The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-04-08
Colorado Mining.
The Observations OF Portland BOY.
LEDvrrLE, COL, March 18th, 1878.

LEDvILLE, COL, March 25th 1878.
Colorado contains 10i,50O square miles, or
more than any other State excepting Texas
aud California. From the foot hills of the
Rocky Mountains to Kansas the entire
length of the State north and south is one ur-
broken prairie. A portion of the land is used
for grazing purposes, and is covered by scant,
short growth and is called buffalo grass, where
thousands of cattle, sheep, buffalo and antelopes
can be seen grazing. Farming is carried on
by irrigation excepting in a few places on the
rivers and streams. Denver is located 20 m les
from the foothills on the prairies; population
about $4,000 inhabitants, and supporting $50
rum shops, with the Murphy temperance
movement in full blast. The streets are we'll
laid out, level, straight and clean. The build
ings are mostly small, especially dwelling
houses. Times are very good and business is
brisk. Leadville is the chief point of attrac-
ton at present. What was a place
of six houses last fall is now thriving
city. People are arriving by hundreds, on foot
horseback, on carts and by stage; it ia located
175 miles southwest from Denver, directly
across the range from South Park, about Is
miles from the Rocky mountains among the
foothills. The cause for this great influx of
people is the discovery of carbonates rich in
gold and silver. There are at present 100
Buildings under construction; there are SO many
strangers here that no reliable figures can be
made as to the present population, and still
they pour in by the hundreds, each with hope
Of making "rich strike. Many will be sue
cessful as the deposits and veins are extensive
ar.1 A s.f. L.
has traced the great mineral bearing belt dis
tance of Is miles, the carbonate stains show
ing in every direction; 200 tons of leaden
bars richly laden with silver and a
sprinkling of gold ara taken to thu rail.
road each week. This district is but oae little
spot of the vast territory showing as good indi-
cations of great wealth for 40 miles beyond.
1t is constituted of siluriac lines, shales and
quar- zites lit is uuderlaid with the Potsdam sand
stone fully transformed into quartzite which in
sts turn rests on the original granite or gneiss.
The carbonate formations are very soft,one man
can do as much in day with pick and shovel as
four men can on quartz ledge by blasting.
Tellurides have been discovered 10 Boulder
county which yield thousands of dollars per ton.
The want of capital seems to be the only
drawback here; prospecters have many good
claims which they are wiiOg to sell at very
low figures in order to obtain money to work
Others. For example, prospecters work long
enough to make GRUB stake chen start with
their blankets, food pick, shovel and prospecting
pan up 10 the mountains find float ore, tr ace it
up. which sometimes takes months, and very
often fnd the vein or deposit of mineral; they
then sink a prospect hole or cross cut The
law REQUIRES that one hundred dollars worth
of work must be done each year in order to
hold the claim. which consists of fifteen bum
bred feet long by three hundred feet ia width
after five hundred dollars worth of work hav-
ing been done the United States patent can be
obtained, which gives perfect title for all time
TO come. Parties desiring to come out here
should be well provided with money, as this is
the same as other parts of the country-plenty of
men to work at all kinds of business at from 20
dollars per month and found to three dollars
Per day. J.K. CARLETON,
Assayer and Mlneralogist