The Clifton clarion., 1889-06-26
MINING FOR PRECIOUS METALS.
The History, Production and Prospects
 of the Business.

The History, Production and Prospects
 of the Business.
 Not q hundred years have yet elapsed since the first ounce of gold was gathered within the limits of this Republic, small quantities of that metal havinS first been collected in the States of Virginia and North Car olina. towards the end of the last cen tury. The deposits whence this gold was taken consisted of surface dig gings. and were worked with the old fashioned Georgia rocker, an imple- ment that afterwards came into large use in California. Some years later similar deposits were found and worked after the same manner in South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, Early ill the present century gold mining by this method was being practiced in all the States mentioned, and has there been carried on in a small way ever since. The output of gold in these five Southern States has scarcely exceeded S25,O00OO0. their total product up to 1S4S, when gold was discovered in California, having amounted to only $13,243,475.
 Prior to the finding of gold in Nir- ginia and North Carolina, the only metals mined in the United States consisted of iron and lead, neither of which was up till that time nor for many years after produced in large quantities. The first silver mining carried on in this country was done on the Comstock lode ill the State of Nevada, then portion of Utah Ter rltory. This was in the summer of 1859. though a number of claims on the southern end of that lode had been worked as gold mines more than a year before.
 In Nevada was also carried on the first gold mining performed in the United States outside of California. and the other States mentioned. This was done by small party of overland immigrants who in the summer of 1850. stopping at point on Carson River where it is joined by Gold Canon. and finding there deposit of auriferious gravel. commenced work on the same. continuing their opera tions till stopped by the advent of winter. This lead to quite an influx of miners from California the next year, and active operations were kept up along this canon till the discovery of the Comstock lode. by which time the placer deposits were about work ed out. At later periods some placer mining was done in various other To- calities in Nevada, though 9S per cent. of the bullion produced in that State has been obtained from the vein de- posits, and ill the proportion of about two parts gold to three parts silver.
 Commencing early in the tifties the search after gold gradually extended itself first into Oregon and little later into Arizona. the business for many years after having reached no large proportions in either. In 1862 it first obtained a foothold in Idaho where it spread within the next few years to Montana, Utah. Colorado and the other territories lying along and adjacent to the Rocky Mountains, and in all of which, coupled with mining for silver, copper and lead the busi- ness has since been actively prosecut- ed though not everywhere on very large scale. In neither New Mexico. Utah, or Wyoming has the product of SOlOl ~ Cl OGCh itS NttlttO III ttIi these other interior countries having of late years been exceeded by that of silver, and in some of them by that of copper as well.
 We give herewith estimated value of the bullion produced in our Pacific States and Territories to date accom- panying the same with some remarks explanatory of the character of this bullion and the conditions under which it was made. Taking these countries in alphabetical order, we have first Alaska, concerning which it may be observed that commencing with 1880, when it first found place on the catalogue of our annual bull lion returns, having been credited that year with yield of S6,000, it has since steadily increased its bullion output, which amounted last year to