a thick layer of rotten rock, bounded on both sides by greenstone with serpentine near by to the northwest. The greenstone is
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MINES. 67

in places granular but mostly compact and in general contains much 

auriferous pyrite. The cherty belt and its quartz veins trend N. 20° 

E. and dip 50° SE. A tunnel is being run across the belt in the 

rotten rock to locate the richest portion. A shaft has been sunk 20 

feet in this soft rock and gold has been panned from the oxidized 

material at the bottom. The little swale on the northwest has been 

sluiced with good returns, and if water were cheaply available it is 

possible that considerable pay ground could be found.

A short distance northeast of the tunnel mentioned above is the 

"Beauty" claim, on which a pocket recently opened is said to have 

yielded $5,000 or more of free gold in quartz. The country rock is 

compact greenstone lying east of the siliceous slates, and the narrow 

pay streak, about 10 feet in length and within 2 feet of the surface, 

runs northwest and southeast perpendicular to the general course of 

the formations.

PHILIPS PROPERTY (90).

The Philips property, known also as the Vanguard, is on the north 

slope of Days Gulch near Pocket Knoll. Several openings have 

been made in the hillside and an 80-foot tunnel run -in greenstone 

not far from its contact with cherty slates. Some sulphide ores carrying copper and gold were obtained, although no considerable bodies 

were visible at the time of my examination. The tunnel is to be 

extended 500 feet farther into the hill. A small and very crude 

arrastre on the creek is said to have been used to grind some of the 

pocket ore from the ridge near the knoll.

CHATTY MINE (91).

The Chatty mine is situated in Days Gulch, nearly 5 miles northwest of Kerby at an elevation of 3,160 feet. The country rock is 

greenstone and is much decomposed near its contact with serpentine, 

where the original owner some years ago found a rich pocket which 

is reported to have yielded approximately $8,000.

The mine was worked to a depth of 30 feet before it came into the 

hands of the present owner, who has run a tunnel 110 feet to a fault 

with a well-defined gouge, but no valuable ore is yet in evidence. 

The fault runs N. 4° W. and has a steep dip to the west, being 

approximately parallel to the adjacent contact between the greenstone and serpentine.

This pocket, of small extent, was in oxidized material and its contents were completely removed some years ago. Early prospectors 

found traces of gold on the surface. Later these traces were followed to a depth of 15 or 20 feet into the oxidized rock, where in the 

rich pocket the quartz veins were found rusty and black. The 

quartz in the vicinity is porous, and where compact between the 

cavities is fairly rich in pyrite. The cavities are lined with quartz
68 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

crystals, generally coated with hmonite like that filling the late 

fissures in the rock. No free gold was seen with the quartz in any of 

the cavities, although pocket hunters of the region assert that such 

quartz is characteristic of pockets. An extension of the pocket has 

been sought for in all directions, apparently without avail, although 

the work continues.

MOOD MINE (92).

Near the forks of Fiddlers Gulch, about 7 miles nearly west of 

Kerby, are situated the six claims of the Mood mine. Like most of 

the lode mines of that region this mine is in the vicinity of the western 

border of the great serpentine belt. It is said that the mine has 

nearly 2,000 feet of underground workings and an old arrastre in 

which ore was ground that yielded some thousands of dollars. 

Tunnels are being run to the northeast along a shear zone approximately parallel to the contact. There is a small but distinct gouge, 

some irregular veins of quartz, and a lens of very hard rock rich in 

pyrite.

In the same vicinity but farther west, between the forks and along 

the main branch of Fiddlers Gulch, there are a number of openings 

that-were not seen, among them those of Watson and Andrews (93). 

The greenstone is in places full of pyrite, but its value has not been 

proved.

NEIL MINE (94).

On the south fork of Fiddlers Gulch, at an elevation of nearly 

2,400 feet, 6 miles west of Kerby, is the mine owned by Neil Bros, 

and recently sold to the Segno-Tomek Gold Mining & Milling Co. for 

$80,000 according to report.

The discovery of the Neil mine was made by a short tunnel that 

yielded, it is said, some remarkably rich dark telluride ore. The 

discovery tunnel is near the contact of the greenstone and serpentine. 

It has caved in, water issues from it, and the rich ore reported is 

inaccessible at the present time.

The Segno-Tomek Co. has run a large tunnel N. 68° W. for about 

300 feet to a contact and then followed the contact south for nearly 

100 feet in an attempt to strike the "rich ore several hundred feet 

beneath the original discovery.

The rocks along the contact are much crushed and for 6 to 12 

inches have much sheared material which is decidedly serpentinous. 

As far as seen it contains little evidence of ore.

CANYON CREEK CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINES (95).

The property of the Canyon Creek Consolidated Gold Mines Co. 

embraces seven claims near the head of the North Fork of Canyon 

Creek, about 8 miles directly west of Kerby, at an elevation of about 

2,900 feet.
GOLD-QUARTZ LODE MIKES. 69

After a number of prospect openings, more or less promising, were 

made high up on the slope a tunnel was run 500 or 600 feet below to 

find their downward extension. The tunnel is of good size and 300 

feet long in greenstone. No important body of ore has yet been 

reached. A small stringer was cut, yielding $65 in gold and silver to 

the ton. About 90 feet of the rock tunneled is more or less impregnated with pyrite and is said to assay from $2 to $4 to the ton. It is 

proposed to continue the search for the rich ore.

An opening on the creek nearly a mile above the mine exposes a 

slickensided fault plane striking N. 60° E. and dipping 60° SE.

BOWDEN PROSPECTS (96).

Mr. Samuel Bowden, of Grants Pass, has opened a number of claims 

on.the North Fork of Canyon Creek and Lightning Gulch, in greenstone on shear zones, veins of quartz or dikes of dacite porphyry cutting the greenstone, and reddish cherts that are radiolarian and certainly of sedimentary origin. In all these places the greenstone is 

more or less impregnated with pyrite and hi some of them with 

chalcopyrite. The shear zones and quartz veins run N. 20° E. and 

dip 40° SE. The greenstone in places is practically a chlorite schist 

and is then most probably full of pyrite. The reddish chert is closely 

related to that of the Pocket Knoll region and lies only a short distance 

beyond the western limit of the great serpentine belt that crosses the 

North Fork of Canyon Creek at the falls, half a mile above its mouth.

In the same region the Telluride Gold Mining Co., of Seattle, has 

five claims. It is reported by Mr. Bowden that several tons of ore 

were shipped to Tacoma as a test and yielded good returns.

WINTERS AND McPHERSON PROSPECTS (97 AND 98).

Lightning Gulch is a tributary of Canyon Creek west of the serpentine belt and traverses essentially the same horizon as the north fork. 

The greenstones are greatly sheared and cut in some places by dikes 

related to dacite porphyry. Near by are banded siliceous rocks which 

resemble quartzites and probably, like the cherts of the North Fork 

of Canyon Creek, belong to sedimentary masses.

Near the mouth of Lightning Gulch, J. A. Winters has run a number 

of prospect tunnels into black slates or along their contacts with 

greenstone. The rocks at this place are much disturbed by slides, and 

although they may in some places average several dollars a ton, the 

source of the gold is difficult to trace. Some of the gold, however, 

appears to be in the slates, whose bronze slickensides are due to 

shearing movements after the deposition of the ore.

Some distance up Lightning Gulch Eugene McPherson has a mine 

tunnel 200 feet in length that follows the contact between greenstone 

and banded quartzite. The greenstone is greatly altered and the 

contact is very irregular. A small quantity of rich telluride ore is
70 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

reported to have been stoped from this tunnel. I was unable to 

obtain a sample of the ore at the mine, but a small fragment was 

given me by Mr. Bowden, who assured me that it came from the 

McPherson tunnel. Mr. Bowden also gave me a sample from his own 

prospect farther northwest on Lightning Gulch. Both samples reacted strongly for tellurium, giving a decided purple solution when 

boiled in concentrated sulphuric acid.

ALTA MINE (107).

The Alta mine on Josephine Creek, 4 miles west of Kerby, consists 

of three claims. For some years the mine was worked only as a 

placer, but recently a lode mine was opened in the bluffs bordering 

the placer and a mill erected to crush the ore.

The country rock is serpentine derived from peridotite and cut by 

a large dike composed of a rock related to dacite porphyry. The 

dike ranges from 25 to 40 feet in width between serpentine walls and 

is practically vertical. It strikes N. 40° E. and has been traced by 

Mr. Wilson about a mile and a half. Many smaller parallel dikes of 

the same material cut the serpentine of that region, so that the relation of the ore-bearing rock to the serpentine is evident.

The ore is chiefly pyrite, occurring in scattered grains through the 

rock and more abundantly in small quartz veins, apparently with 

some chalcopyrite and possibly pyrrhotite. In some places when the 

rock is pulverized and panned it is found to contain not only pyrite 

but apparently considerable free gold. As the mine is in the early 

stage of its development, little is known of the distribution and 

extent of the disseminated ore. A good sample of the fresh rock 

with conspicuous blotches and scattered grains of pyritic ore in 

joints and veinlets of quartz was assayed by E. E. Burlingame & Co., 

of Denver, for the Geological Survey, and it yielded 0.02 ounce in 

gold per ton. About a dozen sectional samples assayed by local 

assayers were reported to me by Mr. Wilson, and they averaged 

about $5 in gold per ton.

A "Lane slow-speed Chilean mill" has been erected to crush the 

ore. The rock is first run through a breaker, and after it issues from 

the mill is run over plates to Johnson concentrators. The mill is 

run by a 25-horsepower steam engine and has a capacity of 40 tons 

in 24 hours. Mr. Wilson reports a satisfactory test run of about 500 

tons, made in the fall of 1911, at a cost of 80 cents a ton by water 

power and $1 a ton by steam. After amalgamation and concentration the tailings are reported to show no trace of gold. The overburden of the mine is gravel, and during the winter the water is used 

for hydraulicking.

ROSEBTJRG AND FIDELITY GROUPS (113).

The Roseburg group of six claims and the Fidelity group of four 

claims lie about the head of Tennessee Gulch, 3 miles southwest of 

Kerby, at an elevation of nearly 2,500 feet.
COPPER MINES AND PEOSPECTS. 71

These claims cluster about the southwest end of an area of granular 

greenstone surrounded by serpentine whose relations were not fully 

determined.

1 Portions of Tennessee Gulch have afforded rich placers. Claims 

were taken up and a little arrastre built 40 years ago near the head 

of the gulch. Two tunnels have been run, one N. 70° E. and the 

other N. 70° W., near the contact of the greenstone and serpentine. 

The cellular quartz veins containing free gold are in the greenstone 

and are approximately parallel to the irregular contact, ranging from 

N. 50° to 80° E., with nearly vertical dip. Pyrite is the most abundant ore. No distinct trace of copper minerals was observed.

A large tunnel is being run at a considerably lower level. It is 

already in 170 feet in greenstone and nearing the supposed horizon 

of the veins which appear at the surface.

FHEE AND EASY MINE (114).

The Siskiyou Sunset Mining & Development Co. has a deserted 

mine, generally known as the Free and Easy, in the large serpentine 

area 2| miles west of Kerby. Several tunnels and other openings 

were made in the serpentine on the south slope of the ridge, but they 

are now caved in. In the valley, a few hundred feet below the mine, 

there is a small Huntington mill long unused.

OTHER MINES.

Unfortunately I do not have the exact location of the Brooklyn 

pocket mine and the January mine of the Sucker Creek district. 

Both mines appear to be west of the Grants Pass quadrangle and 

reported a considerable production in 1910. According to the latest 

report from the Kerby district, the only producing mine in that 

region at present is on Sucker Creek. From this mine Harry Siskron 

and his partner obtain a few thousand dollars' worth of gold each 

year with an arrastre.

COPPER MINES AND PROSPECTS. 

COPPER PRODUCTION.

In 1905 Oregon became a considerable producer of copper. The 

reported output for succeeding years is as follows:

Production of blister copper in Oregon from 1905 to 1910.

Pounds.

1905.......................... 846,815

1906.......................... 415,803

1907.......................... 554,104

1908.......................... 291,377

Pounds.

1909.......................... 235,000

1910.......................... 13,861

1911.......................... 93,136

1912........................... 260,429

Except in 1909 and 1910 the greater part of the production came 

from Josephine County.
72 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

COPPER DEPOSITS. 

DISTRIBUTION.

The copper deposits of southwest Oregon have long attracted attention and a number of attempts have been made to mine them 

in a broad belt that extends northeast and southwest from Curry 

and Josephine counties into Coos and Douglas counties. The earliest attempt was made on Illinois River near the mouth of Rancherie 

Creek, and later in the same district on Fall Creek, where small 

furnaces were erected and operated for a short time on the ores of 

that vicinity. Shipments of ore are reported to have been made 

from Collier Creek and Rogue River in Curry County by the late Col. 

I. N. Munsey. At Drew, and on Green Mountain east of Glendale, 

and the west fork of Cow Creek,- near Mount Bolivar in Douglas 

County, as well as at several points on Chetco River in Josephine 

County, openings have been made and ores of copper taken out, but 

all these points are reached by trail only. Extensive developments 

have been made at Almeda, near Galice, and at Takilma, near Waldo, 

where smelters have been operated at intervals for a number of years. 

Both points are easily accessible by wagon road and are now apparently the most active mining centers of the region. For a list of 

the copper mines and prospects of the Galice-Kerby-Waldo region, 

see Plate VI, page 46.

GENERAL CHARACTER.

Only a few localities have been examined, and these not in detail, 

but enough has been seen to indicate that they are essentially contact 

deposits and that there are two distinct modes of occurrence. In the 

one class the ore bodies, chiefly pyrite with subordinate chalcopyrite and bornite, occur in quartz porphyry near its contact with 

slates. In the other class the ore bodies, chiefly chalcopyrite and 

pyrrhotite, prevail in greenstone or serpentine near their contact.

Of the occurrence in quartz porphyry the deposit at Almeda is the 

best known and almost the only example in the district; of the occurrence in greenstone or serpentine near their contact the mine at Takilma, generally known as the Queen of Bronze, has been most fully 

developed and described, 1 but the deposit on Fall Creek is quite as 

characteristic.

ALMEDA MINE (30).

GENERAL FEATURES.

The Almeda mine is owned and operated by the Almeda Consolidated Mines Co. It is located on the right bank of Rogue River, 

about 26 miles below Grants Pass, and is reached by stage line and

i This mine is described by G. F. Kay in U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 380, pp. 76-78,1909.
COPPER MINES AND PROSPECTS.

wagon road 17 miles from Merlin, on the main line of the Southern 

Pacific. A shorter road (15 miles), avoiding the river but crossing 

the divide to the railroad at Leland, was partly completed in 1911.

The situation of the mine is advantageous, as it lies in the rugged 

but passable canyon of a rushing river, cutting directly across the 

formations, so that the canyon walls afford convenient facilities for 

economical mining.

My examination of the mine was made rather inopportunely on 

July 10 and 11, 1911, just as the management changed. At that

PLAN.

NO. I {evetNo.3 ieve/-

No.2levef

No.3 level 

No.4/evel

No.5Jevel \

Stope 

100 200 , 300 400 Feet

FIGURE 8. Plan and longitudinal section of Almeda mine. By P. H. Holdsworth, November 28,1911.

time no plans or sections of the mine were available and considerable 

portions of the mine were inaccessible, but since then very important 

development work has been carried on, giving more definite information concerning the ore bodies.

A special survey of the mine was made for the company in the 

summer and fall of 1911 by Mr. P. H. Holdsworth, and he has kindly 

furnished me the plan and longitudinal section (fig. 8) of the mine. 

Furthermore, he sent me numerous assays of the ore and much other 

information quoted below concerning the adjacent rocks.
74 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

It is only fair to Mr. Holdsworth to give his own statements in & 

letter of November 28, 1911, concerning the plan and sections. 

He says:

I had only one day to make it in from my notes, and it is far from complete, but it 

will give you an idea of the workings and ore bodies, as to size, etc. It is not complete 

in that it does not show the continuation of tunnel No. 1 and the 100-foot level (river 

tunnel). Those are driven to the north several hundred feet, but the air in them 

was so bad at the time of survey that I could not use the transit.

The ore deposit on which the mine is located contains gold, silver, 

and copper, and lies along an eruptive contact on which there has been 

considerable faulting.

The Almeda mine is developed by extensive underground openings more than 1,000 feet in length on the strike and 800 feet in 

depth by adit tunnels above the river and by a vertical shaft reaching nearly 400 feet beneath the river, with crosscuts and levels every 

100 feet, as shown in the plan and longitudinal section prepared by 

Mr. Holdsworth.

The mine is near the southwest border of the Galice formation 

(dark slates) along its contact with an igneous rock, but for the most 

part within the igneous rock, on what is generally known in the region 

as the Big Yank lode. The igneous rock at the name is closely related 

to quartz porphyry or alaskite. When fresh the rock has a dark-gray 

color, but in most places it is bleached and stained various shades of 

gray, green, yellow, or red. In places its texture is sparingly porphyritic, with phenocrysts of quartz and feldspar, generally plagioclase, embedded in a very fine granular or cryptocrystalline groundmass of quartz and feldspar, which in most places forms the bulk of 

the rock. It is much cut by shearing planes and deeply affected by 

oxidation, though as it is highly siliceous it resists disintegration and 

forms ledges on the surface.

Faults are common in the slates near the contact, and occur also 

in places between the slates and the lode. By the road just east of 

the shaft house two small parallel overthrust faults displacing a dike 

in the slates were measured. They strike N. 15° E. and dip 50° NW. 

with an underthrust of 4 feet to the northwest. Similar faults may 

be expected in the mine.

The slates near the contact are in places markedly indurated by the 

intrusion of the quartz porphyry. On the 300-foot level, within a 

foot of the contact, the slates, usually dark, are baked light gray, and 

very hard. They are seamed with calcite, especially on the shearing 

planes.

The contact between the slates and the igneous rock, with which 

the Big Yank lode is associated, may be traced for over 20 miles in a 

direction about N. 30° E. from Briggs Creek valley to Cow Creek at 

Reuben Spur. Although the general course is maintained with con-
COPPER MINES AND PROSPECTS. 75

siderable regularity, there are many small variations, and the contact 

dips to the southeast in the same general direction as the slates. The 

plane of contact is generally a fault plane and is for the most part 

followed by the lode. The contact is apparently most irregular and 

the quartz porphyry most cut by shearing planes in the vicinity of 

the ore bodies.

According to Mr. Holdsworth the 96-foot crosscut west from the 

500-foot level traverses "metamorphosed slate" and the contact is 

still farther west, beyond the end of the crosscut.

I visited the 500-foot level and followed the crosscut from the shaft 

westward 96 feet to the end, collecting samples at both ends and at 

two intermediate points. By the shaft the rock is in some places 

impregnated with pyrite to such an extent that nearly one-fourth of 

the mass is pyrite. There is much less pyrite 12 feet from the shaft, 

and from that point to the western end of the crosscut pyrite, though 

present, is less conspicuous.

A white mineral occurs in this crosscut more or less abundantly 

throughout the rock in veinlets and small bunches and appears to 

increase in quantity toward the western end. This white mineral 

was found to be gypsum, probably derived, as Graton 1 has shown, 

from anhydrite.

The samples taken on the 500-foot level near the shaft and 12 

feet west of the shaft were assayed by E. E. Burlingame & Co., who 

report a gold content of 20 cents a ton. in each. One of the samples 

contained a trace of silver.

The rock traversed by the crosscut for 96 feet west from the shaft 

on the 500-foot level is highly siliceous. In the mine I regarded 

it as quartz porphyry and not metamorphosed slate, as considered 

by Mr. Holdsworth. The contact of the quartz porphyry with 

the slates on the 500-foot level appears to me to be at the foot of the 

shaft. In this view I have been confirmed by a microscopic study 

of thin sections of the rocks collected along the crosscut. The 

rocks still retain much of the original structure of the quartz porphyry impregnated with pyrite and are strongly contrasted with 

samples of the indurated slate found elsewhere in the mine.

With due regard to the much more extended investigations of 

Mr. Holdsworth, I am still of the opinion that the ore horizon is on 

the contact near the foot of the shaft on the 500-foot level.

CHARACTER OF THE ORE.

The ore minerals are sulphides, and the ore appears to be of two 

types one copper ore with barite as the principal gangue mineral, 

and the other siliceous gold-silver ore, reported by Holdsworth but

i Graton,L.C.,The occurrenceofcopperinShastaCounty,Cal.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 430,p. 103,1910.
76 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

which I have not seen in place. The latter ore is principally valuable 

for its gold and silver and has quartz as the gangue.

The copper ore is rich in pyrite and barite, usually having a smaller 

percentage of intermingled chalcopyrite and in places some bornite. 

Gray copper ore, tetrahedrite, has been reported, but its presence 

could not be demonstrated.

Rich copper ore was noted near the indurated slates on the 300- 

foot level, a short distance north of the crosscut from the shaft.

The ore throughout is of the replacement type and is in general 

an altered and mineralized porphyry.

A partial analysis by Chase Palmer, of the Geological Survey, of 

a sample of this ore which I collected on the 300-foot level just north 

of the crosscut from the shaft gave the following results:

Analysis of ore from the Almeda mine, Oregon.

SiOa .......................................................... 0.31

BaS04 . ...................................................... 68.21

CaO.......................................................... 1.01

Cu............................................................ 6.02

The same material assayed by E. E. Burlingame & Co. gave gold 

0.10 ounce and silver 7.78 ounces to the ton.

This sample was evidently one of the best of the baritic ore. It 

is high in both copper and silver and carries enough gold to pay for 

its extraction.

As far as they go the above determinations accord with the following information furnished me by Mr. Holdsworth concerning the 

value of the copper ore. Mr. Holdsworth states:

To the west of the metamorphosed slate is the heavy spar-iron-copper ore. This 

runs from 6 to 20 feet in width.

Analyses of copper ore of Almeda mine.

SiOa .................................................. 8.8- 5.1

FeSa .................................................. 27.0- 48.1

CaO.................................................. 0.8 to trace.

BaS04 . ............................................... 47. 8- 28. 2

A1203 ................................................. 8.0- 10.9

CuFeS2 ............................................... 6.4- 6.8

Assays of copper ore of Almeda mine.

Cu...................................... 1. 5 to 4. 5 per cent.

Au...................................... 0.12 to 0. 42 ounce per ton.

Ag...................................... 3. 32 to 12.18 ounces per ton.

Lime runs up at times to 2 per cent.

Concerning the siliceous gold-silver ore Mr. Holdsworth remarks:

Lying next to and west of the spar ore is from 30 feet (in the parallel and No. 1 tunnels) to 60 feet (in the 300-foot level) of a siliceous gold-silver ore. The 300-foot level
COPPER MINES AND PKOSPECTS. 77

was driven 120 feet farther to the west after you were here, and all in commercial ore. 

No footwall yet. The ' 'porphyry'' at this point has been entirely replaced by the 

siliceous ore, but comes in again on the south drift on this level. 

In the upper levels the siliceous ore averages as follows:

Average analysis of siliceous gold-silver ore of Almeda mine. 

Si02 ........................................................... 62.9

FeO.......................................................... 11. 5

CaO........................................................... 2.1

BaO........................................................... 8.1

A1203 .......................................................... 5. 6

S............................................................. 8.3

Cu........................................................... 0. 3

Assay of siliceous gold-silver ore of Almeda mine.

Gold........................................... 0.14 ounce per ton.

Silver......................................... 6.40 ounces per ton.

In the lower levels this ore gives about the same analyses, but the gold content ia 

very much higher. In fact, the muck from the 120-foot crosscut west from the 300- 

foot level, where you saw it, was all run through the smelter, and though the shoot 

proper at this point is only about 60 feet wide the muck from the 120 feet averaged: 

Au, 0.90 ounce; Ag, 3.2 ounces; Cu, about 0.3 per cent. In fact, the ore body at this 

point has the greatest showing that I ever saw in any property.

Still to the west of this porphyry intrusive is ore similar in character to the siliceous 

ore. I have no idea of its extent, or the distance to the footwall, as work has not been 

sufficient to prove it. Drifts have been run 65 feet west from the porphyry and no 

wall. The ore to the west has not been sampled sufficiently to give a true idea of its 

value, but what samples I have taken lead me to think that it can be worked at a 

profit.

