The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-10-17
LETTERS FROM COLORADO.
HORSESHOE GULCH.

town, Leadvillc may intend 20 spread
out 10 size rivaling that Of ancient Ba-
bylon. EAST Leadyilie" is a town site
thirteen miles east of Leadvillc, and sep
araied from il by mountain range too
high and steep To be crossed by wagons,
though good pedestrians and sure footed
horses, mules and donkeys, climb over
il, ms the shortest pedestrian route he
tween said place and FairplAy
East LcadviIle will therefore be town
by itself II consists now of good site
upon which 10 erect buildings, and is
supplied with pure ice cold water l,y the
creek which traverses Horseshoe gulch.
The buildings now up, consist Of a smeIt-
er, of about fifteen tons capacity per day.
a saw mill, hotel, a boarding house,
several dwellings, and number of esb
ins and tents, the latter inhabited by
miners who are developing claims on
Sheep and other mountains which form
the sides of the gulch in which the town
Is located. This gulch begins, or at least
a road opens into il. four miles west of
Fajrplay, the metropolis of South Park.
-Four miles further along this road run
ing up the gulch, is East Leadville. The
guleh continues westward about four
miles further, when il widens and divides
into two heads, separated from each other
bya ridge of hills about midway between
the still higher mountain ranges on either
side. These heads run up about five miles
further, when both end in the high range
that crossed over, opens into several other
gulches running down 10 Leadyille. The
left hand continuation or head of the
gulch continues to be known as Horse
shoe, from "a gigantic horseshoe forma-
ton OF the mountains at its extreme
head. The right hand branch is known
as Four Mile gulch. Over the mount
aims ON the north side of this gulch is sac
ramento gulch, TO the north again is Big
Sacramento gulch. North of that, Penn
sylvania gulch, and north again is the
famous Mosquito pass, over which lies
the shortest stage route from FairplaYto
Leadville, and on which occasionally the
stages are halted 10y highwaymen who
relieve the passengers of any valuable
articles they may have on hand.
Mining is actively carried on in these
gulches, especially in Sacramento, where
mine of that name employs some eighty
miners, the ore beng shipped in sacks
to the nearest station, Hamilton, on the
South +. railroad, six miles east OF Fair
play, and thence transported by rail to
the Denver smelling works. This ore is
of high enough grade to warrant this
expensive transportation.
The impracticability of getting ore out
of the Horseshoe Gulch, renders its
smelling there n necessity, and its vast
mineral wealth has not been developed
TO any extent for lack of II smelter. This
difficulty will not exist next season, rs
Judge j. II. Il. McFerran, of Colorado
Springs, one of the wealthy men of the
mineral State, has just erected smelter
at East Leadville, which townsite he also
owns, and Will put his smclter in full
operation as early next season as the
weather permits. This viii itself cause
great development of mining claims
in that locality, and an advance of 10
Ia 80 per cent. in their market value
Judge McFerran is also the fortunate
owner of one of the richest mines in Col
orado, the Peerless, situated at the head
of Horseshoe Gulch. This mine is opened
to depth of thirty-two feet, with an av-
erage width of thirty feet, and the bot
tom, and the sides to within six feet of
the surface, are solid ore, assaying 127
ounces of silver and 80 per cent. of lead,
and how much deeper and wider the
deposit is can only be determined by ex-
tending the excavations. He has let a
contract for the taking out, this winter, of
1000 tons of this ore, 10 show the rich
ness of the mine, and intends to form q
joint stock company TO operate the mine,
the smelter, and build up the town, To-
gether. The Crusader, an equally rich
mine, lies near the Peerless. Good speci
mems of the ore assay $50 ounces of silver
To the ton, and It is not opened more thar
thirty feet into the mountain. Though
the capitalists who rush to Leadville can
not be induced to climb the steep range
and look at Horseshoe Gulch mines, ant
though mine in Horseshoe that they
nowwould not pay $5,000for would sci
readily, in Leadville gulch, for$ 100000
the facts are that Horseshoe is Il riche
gulch in the grade and extent of its min
eral deposits then the most famou!
gulches sought after by Leadville invest
ors, and in another year or two they viii
be climbing over the range like u flocl
of sheep, paying ten 10 fifty times tn
sums they would now give for Horseshoe
claims. Capital goes where capital goes
and that is about the best rule il follows
Another difference between the miner
al deposits of Horseshoe and Leadvill
gulches is that in the former prospector
who do not get paying mineral at tn
end of tunnel or u shaft ten To 20 fee
deep, quit it in disgust; and in the Lead
Vile gulches it is common thing to 6
from 80 to $50 feet down before strih
ing paying deposit. The mineral
generally quite near the surface In til
Horseshoe district, and mill run assay
of 10 to 90 ounces Of silver and 90 20 4
per cent. of lead ut a depth of ten 10 fl
teen feet are of common occurrence
Horseshoe, the assays increasing up
90 to go ounces at depths of thirty
fifty feet. The famous Little Pittsburl
at Leadville, with its immense develop
ment, averages 100 ounces of silver pc
ton, and mostiof the mines there ayeras
under 30 ounces.
The lack of smelter and of capiti
seeking investment where ore could NJ
be rapidly smelted, has kept the Hors
shoe quiet, and prospectors have uni
lately had choice ground TO locate upe
there. The gulch has, however, attracts
rapidly increasing attention during q
last few months, and prospectors a
rapidly coming in, even at this la
month of the mining season abo
timber line. Next summer will W
ness there a scene of life and activi
such as other gulches have been sho
ing the last two years. There are exc
lent points along the gulch for smelte
and an unlimited business for as MAJ
~ ,,,a,y no arectcd There is no beti