St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-04-11
Gold Mines of the Rocky Mountains.


ry reports, and as facts are not yet before tn
people, doubt still seems to exist whethc
gold in any considerable quantity abounds il
the Pixies Peak Regions or not Observation
and experience of intelligent and practica
miners, and the result of the past season,
operations in the mines, present facts which
well enable all to form a tolcrably correc
opinion. Developments and reliable statistic
will soon be made public, which will settl,
the whole question. The belt of gold bearing
regions, so far as at present discovered, ant
partially prospected, extends from the NORTH
Fork of the Platte south-easterly to the San
Juan Mountains, varying in breadth from fif
teen to forty miles. A portion of this belt
crosses the summit of the Rocky Mountains
near the head waters of the Arkansas, and ex.
tends down the western slope in the direction
of the Rio Grande.
Throughout this vast region, gold deposits
are found mainly in two different positions,
according as they have been acted on by fire
or water. The primary position is in the
CrcvCcs of the rocks of the mountains, called
lodcs or leads, evidently forced up by power.
full volcanic action. The other positions where
gold is found deposited are on the higher lev
els and plateaus, called the Patch Diggins, -
in the valleys between the present bed of the
stream and the mountains, called the Bar Dig
gins, and in the smaller valleys on rivulets and
streams, called the gulch diggns The gold
in the plateaus, bars and gulchcs, is found
from two to ten feet below the surface in fine
particles or small nuggets. The primary posi-
ton, as above stated, is in the crevices of the
solid rock, called lodeS or leads. These leads
are composed Of quartz rock, varying in width
from one inch to ten or twelve feet. and ey
tending from the surface to an unknown dis
lance below, and have evidently been forced
up in fused state through the assures and
crevices of the rock, by some powerful vol
canic agency.
In these veins of quartz rock the gold is
found deposited in particles so fine as not to
be visible to the naked eye Portions of the
rock are sometimes found where particles of
gold may be seen varying in size from minute
points to nuggets as large as mustard-seed
Such specimens appear to have been subjected
to intense heat, being burned almost to Gin
der, presenting dark, sponge like appear
ance. There does not appear to be any crys-
talized quartz in these leads. The general ap-
pearance of the quartz is of yellowish hue,
and the average density and specific gravity
are nearly that of well burned brick.
Near the surface. where these leads have
been subjected to the action of the elements
and chemical agencies, the quartz is found in
a decomposcd state disintegrated, or easily
crumbled by slight mechanical action The
farther down these leads are worked, the rich
cr is the quartz even at the depth of seventy
feet, the yield of the ore is some twenty per
cent. more than at or near the surface From
this fact, and indications of the quartz at diff
tercnt depths, biologists with good apparent
reason have been led to conjecture that the
gold and the debris in which it was lodged
were once in a fused state thousands of feet
below the surface; and by some powerful sub
terranean CONFUSION or volcanic agency. this
melted mass has been forced up through the
creviccs of the solid rock As the gold was
much the heaviest material in this fused mass.
the richer portions would, by the force of
specific gravity, be found at and near the bot
tom. On this hypothesis, we can readily &C.
count for the varied richness of the ore at diff
fcrent depths of the leads. When the erup-
ton occurred. evidently must have been
the case, the lighter and less richer portions
being at the top Of the mass, would be forced
up first. Further, this melted mass must as
present appearances indicate, have been forced
up through some leads, and flowed over the
surface to a very considerable distance and
this accounts in very satisfactory manner for
the varied richness Of the ore in leads in the
immediate vicinity of each other, and espec-
tally for the deposits of gold found few feet
below the surface in the patch and guch dig
gings.
In the Nevada district there is hill several
hundred feet high, through which run some
lozcn rich leads. The ascent on the north
side of this hill is very steep. On the top is
/ level portion of land, and then it slopes off
gradually for considerable distance toward "a
sulch on the south easterly side The descent
near the gulch is precipitous. On this level
portion and down this slope, from two to ten
eet under the surface, deposits of gold are
been dug over by miners who have made |
rood day wages. 1t seems as if this fused |
mass, when forced up through the leads spoken
If, flowed over this level portion, and like
his slope to the gulch below, where gold is
likewise found in considerable quantities
Assuming that there was once such an erup
ion, as facts now clearly indicate, the melted
Material thrown up and exposed, as it must
ave been, during countless ages and untold
enturies to the action of the elements, grad
ally became oxidized, and 10y means of water.
rosts and other chemical agencies slowly and
acting it has been changed into soil,
pom which trees now grow and in which gold
now found. With all these facts before us.
&c may feel warranted in the conclusion that
hese leads extend several thousand feet below
he surface, and at some point in this i'm
lense depth, the ore, could it be reached by .
le efforts of the miners, would be nearly
lass Of pure gold, Granting the above views g.,
} be correct, it follows that the leads through
1t this vast region will vary greatly in rich
,ss, and also the deposits in the valleys.
'mc will pay richly at the surface, and 9TH
S poorly, but grow richer the deeper they
e worked; and hence the varied success or .
ant of success of those who dig for gold, and .
e unfavorable reports of those who return !.
'me penniless, outfit spent, and seasons q,
Dor lost.
That there is plenty of gold in the Rocky :,
ountains is no longera question. The thco-
to be solved, and about which everybody :,
els interested, is, can it be got at The past =,
ason's operations have in some degree set ,
I'd this question, especially when we take in /,
the account that much of the time and con- =
lcrable money were consumed in experiment. -,
N From OF hat \