In the samples I am sending, Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are representative of the siliceous 

ore. Nos. 9 and 10 have the values labeled on them. The others have not been 

assayed, but are typical of the ore and may run anywhere from $4 to $1,000 per ton.

Sample No. 9, mentioned above by Mr. Holdsworth, is labeled: 

" 300-foot level, gold, 18.64 ounces per ton; silver, 5.90 ounces per 

ton."

Sample No. 10, mentioned above, is labeled: "300-foot level, gold, 

9 ounces per ton; silver, 5.96 ounces per ton."

An assay of sample No. 9 was made for the Geological Survey by 

E. E. Burlingame & Co., who reported it to contain 16.88 ounces of 

gold and 10.92 ounces of silver to the ton. Samples Nos. 6 and 8, 

referred to above with Nos. 9 and 10 as representative of the siliceous 

ores, but not definitely located in the mine, were assayed for the 

survey by E. E. Burlingame & Co., who reported as follows:

Sample No. 6: Gold, 0.48 ounce to the ton, and silver 0.52 ounce 

to the ton.

Sample No. 8: Gold, 0.075 ounce to the ton, and silver only a trace.

This gives a range from $1.50 to nearly $10 a ton in gold.

Practically all the samples of ore I collected in the Almeda mine 

comparable with those sent to me by Mr. Holdsworth are of the
78 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

baritic type. The only siliceous material I collected was taken from 

the crosscut west from the 500-foot level, and thin sections show this 

to be quartz porphyry impregnated and partly replaced by a very 

low-grade pyritic ore. The assays of these specimens given on page 

77 show that they contain but very little gold and only a trace of 

silver.

These samples, however, appear to me to fairly represent much of 

the material lying immediately west of the copper ore and contact. 

For example, it is well exposed on the surface by the river and up the 

slope by the mine, especially on the road near the smithy, where the 

quartz porphyry is impregnated with pyrite more or less irregularly 

for more than a hundred feet from the contact, but the great body of 

impregnated rock, judging from its physical aspects, does not appear 

to carry important ore.

The ore occurs in "bunches," as the miners phrase it, "that are 

longest up and down and shortest directly across the contact." The 

shape and extent of the ore bodies have not yet been definitely 

worked out for lack of sufficient development, but they appear to 

me to be in general lenticular in form, with their greatest extent in 

the plane of the contact, and pitch to the southwest approximately 

parallel to the slope of the surface.

The thickness of the principal ore body where I saw it on the 300- 

foot level is about 15 feet. As shown in the crosscuts from the contact to the porphyry dike the thickness of the ore body, according to 

Holdsworth, ranges from 15 to 50 feet. The greater dimensions he 

reports I have not been able to verify, nor have I seen the dike and 

the great body of siliceous gold-silver ore which he reports west of 

the dike on the crosscut from the 300-foot level. The western extension of the crosscut on that level was made since my examination. 

On the western side the ore bodies appeared to me to grade more or 

less distinctly into the quartz porphyry.

The horizontal extent of the ore body along the contact is said to 

be about 225 feet. Along the contact, parallel to the slope of the 

surface, the ore appears to have its greatest extent, or pitch, with a 

possible but irregular continuity of about 600 feet from the shaft 

crosscut on No. 1 level to the stopes in tunnel No. 3, and beyond to 

the gossan on the surface, nearly 400 feet above the level of the river. 

The greater prominence of the gossan on the upper slope northeast of 

the shaft is evidence that ore shoots rise in that direction.

It seems probable that there is a second ore shoot farther northeast than the one just noted, for Mr. Holdsworth, in writing of the 

continuations of tunnel No. 1 and level No. 1 to the north, states as 

follows:

They show, however, the same character of ore as in the other workings, and also a 

second shoot of ore parallel to that shown by the stopes in the different levels and
COPPER MINES AND PEOSPECTS. 79

lying approximately with the slope of the hill. It may be, however, that it is a continuation of the same shoot to the north, as on the No. 2 tunnel level the ore is continuous 

and massive for a length of 225 feet and shows in the tunnels at intervals as far north 

as what I called the second shoot.

If the upper shoot really lies, as it seems to me, with the longest 

axis parallel to the surface, then the rich ore body on the 300-foot 

level would appear to belong to a deeper shoot, a shoot possibly 

connecting with that referred to above by Mr. Holdsworth as a 

"second shoot." If such is the case, the ore deposit on the 500-foot 

level would be most likely to occur 200 feet or more south of the 

shaft.

The absence of a considerable body of ore at the contact by the 

shaft on the 500-foot level does not therefore necessarily mean that 

ore does not go down to greater depths, for according to the pitch of 

the ore shoots just noted the ore should be looked for in the contact 

along the 500-foot level south of the shaft.

Definite walls limiting the ore bodies appear chiefly, if not wholly, 

on the east side, adjoining the slates, where there has been faulting, 

which at a number of places has produced a definite gouge. Where 

such gouge is absent on the contact there is still a marked boundary 

between the ore body and the slate, but on the west side, as far as 

observed, the ore appears to grade into country rock richly impregnated with pyrite.

The gossan is well exposed in an open cut 12 feet wide to the depth of 

15 feet. It is strongly stained yellowish and brown by limonite and 

is composed largely of barite in small crystals or porous tufa-like 

masses. This highly baritic gossan may be 20 to 50 feet thick, but 

could not be thicker than 80 feet below the gossan opening, for at that 

level tunnel 3 on the strike of the ore brings out fresh pyrite, showing 

no trace of oxidation. A zone of enrichment is not exposed. If one 

is present it occurs in the steep slope several hundred feet above the 

river and the ground-water level at that point. The porous barite 

of the gossan is a secondary deposit, though derived directly from the 

pyritic ore, of which it is the gangue.

OBtGIN OF THE ORE.

The altered quartz porphyry, well exposed at the mine, is impregnated with pyrite more or less irregularly, in some places for more 

than 100 feet from the contact, and the amount of pyrite generally 

increases toward the contact, where the conditions under which it 

was deposited were most effective and resulted locally in completely 

replacing the country rock, quartz porphyry, by the development 

of bodies of pyritic ore. The ore bodies are not veins marked by 

sharp walls, but while they grade into the quartz porphyry on the 

one hand they are more distinct from the slates on the other. Some
80 MINERAL BESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

of the ore bunches may be completely surrounded by quartz porphyry, 

but they were not seen to extend into the slates. The slates are cut 

by dikes of dacite porphyry near the contact. Several of these dacite 

porphyry dikes are well exposed in the road bluff by the shaft house, 

and one that is greatly altered and full of vein quartz with disseminated pyrite may be seen in the slates of the mine on the crosscut to the 100-foot level.

The close relation of the dikes of dacite porphyry and the ore 

body is regarded as indicating that the ore deposit is the final term 

in the series of changes started by the intrusion of the porphyry 

dike.

This intrusion heated the rocks and initiated the circulation of 

heated solvents, which while dissolving some minerals deposited 

others in their stead, and the process may have been carried on until 

the originally intruded rocks, dacite porphyry as well as the quartz 

porphyry, may have been completely replaced by various ores.

THE SMELTER.

Near the mine and conveniently located on the river there was, 

in 1911, a small smelter with water-jacketed furnace for treating 

the ores. The first attempts at smelting this ore in 1911 were not 

successful. Concerning the later operations, Mr. Holdsworth writes:

Outside of trouble with one car of bad coke (28 per cent ash) I had no trouble 

other than would naturally occur with a small furnace. I used the siliceous ore 

as a flux for the iron and spar and used no lime whatever, except the small amount 

in the ore.

The furnace is 36 inches by 72 inches at the tuyeres, and we averaged a little over 

100 tons a day that is, 100 tons of ore besides the coke and slag. Ban semipyritic 

smelting ore from 6 to 7 per cent coke. As the iron and barium occur as sulphides 

and sulphates, respectively, there was about 26 per cent sulphur in the charge. Could 

average about 30 tona a day more when running semipyritic smelting than when 

running straight coke smelting.

The following are typical slags:

Composition of slays from smelter at Almeda mine.

Si02 ..... ..................................................................

FeO......... ...............................................................

CaO. .......................................................................

BaO..... ..................................................................

A13O3 . .....................................................................

1

30.9

24.9

3.1

30.4

10.6

2

31.8

24.0

3.9

26.9

13.5

3

31.1

25.3

4.8

29.1

9.9

4

38.9

22.3

1.3

32.9

4.7

Though percentage of BaO and alumina is high, they run very well, with seldom a 

loss of 0.3 per cent copper; usually from 0.15 per cent to 0.2 per cent copper. Batio 

of concentration from 12 to 1 to 20 to 1.

It is reported that in 1913 the smelter produced 6 carloads of 

matte, valued at about $40,000. On August 23, 1913, the property 

of the Almeda Mines Co. passed into the hands of a receiver, who,
COPPER MINES AND PROSPECTS. 81

after making a 3 weeks' run of the smelter and producing 3 carloads 

of matte, closed the smelter to make some tests in concentrating the 

ore and to erect a concentrating plant.

QUEEN OF BRONZE MINE (119).

In the great serpentine belt extending southwest through Josephine 

County into Curry County and into California there are numerous 

copper prospects, of which those in the vicinity of Takilma, southeast of Waldo, are most important. The description of the Queen of 

Bronze and neighboring mines given below is taken from a report 

by G. F. Kay.1 The mines and smelter were in more or less continuous operation from 1906 to 1909, inclusive, and then closed.

The Queen of Bronze mine is located in sec. 36, T. 40 S.', R. 8 W., 

about 6 miles from Waldo and 2 miles from Takilma.

The rocks with which the ores are associated are gabbros, peridotites, and serpentines. They are fractured, fissured, and jointed, 

and in many localities are- decidedly brecciated. The soil formed 

from these rocks is in general of a reddish color and supports a scant 

vegetation.

The outcrops of the ore deposits consist of gossan, the oxidized 

materials varying in depth from a few feet to more than 100 feet. 

The ore bodies have no definite form, but occur as irregular masses 

in the gabbro, the peridotite, and the serpentine. These masses or 

pockets of ore appear to have no definite relationships to one another, 

but occur irregularly in the fractured and fissured rocks. Most of 

the ore bodies, however, that have been found on the Queen of 

Bronze and adjacent claims lie in a zone that extends for several 

miles in a north-south direction and has a width of less than 1 mile. 

The largest single body of unoxidized ore obtained from the Queen 

of Bronze mine contained about 10,000 tons. Practically all of it 

came from a depth of less than 30 feet. Other masses of unoxidized 

ores have been taken from depths of about 100 feet. Although depths 

of about 300 feet have been reached in the workings, no important 

body of ore has been found below 125 feet. Several occurrences of 

slickensided ores were observed, and in some places the ore contains 

small veinlets of calcite.

The unoxidized ore is chalcopyrite, with which are associated 

pyrite, pyrrhotite, and subordinate amounts of quartz and calcite. 

In the low-grade ores pyrite and pyrrhotite are the most abundant 

minerals. In addition to the copper content the ores carry some 

gold and silver.

The oxidized ores are malachite, azurite, cuprite, tenorite (?), and 

chrysocolla. Of these the black ores containing tenorite or chalcocite

i U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 380, p. 70,1909. 

18014° Bull. 546 14 6
82 MINERAL BESOTJRCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

are most abundant. Several thousand tons of oxidized ore has been 

mined. The average content in copper was more than 10 per cent. 

The lower limit of the oxidized ores is usually less than 90 feet 

from the surface, but some have been found at greater depths. In 

a small opening about 105 feet below the surface black oxide and 

small amounts of native copper were observed. The zone of oxidation is invariably deeper where the rocks have been serpentinized 

than where the country rocks are fairly fresh.

These ore bodies are apparently the result of precipitation from 

mineral-bearing solutions which entered the rocks after they had 

been fractured and fissured by earth movements. Whether these 

solutions were set free from cooling magmas as they solidified to form 

igneous rocks or whether they were of meteoric origin it is impossible 

to determine. Although dikes cutting the peridotite and gabbro 

were not observed in the vicinity of the mine, their presence in other 

areas of these rocks would suggest that the solutions may have been 

associated with the magmas from which the dikes were formed. In 

places in the serpentine below the zone of oxidation chalcopyrite 

with slickensided surfaces has frequently been found. The chalcopyrite appears to have been subjected to all the movements which 

accompanied the process of serpentinization. This indicates that 

the ores are older than the serpentine.

The mine is more than 20 miles from Grants Pass, which is the 

most accessible point on the railway. The only means of transportation between Grants Pass and the mine is by wagon, consequently 

the rates for hauling machinery, provisions, and other 'materials for 

the mine and coke for the smelter have been high. This fact has been 

unfavorable to the development of the property. The mine is situated on the slope of a ridge. The smelter is at the base of the slope, 

500 feet below the mine and 1£ miles from it. The ores, when taken 

from the workings, are trammed to bins, from which they are transferred to wagons and hauled to the smelter.

The equipment at the mine consists of three boilers, an air compressor, a hoist, and two machine drills. The mine has been developed by tunnels, drifts, and open cuts. The chief workings are near 

two gossan-covered areas on the claim. The northern and more 

extensive workings are near the north boundary of the claim; the 

other workings are about 1,200 feet farther south.

The northern workings consist of two tunnels, from which considerable drifting has been done, and a large open pit. The upper tunnel, which is about 400 feet long, enters the west slope of the ridge 

and runs eastward beneath an area of decomposed and brecciated 

gabbro, in which are oxidized ores. At no place does this tunnel have 

a vertical depth of more than 90 feet from the surface. In this 

tunnel and in drifts and winzes from it some large irregular-shaped
COPPER MINES AND PROSPECTS. 83

masses of chalcopyrite, but practically no oxides, were obtained. 

From the tunnel an upraise was made to the oxidized ores. This 

upraise was then used as a chute. The oxidized ores were mined to 

the surface by overhand stoping, passed through the chute, and 

carried out by tram through the tunnel. Several thousand tons of 

oxidized ores were mined in this way, the large open pit thus formed 

having an area of about 120 by 120 by 80 feet. Where the tunnels 

and other workings were in the serpentine,'great care had to be taken 

in timbering. The lower tunnel also enters the west slope and is 

about 190 feet below the upper tunnel. In it and in drifts from it 

more than 1,100 feet of work has been done. Only a small amount 

of ore was found in these workings.

The southern workings consist of a large open cut, a' tunnel which 

runs underneath this cut, and a 106-foot shaft. From the open cut

about 10,000 tons of unoxidized ore, carrying about 7 per cent of copper 

was taken. The zone of oxidation was only a few feet in depth. 

The ores.mined were passed through a chute from the bottom of the 

pit to the tunnel and then trammed to the bins. From the tunnel 

and the shaft only a small amount of profitable ore was mined.

All the ores that have been mined have been smelted at the Takilma 

smelter, which is under the same ownership as the mine. The smelter 

is of the pyritic matte type and has a capacity of 100 tons a day. 

The charge used was about 1,500 pounds of ore, 350 pounds of limestone, and 200 pounds of coke. The limestone used had to be hauled 

about 2 miles. The matte from the ores smelted in 1907 contained 

about 40 per cent of copper.

The Queen of Bronze property was acquired in 1903 by the present 

(1910) owner. Only a small amount of development'had been done 

on the property previous to its acquisition. In all, about 30 claims are 

owned by the company. Including the cost of the smelter, more than 

$150,000 has been spent on the properties. Mr. Tutt, the president 

of the Takilma Smelting Co., stated that more than 20,000 tons of 

ore had been smelted and that the average copper content had been 

about 8£ per cent. The gold content of the ores has been worth 

more than $3 a ton, the silver content about 17 cents a ton. Ore was 

first smelted from this property in 1904. The greatest production 

was in 1907.

OTHER COPPER PROSPECTS IN THE WALDO REGION.

As already stated, there are several small mines adjacent to the 

Queen of Bronze mine. Considerable development has been done on 

these properties, and from three of them the Cow Boy, the Lyttle, 

and the Mabel about 4,000 tons of ore had been smelted before I 

visited the region. The character of the ores, then- modes of occurrence, and their associations are similar to those of the Queen of 

Bronze mine.
84 MINEEAL EESOTJECES OF SOUTHWESTEEN OEEGON.

Some distance northeast of the Queen of Bronze mine is a prospect 

on which considerable work has been done and some good ore has been 

found.

* The Elder Mining & Smelting Co. has recently been active in that 

region, producing copper in 1912, when some raw ore was shipped to . " 

Kennett for smelting.

' REYNOLDS MINE (115).

A prospect near Rough and Ready Creek, about 12 miles northwest 

of Waldo, with 850 feet of tunnels, lies in the midst of the great 

serpentine area and has attracted the attention of prospectors for 

copper. I was unable to visit the prospect, but Mr. Reynolds kindly 

sent me at my request a series of samples to illustrate the ores of his 

prospect. The material is much altered and weathered serpentine, 

stained green by carbonate of copper, together with delicate pinkish 

or bluish gray tints, suggesting the presence of cobalt. Some pyrrhotite seems to be present, but it is evident that the samples are so , 

altered that they afford an unreliable basis for judging the ores. 

Both nickel and cobalt have been reported in these ores. Tests by 

Chase Palmer in the chemical laboratory of the Geological Survey 

showed the presence of 0.29 per cent nickel, but no cobalt was found.

CHETCO COPPER CO. MINE (101).

The same serpentine belt with which the copper deposits are 

associated on Fall and Rancherie creeks extends southwest by the 

head of Canyon Creek to Chetco River, where a number of similar 

deposits occur and have been prospected, by the Chetco Copper Co. 

and others, by tunnels aggregating more than 250 feet. The ore 

appears to be mainly chalcopyrite, but Dixon's prospect has furnished 

some native copper and some remarkably beautiful specimens of the ,

bright red oxide of copper, cuprite, in minute cubic crystals. A 

small amount of ore is said to have been shipped from this locality.

 UNITED COPPER-GOLD MINES CO. MINE. (78).

)

The United Copper-Gold Mines Co. has a small inoperative mine 

and furnace on Fall Creek, half a mile above its junction with Illinois 

River, at an elevation of about 1,400 feet above the sea. The copper 

ore of this locality attracted attention many years ago, and early in 

the sixties of the last century a little furnace was erected at the 

mouth of Rancherie Creek to smelt local ores. The product was 

packed about 30 miles across the mountains to the coast. Another 

small furnace was built on Fall Creek in 1894. Both attempts failed, 

but about 1899 several hundred tons of ore was packed out to Selma, . 

hauled thence to Grants Pass, and shipped to Tacoma, where it is 

said to have been smelted at a profit. No large ore bodies were I 

found and operations ceased several years ago.
COPPER MINES AND PROSPECTS. 85

The country rocks of the deposit are greenstone and serpentine. 

The greenstone is an ancient volcanic mass, a, mixture of lava flows 

and tuffs of Mesozoic age that are greatly altered'. Its fragmental 

character, though not a prominent feature, may be clearly seen on 

close examination of the clean exposure near the mouth of Fall Creek, 

where the rock is made up of many lapilli. The serpentine is an 

altered saxonite, evidently of later eruption than the greenstone 

with which it is in contact.

The mine is developed by two tunnels connected by a bridge 

across Fall Creek. The one on the east side is 400 feet in length and 

that on the west side about 125 feet. At the mouth of the latter 

there is a winze, from which most of the ore was obtained.

The ore minerals are chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, generally more 

or less intermingled, and either may be most abundant. Malachite 

is rare. In some places the pyrrhotite appears as small streaks in

the chalcopyrite. The ore bodies removed were in the serpentine 

near its contact with the-greenstone. It is possible that some ore 

occurred in the greenstone, but the greater portion, if not all of it, 

appears to belong to the serpentine. The ore bodies were comparatively small and were in irregular bunches, not in distinct veins. 

The pyrrhotite was tested for nickel by R. C. Wells in the chemical 

laboratory of the Geological Survey. A mere trace of nickel was 

found, possibly 0.001 per cent.

CALUMET MINE (77).

Bodies of pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite reported to contain gold, 

like those in the mine previously described, occur on the border of 

the same mass of serpentine on Illinois River, near the mouth of Fall 

Creek and a short distance farther west along the slopes of Rancherie 

Creek in the Calumet mine. As far as seen, and they are fairly well 

exposed in the banks of the streams and in the open cuts and tunnels 

of the mine, the ore bodies are small and though near the contact of 

serpentine and greenstone are generally in the greenstone. The 

greenstone is tuffaceous, and at several points near the contact, 

especially on the spur between the forks of Rancherie Creek, it 

contains traces of oolitic limestone.

There can be no doubt concerning the presence of copper and iron 

in the chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, but the presence of nickel is 

always an important question. Two specimens of pyrrhotite were 

tested by R. C. Wells, but no nickel was found.

The chief attraction of the Calumet mine is its gold quartz, which 

is discussed more fully in. connection with the mines of that metal, 

on pages 63-64.

COLLIER CREEK PROSPECT.

The copper ore on Collier Creek, exploited for a number of years, 

is said to occur like that of Fall Creek, in bunches in serpentine. The
86 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

specimens from Collier Creek I have seen at various places were 

chiefly cuprite, the bright red oxide. of copper, and suggest the 

existence of a considerable body of oxidized ore.

THOMPSON MINE.

Mention should be made of the copper ore that has been found in 

a mineralized belt nearly 25 miles to the northeast in the vicinity of 

Mount Bolivar, the most prominent peak in the greenstone belt that 

is shown near the northwest corner of the map. The greenstone of 

this belt is impregnated at a number of places by pyrite, chalcopyrite, and bornite, and contains numerous veins of quartz and calcite. 

The most important copper prospect noted in this region is on the 

west fork of Cow Creek at the locality known as the Thompson mine. 

It has been exploited by several tunnels and inclines and yielded at 

least 50 tons of ore, chiefly chalcopyrite and bornite. The works 

were closed at the time of my examination, but the occurrence of so 

much ore on the dumps apparently shows the existence of ore bodies 

of considerable size. This prospect, although only 17 miles from 

the main line of the Southern Pacific Raikoad at West Fork and all 

down grade, is reached by trail only. Numerous prospects have 

been opened in this mineralized belt between Mount Bolivar and 

Rogue River, but none of greater promise than that akeady noted 

has yet been found.

GREEN MOUNTAIN COPPER PROSPECT.

Northeast of Galice the Green Mountain Copper Co. has recently 

opened up a suggestive mass of pyritic ore at an elevation of 3,900 

feet on the northwest slope of Green Mountain, 15 miles east of Glendale and about a mile from the country road. The company controls 

330 acres of land, part of which is patented.

The country rock is typical greenstone that has been greatly 

sheared and altered but still preserves its original structure and 

composition sufficiently to show its diabasic character. The greenstone belt, nearly a mile wide over the summit of Green Mountain, 

lies between belts of slates and other sedimentary rocks and is cut 

off a short distance to the south by serpentine, whose intrusion has 

influenced the mineralization of the region. -

The ore impregnates the greenstone and forms lenses. It is usually 

incased in deep-green chlbritic material.

The important copper mineral is chalcopyrite, which is intermingled with a large proportion of pyrrhotite and pyrite. The 

range of color from bronze to brass-yellow suggests the presence of 

cubanite, but the ore tested that was free-from chalcopyrite gave no 

trace of copper.

The outcrop lies in the upper drainage of Starveout Creek, whose 

placers have been remarkably productive. At the time of my visit
COPPEE MINES AND PROSPECTS. 87

(Sept. 6', 1911) the irregular incline, about 40 feet in length, exposed 

a body of ore 2£ to 3 feet in thickness, where it disappears beneath the 

incline. A tunnel is now being run in the hope of finding this ore 

body at a depth of 200 feet below its outcrop in the incline. The 

tunnel is already 40 feet in and several hundred feet have yet to be 

driven. The Pacific Outlook; of December 28, 1911, reported that 

the tunnel was in 140 feet and that a 2-stamp mill had just been 

completed.

