Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-07-25
GOLD AT BRECKENRIDGE.
Some Late Information About the
Recent Discoveries of Valuable
PIacers.

Recent Discoveries of Valuable
PIacers.
Several days ago we announced,
says the Breckenridge Journal, the
gold strike made near the head of
Gold Run basin. The basin has long
been held in traditional high estlma-
ton because of the rich diggings at
the mouth of it as it debouches upon
the Swan. where years ago, under the
name of Buffalo, millions of gold was
taken out by pan and rocker. and
miners were as thickly studded upon
the rick earth as it was possible to
work. The bed rock was stripped,
robbed of its treasure and then aband-
oned. Although the lower Gold
Run was abandoned there were men
who had faith in the richness of the
upper basin, and some of them have
for years continued doing annual as
sessments on property which has fail
I'd thus far to return a golden fleece.
Some four weeks ago party of four
of five, represented by Mr.. Moody,
came in from the lower country and
proceeded to prospect Systematically
for .old leads. Mr. Moody has been
in that special line of business for the
last twenty years and knowing of the
riches taken from the Buffalo flats in
the days gone by, he concluded to
test the upland country above it; for
days and weeks the party were tramp
ing, digging and panning for the in
dications that were below the source
until last week they neared the crest
of the mountain or rim OF Gold Run
basin, when the spot they were lock-
ing for was at their picks points. The
first vein they struck, the Jumbo,
proved to be eight feet and upward in
width and paid handsomely to every
pan taken out; they continued pros
pecting, and on the same bench about
fifty feet from the first vein they
struck second well defined vein, the
Buffalo running parallel with the
first Observing the lay OF the land
they dug numerous pits along what
they supposed would be the trend of
the vein, and in every one found gold
corresponding with that found in the
discovery shafts. In that manner
they opened veins for over four hun
dreu feet. The northwest end of the
claim overruns and extends beyond
the Big Pittsburg claims of Judge and
Dan Shock, who it seems several years
ago ran a tunnel through these veins
and never detected their value.
The value of the find last week was
soon noised aroun1, aud on Friday,
Saturday, Sunday and Monday the
territory at the head of the basin was
literally swarming with men and
thousands of pans of dirt had been
PANIED out, the yield of some of
which has been enol nous and have
beeu satisfactory. 1t is safe to say
the yield per pan has generally rang
ed from 10 to so cents and where
pan has fallen below 10 cents others
equally numerous have exceeded 81,
in few instances even quaarupling
that sum.
That the find is a genuine bonanza
there can be no doubt, the owners
make no objections to parties taking
as much earth out for trial as they de-
sire. The scarcity of water at that
altitude compels the carrying of the
truck for panning at least half mile
to pan.
The locality of Moody's find is just
over the crest of Gibson hill to the
right of the Preston trail. The trail
can be seen FROM the streets of our
town to within 500 yards of the strike
A reasonably good walker can walk
from our postotfice TO the find in just
one-half hour.
This is no excitement scheme gotten
up to draw crowds of speculative men
to a new country. 1t is simply a
statement of unvarnished facts, nor
is it at all surprising to men.familiar
with the history and Surroundings of
the locality. Buffalo fats twenty
years ago swarmed with gold diggers
and millions of the precious yellow
metal was taken out, and to-day on
the same spur at the foot of Badly the
greatest yielding gold mines of the
country are located-the Ontario, the
Boss and the Elephant. 1t may yet
prove the claim made by many that
Gibson hill is the richest mob ON the
surface of this planet.
Parties without number have stalk
ed off locations and are prospecting in
all directions throughout the basin,
and other very good paying preperty
is said to have been struck in the
neigh harhOa1