The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-07-14
RUBY CA MP!
ITS VAST STORES OF MINERAL
WEALTH.
one OF THE LIVE CAMPS OF COLORADO !

The following interesting article in
relation to our camp was written by a
regular correspondent of the Denver
Tribune, who recently spent several
days here:
Arriving in Ruby Camp, twenty-five
miles from Gunnison City, on Ham
mond's stage line, we found the town
alive with people. x
With regard to Indians here, the
people here never dream of them, and
the nearer you get to the reservation
in travelling through this country the
less of the Utes you hear.
All are here following up their usual
avocation, that of mining, as if there
were no Indians in existance, and on
due examination of this camp, we find
ten times the development generally
accredited to Ruby Camp. While
further back east Ruby Camp is
spoken of as place where the red
man roams at large, bringing death
ard destruction to his intended VIC
Tins, here the people are all quiet and
peacefully sinking down deep into the
bowels of the earth, proving up some
of the richest mines in the world, and
laying bare to the view the natural
wealth these mountai ms contain.
The position and surroundings of
Ruby Camp is the most enchanting
and romantic - be ~fsaHd in tless
mountains. Lying in deep and
narrow vallsy, on either side the lofty
mountain ranges, densely covered
with pine, rise upwards to the clouds,
while facing northwest the Elk Noun
tains rise up in grandeur and magnih-
cence, their defiles being imbedded
with snow. No more advantageous
location can be found for mines and
mining interests, on account of the
great number of eXtensives basins, on
which the groupings of the lodges of
the various mines stand out in bold re-
lief, and at these points on the vein
the work of development is generally
going on, thereby making the best
mines here accessible with wagon.
The extent of the veins in this dis
trict have been maliciously represent
ed as being small We do not under
stand how any man could, on due ex-
animation of even the outcroppings in
this camp, render such a decision. In
our examination of many mines here,
we find the veins to be mammoth ones,
measuring from three to fifty feet, and
in many instances the width cannot be
ascertained. We, ourself, have
measured veins with pay streak of
from 10 to IA feet in width.
The ores are of the very highest
grade of mineral bearing rock, con-
sisting of ruby, cochineal, wire and
brittle silver, gray copper, galena,
pyrites of iron and gold. 1t will be
understood that ruby silver is richer
character of silver than the native
metal, and cochineal ruby the highest
grade of silver known to the chemist
or metallurgist. There are but two
mining districts on this continent IN
which these characters of minerals ex-
ist, and here they crop out on the sur
face of veins in remarkable quantities.
We will now give succinct ac-
count of the best or paying mines sur
rounding this town, commencing with
the first discovery called the Ruby
Chief, discovered after hardship and
toll by James Brennand and Charles
Deferbaugh, who have gained histori-
cal notoriety in this camp by finding
a good mine and sticking to it.
The Ruby Chief is a private enter
prise run solely by the above two dis
coverers, and consists OF three full
claims, which have some 100 feet of
developments, consisting of tunnels
and shafts. The vein is we'll proven,
and IS II feet in width. From present
operations without drifts or stopes
there are - tons Of ore on The dump,