COPPER PROSPECTS OF THE RIDDLES QUADRANGLE,

The copper prospects of the Riddles quadrangle have attracted 

attention for a number of years. In 1907 Prof. G. F. Kay examined 

the prospects known as the Joseph Ball mine and the Oak mine. He 

describes them as follows: l

The Joseph Ball mine is situated in the NW. J sec. 36, T. 32 S., R. 4 W., which is 

on the southwest slope of Cedar Springs Mountain. The elevation at the mine is

about 4,250 feet. Some ore has been carried by pack train to Glendale, on the 

Southern Pacific Railroad, a distance of more than 20 miles. The country rock is 

serpentine, which has been greatly fractured and sheared, and locally, where it has 

been decomposed, magnesite with some strontianite is present. The ores consist of 

native copper, copper glance, cuprite, and the copper carbonates. They are in a 

faulted zOne in the serpentine, which shows numerous slickensided surfaces on which 

are vertical striae. Within the workings the faulted zone varies in direction and the 

plane of shearing is very irregular. On this plane have been found flat pieces of 

native copper as large as the hand; the copper glance and cuprite have also been 

found on this plane as nodular masses and as scattered fragments. The workings 

consist of an upper tunnel of 150 feet along the fault zone and a lower tunnel of 145 

feet from which there is an upraise of 60 feet to the upper tunnel. At the time the 

mine was examined the company was preparing to sink, from the lower tunnel, a 

shaft on the fault plane.

The Oak mine, in the SW. i sec. 4, T. 35 S., R. 5 W., was located in 1905. It is 

owned by the Oak Consolidated Mining & Milling Co. Copper was found on this 

property while a gold-quartz vein was being developed. A tunnel was being run to 

crosscut some quartz stringers in a fractured zone, when copper pyrites were found. 

The mineral occurs as small irregular masses in a fractured and chloritized greenstone. During the summer of 1907 the company was installing an air compressor, 

hoists, and machine drills, and plans were being made to prospect the property 

thoroughly.

Some prospects of copper occur in greenstone near Glendale, and A. D. Leroy, of 

Merlin, has done some work on a quartz vein carrying copper in the N. £ sec. 8, T. 35 

S., R. 6W. . 

The Rowley copper prospect is situated about 10 miles northeast 

of Green Mountain, in essentially the same belt, on Drew Creek, 8 

miles from Drew and 15 miles by wagon road to Trail. The property 

consists of 10 claims, covering, it is said, two veins about 500 feet 

apart. The country rock is reported to be slates and diorite, but 

the ore samples show traces of mica schist, such as results in many 

places from the contact metamorphism adjoining the borders of

i U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 340, p. 152,1908.
88 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN" OREGON.

granodiorite, and suggests the presence of such a contact'in that, 

region, for along the eastern border of the Riddles quadrangle, a few 

miles west of the Rowley prospect, there are large masses of greenstone and granodiorite which extend to the northeast. ,

The ore is chiefly pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and chrysocolla, with 

some malachite and a larger proportion of gangue quartz. The ore 

is said to occur in streaks 10 to 30 feet wide, running 3 to 4 per cent 

copper and $2 to $3 in gold, with as much silver. There are a .number of open cuts and shallow shafts and about 180 feet of tunnels.

In 1912 the mine production of copper in Oregon was .260,429 

pounds, valued at $42,971, an increase over the production of 1911 

oj: 167,293 pounds in quantity and of $31,329 in value. Of the 

copper produced in Oregon in 1912, that from Josephine County was 

valued at $41,973 and that from Lane County at $841.

No lead was produced in Oregon in 1911, but in 1912 two mines, 

one in Jackson County and one in Lane County, yielded 39,317 

pounds, valued at $1,766.

PLACER MINES.

AURIFEROUS GRAVELS (CONGLOMERATES) OF CRETACEOUS AGE.

GENERAL CHARACTER.

Besides the stream gravels of fluviatile origin referred to under the 

description of the three cycles of erosion (p. 13) there are in southwest Oregon, as well as in northwest California, a number of important deposits of older gravels, now conglomerates, Cretaceous in 

age and of marine origin.

These auriferous conglomerates in California were first described 

by R. L. Dunn * and later by H. W. Turner,2 who recognized their 

marine origin. They are shore deposits about a Cretaceous island, 

the Siskiyou Island of Condon, 3 whose approximate outline when the 

beach gravels, now conglomerate, were formed is shown in figure 9.

During the Cretaceous period the island gradually subsided until it 

was almost if not completely covered by the sea. Among the later 

as well as the younger gravels of Trinity River above Weaverville 

are found pebbles of fossiliferous Cretaceous sediments which evidently came from the high mountains about the river's head, affording 

positive evidence of Cretaceous submergence.

This Cretaceous cover, now almost completely washed away, was 

derived from the auriferous slate bedrock series of the Klamath 

Mountains and probably contained gold at many localities. By its

1 Dunn, R. L., California State Mineralogist Twelfth Rept., pp. 459-471,1894.

2 Turner, H. W., Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 76, pp. 653-654,1903.

a Condon, Thomas, The two islands and what came of them, 1902. Revised and enlarged by Ellen 

Condon McCornack in 1910 as " Oregon.geology." See also Watson, C. B., Prehistoric Siskiyou Island and 

Marble halls of Oregon.
PLACER MINES. 89

disintegration and erosion the gold was liberated and concentrated 

in later gravels. This concentration appears particularly marked 

along the old coast line. The rich placers (indicated by X) along 

this old coast, line both southwest and northeast of Kedding,Cal., as 

well as in the neighborhood of Yreka and in the Cottonwood mining 

district near the Oregon line, probably owe much of their richness to

FIGURE 9. An approximate shore line of Cretaceous islands when auriferous gravel beaches were formed. 

X, Auriferous gravel prospects in Cretaceous conglomerate.

the auriferous basal conglomerate of the Cretaceous. In Oregon mines 

apparently thus enriched are located near Ashland, on the head of 

Graves Creek, to a small extent in the Canyonville region, and more 

especially in the neighborhood of Waldo.

COTTONWOOD DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA.

This locality early attracted attention, and in the literature already 

referred to has been more fully described than any other occurrence
90 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

of the Cretaceous auriferous conglomerate. To illustrate its mode of 

occurrence, one of Mr. Turner's illustrations is introduced.1 (See 

fig. 10.)

Several hydraulic mines were located on the outcrop of this conglomerate, where it ranged from 75 to 170 feet in thickness. The 

pebbles are in the main like the bedrock on which the conglomerate 

rests and vary with it, showing the local origin of the gravel along a 

shore line. On the outcrop the conglomerate has sufficiently disintegrated so that it can be, at least in part, treated by hydraulic methods,

FIGURE 10. Geologic section across Cottomvood Valley, Cal. a, Metamorphic rocks; b, auriferous basal 

conglomerate; c, crystalline wash; d, Cretaceous sandstone; e, volcanic rocks.

but the more solid portions have to be crushed. In one mine an 

arrasfcre was used and in another a 10-stamp mill. The gold reported 

ranged from $2.75 to $3.50 a ton.

THE FORTY-NINE MINES OF THE ASHLAND REGION, OREGON.

By FRANK M. ANDERSON.

Historical sketch. The old placer mines near Phoenix, Oreg., were 

the property of the late E. K. Anderson, who formerly lived near 

Talent, Jackson County. They form a group lying about the northern end of a ridge of hills which constitute a spur of the Siskiyou 

Mountains. Mining has been done along the eastern and northwestern flanks of this ridge, and gold in small quantities is found in all 

the alluvial gravels of the vicinity. From about 1860 until recent 

years these mines were worked regularly for a few months during the 

whiter and spring. Until 1895 they yielded generally from 60 to 150 

ounces of gold annually, which ranged in value from $16 to $18 an 

ounce.

The gold was generally accompanied by considerable "black sand" 

(magnetic iron and other dark minerals) and some grains and nuggets 

of cinnabar. For the most part the. gold was fine, ranging in size 

from "dust" to "flaxseed" gold, though a few nuggets of gold were 

found which weighed as much as 3 ounces or even more.

Much of the gold was more or less "rusty" and would not amalgamate freely, so that after all the gold obtainable by this means 

was removed from the black sand it still had a value of $5 to $8 a 

ton in gold.

i Turner, H. W., Eng. and Min. Jour., vol. 76, p. 664,1903.
PLACER MINES. 91

Geology of ike district. Most of the mining was done in the alluvial 

deposits of Quaternary age which have accumulated along the lower 

slopes and in the shallow drainage lines radiating froin the hills. 

These alluvial deposits range in thickness from 3 or 4 to 30 or 40 feet, 

being thickest along the eastern slope in the older workings. For 

the most part the alluvial deposits consist of yellow earthy material 

containing a minor part of gravel and subangular fragments of the 

older rocks of the hills. Where thickest they are firmly cemented 

by lime carbonate, so that then? mining required the use of powder, 

and even their reduction has been difficult and in some places prohibitive. This was one of the causes leading to the abandonment of 

mining on- the east slope of the ridge. Though the alluvial gravels 

everywhere contain gold in some quantity they were found to be 

richer along certain lines which were generally called "channels," not, 

however, with the idea that any stream of considerable size ever

existed in those places, except perhaps during the season of rainfall. 

Most of the gold, however, was found near the bedrock, and in so far 

as the term "channel" had any proper application it referred to 

ravines cut in the prealluvial rocks. It may well be that a concentration of gold took place during the early part of the Quaternary 

period under the atmospheric erosion of the times when precipitation 

was at its maximum and when alluviation of the slopes was slight. 

In later Quaternary time, when the rainfall was less, the gravels could 

accumulate more freely. In the thicker deposits on the eastern slope 

the remains of various Quaternary mammals have been found buried 

in the cemented earthy gravels, as also in other parts of the Rogue 

River valley. In 1872 or 1873 the remains of an elephant were 

found buried 8 to 12 feet below the surface. When first taken out 

 the bones and teeth were apparently in firm condition, but within 

a few weeks they had become chalky and soon crumbled. As these 

bones were nearly intact and the skeleton almost complete, then: 

burial must have been accomplished by some unusual means, more 

rapid than the normal accumulation of alluvial matter under present 

atmospheric erosion.

The "Bedrock series." In their greater areas the "Bedrock series" 

consist of a complex of metamorphic rocks overlain along the foothills by Cretaceous sediments which dip generally toward the northeast, or toward the valley. In the various excavations made by 

mining, these rocks are all well exposed in a manner to' be -studied 

advantageously.

These pre-Cretaceous rocks, which may be either Triassic or older 

in age, are. generally slaty or siliceous, are cut by many intrusive 

dikes, and are much crushed and faulted. Some small areas of 

dioritic or gabbroid rocks also OQCUT on the northern slopes of the 

ridge. The slaty and siliceous rocks are commonly veined and
92 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

seamed in an intricate manner by secondary silica, which is usually 

white and more or less crystalline, though stained in many places 

with iron oxide. Along the ridge crest these pre-Cretaceous rocks 

contain some small veins and stringers of quartz, more or less filled 

with pyrite and containing a little gold and other metals or their 

compounds. In many places prospecting has been done along the 

ridge and some small auriferous veins have been found, though none 

of sufficient size and value to warrant mining. Formerly these rocks 

were classed.indiscriminately-as belonging to the "auriferous slate 

series/' and obviously they are to a small extent auriferous and have 

been the source of the gold and other metalliferous compounds found 

in mining. .Presumably all the gold in the various deposits herein 

described was derived from the veins, seams, or pockets that existed 

in the eroded portions of these rocks.

Cretaceous rocks surround the northern end of the ridge and cover 

all of its lower flanks. In the placer workings on the eastern slope 

of the ridge only Cretaceous rocks have been uncovered and the 

bedrock is composed of clay shales and sandstones, whereas on the 

opposite side shales, sandstones, and conglomerates of Cretaceous age 

are exposed and below them the older complex mentioned above.

The conglomerates are generally very coarse, as shown in Plate VII, 

and are composed of rocks found in the underlying complex. Many 

of the bowlders and pebbles are only slightly rounded or subangular, 

and when exposed to the weather they readily separate and fall to 

pieces, the sandy matrix crumbling to sand and clay. The shales are 

yellowish concretionary clay shales that quickly pass into clay when 

exposed to the weather. . They are thinly stratified and generally 

unfossiliferous.

A thin layer of very fossiliferous sandstone is present above the 

shales in many places in the old placers on the northwest slope of 

the ridge. This is the locality from which many of the Cretaceous 

fossils' were obtained that were described or listed in Anderson's 

paper on the Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast.1 Both the 

concretions and sandy layers connected with the shales carry the 

fossils found in these beds.

Post-Cretaceous erosion has broken up the sandstone into blocks 

and irregular bowlders, which are left in some confusion, though a 

little search readily reveals their place of origin. As the position of 

the mines is along the extreme edge of the Cretaceous, naturally the 

thickness of these beds is variable in the vicinity of the old workings.

On the northern side of the ridge the conglomerates are locally from 

15 to 35 feet thick, and the'shales do not exceed a few hundred feet. 

Both conglomerates and shales thin out toward their borders to a

1 Anderson,.F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., vol. 2, 

No. 1,1902.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SUR'.r.' 

CRETACEOUS CONGLOMERATE IN FORTY-NINE MINE, 
PLACER MINES. 93

thickness of only a few feet. Their thickness in the opposite direction 

can not be readily told from the exposures.

The Cretaceous conglomerates of this locality have long been 

known to carry gold, and in the past have been mined as a part of 

the auriferous deposits. Excavations made into the conglomerate 

by hydraulic mining since 1895 are shown in Plate VII.

The quantity of gold contained in these conglomerates was not 

very great, probably not exceeding 60 cents a cubic yard, but as the 

conglomerate was not very hard, and also tended to disintegrate on 

exposure, the surface uncovered each year could always be mined 

economically during the following season, and this was done in connection with other mining.

No other method of working than ordinary hydraulic mining was 

ever attempted on these conglomerates, as they were not considered 

rich enough to warrant crushing by stamp mills.

The extent of the deposits that are rich enough to be mined economically by any process is unknown and may in fact be confined 

to the pre-Cretaceous drainage lines of this vicinity. Very probably 

these auriferous conglomerates have contributed to the enrichment 

of the overlying alluvial gravels under the conditions of their formation. No doubt if large areas of this conglomerate were uncovered 

and exposed to the weather its natural disintegration would render 

it minable to some extent, or if they were sufficiently explored it is 

not unlikely that some portions would be found rich enough to be 

reduced profitably by improved methods.

. The practical abandonment of the Forty-Nine mines was partly 

due to objections raised as to the disposition of the debris, and partly 

on account of the increased value of the water for other purposes, 

than mining.

CRETACEOUS CONGLOMERATE OF WALDO. 

GENERAL CHARACTER.

Nearly 4 miles north of Waldo, on the drainage ditch from the 

Logan mine to Illinois River, a series of fossiliferous sandstones and 

conglomerates of Cretaceous age are well expo.sed. In the deep cut 

tailrace from the north end of the mine these tilted sandstones, with 

some shales and conglomerate (a, fig. 11), are clearly overlain by a 

horizontal sheet of gravels (6, fig. 11) which form the great alluvial 

plain of that portion of the valley of Illinois Eiver and Sucker Creek.

In the accompanying section across the Logan mine, figure 12, 

the relations of the basal conglomerate of the Cretaceous are clearly 

seen. It forms, at least in part, the bedrock of the mine in which 

the overlying new gravels of the third cycle have been worked. The 

somewhat rotten reddish conglomerate is composed chiefly of wellrounded greenstone pebbles and bowlders, with some of granitic
94 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

rocks. It is nearly 100 feet thick and dips 35° W. conformably 

beneath fossiliferous Cretaceous sandstones, so that its age is

evident.

The same soft conglomerate lies at the 

^ bottom of the new portion of the Logan 

mine, only about a mile north of Waldo, 

and also of the Deep Gravel mine, nearly

FIGURE 11. Section of tailrace of Logan ., ,, . -,^7- ,j , , , , 

mine, o,Cretaceous sandstones,shale, a mile northwest of Waldo, but although 

and conglomerate; b, gravels of third 

cycle of erosion. .

FIGUBE 12. Cross section of Logan mine, 3J miles north of 

Waldo, a, Cretaceous sandstone, fossiliferous; 6, basal Cretaceous conglomerate (auriferous); c, serpentine; d, later 

auriferous gravels forming valley plain.

the gold is found in all three mines 

chiefly in the overlying much later 

gravels, it is said that'in each place some gold occurs in the basal 

conglomerate itself.

From the Logan and Deep Gravel mines the basal Cretaceous 

conglomerate rises to the south. In the immediate vicinity of 

Waldo it has been washed 

away, but a mass of it still 

clings on the crest of the 

spur nearly a mile south 

of Waldo, at the Osgood 

mine, generally known as 

the High Gravel mine.

As the gravel at the High Gravel mine is wholly Cretaceous, the 

mine will be described in this place, but the Logan and Deep Gravel 

mines will be'described under the gravels of the third cycle. (See 

pp. 119-120.)

HIGH GRAVEL (OSGOOD) MINE.i

The High Gravel mine is about 1 mile south of Waldo, on a ridge, which forms the 

divide between the east and west forks of Illinois River. The summit of the ridge 

is about 1 mile from the east fork and is more than 300 feet above it. The chief workings are at the head of Alien Gulch, on the east slope of the ridge. The most recent 

workings, however, are on the west slope of the ridge. Of the summit of the ridge a 

width of only about 100 feet remains to be mined. * * * . The deposits mined on the west slope run parallel to the ridge. They are more 

than one-eighth of a mile in length and have an average width of about 100 feet. The 

conglomerates do not extend down the slope, but constitute only a remnant, which 

here has escaped erosion, as is true of other areas of conglomerate in the region. No 

conglomerate remains on the summit of the ridge a short distance to the north of the 

present mine pit. The surfaces on 'which the conglomerates were laid down were 

uneven, and hence the thicknesses of the conglomerates vary. The maximum thickness exposed is more than 60 feet. The conglomerates have a purplish tint. They 

are not strongly cemented, and the bowlders are rather uniformly distributed throughout 

the section. Much of the material is less than 1 foot in diameter; a few bowlders are 

more than 3 feet. Distinct joints are present in the conglomerates, and a few small 

veirilets occur. The bedrock is a fractured, fissured, decomposed, and veined greenstone, which, owing to the presence of iron oxides, has a decidedly purplish tint.

The workings on the east side of the ridge extend down Alien Gulch to the east fork 

of Illinois River, but only those gravels which are near the summit of the ridge are of

i Kay, G. F., U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 380, p. 72,1909.
PLAGEB MINES. 95

Cretaceous age. These conglomerates extend along the ridge in a north-south direction. At the south end of the workings they are more than 50 feet in thickness; at 

the north end and close to the summit of the ridge they are only a few feet thick; 

and a little farther on they have been completely eroded. The best values are said 

to be near the bedrock, but some gold is found higher up in the deposit.

These Cretaceous conglomerates are shore deposits, derived from older rocks similar to those on which they now lie. As stringers carrying values are fairly widespread in these old rocks, some'gold is probably present in much of the conglomerate 

which has been derived from them. But whether or not these values are sufficiently 

concentrated, as at the High Gravel mine, to be profitably mined can be determined 

only by prospecting.

AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OF THE FIRST CYCLE OF EROSION 

(KLAMATH PENEPLAIN).

Age of the Klamaih peneplain. The attitude of the auriferous conglomerate and sandstones along the shore line of the Cretaceous island 

is such that for the most part they dip away from the shore line, generally at a small angle but in some places at an angle as great as 45°, 

indicating that there has been an important but irregular differential 

uplift within the Klamath Mountains since the deposition of the 

auriferous Cretaceous conglomerate. This deformation, taken in connection with the lack of definite association between the auriferous 

conglomerate and the Klamath peneplain, is evidence that the Klamath peneplain, although in course of development, was not completed during the Cretaceous, but during a later epoch.

The Eocene strata at the north border of the Klamath Mountains 

are almost wholly shales and sandstones, such as aro derived from 

the residual mantle of a land with gentle slopes. The succession of 

coal beds with alternating fresh-water, and marine shells through a 

great thickness of Eocene strata is proof not only of a gentle oscillation of the land, but also of a predominant gradual subsidence of the 

land during the Eocene and transgression of the sea over the lowlands. These lowlands overlapped by the sea were largely developed during the Eocene, and the plain probably reached its greatest 

development during the later portion of the Eocene or early Miocene, 

when the Klamath Mountains were wholly a land area eroded to low 

relief near sea level, practically a peneplain, and the auriferous gravel 

was accumulated in the channels of the first cycle.

Situation of the gravel leds. Two masses of more or less auriferous 

ancient stream gravels lie .practically in the Klamath peneplain and 

apparently belong, without question, to the first cycle that is, the 

Klamath peneplain cycle. These masses are comparatively small 

and lie at an altitude of 4,000 feet. They are only 7 miles apart and 

occur northwest to north-northwest of Kerby, the one on the southern limb of Gold Basin and the other just east of York Butte. (See 

PL VIII.) In both places the course of the depositing stream was 

northwest approximately parallel to Illinois River,
96 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

Gravels of Gold Basin. About the head of Tin Cup Creek, 15 miles 

northwest of Kerby, there is a V-shaped remnant of the Klamath 

peneplain known as Gold Basin on a large mass of granodiorite. The 

apex of the V points east, and across its southern arm is a broad, shallow valley filled by an old stream bed running approximately N. 20° 

W. The surface plain of the stream bed is more than 1,000 feet in 

width and 2,000 feet in length and is limited at both ends by deep, 

rugged canyons. The gravel has a thickness of 110 feet where best 

exposed on the steep southern slope. Near the bottom the gravel, 

though somewhat decomposed, is more or less firmly cemented, and 

this condition extends throughout the mass. It has been tunneled 

on bedrock for 30 feet. The material is generally coarse, mostly 

cobblestones up to bowlders 4\ feet in diameter mixed with pebbles 

and sand. There are no layers of sand to afford definite evidence of 

stratification. The pebbles are well rounded and are for the most part 

composed of basic eruptive rocks, greenstone, gabbro, peridotite, and 

pyroxenite, with some of granite. Though generally greenish, they 

are in places colored reddish by a surface deposit of oxide of iron. 

The top portion of the deposit is finer, with some fine gravel capped 

by a reddish soil. Wherever I saw the pebbles in place the course of 

the stream was not clearly indicated by their position, though they 

appear to be inclined southward, and it is believed that the stream 

came from that direction. The gravel was tested hi 1875 or 1876 by 

sinking a shaft (now filled with water within 20 feet of the surface) 

and found to contain very little gold. Most that was found is said to 

have been in the fine material of the surface.

The only available water is snow water, which is obtainable only 

in small amount during a short season. It is gathered by a mile or 

more of ditch, but reaches the mine with scarcely 15 feet.of head, and

Only a small amount of gravel was mined before work was suspended.

Gravel near York Butte. York Butte is 17 miles directly northwest 

of Kerby and nearly 7 miles north-northeast of Gold Basin. It lies 

at the river end of a prominenb flat-topped divide between Silver 

Creek and Red Dog, a branch of Briggs Creek, but is separated from 

the flat portion of the divide by a gap partly filled with stream 

gravel, as shown in figure 13.

The gravel terrace clinging to the northeast side of the gap has a 

width of nearly 700 feet and a length of more than 1,200 feet in a 

direction N. 20° W., parallel to the general course of Illinois River.

The gravel plain is ended abruptly by steep slopes which show the 

gravel to be about 100 feet in thickness. Most of the gravel is coarse, 

the deposit containing in some places many well-rounded to subangular bowlders up to 3 feet in diameter. The pebbles are generally 

less than 4 inches in diameter, and near the top finer material becomes 

most abundant.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

BULLETIN 546 PLATE VIII

L C \( K S ON

P H i N

Sehna.

"Williams

Gravels of first cycle of erosion Gravels of second cycle of erosion Gravels of third cycle of erosion 

MAP SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF TERTIARY AND LATER AURIFEROUS GRAVELS IN SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.
PLACER MINES. . ,97

The bowlders and cobblestones are largely greenstone, but on the 

surface quai-tz pebbles are common. An uprooted tree exposes much 

fine material containing particles of kaolin, as if the sediment were 

derived from a residual mantle of a country of low relief. In the 

surface exposures as far as seen the gravel was not cemented. No 

shafts or. open prospect cuts were found to determine how much, if

sw. NE. 

