Daily Yellowstone journal., 1885-07-11
FINDING A SILVER MINE.
The Discovery Made by Trio of Pros
lectors Who Were DOdging Indians
Chicago Herald


Chicago Herald
Another sensational mining discovery
was made in 1875 in Arizona. but this was
a pure silver production. 1t was one o.
the most interesting finds ever made on
the coast Three prOspectors. upeland.
Mason and alOther. were Que day dodg.
ing Indian, in the GeighbOrhood Of ueen
creek, inal county, about fifty miles from
Florence, The Indians had been very
bad that year in that region and no pros.
pectOr felt safe moment One ening
Copeland and party were looking for a
place to camp when all Of once one OF
their pack mules gave a snort and with
ears pointed forward stood stock still. A
mules scent for an Indian is keener than
that of any dog for game. and the party
knew there was danger ahead They dis.
mounted and reconnoitered.
While Core,and prepared TO scout on the
side of little rise he tied his mule to a
clump Of sage brush which grew in the
cleft Of ridge of float rock While he was
gone something scared the mule, and the
latter jerked the sage brush up and started
down the canon The party 10.
Gated -rancheria" of Indians a mile
off and wisely beat retreat undiscovered
A half mile away they picked up the
mule. the sage brush still hanging to his
bride Copeland detached It and was
about throwing il away when something
clinging to the roots attracted his atten
ton. II was a piece of shattered white
quartz. as big as walnut, the disinte
grated mass being held together by per
feet network of pure white silver threads
the size of a number eight wire. Some
of the roots Of the bush ran through the
quartz and firmly attached it. The party
were greatly excited, but they did not
then dare go back on account of the In.
dams. They staked the locality. and
Copeland fairly cudgeled his brain TO i'm
press upon 1t the exact spot he had tied
his mule.
Two weeks after they ventured back
aud to their joy found the coast clear.
For several hours they searched among
the rocks and scoria Of the vicinity, and
at last Copeland found the place where
the sage brush had been torn up. A few
minutes digging revealed the crown of
the most beautiful silver quartz ledge
any Of the prospectors had ever seem
They dug for several days on the spot
and laid bare section twenty feet long
ard ten feet wide The vein was without
foot or hanging wall, was Of pure white
quartz. with streaks Of native silver pure
white silver and blotches Of black sui.
phurets running all through 1t.
This was the discovery Of the famous
Silver King mine of to-day. This mine
has peculiar interest from the fact that
so many public men of note invested in it,
Unlike most silver mines, the Silver
King has yielded for a number OF years
II Is not 50 profitable as of old, however
The mine has paid since 1870 81 500, 900
in dividends, and has produced something
like 81, 400 900 in silver. strange TO say,
the ledge stands alone by itself Scores
of locations have been made around IL,
but nothing has ever been found in any of
them II any other evidence were needed
to prove that mining for the precious
metals is game Of chance the history Of
the Silver King deposit alone would
prove Ii.