Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-09

Sunshine, COiOradO-Its Mines-Rfch tsStrikes''-SOciety in a Mining Town. SUNSHINE, BOULDER Co.,, Cor ,l Feb. P, 1880. ] ! To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 An occasional copy of your JOURNAL reaches
 this Rocky Mountain mining ''camp," sent by | brother who is citizen of your town and l subscriber to your paper. Life in a mining | community is not so exciting that one loses all interest in home affairs and your sheet is always warmly welcomed.
 Mining matters are receiving so much at
 tention in the East that take it for granted your readers will be interested in any infor-
 nation on that subject, so it has occurred to
 me to write letter descriptive of what is
 going on in this section of the State. Sun
 shine is one of the principal mining centers of
 the telluride district and is located
 thirty five miles northwest of Denver
 and six miles back in the foothills
 from Boulder-the nearest railroad town.
 It is beautiful for situation and mild of
 climate, nestling as it does on the southeastern
 slope of mountain and protected at the north
 by circle of high hills. The altitude is about
 7,500 feet, being 2,000 feet above the plains,
 the view of which on a clear day is really
 grand, Denver and other towns being plainly
 visible through the rarefed atmosphere, which
 enables one to watch the farming operations
 in the Boulder Valley the s'banner" agricul-
 tural district of the State.
 Five years ago, before the Leadville carbon
 ate deposits were discovered, the excitement
 was here in the telluride mines, which produce
 the richest gold known to mineralogy, very
 fine specimens of which may be seen in the
 Peabody Museum at Yale College. But in it's
 short history, which dates back only six years,
 Sunshine has passed through the experience and shared the vicissitudes of the now historic
 mining camp. In common with all the other
 camps of the State it was nearly depopulated
 by the great stampede to Leadville in
 bonates of that place have since so completely monopolized the attention of East ern people Gas far as mining is conoerned) that the north of Colorado has been almost
 wholly unnoticed. But it has not been dead, for many who owned good property here re- sisted the impulse to join the rush to the south and have been quietly developing their claims, so that Boulder county actually pro duced more precious metal last year than in any previous year of it's history.
 There is still much doubt among miners as to the extent of the carbonate deposits of Leadvllle, but our true Assure" veins can never be worked out, and mining hers is be- coming more and more of an exact science. The Sunshine mines probably the most accessible in the State, and are worked all the year round. A good deal of prospecting is going on just now, and several rich strikes have been made recently, notably the 'tEman- clpation," which has produced several thou sand dollars in the past few weeks at very small expense. Its high grade ore mills at the rate of over $10,O00 per ton, and second grade from two to five hundred dollars per ton. The spring of 1880 will open very aus piciously for the mining interests of the State The miner has 8 better market for his ore than ever before. The smelling works at Boulder charge twenty four dollars per ton beside ten per cent. of the value of the gold and silver to cover loss in treating. This is reduction on the price of one year ago of eleven dollars Con one hundred dollar ore) The miner at present can take his ore to Boulder, have it crushed, sampled and assayed, get his money and return home, all in one day.
 A few of the mines of Boulder county which have more than local reputation are the Red Cloud, Gold Spring, American, Grand View, Melvina, Caribou, Slide, Smuggler, Golden Age, John Jay and others. Some of them are represented by specimens in the Peabody Museum. with even in the Rocky Mountains. | There is usually weekly lyceum in the school house, which building is also used for preach ing services, Sunday school, town meetings, | dances, lectures, concerts, &c., in fact is | kind of modern Forum.
 Those Eastern people who have an idea that the people on the frontier are only a few de- grees removed from savages are not well in formed, as they always find out very soon more cosmopolitan place than a mining camp, | and there is no better discipline for young 1 man than year or two of life among the | miners. BUENo