Klamath peneplain

FIGURE 13. Section showing relations of gravel of York Butto.

any, of the gravel is cemented. The mass of the gravel is of the same 

character and age as that of Gold Basin, and like it is probably more 

or less firmly cemented.

AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OF THE SECOND CYCLE OF EROSION.

Location and character. The gravels of the second cycle are more 

extensive and of much greater economic importance than those of 

the first cycle. All the gravels of the second cycle thus far recognized appear to have been deposited by the same stream. They 

occur near Galice Creek and Briggs Creek and are roughly outlined 

on the map (PI. VIII) for a distance of 18 miles. The best exposures are in the Old Channel diggings as well as the Reed and the 

Blue Gravel diggings near Galice, where hydraulic mining operations 

have been carried on for many years.

The two masses near Briggs Creek, regarded as part of the same 

deposit, are clearly a stream valley filling, although the surface portion is a firmly cemented conglomerate.

The course of the stream was northeast across the divide between 

Briggs Creek and Taylor Creek to Galice Creek, at a general altitude 

of about 2,700 faet, the surface sloping toward the northeast from 

very nearly 3,400 feet on the Briggs Creek side to about 1,600 feet 

at the Old Channel diggings near Galice. These gravels are in general nearly 2,000 feet below the level of the Klamath peneplain and 

from 700 to 2,500 feet above the nearest points0 of Rogue River and 

Illinois River, between which they lie. The valley occupied by these 

gravels is broader, with gentler lateral slopes, than the canyons in 

which the master streams, Rogue and Illinois rivers, now flow, and 

it may be regarded .as belonging to the second cycle of erosion. 

18014° Bull. 546 14 7
98 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

Several mining men of large experience in that region report the 

old channel to extend southwest beyond Briggs Creek to the neighborhood of Waldo, but as already shown the old gravels of the Waldo 

region, especially those in the Osgood mine and the basal, false bedrock portion of the Logan and Deep Gravel mines, are of Cretaceous 

age and marine origin and much older than the old-channel gravels 

between Illinois and Rogue rivers. The latter gravels probably represent an early stage of Illinois River, which turned from its present 

course just above the mouth of Sixmile Creek and entered Rogue 

River just below Galice. The gravels of the same epoch in the Kerby 

and Waldo region may occur with the gravels overlying the Cretaceous conglomerate.

To the northeast these old-channel gravels have not been recognized with certainty beyond Galice, where the stream enters Rogue 

River.

Attention should be called to the fact that from Galice southwestward 

to the Briggs Creek meadows the bedrock of the old channel is black

slate close to its contact with 

Gravel ,^-K/fo^ greenstone, a contact which is 

the general horizon of the Big

° ' , , . P

Yank lode, and it may well' 

be that some of the gold is 

 . derived from this horizon.

Galice formation .,,, , ., , ;

although it seems more probFIGUEE 14. Section of Old Channel mine at Home Place. . 7 ? .

able that most oi it came

from the adjacent igneous rocks which lie northwest of the slates 

and form the bedrock of the old channel beyond the Briggs Creek 

meadows.

Old-channel gravel near Galice Creek. The property of the Old 

Channel Mining Co., purchased by the Old Channel Hydraulic Mining 

Co., and lately controlled by G. E. Sanders, embraces a large tract on 

a gravel terrace one-fourth to two-thirds of a mile in width and 

nearly 2£ miles in length, parallel to Galice Creek and Rogue River 

from Blanchard Gulch to Rocky Gulch. The mine was first opened 

near the southwest end at the Home Place, Reed diggings, and Blue 

Gravel diggings, but later at the northeast end on Rich Gulch, where 

it has been worked chiefly ever since.

The main ditch from Galice Creek and its tributaries is said to supply 5,000 miner's inches of water with a head of about 350 feet during 

the rainy season, but during the dry season the supply drops to 300 

miner's inches, and work ceases.

At the Home Place the section shown in figure 14 illustrates the 

general relations of the gravel to bedrock and to Galice Creek, which 

occupies the valley at the left.
PLACER MINES. 99

Feet. 

25 

12

o. .">

The gravel terrace about 600 feet above Galice Creek has an altitude

of 1,515 feet, and the thickness of the gravel is about 115 feet. The

 section shown in figure 15 is exposed in the bluff at the side of the

channel, which has been mined for a width of about 100 yards and a

length of nearly a mile. The bedrock is composed throughout of

Jurassic black slates and thin-bedded sandstones,

only a short distance, however, from the greenstone contact.

The gravel is generally without cement, but in

some places. near the bottom of the channel it is

feebly cemented. The pebbles, especially of the

beds near the surface, are partly or completely

decomposed, being easily cut with a knife, but in

the lower beds the pebbles are generally hard and

not affected by weathering. The main channel of

this portion of the mine has been worked out, and

operations on a large scale ceased here some years

ago. 

The Rich Gulch portion of the Old Channel

mine covers a large area on both sides of the gulch,

and many acres of gravel ranging in thickness from

15 to 210 feet have been washed away. The gravel

terrace, which slopes gently toward Rogue River,

has a width of nearly a mile.

The western edge of the gravel plain on the north side of Rich Gulch

near the Headquarters has an elevation of about 1,500 feet. The

sections of the gravel in different parts of the channel vary widely.

At one point on the western edge where mined in the spring of 1911

the section shown in figure 16 was observed.

The entire bluff, about 80 feet in height, 

exposed coarse, angular, bowldery gravel and 

sand. It lies close to the north edge of Rich 

Gulch and appears to belong to the deposit 

of a lateral stream rather than to that of the 

main channel.

Several hundred yards east of the exposure shown in figure 16 a bluff about 180 feet 

in height exposes a section (fig. 17) of the 

deposits in the main channel. A section

on the south side of Rich Gulch is shown in figure 18.

. The coarse gravel of the 5-foot bed at the bottom in both sections

is well rounded and composed largely of greenstone with considerable

quartz. Cobblestones as large as 8 inches in diameter are common.

North of Rich Gulch bowlders are numerous, but on the south side

bowlders are few, and the gravel is quite firmly cemented. This

25.

30

io

12______ k\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" 9

FIGURE 15. Section of 

gravel in Old Channel 

mine at 'Home Place. 

a, Gravel and sand, 

pebbles decomposed; 

b, gravel, yellow and 

white, decomposed; c, 

sand; d, gravel, coarse, 

and some angular 

bowlders; e, sand; /, 

gravel, no bowlders; 

g, slate bedrock.

FIGURE 16. Section on western 

edge of Old Channel mine, north 

side of Rich Guleh. Black slate 

bedrock (a), overlain by 80 feet 

of coarse bowlders, gravel, and 

sand (6).
100 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

FIGURE 17. Section of gravel in Old Channel 

mine, north of Rich Gulch, a, Red earth and 

clay; 6, gray sand; c, gravel and sand; d, fine 

gravel; c, bowlder bed and coarse gravel; /, 

slate bedrock.

coarse bottom layer of gravel and bowlders is limited to the main 

channel and contains most of the gold, although some gold is said to be 

distributed throughout the great thickness of overlying fine gravel

and sand.

The gold is generally fine, but 

some of it is coarse. The largest 

nugget reported weighed 2£ ounces. 

A large body of available gravel lies 

south of Rich Gulch, where most of 

the recent work has been carried on. 

The stratification of the gravels 

as far as observed is horizontal and 

apparently undisturbed, but the 

abrupt changes in the level of the 

bedrock along lines transverse to 

the course of the old channel suggest 

faulting.

The bedrock is chiefly slate with 

some sandstone, but near the western border of the mine north of 

Rich Gulch the slates are cut by dikes, and both rocks are affected 

by a small fault that strikes N. 80° W. and dips 72° SW. The relation of this fault to the gravel could not be determined. A profile 

of the bedrock in the main channel, as shown in figure 19, includes 

two parallel faults, which are suggested by the different bedrock 

levels and bluffs in the course of 

the main channel. These faults 

were not actually seen, but the 

small fault referred to above and 

well exposed in the slates proves 

the existence of such features and 

affords the most rational explanation of the facts.

Concerning this matter Mr. J. R. 

Harvey, of Grants Pass, who has 

worked the Old Channel mine, remarks in a letter dated April 24, 

1912:

5ft.

FIGURE 18. Section of gravel in Old Channel mine, 

south of Rich Gulch, a, Clay and sand; 6, fine 

gravel, well rounded; c, coarse gravel, containing 

cobbles as large as 8 inches in diameter but few 

bowlders.

Your cross section at the Old Channel mine showing Rich Gulch and a fault to the 

northeast in the bedrock is, in my mind, without question a fault, as could easily be 

seen when we were working the ground. The part of the bedrock marked 6 is 

raised 30 or 40 feet higher than its proper place. The bedrock at a and c is in the regular
PLACER MINES. 101

grade with the bedrock in the openings on the Home Place and Blue Gravel and the 

flat north of Kocky Gulch. There is also a small fault a mile and a half south, near 

Blanchard Gulch, where the fault in the gravel can easily be seen, with a very distinct 

gouge in the slip of 4 to 6 inches wide.

In the southern portion of the Klamath Mountains the gravels of 

this epoch have been faulted to a marked degree, but in the old channel deposit of the Galice-Kerby region of Oregon the only faults 

observed were the small ones noted above.

FIGURE 19. Profile of old-channel bedrock In Harvey mine. Arrow shows course of ancient stream. 

Bedrock at a is 30 feet lower than that at b, whereas at c bedrock Is 15 feet lower than that at 6.

The southwest portion of the Galice Creek body of the old-channel 

gravel deposits is well exposed in the Blue Gravel diggings 700 feet 

above the stream on the terrace between the forks of Galice Creek. 

At this point the gravel is from 100 to 140 feet thick. Although the 

gravel is generally fine and carries decomposed pebbles, there is at 

the bottom, as in the Harvey mine, a 5-foot bed of fresher gravel 

with some bowlders. About 2 acres of gravel have been washed away, 

but much was left on the sides of the channel years ago when the 

work ceased.

Old-channel gravels near Briggs 

Creek. The Column Rock mass of 

old-channel cemented gravel caps the 

terrace on the end of the divide between Swede Creek and Onion Creek 

at an elevation of about 3,400 feet 

above the sea and 1,500 feet above 

Briggs Creek. Its area is roughly 

estimated at 10 acres. On the steep 

slope toward Briggs Creek the section, 180 feet in thickness, shown 

in figure 20 is exposed.

The upper layer of gravel, about 80 feet in thickness, is firmly 

cemented and forms a prominent bluff. From its top rises a column 

of conglomerate that forms a picturesque, feature of the region. The 

pebbles of the upper layer are generally greenstone, subangular, and 

less than an inch in diameter. Some layers show that the stratification is horizontal and limited to the shallow valley of gentle slopes 

cut in the greenstone bedrock by the ancient stream.

FIGURE 20. Section of old-channel deposit at 

Column Rock, o, Cemented gravel; 6, coarse 

gravel;,c, greenstone.
102 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The lower 100 feet of the deposit is coarse gravel so feebly cemented 

that it does not form ledges on the gravel-covered slope below the 

bluff. It contains many cobblestones 6 to 8 inches in diameter, 

which are well rounded, fresh and smooth, without signs of weathering. There are some greenstone bowlders, especially near the bottom, 

the largest ones being 4 feet .in diameter. No prospects were seen in 

this body of gravel, but from its relation to McDow's placer mine on 

Onion Creek it is believed to have furnished some coarse gold for 

certain ravines of which it forms the head.

South of Column Rock and east of Horse Mountain, in a low gap, 

the old channel crosses the divide between Swede Creek and Soldier 

Creek. As seen from Column Rock the horizontal beds of conglomerate form bold bluffs, but the bottom of the deposit is not well exposed. 

The gravel in the conglomerate bluffs is angular and few of the pebbles 

are as large as 4 inches in diameter.

To judge from the topography, the old channel probably occurs in 

the upper drainage of Soldiers Creek, crossing by a low divide to Sixmile Creek and a high gravel bench on Illinois River above Shades 

ranch. If this view is correct, the old channel might be expected to 

contribute some gold to the later gravels of Soldier Creek and Sixmile Creek, but as far as I could see there is only a small amount of 

placer mining on these streams.

AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OP THE THIRD CYCLE OF EROSION. 

GENERAL FEATURES.

The auriferous gravels of the third cycle embrace all those that are 

closely related to the modern streams, along which they form terraces 

or bars. The highest terraces are about 500 feet above their parent 

streams, but those mined most extensively lie within 100 feet of the 

stream level and are in general confined to streams that drain regions 

in which the rocks contain auriferous quartz veins.

The principal groups of placers of the third cycle in southwest Oregon may be considered under the following heads: The Sixes River 

and Johnson Creek region, in Curry and Coos counties; the South 

Fork of the Umpqua and its most important tributary, Cow Creek, 

in Douglas County; Rogue River and its tributaries, in Jackson and 

Josephine counties; and, finally, the beach mines of Curry County.

PLACERS OF SIXES RIVER AND JOHNSON CREEK.

Sixes River and Johnson Creek drain the small gold belt extending 

east and west from Coos County into Curry County, in the neighborhood of Salmon Mountain and Rusty Butte. The South Fork of
PLACER MINES. 103

Sixes River heads at Rusty Butte. Its bed and the terraces that rise 

about 50 feet from the stream have nearly all been sluiced off to a 

point within a few miles of the coast, where owing to the recent landslideS the stream is overburdened and placers end.

The Salmon Mountain mine, a well-known placer near the divide 

between Sixes River and Johnson Creek, is exceptional. It occurs on 

a spur and is not an ordinary stream deposit but residual material, 

largely of volcanic products mingled with the auriferous quartz from 

the degradation of the Mesozoic slates and greenstones of Salmon 

Mountain.

On Johnson Creek, in Coos County, at the eastern end of the Sixes 

mineral belt, there are still a few placer mines, notwithstanding the 

fact that recent landslides have loaded the stream with gravel.

PLACERS OF THE UMPQUA AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.

On portions of the South Fork of the Umpqua and its tributaries, 

especially Olalla Creek, Myrtle Creek, Cow Creek, and Coffee Creek, 

there are auriferous gravels of considerable importance.

One of the branches of Olalla Creek traverses a-mass of 'Jurassic 

slates that have been much intruded by greenstones and furnished 

considerable bodies of auriferous gravel. On Myrtle Creek, near Nugget, the granular greenstone by its disintegration has furnished residual material and stream gravel that has been mined more or less 

actively for a number of years. The same is true of gravel on the 

upper course of the South Fork of the Umpqua, about Coffee Creek, 

and in places along the course of Cow Creek, whose middle portion is 

in a rugged canyon.

Starvout Creek, near Booth, is a tributary of. upper Cow Creek 

that drains the northwest slope of Green Mountain, where the Green 

Mountain Copper Co. (see p. 86) is prospecting. Several small placers 

on Starvout have been irregularly active for a long time. A large 

tract has been covered by these placers near the present stream level. 

Their reputed richness in the early days has stimulated search for 

the source of the gold.

In Cow Creek canyon below Glendale high gravel benches have 

been extensively mined. The Victory and Gold Flat, about 7 miles 

from Glendale, are on terraces about 150 feet above the stream, and 

the Cracker Jack and Cain mines, a dozen miles farther down the 

canyon, are on terraces more than 500 feet above Cow Creek.

Among the hills on the valley border between Riddles and Canyonville there are a number of small mines which appear to derive at least 

part of their gold from the decomposition of the Cretaceous beds on 

which they rest.
104 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

PLACEES OF ROGUE RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

WOLF CREEK DISTRICT.

On Wolf Creek and its main tributary, Coyote Creek, there are 

about half a dozen placer mines, mostly on the gravels near the stream 

level, but some of them rise to terraces 100 feet above the stream. 

In Paynes mine, near Foley Gulch, a rusty rotten gravel is well 

exposed. The greenstone pebbles are completely rotten, though the 

slate pebbles are not so thoroughly decomposed. This gravel has the 

aspect of great age, but the illusion is dispelled by the freshness of the 

dark-gray gravel on which it rests. Coyote Creek has but little fall 

and the Ruble elevator has been used to advantage. Near the mouth 

of Bear Gulch Coyote Creek has been mined for nearly half a mile. 

Its "richness is attributed to the fact that it drains the slope'from the 

Martha mine and the west end of the Greenback.

GRAVE CREEK DISTRICT.

Grave Creek, considering its size, is one of the most important 

placer-mining streams in the State. From Leland to Wolf Creek its 

valley is traversed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The richness 

of its gravels is due to the fact that the stream traverses numerous 

belts and contacts of Mesozoic slates, greenstones, and serpentine. 

Almost a score of placers, old and new, occur along its course and 

about a fifth of them, including the Columbia, which is one of the 

largest placers in the State, are still active during the good water 

season.

In ascending the stream from its mouth the first large body of 

gravel encountered is on a high bench at McNair Flat, for the mining 

of which a few years ago water was carried in pipes across Cow Creek 

from the drainage of Mount Reuben.

The Klum property on a bench high above the mouth of Wolf Creek 

was opened and then abandoned many years ago but was recently 

worked again.

The Steam Beer mine, owned by H. K. Miller, is near Leland. A 

ditch 9 miles in length supplies water with 200 feet head. The mine 

exposes 25 feet of gravel, generally coarse below and made up largely 

of pebbles of greenstone with scarcely any quartz. The bedrock is 

Jurassic slate, forming a bench 50 feet- above Grave Creek, which 

affords an excellent dumping ground. For many years until recently 

the mine has been in operation during the rainy season.

The largest mine on the creek, in fact one of the largest in the State, 

is the Columbia, near Placer, owned and operated by L. A. Lewis, of 

Portland. Its water is supplied by two ditches from upper Grave 

Creek, giving a head of about 100 and 600 feet respectively. The 

mine occupies the valley of Tom East Creek, which drains the vicinity
PLACER MINES. 105

of the celebrated Greenback mine, and the mine is advancing in that 

direction. The gravel ranges from 4 to 50 feet in depth and is coarse 

below, a few of the bowlders reaching 3 feet in diameter. The fragments are in general subangular and almost wholly greenstone. A 

few are rotten, but the majority are solid. The gold is fine and nuggets are rare. With three 5-inch giants nearly 6 acres of gravel are 

mined off annually. The grade is low, and to keep the sluice clear the 

tailings are washed aside from the end of the sluice box by a powerful 

side stream.

Above Placer post office for 10 miles Grave Creek cuts a rugged 

canyon in greenstone, but farther up the country opens out and 

affords alluvial plains and benches for mining. There are many 

small mines, generally near stream level, and above Baker. Creek the 

bed of Grave Creek has been extensively washed for 6 miles. The 

Blalock mine, the most persistent and extensive, is at least in part 

on a bench 150 feet above Grave Creek and covers over 40 acres.

The occurrence of auriferous Cretaceous conglomerate at several 

places in the upper part of Grave Creek suggests that some of the 

gold may be derived from that source.

JTTMPOFF JOE DISTRICT.

The lower portion of Jumpoff Joe Creek traverses an area of granodiorite and has no placers, but above the forks placers occur among 

the greenstone hills on both Jack Creek and the main branch. The 

principal mine is the Swastika. It occupies a low terrace in the 

forks at the mouth of Jack Creek- The Swastika property is said to 

include a large part of Jack Creek, and prospects have been made 

nearly 2 miles above its mouth toward the Daisy quartz mine. The 

Swastika has been operated by the present company for a number of 

years. Two 18-inch pipes were used, one with a head of 150 feet 

. and the other of about 75 feet. The sluice dump was disposed of 

by a strong side stream.

The gravel is 15 to 30 feet deep and is composed of greenstone 

pebbles. It is coarsest below, the largest bowlders being 2 feet in 

diameter. In many places the whole mass is rotten, so that many 

of the bowlders go to pieces under the stream from the giant. The 

bedrock in the Swastika mine and throughout the slopes of Jack 

Creek is greenstone.

On the main fork of Jumpoff Joe Creek besides the Sexton mine 

there are a number of small placers, especially near its head, and a 

larger one 5 miles below, where Cook & Howland have stripped the 

shallow bed of the stream, exposing the slates for half a mile to a 

width of 100 to 200 feet. As the slope is gentle, an elevator was 

used.
106 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

EVANS CREEK DISTRICT.

Pleasant Creek, a branch of Evans Creek, heads against Grave 

Creek and has several active placers. For over 3 miles the bed 

of Pleasant Creek was almost completely mined out years ago, 

and later efforts have been directed to the benches up to 100 feet. 

The largest amount of work has been done at Harris Gulch, where an 

area of rotten gravel about 8 acres in extent has lately been removed. 

A smaller cut has been made in a well-marked terrace at Jamison 

Gulch, and farther up, between the forks, Thompson Bros, have 

washed the residual material from a serpentine point 200 feet above 

the streams.

Lately the Pleasant Creek Gold Dredge Co. and others have been 

operating near the head of Pleasant Valley. The property in part 

embraces about 400 acres of placer and dredge land, and 3 miles of 

new ditch supplies the water.

Nearly all the placers on Pleasant Creek are on granodiorite but 

are near its contact with both slate and greenstone, which may be 

the source of the gold. The Pleasant Creek mine, which works 

the ancient bed by hydraulicking, made the largest output of the 

mines in Jackson County in 1912.

GOLD HILL DISTRICT.

In the Gold Hill district there are no large placer mines. The 

most important until within the last few years was the Blockert mine, 

on Galls Creek. On the same stream work is being done by the 

hydraulic method on a few other properties. The gravels worked 

are in the present stream bed. On Sardine Creek also some mining 

is being done.

It is of interest to note that during the summer of 1908 preparations 

were being made to mine the deposits south of Kane Creek, in the 

SW. 1 sec. 36, T. 36 S., R. 3 W., by means of an electric shovel, dry 

digging, and passing through washers. The Electric Gold Dredging 

Co. had already begun work, and the mine has since become one of 

the most important producers in the State. The electric power 

shovel used is equipped with three motors, one for hoisting the dipper, 

one for swinging the crane or boom, and one on the crane or boom for 

crowding the dipper into the bank. The capacity of the shovel is 

about 500 cubic yards in 10 hours. The electric power is brought 

from the Ray dam on Rogue River, 2 miles away. The water used in 

washing the gravels is obtained from reservoirs on the small stream 

which flows through the property. The material of the deposit is 

fine-grained clay and gravel having an average thickness of about 18 

feet; very few bowlders are present. The bedrock is slate that has 

a strike of N. 55° E. and a dip of about 70° SE. The slates have 

been considerably altered.
PLACER MINES. 1Q7 

FOOTS. CREEK DISTRICT.

There are a number of placer mines on Foots Creek and the district is especially noted for its dredges. Of these, the chief producer 

is the Champlin Electric Gold Dredging Co. mine, located on Foots 

Creek just below the forks. The other mines are the Black Gold 

Channel and Cook, on the left fork, and the Lance and Glen Ditch

on the right fork.

CHAMPLIN MINE.

The Champlin mine is on Foots Creek, about 2 miles from its 

junction with Rogue River. It is owned by the Champlin Electric 

Gold Dredging Co., of Chicago, which bought the property in 1903 

from Mr. Lance, of Gold Hill. In the same year the company constructed a bucket dredge equipped with steam power. In November, 1905, electric power from the Ray plant was installed, the 

cost of mining being thereby reduced one-half. Thirty-six 8-foot 

buckets are used. They are run at a speed of 7 a minute and the 

capacity of the dredge is about 2,000 yards a day.

According to Clement H. Mace,1 ' the gravel from the buckets is 

fed to a trommel and the bowlders discharged through this over 

the side of the boat. The undersized material passes over a set of 

riffles to a sump or well whence it is elevated by a huge centrifugal 

pump to the tail riffles in long sluices supported in the center of an 

auxiliary barge. The major portion of the gold, however, is caught 

on the boat before reaching the tail sluices.

No gold-saving tables of any kind are used and it is claimed that 

the gold is all coarse enough to be saved by the Hungarian riffles, 

though it would seem, according to Mace, that some fine gold is lost.

The average depth of the pay gravel is about 35 feet, but deposits 

to depths of 46 feet have been mined without reaching bedrock, which 

is supposed to lie at an average depth of 100 feet. Much of the material is less than 5 inches in diameter, but bowlders of large size are 

numerous. The best returns are found in a bluish gravel, which is 

generally reached at a depth of about 12 feet. This gravel is 8 to 

18 feet in thickness. Below it is a fine plastic clay, which is difficult 

to handle and which carries practically rfo gold. The property contains more than 1,200 acres of placer ground, much of which has 

been thoroughly prospected and found to carry gold.

