The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-12-07
-RArTLEsNAKE nANsE.
some Very Valuable Gold Mines Dis
covered-A big Excitement

Correspondence Of the LEADER
LANDER, Wyo., Dec. A, 1879.
MI. Charles F. Blackburn, or Metal
iferous Charley" the professional me-
talic miner and prespector. has discov-
cred some valuable lodes of gold and
silver in the Rattlesnake mountains.
He has made several locations. and
says the assays are satisfactory, even
from the groupings. The character of
the gold quartz is usually Off red color.
heavily stained with oxide of iron, Civ
ing the ores a rich, rosy color, which
is a general characteristic of iron
stained, auriferous lodes. The silver
ores are blue and gray colored quartz,
stained with copper, containing the
beautiful rainbow tints, occasioned by
the carbonate, sulphate and oxide of
iron, and also pyrites and copper glance.
MI. Blackburn does not hesitate to
give any person information of the dis
coveries when solicited, but otherwise
is very quiet, and a profound stu
dent Of nature"
The geological formation of the Rat
tlesnake range, he says, is principally
chloritic, talcose and micaceous slate,
in which the lodes are situated. and he
thinks the principal lodes exist in this
metamorphic schist. The composition
of the remaining crystalline formation
is granite, gneiss, feldspar, hornblend
and syenite.
predict that next year times will be
lively in this new field, as Charley says
after he makes another trip to that re-
gion, he will contribute his report to
the territorial press, regarding the ge-
ology and general prospects, for the
benefit of the mining community.
Mr.. Blackburn was one of the pio.
neers of the Black Hills, being with
the first party of prospectors that left
Cheyenne in the spring of ZIG. He left
the Black Hills in 1877, and since ther
he has investigated the Big Horn,
Snowy, Shoshone, Owl creek, Vino
river and Teton mountains, and be-
came acquainted with the geology and
topography of the entire region, includ.
ing also the National Park. The mos,
striking ~sceneries observed in these
travels he mentions the glaciers Of the
Wind river range; the volcanic curl
osities of the Shoshone range, and the
great wonder-land-the National parl
-of great interest to any person who
loves sublimity.
Mr.. Blackburn comes to the conclu.
sion that the Rattlesnake range is the
the only part of northern Wyoming
that can be considered a metaliferou.
region. This criterion is based on geo.
logical evidence, and 1 believe his
judgment in this case is equal to thai
Of any scientist. as he is aprofessional
neurological investigator. So far he
has not made any placer discoveries
that will pay, but thinks it very proba'
BILE that such exists, as he panned Out
a few colors of shot gold, and many col
ors of fine gold which originated in the
does exist, he says its distribution will
be very limiled,
Mr.. Blackburn deserves much credit
for his persistent investigations o.
northern Wyoming, especially in de,
termining the solution regarding the
origin of the gold found around tn,
Big Horn country. A very compre
hensive article may be seer in thu
Mining and Scientific Press, which b,
had published, on the 18th of last May
J., R, s.