Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-04-29
FROM COLORADO
The GunnisOR COuntry-Kts
Mines. &c.
CORRESPONDENCE lNLepENDENT.


showing SO hard that l AN compelled
to be indoors, my mind reverts 10
the old burg aud the old friends left
behind several Years ago. Feeling
thus / thought perhaps a letter to
the INDEPENDENT. from one of
her boys, IN regard TO this country
and its surrounding. would be &C
ceptabie to the publishers and utter
esting To some of its readers at least,
and at the same time it would be a
pleasant way to pass some of the
leisure at my command.
The o BE joyful Gulch is situated
between two high Ills or mountains
some parts of which are covered
with timber from the foot TO the
very top, while III other places there
is nothing TO be seen but snow, with
here and there ledge of rocks which
look as if they were ready To tumble
from their lofty heights and bury
everything in the valley beneath
them This gulch is about five miles
long from the mouth to the head,
and is filled from one end To the
other with prospect holes, some of
which are very good, while others
do not show trace of anything but
lots of hard work.
At the head of the gulch. in the
Democrat and o Be joyful Basins
there are some of the best mines in
this county. Among some of the
most prominent are the Lehigh Val
ley Company's of Pennsylvania
This company have had "a large mum
Der OF miuers at work on their prop
erty all winter, and have group of
seven mines located on the Divide
between Dark Canyon and Democrat
Basin They are now engaged in
running IL tunnel to cut these veins.
one of which they were successful in
cutting the other day at distance
of seventy feet from mouth of tunnel,
which ran $50 ounces of silver to the
ton. The Argo is also another very
good niue, which has Il vein of min
eral fur feet, four inches wide car
ries native and brittle silver and
runs AS high as $4,000 To the ton
The Schu, lkill, bttw-en Democrat
streak % inches, almost solid galena,
and has been bond Il to IA Boston
company for $40,000 The Balti-
more, on the same lead as the
Schuylkill, has also been bonded tor
a large amount. The Lark, Golden
City, Lucy Lee, Winnie, Little
Annie, Eclipse, Col. Baker Load and
a group of seven owned by "A Cali
fornia company are all good prospects
anu run from 200 IN 2 600 ounces of
silver to the ton. The Black Bess is
a daisy" and is the largest lead in
this county, measuring nine feet
from wall to wall. The Emily Lee
and Caroline, owned by William
Shurnburg, of New York, are both
good claims and run way up.
There are lots more of just as good
if not better claims han | have men,
toned in this gulch, but think |
have named mines enough. | know
there are those who Will be inclined
to doubt some of Try statements IA
to the mines and''prospects" in thi-
section, and | will say To all such
that if they will come up here this
summer they will fiud II just as | say
Persons from the East need have
no fears now in making "a trip In the
GunnisOn country, for the Denver
and Rio Grand railroad runs tn ough
the richest part of this (Gunnis0D)
county and there are large hOiels al
nearly every station. Tie creeks
and rivers abound with trout and
the angler CAN find all the sport ht
may wish. The best bait know I
for the streams out here is about two
inches o. giant powder, but DIS this
mode of fishing does not meet with
the approval OF the Stale and is quite
dangerous it is not much followed.
There arr two other mines L would
like to mention. One Yankee Blade,
owned by the Belmont Mining
Company of st. Louis. and, in my
opinion the best mine, III the gulch,
assaying from 80 to LOO ounces OF
silver To the ton; the other belongs
to your humble servant, and | call IL
the Benton, after the county III Iowa
/ lived in before coming To Colorado.
The Benton is as good looking a
claim as there is in the gulch for the
amount of work done Oh her, but as
i have never had All assay am un-
able TO say what she does run. l
intend to do more work on her be
fore we start up the mill, and may
write you sometime during the sum
mer and acquaint you with my
success or failure as it may be.
am still in the saw mill business,
having associated with me a young
man from Albany, N. T., by the
name of Smith. The other bows.