As there is too much ground water for shaft sinking the prospecting was done with Keystone drills, and subsequent dredging is said 

to have given better results than the test holes.

Charles Janin 2 says in his " Review of gold dredging in 1911":

Gold dredging in Oregon has never met with any pronounced success. The total 

production of gold won from dredging operations in the State does not, so far as can be

i Mm. and Sci. Press, p. 438, Mar. 23,1912. 2 Min. and Sci. Press, p. 101, Jan. 13,1912.
108 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON. .

learned from United States Geological Survey records, exceed $250,000. A number of 

years ago dredges, both bucket and suction type, were built on the Snake River, and 

for a while some of them perhaps paid operating expenses.

A company has started to prepare for a dredge this season on ground near Sumpter 

in eastern Oregon. After considerable prospecting the dredge pit was dug 150 feet 

square by 12 feet deep, and it is expected the dredge will be built next year. It is 

to have 9-foot buckets and use electric power furnished by the Olive Lake power plant, 

and will be the first modern dredge following California methods to be operated in 

Oregon.

The White-Shelby Hunt dredge, which operated a short time in southern Oregon 

was originally built for reclamation work at Grays Harbor, Wash. It was afterwards 

moved to Pleasant Valley, Josephine County, and mounted on wheels. Water interfered with its operation and it was again put on a hull. It was run a short time only; 

large bowlders and difficult digging proved a serious handicap, and the ladder was 

broken. The dredge was equipped with buckets of 2 cubic feet capacity and a gasoline engine; it is now idle.

The Josephine dredge, near Waldo, Josephine County, was a 4-foot bucket dredge, 

using steam and wood fuel, and was owned by an English company. It operated only 

one season, when it is claimed the company got into litigation. Repairs were not 

kept up, and while in charge of a watchman the dredge sank and has never been 

recommissioned. Recently there has been a report of another dredge to be built near 

Waldo, but no definite information is at hand regarding it.

The only dredge operated in Oregon that seems to have made anything over operating profit, and that could be classed as even partly successful, is that of the Champlin 

Gold Dredging Co. on Foots Creek, Jackson County. This is an 8-foot dredge operated 

by electric power. It was operated successfully for several years and during part of 

the present season, but the bucket-ladder line broke a few weeks ago and the weight 

of the buckets, about 70 tons, sprang the hull planks and the dredge sank in about 

18 feet of water. It is said that repairs will be made at once, the loss being estimated 

at 135,000.

While this is the only company whose dredging operations have returned a profit 

in Oregon there seems to be no reason why some of the other dredges should not have 

proved a financial success if they had been properly designed for the ground on which 

they were placed. It is probable that investigations will be made in Oregon placers 

in the near future, and if the proposed dredge near Sumpter returns a profit a number 

of other dredges of the type that proved such a success in California will be erected. 

Gold dredging in Oregon produced $34,010 in 1910, according to the United States 

Geological Survey.

BLACK GOLD CHANNEL MINE.

The Black Gold Channel mine is on the left fork of Foots Creek, 

in sec. 12, T. 37 S., R. 4 W. It is leased at the present time. In 

the bank is exposed about 15 feet of unstratified gravels, the coarsest 

below and containing bowlders, the largest of which are 18 inches 

in diameter. There is very little fine material. The bowlders, 

which are almost all of greenstone, are subangular to fairly well 

rounded. The large bowlders are handled by a derrick. Two giants 

are used under a head of several hundred feet. The gravels are forced 

upward for 15 feet over an elevator, but the sluice takes the material 

2\ feet above bedrock. The mine pit of the present workings has an 

area of 1^ acres. A large area down the stream has already been 

worked over. The bedrock is slate cut by dikes of greenstone. The
PLACEE MINES. 109

strike of the slates is N. 10° E.; distinct joints run about N. 70° W. 

Numerous small veins are present and have a general northeastsouthwest direction.

COOK MINE.

The Cook mine is in the S. $ sec. 13, T. 37 S., R. 4 W. The pay 

gravel is in places plainly stratified and consists mainly of fine gravel 

and clay. The stream bed has been mined for one-fourth of a mile. 

The bedrock is made up of greenstone and slates cut by numerous 

greenstone dikes. It has been greatly sheared and faulted. One 

fault runs N. 75° W. and dips 31° N.; another runs N. 53° E. and 

has been traced for nearly one-fourth of a mile.

LANCE MINE.

The Lance mine is on the right fork of Foots Creek, in the SE. | 

sec. 22, T. 37 S., R. 4 W. It is owned by Lance Bros, but is leased 

at present. The bank has hi places a thickness of 20 feet; much of 

the material is fine. The bedrock consists of lenses of limestone in 

slates, which are cut by dikes of greenstone. The bed of the stream 

has been mined for about one-third of a mile, and there is still considerable good ground to be mined.

GLEN DITCH AND OTHER MINES.

The Glen Ditch mine is near the head of the right fork of Foots 

Creek. It is owned by Boling Bros. The stream bed has been followed for some distance, but much good ground remains to be worked. 

The gravels are about 15 feet thick.

Other small producers on the right fork are the Mattis & Hausman 

and the Carr Bros, mines.

JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT.

In the Jacksonville district is.the Sterling mine, once the most 

productive placer mine of southwestern Oregon; also the Old Sturgis, 

the Spaulding, and the Pearce.

STERLING MINE.

The Sterling mine, owned by the Sterling Mining Co., is located on 

Sterling Creek, a branch of Little Applegate River, and is about 8 

miles from Jacksonville. The property includes about 2,000 acres, 

extending from a point below the mouth of Sterling Creek to the 

head of Sterling Creek and over the divide to Griffin Creek. The 

gravel bank on the west side of the present workings is more than 

40 feet in thickness, but on the east side it is only about 20 feet thick. 

The material consists of gravel and bowlders, the latter being rather 

uniformly distributed throughout the section. Many of the bowlders are small, but some are more than 2 feet in diameter and a few 

exceed 8 feet. They are mainly of greenstone.
110 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

Much mining has been done on Sterling Creek by the present company. The main stream was mined up from its mouth for more than 

3 miles, then a channel east of this stream was followed for about 

half a mile. Here a channel which is named Bowlder Channel was 

struck, and this has been followed for about a quarter of a mile to the 

present workings. The bedrock of these workings is a little higher 

than the present stream bed and is about 100 yards east of it. The 

gold is found across a width of nearly 200 feet. It is of medium 

coarseness and is usually well rounded, although angular nuggets 

are also present. The average thickness of the gravels in the Bowlder Channel is about 40 feet. It is of interest to note that in these 

gravels the tusks and jaws of a mammoth, as well as other mammalian bones, have been found. The bedrock at the mine is greenstone 

in which are patches of slaty tuffs. These rocks have been considerably sheared and veinlets of quartz are present. The strike of the 

slaty rocks is N. 8° E. and the dip about 60° W. In the present 

workings is a dike that strikes N. 20° E., containing cross veins which 

do not extend beyond the dike. The slope of the bedrock is about 

2 feet in 100 feet. In 1908 mining was in progress from March until 

August, during which time about 1 acre was mined. The value of 

the gravels was about 40 cents to the cubic yard.

The mine is well equipped with ditches, giants, and flumes, the 

longest ditch being about 27 miles. The water enters this ditch 

from Little Applegate River about 12 miles above the mouth of 

Sterling Creek. At the mine the head of the water is now only about 

80 feet. A pipe line is being planned to carry water from Squaw 

Lake to the mine, a distance of 17 miles. The mine has been equipped 

for hydraulicking for about 30 years. The Sterling Mining Co. 

was incorporated in 1872. There were issued only 40 shares of stock, 

which have been held by a very few shareholders. The total production of the mine is said to exceed $3,000,000.

SPAULDING MINE.

The Spaulding mine is on Forest Creek in sec. 4, T. 38 S., R. 3 W. 

The maximum thickness of the deposit in the present workings is 

more than 40 feet, but the average thickness does not exceed 25 feet. 

The lowest 10 feet consists of gravels containing bowlders; the upper 

part of the deposit is hardpan. Even in the lower part there are 

but few bowlders, and these are generally less than 1 foot in diameter. They are rounded or subangular and are usually of greenstone, 

although some are of granodiorite. The mine is equipped for 

hydraulicking.

OLD STURGIS MINE.

The Old Sturgis mine is on Forest Creek in sec. 10, T. 38 S., R. 

3 W. It is now owned by the Sterling Mining Co. The deposit has
PLACEB MINES. Ill

an average thickness of about 30 feet; the maximum thickness is 

about 60 feet. In the lowest 10 feet the gravels and sand contain 

rounded and subangular bowlders, which are chiefly of greenstone, 

although some are of granodiorite. The upper part of the deposit 

is hardpan, which has a reddish to buff color. The gold is fine, and 

most of it lies near the bottom. The richest ground is said to run as 

high as $12,000 to the acre. The bedrock is greenstone, much fractured and veined, in places very slaty, the strike being N. 30° E. 

and the dip 48° SE. In the mine pit the bedrock is about 8 feet 

above the stream bed and the slope is very gentle. The water 

supply is sufficient to operate the mine from one to four months 

each year. The main ditch is about 1^ miles in length. The mine 

is equipped with giants and a derrick is used for handling the bowlders. About 1 acre a year is mined. From 8 to 12 men are employed. The property contains about 900 acres, a large part of 

which is placer ground. For many years the mine was owned by 

the Vance Mining Co.

PEARCE MINE.

The Pearce mine is on the east fork of Forest Creek in sec. 11, T 

38 S., R. 3 W. The gravels have an average thickness of about 12 

feet, but in places they were 45 feet thick. Where recent work has 

been done the bank is about 25 feet thick. In the lowest 6 feet of 

the deposit there are many large undecomposed bowlders, but above 

this zone the material is gravel and sand not very strongly cemented. 

Most of the gold lies at and near the bottom. In general, it is rather 

fine. Some of the ground has run as high as $7,000 to the acre. 

The bedrock is greenstone, the slope of which is not more than 2 

feet in 100 feet. The mine is equipped for hydraulicking, three 

giants being used. The water is brought 1^ miles, at a pressure of 

only about 85 feet, from the upper part of the stream on .which the 

mine is located. A derrick is used for handling the bowlders. The 

property has an area of 240 acres, a large part of which remains to 

be worked.

In addition to the mines on Forest Creek already described, there 

are some other small producers. In the early days of placer mining 

in Oregon, Forest Creek was among the most productive areas.

PICKETT CREEK DISTRICT.

In the Pickett Creek district the two most important mines are the 

Big Four and the Flanagan & Emerson.

BIG FOUR MINE.

The Big Four mine, owned by M. J. Merrill, of Portland, Oreg., is 

15 miles northwest of Grants Pass on Pickett Creek, one-third of a 

mile from the left bank of Rogue River. The property embraces
112 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

200 acres, chiefly on a bench of slate bedrock overlooking Pickett 

Creek and 300 feet above the level of Rogue River. The gravel' 

ranges from 30 to 70 feet in thickness, and is in part clearly stratified. 

The 14 feet of red earthy sand and clay overburden is said to contain 

fine gold that can be saved, but the larger pieces are in the bottom 

gravel.

The lower 12 feet of gravel contains well-rounded cobblestones, the 

largest being 6 inches in diameter. At the bottom a few bowlders, 

generally slate, rest on the bedrock, and from 2 to 4 feet of the 

bottom gravel is partly cemented. The rim rock rises abruptly and 

slates are much crushed and faulted, forming a terrace on the northwest toward Pickett Creek. The old channel is 250 feet in width 

and 30 feet deep below the slate-rim terrace, from which the gravel 

capping has been in part mined away. The water is supplied from 

Pickett Creek at a head of 200 feet, two giants being run for a large 

portion of the year. The mine has been operated, during the season 

when water is obtainable, for many years.

FLANAGAN & EMERSON MINE.

The Flanagan & Emerson mine is on the left bank of Rogue River 7 

13 miles northwest of Grants Pass and about a mile above the mouth 

of Pickett Creek. Approximately 5 acres of gravel has already been 

mined from a slate bedrock terrace 30 feet above the river. The 

mine face exposes 50 feet of fine gravel containing a small amount 

of sand near the middle and at the top.

On the river side of the mine a portion of the gravel appears to 

have been washed away and replaced by a later deposit.

The slate bedrock is much twisted and faulted. The strike is 

N. 20° E. and the dip 45° SE.

In the neighborhood of the mine, especially toward the south, in 

an east bend of Rogue River, there is a broad tract evidently containing extensive deposits of river gravel. To judge from the tests 

reported by Clarence H. Mace, 1 this tract is worthy the attention of 

those looking for dredging ground.

GALICE DISTRICT.

The placers of the Galice district are noted especially on account 

of those connected with the old channel of the second cycle of erosion 

described on pages 98-101. There have been, however, extensive 

washings of the late gravels on Galice Creek.

The Galice Consolidated Mines Co. owns nearly all the property, 

about 30 claims, along Galice Creek, except five claims about the 

forks of the creek, which are controlled by the Galice Placer Mines Co.

i Min. and Sci. Press, p. 437, Mar. 23,1912.
PLACER MINES. 113

The gravels of this creek were rich. Possibly some of their gold was 

derived from the old channel as well as from the adjacent mountain 

slopes, which contain many gold prospects. Most of the stream 

gravels along Galice Creek have been mined out, except a portion 

of the Galice Placer Mines Co. property which is managed by 

Daniel Green, of Galice.

One of the most productive as well as novel and persistent placers 

of the Galice region, except, of course, the Old Channel mine, is that 

of Gold Bar and Rocky Gulch, on the left bank of Rogue River, 1£ 

miles below Galice. It is operated by H. L. Lewis and L. L. Jewell. 

Water for the mine is taken from Rocky Gulch to secure a 200-foot 

head for a 12-inch supply pipe.

The gravel forms a bar on the river and rises to a broad bench 18 

feet above the river. About 10 per cent of the pebbles are from 3 to 

6 inches in diameter and the rest are smaller.

A steam shovel with a 30-foot beam and scoop of large capacity 

recovers the gravel and raises it about 14 feet from a point below the 

river level to the hopper of the washer. A strong stream from a 

12-inch pipe washes the gravel through a revolving screen, which 

takes out the coarse gravel, the fine being discharged into $00 feet 

of gently sloping sluice boxes. Only a small part of the available 

ground has yet been worked.

Two miles below Galice, 25 feet above water level, on the right bank 

of Rogue River, is a small placer, known as the Dean and Corliss, 

which opens the edge of a prominent terrace that may contain gravel 

remnants of a higher and richer channel. This property has recently 

been sold and additional water is being secured.

The success of dredging in the Foots Creek district tas led to other 

attempts farther down Rogue River, but as yet none have been long 

continued. The latest attempt that has come to my attention was by 

the Scandinavian Dredge Co., on a bar along the right bank of Rogue 

River, 5 miles below Galice or 1J miles below the Almeda mine.

Silver Creek flows into Illinois River, but from its upper portion, 

where Cheldelin and others have been mining, Galice is the easiest 

source of supplies, so it is generally considered a part of the Galice 

region.

On Silver Creek landslides have played an important part in contributing debris to block the stream, and at one point near the falls a 

large tunnel is already partly completed to make an outlet for an 

extensive body of gravel reported to be auriferous. Farther up Silver 

Creek there are a number of placers and among them are those operated by J. W. Baker and Peter Chelde*lin, who have continued work 

for a number of years.

18014° Bull. 546 14 8
114 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

LOWER ROGUE RIVER DISTRICT.

GENERAL FEATURES.

About Grants Pass, Gold Hill, and Medford the valley of Kogue 

Kiver has broad alluvial flats extensively used for farms and orchards, 

but a dozen miles northwest of Grants Pass, at Hellgate, Rogue River 

enters a rugged canyon, which continues, with only here and there a 

few small flood-plain benches, to the sea. The more rugged parts of 

the canyon are cut in igneous rocks and the wider portions lie in softer 

slates, which form benches for the deposition of gravels.

On Rogue River, for 4 miles below Hellgate, there are no prominent gravel benches, but from that point to the Almeda mine, a 

distance of 6 miles, in the Galice district, where the slates prevail, 

bars and benches are common. Below Almeda igneous rocks again 

prevail for over a dozen miles to Whisky Run, where slates and 

gravel deposits reappear in the Lower Rogue River district and continue for many miles with much irregularity and in general decreasing richness to the mouth of Illinois River.

TYEE BAR MINE.

The Tyee Bar placer on the left bank of Rogue River, about 1| 

miles below Whisky Run, although not large, embraces a number of 

acres. Much of the bar was worked over years ago and reported rich. 

It was reopened in the summer of 1911, but was not yet producing at 

the time of my examination. The bedrock is composed of slates which 

adjoin the igneous rocks that contain so many prospective mines 

about Whisky and Rum creeks.

HORSESHOE BAR MINE.

Farther down the river there are small placers on benches 35 to 50 

feet above the river at Pyles Bar, Black Bar, and Little Windy Bar 

but at Horseshoe Bar, about 20 miles below Galice, the mining is more 

extensive and is within 10 feet of the river level. The Horseshoe Bar 

placer mine is owned by E. G. Francis, of Dothan, and W. A. Wise and 

T. P. Wise, of Portland, Oreg. The -property consists of two claims 

of 20 acres each. Water is supplied by nearly a mile of ditch and a 

9-inch pipe that is bridged over Rogue River to the bar at an elevation of about 10 feet above the river and delivered at a pressure of 150 

feet. Another water supply from near-by gulches gives a head of 100 

feet to wash the gravel into the pit, from which with a 3-inch nozzle 

under 150 feet pressure the gravel is raised 8.feet through an elevator 

to 150 feet of sluice boxes.

Some bench gravels about 80 feet above the bar have been partly 

washed away and have contributed to the production of the bar. 

With one giant and elevator, it is said, 150 cubic yards can be handled 

daily, and much of the bar is yet available.
PLACER MINES. 115

A short distance below the Horseshoe Bar mine are other smaller 

mines, the Tennessee 1 and 2, owned in part by the same company.

BATTLE BAE MINE.

At Battle Bar, on the left bank of Rogue River a little above the 

mouth of Ditch Creek, a terrace 20 to 25 feet above the river is capped 

by gravel that has been tested by a small placer and said to yield 

good values. I saw it only across the river, but the deposit appears 

to be similar to that of Winkle Bar, a mile farther down the river.

WINKLE BAE MINE.

Nearly a mile below the mouth of Ditch Creek and 26 miles below 

Galice, on the right bank of Rogue River, is a large terrace known as 

Winkle Bar, that contains perhaps 30 acres. The slate bedrock terrace rises about 15 feet above low water in the river and is capped 

by 20 to 30 feet of gravel which is generally coarse, half of it consisting of bowlders over 5 inches in diameter. A small placer operated 

here some years ago and a test shaft encourages the Winkle Bar 

Developing Co. to plan for larger operations. Ditch Creek, with a 

few miles of ditch, will supply water with a head of 120 feet. The 

gold is fine and will require special precaution for its recovery.

RED RIVEE GOLD MINING & MILLING CO. MINE.

The Red River Gold Mining & Milling Co. has eight claims on the 

low terraces on both banks of Rogue River just below the mouth of 

John Mule Creek and about 30 miles below Galice. The slate floor 

of the mine is 20 feet above the river. It is capped by 30 feet of 

gravel, which is covered by an overburden of fine material 35 feet in 

thickness. The overburden is slippery and is separated from the 

gravel by a sharp line. The gravel is mostly coarse, the largest 

bowlders being 15 inches in diameter.

The water supply comes from John Mule Creek through 3£ miles of 

4-foot flume and ditch, giving at the mine approximately a 260-foot 

head for one 9-inch and two 6-inch nozzles.

The gravel is forced up over a grizzly 12 feet wide to a height of 

15 feet. Only about 5 per cent of the material covering the gold 

goes through the screen of the grizzly to the sluice boxes. The gold 

is fine and in general hard to save. On the left bank it is said to be 

coarser.

Much of this property was mined over years ago, and several acres 

have been mined recently, leaving but a small portion of the original 

available material.

Statements vary greatly as to the amount of production. The removal of the overburden has been a serious handicap. The present 

owners secured the property within the last few years and are making 

preparations for more extensive work.
116 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

Farther down the river, especially at Paradise Bar and Big Bend, 

a number of other companies have operated more or less extensively, 

but none of thetn appear to have been successful.

APPLEGATE DISTRICT. ,

The chief mines of the Applegate district are located on small 

streams flowing into Applegate Kiver. The most important are the 

Lay ton mine, on Ferris Gulch; th*e Johnston and the Benson mines, 

on Humbug Creek; and the Brantner mine, near the mouth of Keeler 

Creek.

LAYTON MINE.

The Layton mine is part of the estate of J. F. Layton. The average thickness of the gravels is about 25 feet and the width from rim to 

rim of the pay channel is more than 200 feet. In much of the material 

the pebbles are less than 6 inches in diameter and are generally subangular. The largest bowlders are in the bottom of the deposit and 

in places are considerably decomposed. Most of the gold is found in 

an old channel about 15 feet below the level of the present stream 

bed. In this channel the fall is about 4 feet in 100 feet. The gold 

in general is in small flakes, but nuggets are also found. The bedrock is greenstone, which hi places is distinctly vesicular and greatly 

fractured and veined, some of the veinlets being as much as 4 inches 

in width. Narrow bands of slaty rock are interbedded with the volcanic rocks, which strike about N. 40° E. and dip to the southeast.

Mining is carried on each year from February until September. 

The early miners had a small ditch with a head of 100 feet, but Mr. 

Layton put in two ditches, the upper of which is 21 miles long and 

the lower 18 miles. The water of both ditches comes from Williams 

Creek. Two giants are used under a head of about 300 feet. Five 

men are generally employed, and the amount mined off each year is 

somewhat more than 1 acre. The property was secured by the 

present owners in 1877 and since that date mining has been carried 

on each year. A considerable area of good ground remains to be 

washed.

JOHNSTON MINE.

The Johnston mine is in sec. 11, T. 38 S., R. 4 W., at the junction 

of the west branch with the main Humbug Creek. The present 

owner is W. H. Johnston. The bank averages about 8 feet in thickness and contains considerable clay, in which most of the gold is 

found. Bowlders of greenstone and granodiorite from 6 inches to 

more than 8 feet in diameter are present. Much of the mining has 

been confined to the bed of the stream. The bedrock consists of 

fine-grained greenstone, much fractured and veined. The mine is 

equipped for hydraulicking, the waters being brought from Humbug 

Creek. The supply of water is so scanty that, in general, the mine
PLACEB MINES. 117

can not be operated for more than three months each year. Mining 

has been done on this stream for more than 30 years, during which 

time more than 30 acres has been worked.

BENSON MINE.

The Benson mine, owned by S. L. Benson, is on Humbug Creek in 

sec. 14, T. 38 S., R. 4 W. The property comprises about 1 mile of 

the stream bed. The gravels are about 20 feet in thickness and 

contain many large angular and subangular bowlders, which are 

rather uniformly distributed throughout the section of the deposit. 

The gold is found mainly in the bottom. The bedrock is greenstone. 

This mine has been in'operation for many years, but was not equipped 

for hydraulicking until the spring of 1908.

BRANTNER MINE.

The Brantner mine, owned by D. H. Mansfield, is on Applegate 

River near the mouth of Keeler Creek. In the present workings the 

sands and gravels have a thickness of 30 to 35 feet and show distinct 

stratification. Many large angular and subangular bowlders, chiefly 

of greenstone and comparatively unaltered, are found at and near the 

base of the deposit. All the material above this is fairly well rounded 

and contains few bowlders. The surface of the terrace now being 

worked is about 40 feet above Applegate River. The bedrock is 

decomposed greenstone. The mine is equipped for hydraulicking 

the water used having a pressure of about 100 feet, and there is sufficient water to operate the mine for about three months in the year. 

The large bowlders are handled by derrick. Altogether more than 

20 acres have been mined, and considerable good ground remains to 

be washed.

WILLIAMS CREEK DISTRICT.

