, 1888-05-20
OLD SPANISH MINES.
Mines in This Section Hundreds of
Years Ago.
Shafts and Tunnels in Solid Rock
Near Wendover.
The Mysterious Find to Be Exam
ined at Once.

The 'AlQ ODuulSn ullhCo VI
Laramie county will probably be examined
by Territorial Geologist Ricketts, in the
near future. Russell Thorp, who is in
the city on business, has been interested
insthe mysterious find since its discovery,
and will endeavor to induce the geologlst
to inspect the place while en- route to
| Crook county.
The old Spanish mines have been
talked of in this section since last fall,
having been discovered by a Rawhide dis
| trict prospector about, that time. The
problem confronting all visitors to the
place has so far baffied the inexperienced
~prospector and practical scientist.
These abandoned mines arc located
about eighteen miles west OF Rawhide
twenty miles north of Wendover and
| eighteen miles from Hartville. Their ex-
istence was learned by the merest acct
dent. They are located on an isolated
and elevated table land surrounded by
p~recipitous cliffs, lofty hills and deep
ravines. On the slopes of these cliffs
anu nils are hllllOuo " lOho VI ohOhS
which has been removed from its natural
place by some human agency. The
amount of labor performed can scarcely
be estimated. With modern facilities it
would require years to make the excava-
tons. Some immensely heavy stones
have been conveyed several hundred yards
from their original resting places. A
hasty search failed to un earth tools of any
sort in the vicinity.
Miners who have examined the rock as
sert that it carries no trace Of mineral and
are at a loss to assign any reason or mo-
tive for the performance Of such hercul-
enean tasks. They are certain that the
primitive prospectors were either search
ing for gold pockets or precious stone.
The former occur in places which give no
surface evidences of richness, while the
formations and conglomeratlons earring
stones of commercial value are as varied
as the gems themselves.
All who have been drawn to the old
Spanish mines by curiosity, or who have
happened upon the spot while prospect
ing, are positive that miners operated
there hundreds of years ago. Mineral
searchers who have followed wooded
streams of California and scanned Arizona
sand for pay dit, are unanimous in pro-
nouncing the find similar to abandoned
mines in Mexico and Arizona.
The old Spanish mines will be explored
and passed upon by a competent mineral
ogist. Prot. Ricketts,, who is an enthus-
last on every branch of his studies, will
surely avail himself of this grand oppor-
tunity for scientific and historical re-
search.
That the Spanish visited this region
hundreds of years ago cannot be doubted.
There are evidences of their explorations
on every hand. 1t is but a few months
since the discovery of an abandoned mine
near Medicine Bow station, IN the Union
Pacific, was announced. An investiga,
ton by EXPERTS resulted Ia the formation
of a verdict to the effect that beyond
doubt the work was that Of Spanish delv-
ers for wealth.
These Laramie county mines are alto
gether different from any yet discovered,
and their exploration may astonish the
scientific world. The operators chiseled
or cut through finty solid rock hundreds
and hundreds of feet, sinking shafts and
running tunnels in every direction.
IF the remarkable find attracts the at
tention of Eastern biologists. and they
cannot fail to become interested, hun
dreds will visit the place. If ~unsuccess-
full in searches for tools they will even
then approximate to a nicely the number
Of laborers engaged in the operations, the
amount performed by each and the aggre-
gate time consumed in mining.
Aside from the ,unmistakeable evidences
of the previous presence of man offered
by the unfinished work nothing would in
dictate that the locality had ever been
visited except a fine spring Of cold,
sparkling water in the vicinity.