The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-09-04
AURIFEROUs A V
Rich Deposit. in v.r,ou. Part. o

Perhaps the most extensive I'M
worked beds of auriferous gravel on
the Pacific, coast, between British Col
umbia and Mexico; are in Yavapai
county, Arizona territory. This great
county occupies the center of the nor
thern half of Arizona and covers an
area of thirty thousand square miles,
all included within the elevated
plateau in which the greater portion of
the territory lies. This high table,
land is traverscd by a number of short,
broken mountain ranges. trending usu-
ally northwest and southeast. All Of
these in the southern part of the coun-
ty are rich in minerals, principally
gold silver, and copper. The general
slope of the mountains from base of
foothills to SUBMITS is very gradual,
although in places the high ridges of
some of the ranges rise quite abruptly
from the basefhllls, and the formation
has been favorable for the deposition
of vast gravel beds. as in the middle
Sierra count es. of Cal fornia.
Placer mining has been carried on
in Yavapai for mor than twenty
years. but a comparatively small
amount of ground has been worked,
owing to the scarcity of water. al
though this country is more highly IA
vorcd in that respect than others in
the territory. Daring the rainy sea-
son the m mes most convenient to the
water supply We're worked so long as
the latter lasted. and in MANY cases
yielded enormously. 1t is not known
that the average Richness of the I'M
worked placers is fabulously great.
and probably they are rot more so
than were those of the Ell Dorado of
the Golden state, tut there are GER
Ia My large areas that would prove
veritable bonanzas were it poss bic to
place them under 4 sufficient water
supply.
The same old experience of other
surface d ggings has Keen repeated
here, AS soon rs It became impossi-
bic to work the mines so as TO make
them yield TO the very best advantage
due to the expense of conducting
water to them or to Il scarcity of the
same-they We're forSaken. Many of
these same mines to-day VII pay, and
some OF them are paying good wages
to those engaged in working them,
The tine has come here for the miner
TO be satisfied with reasonable wages.
There has been Very Little enterprise
shown in developing the placermin ne
industry, an important part of the
wealth of this section. BY construct
ing dams in suita lie places and con-
serving the water in natural basins in
the mountains where there is an over
abundance, the period of working the
placers IN ght be extended every year
to at least two or three tines the
length of the rainy season (Which in
Arizona occurs during the summer),
and in the more favored local ties dur
ing the twelve months. No lar c
works Of tn kind, common in other
parts of the west, have been attempted
here. An outlay of many thousands
of dollars would be naturally involved.
but several local ties might be named
where such would prove a paying in
yestment.
A few words relative to what has
been done in earlier days viii be OF
interest, and 4 br eff resume of such,
ma My condensed from the accounts
of a few of the principal d STREETS, as
recorded in the"Resources of Arizona,
publ shed under the authority of the
terr torial leg Stature. WI be given.
One of the oldest d stricts is that OF
Lynx Creek, S X miles east of Prescott.
The creek giving the name to the dis,
trict has been one of the richest gold.
producing streams in the territory. and
it is estimated that over 81. oO0, 900 has
been taken from the gravel bed.
through VIII CHI it passes. They arc
still worked where wateris obtainablt
in suilic cnt quantity. OF this district
more Will be said later. The oldest
d street in Yavapai, in the northwes
tern part of the county, IS lannon's rs
the scene of the d scoverv of X CHI hill
In a depression on the summit of the
mountain. about six thousand fee
above tidewater. the coarse gold was
foundS lying on the bare bed rock
Pieces OF the pure metal worth sevcra
hundred dollars We're p cked up. ant
over 5000, 900 was taken from abou
an acre OF ground. Butcher knivc:
were used to dig the gold out of thu
seams in the rock. and it was not al
uncommon thing to find from Sl,OO.
to s.. 900 under a small boulder. How
the gold was deposited in such 4 place
is Il mystery which has not vet beer
solved. The eulches and ravines run
ming down from the mountain con
tanned considerable treasure, and al,
worked by Mcxicans up to the prcscn
time. 1t is est mated that Weave
has produced over $1,000 900 in place
gold. The MeNicans who st II renal
there dry-wash the gravel. by whicl
process 4 large percentage of the COL
is lost, and were it not that it is yer
coarse they could not make it pay. A
it is. they do very well. and dur No tn
short time that water IS to be had t
enable them to use the rocker or pan
often obtain such results as wer
heard Of when placer-m n no was j
its glory in Californ; a. Others in tina
district pack the gravel % water o
donkevs a distance of five or SIX NILE
and ''pan t OUT and make wages
Unfortunately there are no larg
streams near the richest part of tn
Weaver district. and mining is carrie
on in the face of every disadvantage
and necessarily on a limited scale
Hassayampa district has also turne
out a large amount of treasure, BIT
less than the two above mentioned
These are the most notable placer d.:
II. cts. but there are others of less in
p%ortance on smaller streams. Yay:
pal county has turned out more gol
than alEthe other counties in the teri
tory; but i'll the yield of bullion of a
kinds the small county of Cochise, J
the southeastern corner OF Arizon;
takes the lead.
The only hydraulic mine in Yavap'
county is in the Lynx Creek distric
the property of F. NJ. Murphy Il Br'
The gravel carries a large amount
gold. and the lack of a sufficient SUI
ply of water is all that prevents it fro,
being n Of the most valuable mimi
nronerties in tho territory. On tn