The chief placer mines in the Williams Creek district are the 

Horsehead mine, on a branch of Williams Creek; the Miller & Savage 

mine, on Miller Creek; and the Oscar placer, on Oscar Creek.

HORSEHEAD MINE.

The Horsehead mine, owned by Alexander Watt, is in the SE. J 

sec. 21, T. 38 S., R. 5 W. The gravels range in thickness from a 

few feet to 30 feet, with an average of about 18 feet. The deposit 

contains many angular and subangular bowlders considerably more 

than 1 foot in diameter which are somewhat uniformly distributed 

throughout the section. Many of the bowlders are greenstone, but 

some are granodiorite. The finer materials are of a grayish to reddish color. The gold is distributed through the gravels and as a 

rule it is fine. The bedrock is granodiorite which has been fractured 

and crushed and in places has been disintegrated and decomposed to
118 MINERAL RESOURCES OP SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

a depth of more than 10 feet. An area of more than 10 acres has 

been mined. The property is equipped for hydraulicking. The 

water is brought from Hunger Creek, the ditch being 8 miles long. .

MILLER & SAVAGE MINE.

The Miller & Savage name is on Miller Creek in sec. 25, T. 37 S.; 

R. 5 W. The gravels range in thickness from 6 to 30 feet, the average 

being about 18 feet. Many 'bowlders, exceeding 1 foot in diameter 

are present, the largest being at the bottom of the deposit. The gold 

is mostly fine, but nuggets of large size have been found. The largest 

nugget, which was found several years ago, is said to have weighed 

more than 13 ounces. The mine is equipped for hydraulicking. The 

present owners have mined each year since 1904, and considerable 

good ground remains to be washed.

OSCAR CREEK MINE.

The Oscar Creek mine, comprising more than 300 acres, is on Oscar 

Creek, a small stream which flows into Applegate River. The gravels 

have an average thickness of about 12 feet and contain many rounded 

bowlders of medium size. The materials are not strongly cemented. 

The gold is found in flakes and in nuggets. The equipment consists 

of two giants, 1,100 feet of pipe, 300 feet of flume, and 3 miles of 

ditches. The supply of water is sufficient to carry on operations for 

about four months of the year. It is said that the property has produced more than $35,000.

ALTHOUSE AND SUCKER CREEKS DISTRICT.

From the gravels of Althouse and Sucker creeks a large amount of 

gold was washed in the early days of placer mining in Oregon, but 

for several years the production has not been great, as the best 

ground was worked many years ago. During 1907 the production of 

the. streams of this district probably did not exceed $6,000. There 

are no large mines, but numerous small ones, among which are the 

Jumbo, the Mountain Slide, the Slide, and the Yeager, on Sucker 

Creek and its branches. On Althouse Creek some work is being 

done on the Layman property, and recently the Klamath Development Co. acquired eight claims near Grass Flat. Some new ground 

was also being opened in 1911 at the mouth of Portuguese Gulch, a 

small branch of Althouse Creek near its head.

WALDO DISTRICT.

DEVELOPMENT.

In the Waldo district there are three important placer mines, the 

High Gravel or Alien Gulch mine, the Deep Gravel mine, and the 

Logan, Simrnons & Cameron mine. Of these the Logan mine has 

been, at least in recent years, the most important producer.
PLACER MINES.

After prospecting portions of the extensive gravel placers north of 

Waldo the three mines mentioned were purchased several years ago 

by the Waldo Consolidated Gold Mining Co. of Oregon. The property 

controlled is said to embrace 4,000 acres of hydraulicking ground, 

and the Logan mine for some time was operated by this company.

The High Gravel mine is in gravel of Cretaceous age and is described 

on pages 94-95. The Deep Gravel and Logan mines, although partly 

on gravel of Cretaceous age, are mainly in gravel of the third cycle of 

erosion and will be described here.

DEEP GRAVEL MINE.

The Deep Gravel mine is about 1 mile northwest of Waldo. The 

property comprises about 560 acres in sees. 20, 21, and 28, T. 40 S., 

R. 8 W., and was until recently owned by the Deep Gravel Mining 

Co. The main workings are in Butcher Gulch and its tributary 

gulches. The gravels of these gulches are included in a bench which 

extends from the head of Butcher Gulch to the west fork of Illinois 

River. The upper limit of the bench is about 1£ miles from the 

west fork and about 125 feet higher than the bed of this stream. 

The most recent workings are in Joe Smith Gulch, an eastern tributary 

of Butcher Gulch, where an area of more than 10 acres has been 

mined. At the upper end of these workings the gravels are about 

12 feet in thickness. At the lower end they are more than 60 feet 

thick, and the bank consists of gravel and sand containing practically 

no bowlders, except in the lowest 10 feet. Even there few bowlders 

exceed 1 foot in diameter. Stratification is well shown. The bedrocks in Joe Smith Gulch consist of purplish conglomerates of Cretaceous age, similar to the conglomerates that are being mined at the 

High Gravel mine. As these conglomerates of the Deep Gravel 

mine have not yet been well prospected, their gold content is not 

known.

The mine pit of Joe Smith Gulch is 1,500 feet from the west fork of 

Illinois River. The elevation of the bedrock in the mine pit is more 

than 30 feet below the stream bed of the west fork, a fact that has 

greatly increased the difficulties of mining, necessitating the use of a 

hydraulic elevator, which is situated at the lower end of a sluice 

with riffles. The pay gravel from the bank is first washed through 

the sluice, the coarse gold being caught on the riffles. Then the 

material, including the fine gold, is carried up 46 feet by the elevator, 

the water pressure used being about 200 feet. At the head of the 

elevator is a 4-foot flume, 400 feet in length, in which are wooden 

riffles .placed about 1£ inches apart, and parallel to the length of the 

flume. A beveled steel strip is attached to the upper surface of 

each riffle. These steel strips are slightly wider than the riffles, and 

when they are set in place, are about three-fourths of an inch apart.
120 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

A clean-up is made about once a month. The gold is saved by 

amalgamation, and is very fine. The concentrates are sold for 

their value in platinum, osmium, and iridium.

The water used in the pit and in the elevator is brought by two 

ditches from the east fork of Illinois River. The longer ditch is about 

4 miles in length. A race about 7,000 feet long was used for many 

years when the gravels being mined were at an elevation greater 

than that of the outlet of the race. At present only the lower end 

is used.

The history of the Deep Gravel mine dates back for more than 30 

years. The first owners were George and Walter Simmons. In 

1878 Wimer & Sons bought a half interest, and in 1888 they secured 

all rights to the property. In 1900 the Deep Gravel Mining Co. 

became the owner, and sold it to the Waldo Consolidated Gold Mining 

Co. of Oregon.

LOGAN, SIMMONS & CAMERON MINE.

The Logan, Simmons & Cameron mine, one of the largest placers 

in the State, is northeast of Waldo, the present workings being in 

sec. 22, T. 40 S., R. 8 W. The recent workings are on French Flat, 

where about 3 acres have been mined. Here the bank consists of 

gravel, sand, and clay, the thickness ranging from a few feet to 15 

feet. Much of the material is fine; only a few bowlders are present, 

nearly all of which are less than 6 inches in diameter. The bedrock 

is purplish Cretaceous conglomerate, which has been fractured, 

fissured, and to .some extent veined. The slope of the bedrock is 

very gentle.

An elevator raises the material 38 feet. The water from one of the 

three ditches has a pressure of 325 feet and is used in the elevator; 

that from another is used in two giants in the pit; and that from the 

third is used in forcing the tailings from the end of the sluice at the 

head of the elevator. Mining is carried on for about eight months of 

the year.

The old workings on this property are in Carroll Slough, more than 

a mile north of the present pit on French Flat. The gravels have 

been mined in a north-south direction for more than a mile. The 

average width of the cut is about one-eighth mile, the average depth 

about 18 feet. The bedrock is made up in some places of serpentine 

and in others of Cretaceous conglomerates and sandstones.

This mine has been operated for about 25 years, but not until a 

few years ago was work begun on French Flat, where there is a considerable area of auriferous gravels.

JOSEPHINE CREEK DISTRICT.

Josephine Creek drains an area of contacts between greenstone cut 

by serpentine and serpentine penetrated by many small dikes, chiefly
MAC1EH MINES, 121

of dacite porphyry. Vein deposits, locally with rich pockets, have 

attracted much attention through the richness of the placers.

Josephine Creek lies wholly in serpentine, and its gravel bed contains very little gold above the mouth of Canyon Creek as compared 

with the amount found below that point, where the gold is contributed mainly by Canyon Creek, Fiddlers Gulch, and Days Gulch, 

which come in from the contact region on the northwest.

The placers of Josephine Creek, considering the length of the 

stream, are numerous and though generally hydraulic are not large. 

They have long been active and will so continue for many years to 

come, owing chiefly to the limitations in the water supply and to the 

more or less firmly cemented condition of the gravel, which renders 

mining difficult and progress slow.

The greater portion of the present bed of Josephine Creek and its 

branches was mined out many years ago and on account of the 

cemented condition of the benches there was much drifting by the 

early miners. The principal creek-bed placer is on Canyon Creek, 

1 mile below the forks at 

Rich Gulch (102 on PL VI, .__£__ 

p. 46), where the valley 

widens somewhat on the

entrance Of a Small Stream FIGURE 21. Cross-section profile of Josephine Creek.

from the West Manv acres a> ValleY below mouth of Fiddlers Gulch, showing terraces

J . 30 feet (6) and 150 feet (c) above the stream.

nave been mined over, in

some places three times on the stream bed and low benches, and 

considerable josephinite is said to have been found with the gold at 

this locality.

Farther down Canyon Creek and on Josephine Creek the mining 

is now for the most part limited to the higher and harder coarse 

gravel benches, of which there are large terraces near the junction of 

Canyon and Josephine creeks where the Bowden (106), China Bow 

(105), and other mines have been operating. (See PL VI, p. 46.) 

From this point prominent terraces border Josephine Creek to its 

mouth. The cross section (fig. 21) shows the relation of the terraces 

to the present streanl.

The 30-foot terrace (2, fig. 21) is in places 100 feet wide. Its 

gravel, 4 to 30 feet thick, is composed chiefly of serpentine and greenstone pebbles and a few bowlders. It is not cemented and, being 

rich and easily worked, like the present stream bed, it has been 

completely mined out. The 150-foot terrace is capped by 5 to 25 

feet of gravel, which near the surface is generally decomposed and 

is red or yellowish, but below that point the gravel contains more 

light-colored pebbles of granitic rock and is more or less firmly 

cemented. Bowlders are common, and the cemented gravel is used 

as a false bedrock in mining off the rotten portion,-which is about 

12 feet in thickness.
122 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The mining of the decomposed surface portion of the cemented 

gravel on the 150-foot terrace at four places (see PL VI, p. 46; Bowden, 

106; Gold King, 108; Gold Leaf, 109; Illinois and Josephine, 110) 

within 2 miles, of the mouth of Canyon Creek is evidence that these 

cemented coarse gravels, composed chiefly of serpentine and greenstone cobblestones, contain gold. Concerning this matter, Mr. 

B. F. Hogue, of Kerby, Oreg., who has been a practical miner, 

informs me that he has blasted the cemented gravel, removed the 

bowlders, and crushed and washed the remainder, the average 

return being $1.40 a day. Two cubic yards that he had measured 

and tested averaged 70 cents each. Though much of the cement 

contains little gold, perhaps as little as 5 cents per cubic yard, other 

portions of it are much richer. On the left bank of Canyon Creek, 

where Mr. Hogue mined a mass that measured 6 by 8 by 16 feet, he 

got $45, which is an average of nearly $1.60 a cubic yard. This 

amount is exceptionally high and tends to raise the general average. 

Though it is certain that gold can be won economically from the 

weather-softened cemented gravel, the weather softening is an exceedingly slow and irregular process. On the other hand, the gold 

does not appear to be sufficiently plentiful to warrant the more 

expensive method of milling.

ILLINOIS RIVER DISTRICT.

In the Illinois River valley there are two groups of placers, one in 

the vicinity of Waldo (see pp. 118-120) and the other scattered along 

the river below the mouth of Josephine Creek. The most important 

mines of the latter group are the Anderson & Wilson mine and the 

mine at the mouth of Sixmile Creek.

ANDERSON & WILSON MINE.

On the right bank of Illinois River, just below the mouth of Josephine Creek, there is a prominent gravel bench which extends down 

the river with slight interruptions for nearly 2 miles. On this bench, 

one-third of a mile below the mouth of Josephine Creek, is the small 

opening of the Ray mine (88, PL VI, p. 46), now idle, on a gravel 

plain 200 yards in width with gravel 10 to 18 feet in thickness. 

A short distance beyond the Ray mine a shoulder of serpentine 

juts toward the river and forms an embankment beyond which 

accumulated the large body of gravel so extensively worked in the 

Anderson & Wilson mine, which extends along the river for nearly 

half a mile.

Mining has been carried on in this placer for many years under the 

management of G. E. Anderson. Work was begun on the bar and 

low benches on the north and gradually extended south to the, 

higher benches adjoining the serpentine shoulder.
PLACER MINES. . 123

From the lower benches and bar the mining extended across the 

river and included portions of Cow Flat, which was not only rich in 

gold but also in platinum. On the lower benches the gravels are 

about 20 feet thick and in places have been mined for a distance of 

one-eighth of a mile back from the stream, where the slope rises 

steeply and the limit of the bench is reached. The sand and gravels 

are of a buff color and well stratified. The largest bowlders lie in 

the lower 6 feet of the deposit.

More recent work has been done on a bench of serpentine south of 

the one described and about 75 feet above the river. The gravel of 

this bench is in some places 35 feet thick. The lower 6 feet of wellrounded gravel contains some bowlders. It is overlain by 10 foot of 

finer gravel and above this comes 20 feet of coarser, rather angular 

red gravel with fragments, the largest of which is 3 to 5 inches in 

diameter. The bottom gravel is composed chiefly of siliceous rocks, 

but the upper 10 feet is largely serpentine overwash from the hillside. 

A grizzly is used in mining this terrace to pile up the gravel, and a 

small portion of the cemented gravel at the "bottom is left on the 

bedrock.

The gravel of the highest terrace worked in the season of 1910-11, 

at the south end of the mine is irregular, much oxidized, and decomposed.

The mine, including all the terraces, covers approximately 50 acres, 

and by far the greater part of the available gravel has been removed. 

The water for the mine comes from Fiddlers Gulch. A bridge carries 

it across the river in a 14-inch pipe and delivers it on the lower terraces with a head of 200 feet. Recently G. E. Anderson has installed 

a Ruble elevator and rearranged his entire hydraulic plant.

A mile farther down the river on the left bank is a large terrace, 

75 to 100 feet above the river, opposite the mouth of Deer Creek. 

The terrace is capped by gravel that has been partly mined by 

G. E. Anderson in the Coonskin claim.

SIXMILE CREEK MINE.

Below the mouth of Deer Creek there are several small placers 

near the river level, but a larger one was operated some years ago 

on a bench at the mouth of Sixmile Creek, between 500 and 600 feet 

above the river. The bench is longest parallel to the river. About 

an acre of the gravel capping has been washed away, leaving the 

greater portion in place. The gravel is 20 feet thick, moderately 

coarse, and in part decomposed. The bedrock is serpentine, but 

has not furnished many pebbles.

A prominent terrace, corresponding approximately to that of the 

Sixmile Creek mine, occurs at several points along the river trail 

above the mouth of Sixmile Creek. The gravel capping exposed in
124 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

some of the gulches is thick and a considerable portion is cemented 

firmly, reminding one of the old-channel gravel on Briggs Creek. 

This high terrace of cemented gravel occurs at a point where the 

old channel might be expected to leave the present course of 

Illinois Kiver (see p. 98), and it is possible that it is a remnant of the 

old channel of the Illinois to Rogue River at Galice. There appears 

to be a large mass of gravel on top of this terrace, and I saw no 

place where it had been fairly tested.

BRIGGS CREEK DISTRICT.

Briggs Creek lies in the course of the old channel between Galice 

Creek and Illinois River. Though the canyon is narrow and rugged 

and the gravel bodies are less continuous, a number of small sluices 

and hydraulic placers are worked during the rainy season. The 

bedrock is generally greenstone, in contrast with that of Galice Creek.

The John West mine, near the Old Dasher place and the mouth of 

Soldier Creek, is on a bench 25 feet above the creek. The bench is 

100 feet wide and capped by 8 feet of gravel. Water is obtained at a 

150-foot head through a 3-inch nozzle. Emerson & Fick are located 

on Red Dog Creek, and Coons & McDow work placers on the lower 

bench of Onion Creek. The last two mines are near gulches that 

head against the old channel capping about Column Rock, from 

which they are supposed to derive coarse gold.

Farther up Briggs Creek is the Courier mine, and above it lies a 

mine of seven claims owned by Robert F. Miller. The Miller mine 

is opened up in a pit of about 11 acres. Red earth, sand, and gravel, 

20 feet thick, overlie 5 feet of coarse gravel. The gold, though found 

chiefly in the coarse gravel, is scattered through the mass and is 

supposed to come from the north, where a great body of serpentine 

borders the greenstone. On a side stream in the neighborhood of the 

contact is the W. H. Barr mine, which was not seen.

PLACERS ON RESIDUAL DEPOSITS.

In the spring of 1911 there was considerable excitement over the 

reported discoveries of rich ground on the Higgins and other claims, 

about 20 miles by trail northwest of Kerby. The gold was won 

chiefly by washing the residual deposits on mineralized contacts 

between serpentine and greenstone. As the placer mining is considered by the miners to be merely incidental to the discovery and 

development of lode mines, these mines were noted in this paper 

under the lode mines, but the placer phase is of so much importance 

that special attention is called to it. In fact it is, at least to the 

local miner, one of the most important phases of mining in southwest 

Oregon. The residual earthy deposits along the contacts of serpentine and greenstone should be thoroughly prospected.
PLACER MINES. * 125

The Higgins mine is the most widely known example of this 

phase, but the same method has been successfully applied by T. M. 

Anderson and is being installed at the Casey mine on Rancherie 

Creek and the Miller mine on Baby Foot Creek, as well as elsewhere 

in the same region. In the divide regions water is most difficult to 

find, but generally a large amount of it is not needed.

BEACH PLACERS. 

DEVELOPMENT OF MINING.

The fine gold of the Oregon beach sand has attracted much attention for years and many attempts, more or less successful, have been 

made to mine it. In Oregon gold was first discovered along the beach 

at Port Orford and the mouth of Whisky Run, where work was commenced in 1852. Four years later the miners prospected the rivers, 

and work on the elevated beaches at the eastern edge of the coastal 

plain at the Blanco and the Sixes mines followed in 1871. The 

beach mines were rich in places and were extensively worked.

In nature's assorting process on the beach the heavy minerals get 

together and many of them are black, so that black sand has come 

generally to be regarded as auriferous. The successful mining of 

black sands depends on the saving not only of the gold but all the 

other valuable minerals it contains. Among the accessory minerals 

platinum is the most important and will be considered later by 

itself.

The most important beach-mining localities of Oregon are in the 

vicinity of Bandon and Cape Blanco.

BANDON DISTRICT.

Many years ago the beach mines were of much importance in the 

Bandon region, especially those near the mouth of Whisky Run. 

Occasionally a man would take out as much as $100 a day, but 

generally the gold was so fine that it was saved with great difficulty. 

At the present time the outlook is much more encouraging. Mr. J. A. 

Gardner, of Bandon, Oreg., wrote me on May 29, 1912, that he was 

using with a good degree of success two of Eccleston's tension concentrators at the mouth of Gold Run, and it appeared that at last a 

successful method had been found to work these deposits not only 

on the present beach but also on the elevated beaches.

The most extensive elevated beach mining in the Bandon region 

was carried on some years ago 6 miles northeast of Bandon at the 

foot of a bluff extending from Threemile Creek to the head of the 

"Lagoons. The plain at the base of the sea cliff is about 200 feet 

above sea level, and the black sand lies about 30 feet below the 

level of the plain; that is, at an elevation of about 170 feet above 

the present sea level.
126 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

Ill the Rose mine, worked at that time, the bedrock shale was 

laid bare and the black sand well exposed. It generally lies next to 

the bedrock and stretches along the foot of the bluff for several miles. 

The belt of black sand is about 150 feet wide. In cross section it is 

lenticular in shape, about 4 feet thick in the middle, tapering to an 

edge on each side, with the coarsest material, including gold, near the 

landward border, where it is highest and represents the most vigorous 

wave action. On account of the thick coating (30 feet) of sand and 

gravel which overlies the black sand an attempt was made to remove 

the auriferous sand by means of tunnels. Logs and bowlders of 

various sizes are found occasionally in the black sand.

The mineral composition of black sand varies with each locality, 

but at the one under consideration it is composed chiefly of garnet, 

magnetite, ilmenite, and chromite with a smaller amount of zircon, 

epidote, and a few other minerals. Gold is generally found more 

or less abundantly, and platinum with iridosmine is locally found 

in small quantities among the heavy concentrates. These metals 

should always be looked after, for if abundant they pay well for 

mining.

CAPE BLANCO DISTRICT.

The Cape Blanco district includes the small beach placers at Port 

Orford and Ophir to the south as well as the elevated-beach mines, 

the Blanco and the Sixes mines, which lie a few miles to the east 

and northeast, respectively.

The Blanco mine is about midway between Port Orford and Langlois, along the inner border of the coastal plain, at the foot of Madden 

Butte, in the NE. | sec. 4, T. 32 S., R. 15 W. When last seen it was 

operated by Mr. Cyrus Madden with about 500 feet of sluices and 7 

burlap tables for catching the fine gold, which constitutes about half 

the total product. Platinum metals occur with the gold at this, point 

and are about one-twentieth as abundant. The section exposed in 

the mine includes about 8 feet of wind-blown material next to the 

surface, below which lies 12 to 20 feet of sand with small black layers 

and some gravel. Some of the dark layers are coated by oxide of 

iron, and one of these is used as a bedrock on which to wash the 

overlying material. The real bedrock, which lies 10 feet below, is 

Cretaceous shale, but it is too low for drainage across the plain. The 

working season usually lasts six months, from November to May, 

and the mine from 1898 to 1900 yielded .over $1,100 annually. The 

beds of sand and gravel of the ancient beach dip gently (10°) westward and overlap the older rocks at the base of Madden Butte. The 

mine already covers an area of several acres, and there is reason to 

expect that it will continue profitable farther along the shore, especially at deeper levels, if possible to drain to bedrock,
PLACEB MINES. 127

The Sixes mine is located about 2£ miles south of Denmark, near 

the line between sees. 27 and 34, T. 31 S., R. 15 W., and is operated 

by Mr. W. P. Butler, of Lakeport, Cal. Like the Blanco mine, it 

lies along the eastern border of the coastal plain, at an altitude of 

nearly 200 feet above sea level. The mine covers about an acre and 

has a depth below the surface of about 12 feet, exposing along the 

eastern border the f ollowing section:

Section of the Sixes mine, 2% miles south of Denmark.

Feet. 

Surface material, wind-blown sand and soil........................ 5

Gray sand with bowlders.......................................... 2

Black sand with bowlders........................................ 2$

The whole 9$ feet of material is more or less distinctly stratified 

and dips gently westward, away from the shore, which is formed of 

crushed sandstone and shale of Cretaceous age. This bedrock series 

is well exposed in the eastern portion of the mine and contains rock 

oyster borings. The decomposed fine sediments yield tough bluish 

clay, which on the surface for 6 inches or so is stained reddish and 

becomes more granular, affording a good bedrock for mining. The 

gravel is washed into a pool and raised 15 feet by a hydraulic elevator 

to get drainage for sluicing and tables. Much of the gold is fine and 

is associated with platinum metals in sufficient quantities to make 

the saving of them a matter of some importance.

The lack of adequate water supply and good drainage renders 

mining so expensive as to retard the development of hydraulic mining along this promising old beach. It would seem to be an encouraging locality to test by a modern dredge.

ECKIS MINE.

