The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-07-21
WYOMING COPPER FIELDS.


Nj. f. J. Stanton, of Cheyenne, late
territorial geologist has examined the
principal mine at Hart, 'lle, the Village
Belle, and reports that il is IL miles
from Hartville, in Copper gulch, 100
miles north of Cheyenne, and about II
miles west of Fort Laramie. Copper
gulch divides the claims of the Village
Belle and the Sunrise, the latter having
an immense body of copper ore exposed
to view, and is now being developed by
its owners There are two tunnels in
the Village Belle, an upper and a lower
one. The upper tunnel is about 40 feet
long 10 feet high and 8 feet wide. At
the entrance there is a bed of red and
yellow decomposed ochreous oxide of
iron beneath this a streak of pink ses-
quioxide of iron then again occurs a
few inches of the red and yellow ochre.
Next comes the copper ore, which 10
freely distributed through the chocolate
colored jasper rock, enormously called
by the miners g agate" Then comes a
bed of brown hematite iron ore, which
invariably covers, as it does in this case.
the mineral copper mass. This mass of
ore is raised about 3 feet high from the
floor and extends back TO the breast of
the tunnel for about 10 feet and is about
7 or 8 feet in width. He has assayed
picked specimens running 40 per cent,
others, considered as an average ore,
3S per cent, and again. % per cent
the ore being throughout of a uniform,
compact character, without seams or
barren streaks. Overhead, in the cell
ing, the ore continues. On both sides
the ore body seems continues, though
no ore excavation has been attempted.
Beautiful specimens of the ore are
i~nterspersed through the red jasper,
carrying native copper in nuggets. Near
the entrance to the tunnel, and for some
distance In, are streaks and blot ches,
but further in the order is in one solid
mass, and apparently continuous.
The lower tunnel is so feet in length,
6 feet 6 inches by 5 feet wide. 1t is very
similar to the upper tunnel, with iron
ore on the breast, horizontal contact,
through it, like the other one, with
copper below the iron and back of it.
Twenty-Five feet from the entrance is a
vein or mass of jasper and green copper
the whole width of the tunnel, and
probably four feet further along it. The
ore has not been reached in mass in
this tunnel, but there is every indica-
ton that it will be struck at a few feet.
The same kind of ore has been found on
the northeast side of the mountain,
which would lead me to suppose 1t was
a continuous vein. No well defined
walls have yet been developed. at all
events the present amount of workIdone
discloses an immense mass of ore, the
extent Of which can only be definitely
estimated by further exploration.
Float and groupings of ore were found
above the workings on the surface of
the mountain, which still further in.
dorses the view that it extends far be-
yond what at present is in sight.
The ores found here are the chryso-
cola or copper green, which is a hydra
ted s~ilicate, and runs, when pure, about
As per cent. copper and 80 silica or
quartz. There is also chalcoclte or
copper glance, vitreous copper, which,
when pure, carries about so per cent.
copper and 20 sulphur. There are also
the carbonates and oxides in great vari-
ETY., distributed through this district.