On the Meeks mine, near Port Orford, Mr. R. G. Eckis has been 

running an Eccleston tension concentrator 24 hours a day for some 

.time. He is using a giant to wash the sand into a sluice box in the 

bottom of which he has a screen, thus taking the heavy black sand 

out in an undercurrent. This product is then run over the concentrator. He reports that'he is securing 80 per cent of the gold, platinum, and iridosmine, and he says his concentrates run over $8,000 

a ton total value. One machine handles the undercurrent from 150 

cubic yards a day.

According to the latest report from that region the most productive 

mine in Curry County is the Kalamazoo ocean-beach sand mine in 

the Ophir district, near Corbin.
128 MINEBAL BESOTJBCES OF SOUTHWESTEBN OBEGON".

PLATINUM.

The Klamath Mountains have long been known as the principal 

source of platinum in the United States. Although the output is 

small, the high value of the metal makes the occurrence important. 

The platinum is recovered wholly as a by-product in placer mining for 

gold. In the early days, when its value was not appreciated, the platinum was lost, but now that its value is better known it is generally 

looked for with care by placer miners.

The annual production of platinum in southwest Oregon varies considerably. In 1906 it was apparently largest, but the exact amount is 

not known. Since then it has been as shown in the following table, 

coming chiefly from the beach sand mines of Coos and Curry counties:

Production of platinum in Oregon from 1907 to 1910, inclusive.

Year.

1907...........................

1908...........................

Quantity.

Ounces. 

57

44

Value.

81,690

836

Year.

1909......'.....................

1910...........................

Quantity.

Ounces. 

277

53

Value.

34,940

1,121

According to Waldemar Lindgren, the principal production of platinum reported in Oregon in 1909 and 1910 came from beach mines near 

Port Orford, in Curry County, and from the vicinity of Bullards in 

Coos County.

Outside of the two points mentioned in Coos and Curry counties, 

platinum has been recovered in placer mines at numerous other points, 

most important among which, perhaps, are the Blanco and the Madden 

mines on an elevated beach in Curry County. The following mines 

at one time promised well but are now closed: The Steam Beer mine 

cm Cow Creek near Leland, the Old Channel diggings on Rogu'e River 

near Galice, the Big Four and Flanagan mines on Rogue River, 

near the mouth of Pickett Creek, besides many places on Illinois 

River near Waldo, and especially along Josephine Creek and on Illinois River just below the mouth of Josephine Creek.

Many machines have been devised for saving the fine gold and platinum of the beach sands, but of late the most successful has been the 

Eccleston tension concentrator. Three of these concentrators are 

now in successful use on the Oregon coast. Mr. J. A. Gardner, who 

is using two of these machines near Bandon, writes that he has been 

very successful in saving the fine gold and the platinum.

There is a large and promising field for successful black sand concentration along the present beach and the elevated beaches of the 

Oregon coast.

Although the production of platinum in Oregon in 1912 declined 

to 39 ounces, nevertheless the high prices stimulated the installation 

of modern machinery on the Oregon coast, and the production in 

1913 probably increased considerably.
NICKEL. 129

Peridotite and serpentine derived from it are generally considered to 

be the native rocks of platinum, and the abundance of serpentine in 

southwest Oregon may account for its presence in that region, although 

the platinum has not yet been found in place.

QUICKSILVER.

Quicksilver is widely distributed in southwest Oregon, and traces 

of its ore, cinnabar, can be found in concentrates of nearly all the 

placer mines. At a few points there has been extensive prospecting, 

which actually reached a small production, but the output is not 

separable from that of eastern Oregon. The total annual production 

of the State never exceeded a few hundred flasks. The deposits are 

very irregular and though fairly extensive are low grade.

The first localities developed are in the Roseburg quadrangle, 

northeast of Oakland, where cinnabar occurs scattered in Eocene 

sandstone about half a mile from a mass of intruded diabase. Much 

of the sandstone has been bleached as if by hot springs. The mines 

were soon abandoned and developments carried on farther north, 

first on Shoestring Creek and later on the Coast Fork of the Willamette in Lane County, where a small production was attained within 

the last few years, though the mine has since been closed.

At the last two localities the cinnabar occurs in connection with 

volcanic tuff, and the same is probably true of the occurrence near 

the edge of the lava field reported from the vicinity of Drew in the 

eastern portion of Douglas County.

Although several of the localities look promising, the Ore is so low 

in grade that there is little hope of establishing a successful quicksilver 

industry in southwest Oregon.

NICKEL.

One of the most interesting ore deposits in southwest Oregon is 

that of nickel, which occurs in two forms, as the green silicate of 

nickel, genthite, near Riddles and as josephinite on Josephine Creek.

Nickel Mountain, a few miles west of Riddles,1 is composed of 

peridotite, which is partly changed.to serpentine. The olivine of the 

peridotite appears to be nickeliferous, and an alteration, possibly due 

in part to hydrothermal action, has resulted in the formation of a 

body of nickel ore sufficiently large to suggest the possibility of 

successful mining.

The deposit was owned originally by W. Q. Brown, of Riddles, 

Oreg., and under his management the Oregon Nickel Mines Co. prospected it quite extensively, but as yet no successful attempt has been 

made to work it.

The silicate of nickel, genthite, has been found in southwest Oregon 

only at Nickel Mountain. If the ore is wholly derived from the peridi Kay, G. F., U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 315, p. 120,1907. 

18014° Bull. 546 14 9
130 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON".

otite by weathering it is rather surprising that this silicate of nickel 

is not more widely distributed in southwest Oregon, for the olivine at 

some other places in the peridotite contains nickel. . .

Josephinite is a mineralogic curiosity rather than an ore of economic 

value. It is composed of nickel and iron and is known only in the 

form of small nuggets from' the placer mines of Josephine Creek 

within an area of peridotite and serpentine, from which the josephinite is supposed to have been derived.

COAL.

PRODUCTION AND CHARACTER.

In the production of coal Oregon ranks next to California among 

the Pacific States. Its greatest annual production was 109,641 tons 

in 1905, and in 1910 the output was 67,533 tons. Owing to the 

increased production of petroleum in California and its use for fuel 

there is less demand for coal and its output has decreased, as shown 

by the annual values of the coal output for 1900 to 1912 in the table 

on page 23.

The only productive coal field in Oregon, the Coos Bay coal field, 

is situated in the southwest portion of the State. Other small coal 

fields have been prospected, among which are the Upper Nehalem 

field in Columbia County, the Lower Nehalem in Clatsop and Tillamook counties, and the Yaquina field in Lincoln County.

In the southwest portion of the State outside of the Coos Bay field 

there are a number of coal prospects of more or less importance. 

(See fig. 22.) Some of these have been designated as coal fields, as 

the Eckley, in Curry County, the Eden, in Coos County, and the 

Rogue River valley field, in Jackson County, but prospects that are 

scarcely less important occur on Shasta Costa Creek in Curry County, 

in Camas Valley, on Lookingglass Creek, and on North Fork of

Rogue River near Glide in Douglas County.

All the coal of southwest Oregon is associated with formations of 

Tertiary (Eocene) age, chiefly marine, but in part of brackish or 

fresh water origin on the swampy Eocene coast. The coal is lignitic 

in character, except the best coals of the Coos Bay field, which are 

properly regarded as subbituminous.

COOS BAY COAL FIELD. 

GENERAL FEATURES.

The Coos Bay coal field lies about Coos Bay on the coast of Oregon, 

about one-third of the way from the California line to the mouth of 

Columbia River. It is in general elliptical in outline, 30 miles in 

length, and 12 miles in greatest breadth, the area being approximately 250 square miles, included in Tps. 24 to 29 S., Rs. 12, 13, and 

14 W. (See fig. 23.)
COAL. 131

The south end of the coal field is traversed by Coquille River and 

the north end by Coos River and Coos Bay, with its branching tidal 

sloughs, which drain about three-fourths of the field. In general the 

surface is an irregular table-land whose broad summit ranges in altitude from 500 to 800 feet above the sea. The slopes to the master 

streams and their alluvial plains are generally steep, but the slopes 

to the sloughs are for the most part gentle.

FIGURE 22. Coal fields of southwest Oregon. 1, Coos Bay; 2, Eckley; 3, Eden Ridge; 4, Camas Valley; 

5, Lookingglass; 6, North Fork of the Umpqua; 7, Rogue River valley.

The rivers and the bay are navigable and, with the railroad up 

Coquille River, afford convenient facilities for transporting the coal 

to market.

A survey of the Coos Bay region was made 12 years ago, and the 

results were published in the Nineteenth Annual Report of the 

Director of the Geological Survey J and in the Coos Bay folio.2 The

i Diller, J. S., The Coos Bay coal field, Oreg.: U. S. Geol. Survey Nineteenth Ann. Rept., pt. 3, pp. 309- 

376,1899. 

a DiUer, J. S., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Coos Bay folio (No. 73), 1901.
132 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

FIGURE 23. Map of Coos Bay coal field.
COAL. 133

maps then published show the outline and structure of the coal field, 

but in preparing them no attention was paid to land lines. Since 

then the field has been resurveyed, except the southern portion, and 

the results published in Bulletin 431.1

GEOLOGY. 

STRATIGRAPHY.

The coal-bearing rocks of the Coos Bay region belong to the Arago 

group of the Eocene series. The rocks contain both fossil leaves and 

shells and present an especially interesting feature in the occurrence 

of fresh or brackish water shells within the coal beds, whereas between 

the coal beds and in places rather close to them purely marine fossils 

are occasionally found. The interstratification of these fossil-bearing 

beds evidently indicates alternate rising and sinking of the land close 

to sea level.

The Arago group has not been completely measured, but its total 

thickness is probably not less than 10,000 feet. The coal occurs in 

four zones distributed through about 8,000 feet of strata. By far 

the most important zone is that of the Newport coal, in the upper 

half of the mass.

STRUCTURE.

The general structure of the coal field is that of a basin containing 

a number of subordinate folds, whose axes are shown in figure 23 

and a cross section in Plate IX. The principal fold, the Westport 

arch, divides the. field into two subordinate basins, the Beaver 

Slough basin and the South Slough basin. The detailed structure of 

the field is complicated by faults and by a number of folds that give 

rise to smaller basins, among which may be mentioned the Newport, 

Flanagan, North Bend, and Empire basins.

The axis of the Westport arch trends N. 35° E. and, branching, pitches slightly in the same direction, so that on the southwestern border of the coal field, at the head of Sevenmile Creek, the 

arch completely separates the Beaver Slough and South Slough 

basins, but in the northern part of the field the two basins practically unite around the faulted end of the arch.

The Beaver Slough basin is by far the most extensive and important 

structural feature of this* field. It is long and narrow, stretching 

from Lamprey Creek on the south to Glasgow on the north, a distance 

of nearly 30 miles, and having a width of about 5 miles. It contains 

a number of more or less active mines, of which the Beaver Hill is 

the largest. The structure of the southern portion of this basin 

about Eiverton and Beaver Hill is apparently simple, but from a

1 Diller, J. S., and Pishel, M. A., Preliminary report on the Coos Bay coal field, Oreg.: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 431, pp. 190-228,1911.
134 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON".

point near Coaledo northeastward to Stock Slough minor folds and 

faults are common and the structure is complex. The average dip 

of the strata in the whole basin, however, is only about 26°. Near 

Marshfield the Mill Slough fault cuts off the north end of the Westport arch and drops the middle portion of the north end of the coal 

field.

The South Slough basin embraces the country about South Slough 

from a point near its head to the mouth of Coos Bay, where it passes 

beneath the sea. The strata of this basin are much compressed. 

Then1 average dip is about 56°, but locally they are vertical or overturned. No coal is shipped from this basin, although it is taken out 

for generating power in the immediate vicinity.

The Newport basin is a small syncline in the fork of the Westport 

arch. It contains the Newport bed of coal, which is the most important coal bed of the region and has been recognized throughout the 

greater portion of the South Slough and Beaver Slough basins. At 

Libby this coal has been mined for many years. The north end of 

the Newport basin is cut off by the Mill Slough fault, in which the 

downthrow is on the north side. Beyond the fault lie the Flanagan, 

North Bend,, and Empire basins, which are even smaller than the 

Newport basin.

Though the principal coal areas north of Coquille River are shown 

on the map (fig. 22, p. 131), details concerning the structure and composition of the coal beds will be omitted. That information is given 

in Bulletin 431 of the United States Geological Survey.

The original coal supply of the Coos Bay field has been estimated 

by M. R. Campbell as 1,000,000,000 short tons/

NORTHERN PART OF THE FIELD.

The northern part of the Coos Bay coal field surrounds Coos Bay 

and in this part of the field the places of shipment are Marshfield, 

Empire, and North Bend.

Much of the region is underlain by coal, but throughout the larger 

portion of the areas the coal is more than 2,000 feet beneath the 

surface. On the map (PL IX) only those parts which have coal 

within 2,000 feet of the surface are indicated. They occur along 

the eastern and southern borders of Coos Bay, as well as in the North 

Bend, Empire, and Flanagan basins and portions of the Newport and 

South Slough basins. The forest cover in this area is so dense as to 

conceal completely the soft rocks of the coal measures and render 

prospecting especially difficult. It is possible that future investigations may prove that the areas of coal within 2,000 feet of the 

surface are much larger than those here shown. The Flanagan and 

North Bend basins may be continuous, but no coal has yet been 

found between them.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 546 PLATE IX

R.I3W. R.I2W.

Stippling indicates coa/ beefs 

*f ItMn 2OOO feet of surface

tV-::r*>-:Xl/:.-.-.

STRUCTURE SECT/ON ALONG LINE ^A. J5 1= zo/ve- OF SEVENMILE CREEK COALS 2= zo/ve- OF NEWPORT COALS

Scale 63.36O

I 2 Miles

MAP OF THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COOS BAY COAL FIELD, OREGON

BY J. S. DILLER AND MAX A. P1SHEL

House Doc. ; 63d Cong., 2d Sess.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 546 PLATE X

R.I3 W. R. 12 W.

o

o

'''

STRUCTURE SECTION ALONG LINE 23 C OF NEWPORT COAL.

Scale 63,360

Outcrop orcoal bed 

5t!pplin{S indicates coat beds 

n/itnin 2OOO feet of surface

Coa/ mine

Coa/ prospect

strike

Wagon

6

7

13

30

31

5

a

20

23

32

4

3

21

28

33

3

IO

2S

27

3*

S

II

23

S6

35

1

12

2*

SS

36

DIAGRAM OF TOWNSHIP

aMiles

House Doc. 63d Cong., 2d Sess.

BY J. S. DILLER AND MAX A.P1SHEL
U. S: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 546 PLATE XI

Outcrop 

Stippling indicates coal beds 

within 2000 feet "

MAP OF T. 27 S., R. 13 W., COOS BAY COAL FIELD, OREGON

BY J. S. DILLER AND MAX A. PISHEL House Ooo . 63d Cong>> 2d Sess
COAL. 135

The general structure of the Coos Bay coal field, as already 

explained, renders intelligible without further detail the structure of 

the coal measures.

MIDDLE PART OF THE FIELD.

In the middle part of the Coos Bay coal field, where the coal field is 

widest, most of the important structural features are well developed 

and are shown in Plate X. South Slough basin contains the coal on 

the west side and the Newport basin in the middle along the northern 

border. On the east the coal lies in the Beaver Slough basin bordered 

on the southeast by the compressed basin about Sunnier. The relations of the basins are best shown by the section at the bottom of 

Plate X. The last two basins named are separated by an overturned and faulted arch, which apparently complicates the structure 

of that region.

The zone of the Sevenmile coal is brought to the surface by the 

Westport arch. All the coal found in the four basins appears to 

belong to the Newport zone.

The mine at Libby has been worked more or less vigorously for 

many years. A branch railroad runs to the Smith & Power mine.

The South Fork basin is widest and deepest, and much of the coal 

is probably below the depth at which it could be profitably mined.

SOUTHERN PART OF THE FIELD.

The resurvey of the southern portion of the Coos Bay coal field 

has been completed only as far as the southern limit of T. 27 S., 

R. 13 W., a map of which is shown in Plate XI. This township 

contains the Beaver Hill and Peart mines, between which, in Beaver 

Slough basin, occurs one of the largest bodies of coal in the Coos Bay 

coal field.

The depth of the Beaver Slough basin is not definitely known. 

Borings have been made in the middle portion by private parties, 

but the data are not available for publication.

Aside from the alluvium, the Arago is the only geologic formation 

found in T. 27 S., R. 13 W. From 7,000 to 8,000 feet of strata are 

exposed here, made up largely of sandstone, shaly sandstone, and 

some shale, all of which are of a grayish-green to a yellowish-green 

color and comparatively soft. Coal is found in two zones.

A large syncline whose axis runs northeast and southwest is the 

most important structural feature -in this portion of the coal field. 

The small irregular anticline in the northeast quarter of the township 

splits the large syncline into two .small ones. Wherever mining 

is carried on to any extent small faults are found. As the rocks 

are made up largely of sandstone and considerable folding has taken
136 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

place it is only natural that some faulting should occur. No fault 

detrimental to mining has yet been found, but the large offset of 

the Newport bed in sec. 19 indicates either a good-sized fault or a 

very sharp fold. Some more detailed work should be done to ascertain 

the true conditions.

ECKLEY COAL FIELD.

In the Port Orf ord quadrangle, 45 miles south of Coos Bay, traces of 

coal have been found at a number of localities near Eckley (see fig. 22, 

p. 131) in an isolated patch of Eocene sediments. These are described 

in the Port Orford folio, where the coal field is outlined as having 

an area less than a score of square miles in extent. Although there 

are several small coal beds, chiefly carbonaceous shale, in the sandstone of the Eckley field, most of the carbonaceous material occurs 

at or near the bottom of the sandstone in irregular bunches or layers

of small extent. Aside

R' llw' from the difficulties of transportation from this isolated mountain region these 

fairly extensive prospects 

do not warrant the expectation of finding in the 

Eckley field coal that 

would be worth mining.

EDEN COAL FIELD.

Eden coal field is in the 

Siskiyou National Forest 

and has attracted much attention on'account of the 

large number of contested 

coal claims it contains. It is confined mainly to Eden Ridge, which 

runs northeast and southwest across T. 32 S., R. 11 W., and, as shown 

in figure 24, lies for the most part within a great bend of the South 

Fork of Coquille River. The slopes of the coal field are steep and in 

many places bold cliffs face the river. . A large-scale map (fig. 25) showing in part the relation of the 

approximate boundaries of the coal field to the section lines is based 

wholly on th'e recent work of C. E. Lesher.1 The area of the field, 

including a small portion on the southeast side of the bend, was 

considered in 1907 to be about 3 square miles but Mr. Lesher's work 

in 1913 has shown it to be much larger.

1 Since my examination of the field was made it has been extensively prospected by the claimants. 

In 1912, Mr. M. E. Campbell spent several days in the Eden coal field and in 1913, Mr. C. E. Lesher spent 

six weeks there mapping it in great detail. These later researches have enlarged the field by the discovery 

of lower beds of more valuable coal.

FIGURE 24. Map showing by shading location of Eden 

coal field.
COAL. 137

FIQUBE 25. Map of Eden coal fleld showing prospects (X) and outcrop of Carter and Anderson coal beds 

(solid line, determined outcrop; dashed line, probable location of outcrop). By C. E. Lesher.
138 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

The shallow synclinal structure of Eden Ridge is roughly outlined 

in the cross section shown in figure 26.

Only two coal beds in this field were in 1907 considered important, 

the Carter and the Anderson. Both are now known to extend 

through the hill.

One of the best exposures of the Anderson coal is in the SE. | sec. 

28 and shows the following section:

Section of Anderson coal in the SE. \ sec. 88, T. 32 S., R. 11 W.

Shaly sandstone roof. Ft. in. 

Coal, somewhat shaly, banded................................ 3

Parting, indistinct sandy clay................................. 1-2

Coal and shaly coal interbanded.............................. 3

Clay......................................................... 3

Sandstone floor.

The coal exposed in a bluff is wet and thus protected from weathering. For the purpose of testing its value, a sample was taken of the

NW. SE.

FIGURE 26. Generalized section of Eden coal field, a, Carter coal; 6, Anderson coal.

best 5 feet of continuous section across the bed. This sample was 

sent to the laboratory of the Carnegie Technical Schools in Pittsburgh, 

Pa., where a proximate analysis and calorific test resulted as follows:

( Analysis of air-dried sample of best 5 feet of Anderson coal.

Air-drying loss................................................ 2. 80

Moisture..................................................... 3. 91

Volatile matter....................:........................... 32. 21

Fixed carbon................................................. 31. 34

Ash.................'...................................-.-...- 32.54

Sulphur....................................................... 1.91

Calorific value in British thermal units.......................... 8, 699

The Carter coal in sec. 29, on the northwest slope of Eden Ridge, 

has the following section:

Section of Carter coal in sec. 29, T. 32 S., R. 11 W.

Shaly sandstone (?) roof. Ft. in. 

Shaly coal, variable, banded................................... 4 9

Coal, some good, but mostly bony ............................. 2 6

Shaly sandstone floor.

The material exposed in an open cut is fresh, and some of the bestlooking lustrous coal of the region occurs in the lower portion of the 

bed at this exposure. A sample of a continuous section of the best 5 

feet of coal at this outcrop was taken .for analysis and calorific test.
COAL. 139

As the bed contains no prominent parting which could be picked out 

in mining, nothing was rejected from the sample. The results of the 

analysis and test in the laboratory of the Carnegie Technical Schools 

at Pittsburgh, Pa., are as follows:

Analysis of air-dried sample of best 5 feet of Carter coal.

Air-drying loss.............,.......................'........... 2. 40

Moisture..................................................... 5. 08

Volatile matter................................................ 27. 25

Fixed carbon................................................. 40. 51

Ash........................................................... 27.16

Sulphur.......................................:............... .49

 Calorific value in British thermal units.......................... 9,074

Owing to environment and composition, especially the high percentage of ash, the Anderson and Carter coals were in 1907 not 

considered workable for transportation, but their calorific Value is 

such as to suggest the possibility of using them on the ground as a 

source of power in a gas-producer engine. The later more detailed 

researches of Mr. Campbell in 1912 and Mr. Lesher in 1913 have 

enabled them to give a more favorable report on the Eden coal field.

LOOKINGGLASS AND CAMAS VALLEY FIELDS.

Small outcrops of coal have been known for many years in the 

vicinity of Lookingglass, about 8 miles west of Eoseburg, but not 

until 1909 was any considerable attempt made at development. At 

that time a tunnel was run in on a coal bed that showed 2 feet of good 

coal with marked block cleavage. The bed is overlain by a firm 

carbonaceous coaly shale that will make a fair roof and underlain by 

a dark-gray slippery clay that is likely to give trouble in mining. 

The coal was used for a time in a smithy and promised so well for 

other purposes that the prospect was sold, but operations soon ceased. 

As far as known the coal is of small extent and can not be mined, 

successfully on any considerable scale.

Similar outcrops have been found at a number of points in that 

region, especially near Camas Valley. They were prospected by the 

same promoting company in 1909 with much enthusiasm, but as far 

as reported no large bodies of coal have been opened up.

COAL FIELD ON THE NORTH FORK OF THE TJMPQTTA.

Small beds of coal have been found on the North Fork of the 

Umpqua, also on Little River and Cavatt Creek, as well as Coal Creek, 

which flows into the Calapooya. All these localities are near the 

eastern border of the Roseburg quadrangle and indicate the accumulation of vegetation along the shores of the ancient Eocene sea. 

None of the beds are of considerable economic importance. It is
140 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

said that a wagonload was taken out on the North Fork and hauled 

to Roseburg for trial, but its quality did not prove to be especially 

good. Several tons have been removed from an opening near the 

mouth of Cavatt Creek, for blacksmithing, but the supply is limited. 

An analysis of the coal from this locality shows its composition to be 

as follows:

Analysis of coal near the mouth of Cavatt Creek. 

Moisture.................................................... 4. 64

Volatile matter............................................... 38.54

Fixed carbon................................................ 39.00

Ash.......................................................... 17.80

Sulphur...................................................... .44

100.42

Other prospects for coal have been made between the Coast and the 

Cascade ranges by the Southern Pacific Co. near Comstock, north of 

Drain, but very little coal was discovered.

ROGUE RIVER VALLEY COAL FIELD.

Of the coal fields in southwest Oregon the one in Rogue River 

valley (see fig. 22, p. 131) is the most conveniently located with reference to the Southern Pacific Railroad. A number of years ago this 

coal field was prospected by the Southern Pacific Co., but coal production did not follow immediately. Since then there has been a 

great deal of prospecting, especially in the vicinity of Medford and 

Ashland. As a result the field is known to be about 80 miles in length 

and only a few miles in width, dipping eastward beneath the Cascade 

Range. Parts of it are described in detail elsewhere. 1

Considerable coal has been mined and sold for local use, but the 

large percentage of ash, as shown in the following analysis, impairs 

it for domestic purposes:

. Analysis of sample of coal (No. 5346) obtained near Medford, Oreg. 

[F. M. Stanton, chemist in charge, U. S. Geol. Survey fuel-testing plant.]

Ash.............................................................................

As received.

11.30

23.39

31.89

33.42

1.16

4,183

7,529

Air dried.

2.00

9.49

23.87

32.54

34.10

1.18

4,268

7,683

i Diller, J. S., The Rogue River valley coal fleld, Oreg.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 341, pp. 401-405,1909.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PUBLICATIONS. 141

For the present the coal beds from Ager, in California, to Evans 

Creek, in Oregon, are only of local interest as a source of fuel, but 

detailed examinations in the future may show these coals to be 

more extensive than they are now supposed. If so, they may 

become, with the improvement of gas producers, important sources 

of power.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PUBLICATIONS ON SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

[The asterisk (*) indicates publications out of stock.] 

ANNUAL REPORTS.

*Fourteenth, Part II, 1894. 597 pp., 74 pis. Includes: (g) Tertiary revolution in the 

topography of the Pacific Coast, by J. S. Diller. 38 pp., 8 pis.

*Seventeenth, Part I, 1896. 1076 pp., 67 pis. Includes: (c) A geological reconnaissance in northwestern Oregon, by J. S. Diller. 80 pp., 13 pis.

*Nineteenth, Part III, 1899. 785 pp., 99 pis. Includes: (c) The Coos Bay coal field 

Oreg., by J. S. Diller, 68 pp., 13 pis.

*Twentieth, Part III, 1900. 595 pp., 78 pis. Includes: (a) The Bohemia mining 

region of western Oregon, with notes on the Blue River mining region and on the 

structure and ag<? of the Cascade Range, by J. S. Diller, accompanied by a report 

on fossil plants associated with the lavas of the Cascade Range, by F. H. Knowlton. 58pp., 6 pis.

*Twenty-second, Part II, 1901. 888 pp., 82 pis. Includes: («) The gold belt of the 

Blue Mountains of Oregon, by Waldemar Lindgren, 226 pp., 16 pis.

^Twenty-second, Part III, 1902. 763 pp., 53 pis. Includes: (fc) The Pacific coast 

coal fields, by Geo. Otis Smith. 40 pp., 4 pis.

MONOGRAPH.

XLVIII. Status of the Mesozoic floras of the United States (second paper), by L. F. 

Ward with the collaboration of W. M. Fontaine, Arthur Bibbins, and G. R. 

Wieland. In two parts. 1905. Parti, 66pp.; Part II, 119 pis. Price $2.25.

PROFESSIONAL PAPER.

*59. Contributions to the Tertiary paleontology of the Pacific Coast; I, The Miocene 

of Astoria and Coos Bay, Oreg., by W. H. Ball. 1908. 270pp., 23 pis.

BULLETINS.

*193. The geological relations and distribution of platinum and associated metals, by 

J. F. Kemp. 1902. 95 pp., 6 pis. (Platinum in California and Oregon, pp. 

51-56.)

*196. Topographic development of the Klamath Mountains, by J. S. Diller. 1902. 

69pp., 13 pis.

*315. Contributions to economic geology, 1906, Part I. 1907. 505 pp., 4 pis. Includes: (c) Nickel deposits of Nickel Mountain, Oreg., by G. F. Kay, 8 pp.

*340. Contributions to economic geology, 1907, Part I. 1908. 482 pp., 6 pis. Includes: (a) The mines of the Riddles quadrangle, Oreg., by J. S. Diller and 

G.F.Kay,19pp.
142 MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON.

341. Contributions to economic geology, 1907, Part II. 1909. 444 pp., 25 pis. Includes: (c) The Rogue River valley coal field, Oreg., by J. S. Diller, 5 pp.

*380. Contributions to economic geology, 1908, Part I. 1909. 406 pp., 2 pis. Includes: (a) Mineral resources of the Grants Pass quadrangle and bordering 

districts, Oreg., by J. S. Diller and G. F. Kay; Notes on the Bohemia mining 

district, Oreg., by D. F. MacDonald. 37 pp., 1 pi.

387. Structural materials in parts of Oregon and Washington, by N. H. Darton. 

1909. 36pp., 9 pis.

431. Contributions to economic geology, 1909, Part II. 1911. 254 pp., 12 pis. Includes: (&) Preliminary report on the Coos Bay coal field, Oreg., by J. S. Diller 

and M. A. Pishel, 37 pp.

WATER-SUPPLY PAPERS.

214. Surface water supply of the north Pacific coast drainage, 1906, by J. C. Stevens,

Robert Follansbee, and E.G. La Rue. 1907. 208 pp.,3 pis. 

252. Surface water supply of the north Pacific coast, 1907-8, by J. C. Stevens and

F. F. Henshaw. 1910. 397 pp., 9 pis. 

272. Surface water supply of the north Pacific coast, 1909, by J. C. Stevens and

F. F. Henshaw, 1911. 521 pp., 8 pis. 

292. Surface water supply of the north Pacific coast, 1910, by F. F. Henshaw, G. C.

Baldwin, and G. C. Stevens. 1913. 685 pp., 3 pis..

GEOLOGIC FOLIOS.

[Each folio contains topographic and geologic maps, with text describing the geology and mineral resources

of the quadrangle.]

*Roseburg folio (No. 49), by J. S. Diller. 1898.

*Coos Bay folio (No. 73), by J. S. Diller. 1901. 

Port Orford folio (No. 89), by J. S. Diller. 1903. Price 5 cents.

TOPOGRAPHIC SHEETS.

[Relief shown by contours. Price 10 cents each or 6 cents each for 50 or more maps.] 

Ashland and Klamath sheets. Scale, 1: 250,000.

Roseburg, Coos Bay, Port Orford, Riddles and Grants Pass sheets. Scale, 1:125,000. 

Eugene and Crater Lake National Park sheets.- Scale, 1: 62,500. (The Crater Lake

National Park sheet has an account of the geology with illustrations of Crater

Lake.)
INDEX.

 * Page. 

Acknowledgments __________ 9 

Almeda mine, character of ore in__ 75-79 

description, of___________ 72-81 

origin of ore in. _____ _ 79-80 

plan and longitudinal section of,

figure showing _ 73 

smelter of___________ 80-81 

Alta mine, description of_ 70 

Althouse Creek, mining on_______ 118 

Anderson, Frank M., acknowledgments to ________ 10 

on the Forty-nine mines of the

Ashland region, Oreg_ 90-93 

Anderson, G. E., prospect, description of_____ 63 

Anderson, H. V., acknowledgments

to_____________ 10 

Anderson & Wilson mine, description of________ 122-123 

Applegate district, placers in_ 116-117 

Arago group of claims, description of_ 51 

Ashland region, Forty-nine mines of_ 90-93 

Augltc andesite, occurrence of _ 21

B.

Baby Foot Creek, prospects on_ _ 65 

Baby mine, description of 34-35 

Bacon, W. S., acknowledgments to_ 9 

Baily Creek, mines near_______ 51 

Bandon district, beach mining in_ 125-126 

Barlow, C. L., acknowledgments to_ 9 

Bates, P. H., analyses by____ _ 16 

Battle Bar mine, description of___ 115 

Beach placers, discovery and nature

of_____________ 125 

Beauty claim, description of _ _ 67 

Benson mine, description of_____ 117 

Big Four mine, description of__ 111-112 

Black Bear mine, description of__ 56-57 

Black Bear claim, description of__ 65 

Black Gold Channel mine, description of______:_ 108-109 

Black Hawk property, description of_ 57 

Blanchard Gulch, claims on_____ 57, 58 

Blanco mine, description of_____ 126 

Blue Bell prospect, description of_ 55 

Blue River mining region, description

of ______________ 25-26

Bohemia mining region, description

of _____________ 26-30 

development in_____ _ 28-29

map showing __________ 26 

Bowden," W. ,S., acknowledgments to_ 9 

Bowden prospects, description tof __ 69 

Braden mine, description of_____ 39-41 

Brantner mine, description of__ _ 117

Page.

Briggs Creek, auriferous gravel on_ 97-98,

101-102

mining on_____ _ _____ 124 

Brown, Will Q., -acknowledgments to_ 9 

Buckeye mine, description of_____ 61 

Buffalo group of claims, description

of-_____ ____ 55-56 

Butcher Gulch, mining on_____ 119-120

C.

Calumet mine, description of __ 63-64, 85 

Camas Valley coal field, location and

character of 139

Canyon Creek, mines on___ 68, 69, 121-122 

Canyon Creek Consolidated Gold

mines, description of__ 68-69 

Cape Blanco district, beach mining

in ___________ 126-127 

Carlton group.of claims, description ,

of___________ 60 

Casey prospect, description of 64 

Cavatt Creek, coal from, analysis of- 140 

Champlin mine, description of_ 107-108 

Chatty mine, description of __ 67-68 

Chetco Copper Co. mine, description

of___ ________ 84

Chetco River, mine on _ 84 

Chieftain Gulch, mine on_______ 60 

Cinnabar, occurrence of_________ 129

Coal, analyses of_______ 138, 139,140 

nature and distribution of___ 130 

production of ___________ 23, 130 

Coal fields of southwest Oregon, map

showing _ 131 

Coast Range, even crest of, plate

showing 12 

Coffee Creek, placers on_______ 103 

Cold Spring Copper mine, description

of_______ ___ 60 

Collier Creek prospect, description

of _____________ 85-86

Columbia mine, description of '_ 104-105

Cook mine, description of 109

Coos Bay coal field, map of 132

map of middle part of ____ 134

map of north part of _____ 134

map of T. 27 S., R. 13 W____ 134

situation of___________ 130-133

stratigraphy of__ ____ 133

structure of____ ___ 133-136

Copper, distribution of-* _ 72

mining of______ ________ 60

occurrence of ___ 29-30, 72

production of 71, 88

Copper ore, analyses of 76

Corporal G mine, description of 37

143
144 INDEX.

Page. 

Cottonwood district, Cal., Cretaceous

gravel in__._____ 89-90 

Cottonwood Valley, Cal., geologic section across, figure showing _____________ 90 

Cow Boy mine, development in___ 83 

Cow Creek, mines near 37, 86,103 

Coyote Creek, placers on____ 104 

Cretaceous conglomerate in Fortynine mine, plate showing____________ 92 

nature and occurrence of 88-90 

of Waldo, description of____ 93-95 

Cretaceous islands, shore line of,

figure showing ___ 89 

Cretaceous rocks, nature and distribution of_ 18

D.

Dacite porphyry, occurrence of 21 

Daisy mine, description of_ __ 35-36 

Days Gulch, prospects near 66, 67 

Dean and Corliss mine, description

of____________ 113 

Deep Gravel mine, description of- 119-120 

Deer Lick, claims on____ 50 

Dikes, rocks forming 21 

Dredging, Charles Janin on_^ 107-108 

Drew Creek, prospect on 87-88

B.

Bckis mine, description of , 127 

Eckley coal field, description of 136 

Eden coal field, analyses of samples

from__________ 138,139 

description of_________- 136-139 

generalized section of, figure

showing _ 138

maps showing_____ 136,137

Elwilda mine, description of _ . 52

Eureka mine, description of 62-63

Evans Creek district, placers in 106

F.

Fall Creek, claims near 65, 84 

E'aults, in the Baby mine 35 

Ferris Gulch, mining on 116 

Fiddlers Gulch, claims on _ _ 68 

Fidelity group of claims, description

of _____________ 70-71 

Field work, record of 9 

Flanagan & Emerson mine, description of_________ 112 

Foots Creek, mines on 43,107-109 

Forest Creek, mining on 110-111 

Forty-nine mine, cretaceous conglomerate in, plate showing_________ __ 92 

Free and Easy min'e, description of- 71

Q.

Galice Creek, auriferous gravel

on__________ 97,98-101 

mines on 54, 58, 59, 60

Page.

Galice district, placers in_____ 112-113 

Galice-Kerby-Waldo region, general

features of________ 46-48 

geologic reconnaissance map of_ 46 

Galls Creek, mine near________ 43 

placers on ___________ _ 106 

Geography of the region _ _ 11-14 

Geologic folios published, map showing___________ 10 

Geology of the region 14-22 

Glen Ditch mine, description of___ 109 

Gold, occurrence of ___________ 23-25 

production of__ 22-23, 24, 28-29, 46-47 

Gold Basin, gravels of, nature and

situation.of_______ 95-96 

Gold Bug mine, description of ___ 52-53 

Golden Dream mine, description of_ 65 

Golden Pheasant group of claims, de- '

scription of_______ 58 

Golden Wedge mine, description of_ 51 

Gold Hill district, placers in_____ 106 

Gold Hill pocket, description of__ 45-46 

Gold lode mines_____________ 23-71 

Gold Plate property, description of_ 59 

Gold-quartz mines. in Grants Pass 

quadrangle, map showing___________,. 40 

Gold Ridge prospects, description of_ 66-67 

Granite Hill mine, description of _ ' 42 

Granodiorite, nature of ________ 20-21 

Grants Pass quadrangle, gold-quartz 

mines in, map showing 40 

limestone outcrops in, map showing _ 16 

location of __ 39 

smaller mines and prospects in_ 45 

Grave Creek, placers on______ 104-105 

Gravels, auriferous, distribution of,

map showing__ ___ 96 

auriferous, formation of_ 14 

of Cretaceous age, nature

and occurrence of__ 88-90 

of first cycle of erosion,

description of 95-97 

of Gold Basin, nature and

situation of_______ 95-96 

of second cycle of erosion,

description of____ 97-102 

near York Butte, nature and

situation of_______ 96-97 

of third cycle of erosion,

description of_ 102 

Greenback mine, description of___ 31-34 

Green Mountain copper prospect, description of_______ 86-87 

Greenstone, gold lodes in_ 37 

Greenstones, nature of______ 19-20

H.

Harvey, J. R., cited_________ 100-101 

Harvey mine, old-channel bedrock in, 

o profile of, figure showing ___________ 101 

Higgins. mine, description of . 64-65
INDEX. 145

Page.

High Gravel mine, description of___ 94-03 

Hogue, P. F., acknowledgments to 9 

Holdswortb, P. H., acknowledgments

to _ 9, 73 

cited__________ 76-77, 78-79, 80 

Hoover Gulch, claim near _ 65, 66 

Horsehead mine, description of__ 117-118 

Horseshoe Bar mine, description of_ 114 

Howard Creek, claims on_ _ 54, 55 

Hubbert mine, description of 52 

Humbug Creek, placers on 116 

I-Iustis and Anderson claims, description of 65

I.

Ida mine, location of _ _ . 42

Igneous rocks, nature and distribution of__________ 19-2.1

Illinois River, mines near __,_ 63, 

94-05,122-124

Iridium, production of _______ 120, 127

Iron Mountain, even crest of, plate

showing_, _____ 13

J.

Jack Creek, mining on _______ 35,105 

Jacksonville district, placers in__ 109-111 

Janin, Charles, cited________ 107-108 

Jewett mine, description of_____ 44-45 

Joe Smith Gulch, mining on___ 119-120 

Johnson Creek, mines on____ 30, 102-103 

Johnston mine, description of _ 116-117 

Jones, Fayette A., acknowledgments

 to____________ 9 

Joseph Ball mine, description of__ 87 

Josephine , County, gold production

in_____________ 46-47 

Josephine Creek, cross-section profile

of, figure showing___ 121 

mines on ________ 47,70,120-122 

Juuipoff Joe Creek, placers on___ 105 

Jurassic rocks, generalized section

across, figure showing. IS 

nature and distribution of___ 17-18

Kane Creek, mining on________ 106 

Kay, G. F., acknowledgments to__ 10,

31, 39, 81

cited_______________ 87, 94-95 

Keeler Creek, mine on __________ 116 

Keystone group of claims, description of___ ____ 53 

Klamath Mountains, even crest of,

plate showing_____ 14

general relations of-_______ 11-12

Klamath Mountains and adjacent

ranges, geologic map

of ____ ____ 11

Klamath peneplain, age of ____ 95

formation of_____________ 13-14

gravel beds in _______'___ 95-97

plate showing___________ 14

Kramcr prospect, description of___ 52

L- Page.

Lance mine, description of______ 109 

Layton mine, description of_____ 11G 

Lead, production of__________ 88 

Legal Tender group of claims, description of_______ 54 

Lightning Gulch, prospects on __ 69 

Liljegran, E. W., acknowledgments

to ___________ 9, 40, 45

Limestone, outcrops of, in Grants 

Pass quadrangle, map 

showing____ 16 

Paleozoic, age of_________ 15-16 

composition of ________ 16-17 

distribution of________ 15 

Limpcy Creek, claims near______ 60-61 

Logan, Simmons & Camcron mine, 

cross section of, figure 

showing__^_ _ 94. 

description of _ '. 120 

section of tailrace of, figure

showing_________ 04 

Lookingglass coal field, location and

character of ______ 139 

Lost Flat mine, description of 60 

Lucky Bart' mine, description of 38 

Lyttle mine, development in _ _ 83

M.

Mabel mine, development in__ __ 83 

MacDonald, D. F., on the Bohemia

mining district_____ 27-30 

Maid of the Mist mine, description

of_____________ 44 

Mammoth, bones of, found near Sterling Creek______ _ 110 

Mangum, C. L., acknowledgments to_ 9 

Martha mine, description of- - 34 

Mayflower property, description of 56 

Medford, analysis of coal from 140 

Mcdford district, location of 39 

Mica schist, nature and distribution

of_____________ 14 

Mike Gulch, claims near___ 66 

Miller Creek, mines on_^______ 65, 113 

Miller and Bacon prospects, description of__________ 65-66 

Miller & Savage mine, description 'of_ 118 

Mineral production of the region__ 22-23 

Mood mine, description of__ 68 

Morphv., C. M., acknowledgements to- 42 

Mountain Lion mine, description of- 43 

Mount Bolivar region, mines in 53 

Mount Pitt mine, description of___ 36 

Mount Reuben, mines near, description of-_________ 52-53 

Myrtle Creek, mines on____ 31, 103

N.

Nickel, occurrence of____ 84, 85, 129-130 

Neil mine, description of 68 

Nesbit group of claims, description

of _______:____ 57

0.

Oak mine, description of. 

Olalla- Creek, placers on__

87

101

18014° Bull. 546 14- -10
146 INDEX.

Page.

Old-channel gravel, nature and situation of _____ 07, 98-101 

Old Channel mine, description of 98

sections in, figures showing. 98, 99, 100 

Old Glory, property, description of 62 

Old Sturgis mine, description of-- 110-111 

Onion Creek, mining on_--_--_- - 124 

Opp mine, description of ___ _ 41 

Oregon Strong Ledge, description of- 45 

Oriole mine, description of--_-- 48-50

section of contact in, figure

showing 49 

Orofino mine, description of__ ___ 36-37 

Oscar Creek mine, description of 118 

Osgood mine, description of__ 94-95 

Osmium, production of--____-- 120,127

P.

Paleozoic rocks, nature and distribution of________ 14-17 

Palmer, Chase, analysis by 76 

Pearce mine, description of 111 

Philips property, description of 67 

Phillips, J. S., analysis by_____ 16 

Pickett Creek, mining on __ 111-112 

Placers, discovery of, on Josephine

Creek __ 47 

locations and descriptions of 88-127 

on residual deposits, nature

of___________ 124-125

Platinum, production of 23,

120, 125, 126, 127, 128-129

Pleasant Creek, placers on 106

Port Orford quadrangle, description

of_____________ 30 

Publications, list of__ 141-142

Q.

Quartz Creek, claims on _ 55, 57

Quaternary formations, nature and

distribution of ______ 19

Queen Gold and Copper mine, description of ______ 60-61

Queen of Bronze mine, description

of ______________ 81-83

Quicksilver, occurrence of 129

R.

Ramsay mine, description of___ 61-62 

Rancherie Creek, prospects near- 63, 64, 85 

Red Dog Creek, mining on___ 124 

Red Elephant claims, description of- 54-55 

Red Jacket mine, location of_ 42 

Red River Gold Mining & Milling Co.

mine, description of_ 115 

Residual deposits, placers on___ 124-125 

Reynolds mine, description of_ 84 

Rich Gulch, mining on ____ 57, 98-101 

Richmond group of mines, description of_________ 50 

Riddles quadrangle, copper prospects

of_____________ 87-88 

gold lodes in___________ 39 

map showing part of 32 

mining conditions in 31

Page.

River valley, generalized cross section of, figure showing- 13 

Roaring Gimlet pocket, description

of____________ 46 

Rocky Gulch, mines on__ 48, 50, 52, 56, 113 

Rogue River, character of different

parts of__:____ 114 

claims on ___________ 51, 53

copper mine on_________ 72 

placers on _______ 104-124

Rogue River valley coal field, analysis of coal from____ 140 

location and character of__ 140-141 

Roseburg group of claims, description of__________ 70-71 

Roseburg quadrangle, description of- 31 

Rough and Ready Creek, prospect

near _____________ 84

Rowley copper prospect, description

of ___________ 87-88 

Rum Creek, claims on._________ 54

Sardine Creek, mines near___ 37, 45, 106 

Sedimentary rocks, nature and distribution of_ _____ 14-19 

Serpentine, nature of_________ 20 

Seven-thirty mine, description of__ 51-52 

Silent Friend mine, description of_ 35 

Silver, production of_________ 22-23 

Silver Creek, claims on________ 62-113 

Sixes mine, description of______ 127 

Sixes River, placers on______ 102-103 

Sixmile Creek mine, description of _ 123-124 

Slate Creek, mines on________ 61-62 

Slide Creek, mines on________ 64,65 

Soldier Creek, mine on________ 62 

 Spaulding mine, description of_'.__ 110 

Spokane property, description of__ 57 

Stanton, F. M., analysis by______ 140 

Star mine, description of_-____ 44 

Starvout Creek, placers on_____ 103

Sterling mine* description of___ 109-110 

Strenuous Teddy claim, description

of ______________ 59-60 

Structure of the region, chief features of_________ 21-22 

Sucker Creek, mining on______ 71,118 

Sugar Pine mine, description of__ 58-59 

Swastika mine, description of____ 105

T.

Tennessee Gulch, claims on __ 70, 71 

Tertiary rocks, nature and distribution of_________ 19 

Thompson Creek, mine on_______ 44 

Thompson mine, description of___ 53, 86 

Three Lodes group of claims, description of______ 57-58 

Tin, report of___-____ 58 

Tin Pan mine, description of 43 

Tom East Creek, mines on_____ 31,104 

Topographic sheets published, map

showing 10
INDEX. 147

Page.

Topography of the region! 12-14 

Treasury group of claims, descripi tion of____ ____ 54 

Tungsten, occurrence of, reported-_ 62 

Tyee Bar mine, description of 114

U.

United Copper-Gold Mines Co. mine,

description of_____ 84-85

Umpqua River, North Pork of, coal

field on________ 139-140 

placers on .. 103

V.

Vanadium, occurrence of _______ 62

Vanguard prospect, description of _ 67

Victor mine, description of 59

W. Page. 

Waldo district, mining in ____ 118-120 

Water Creek, claims near--- _ _ GO-G1 

Wells, R. C., analyses by _______ 16 

Whisky Creek, claims on _______ 52, 53 

Williams & Adylott uiiue, description of _ _______ 66 

Williams Creek district, placers lu_ 117-118 

Winkle Bar mine, description of_ __ 115 

Winters and McPherson prospects,

description of __ 69-70 

Wolf Creek, placers on _ _____ 104

York Butte, gravel of, figure showing relations of __ _ 97 

gravel of, nature and situation

of _____ -.'- _-_ __ 96-97 

Yours Truly mine, description of _ 38

0