Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-13
BLUE GRAVEL.
THE RECENT DISCOVERY MADE IN SIS
KIYOU COUNTY,
A Famous Mining Section of 'Early Days
Coming to the Front Again with
Good Prospects.

| LIS SUNDAY UNION rOr many years
have been close reader of your paoeI
and know it to have an extensive circula.
| ton among the miners of California, and
! that you have ever been mindful of their
| interests and of matters interesting to
them; hence l presume to address these
| following remarks on the recent discovery
of what is confidently believed to be the
old blue gravel channel in Siskiyou
| county, California. In the early mining
days of northern California the Yreka and
Cottonwood districts attracted the most at
tention and proved to be very rich in
placer. Cottonwood is situated on the
north side of the Klamath river, about
twenty miles in a northerly direction from
Ireka, and all around the old camp the
face of the country has been torn and
SCARED in way only familiar to those who
have observed the results in rich placer
diggings. At this point the Klamath river
has westerly direction, and from about
one and half miles below the
mouth of Cottonwood creek, down
the bed of the river, has been, where
mined, found 10 be exceedingly rich.
though difficult to work. The Siskiyou
mountains lie directly to the north of the
klamath, and run parallel with it. The
streams running into the Klamath from
the north have worn deep seams down The
south slope of the Siskiyous and from the
Cottonwood creek, above mentioned, to the
westward, have all carried gold in VARYING
quantities, some being very rich.
The Southern Pacific Railroad crosses
the above-named range at the point where
the Cottonwood finds its source, and fol-
lows that stream to the Klamath To the
westward Of where the railroad crosses the
Siskiyou range the mountains are, on their
north slope, almost solid bed of granite.
while to the east of this point but little, if
any granite is found, and on the south
slope, west of the railroad, the formation
changes, the surface carrying large quanti-
ties of sandstone, beneath which in many
places large strata of cement gravel have
been deposited.
The Cottonwood flows nearly south, and
east of it, | am credibly informed, little,
if any gold has been found, while far up
the gulches, coursing into it from the west,
very extensive and very rich placer mines
have peen worked.
Many years ago the rich deposits in the
bed Of the Klamath about one and one
half miles below the mouth of the Cotton
wood, caused much speculation as to the
source of supply. None was found above
the mouth OF that creek, and no large GUAM
titles below until the point about one and
a half miles below was reached, where fab
ulous quantities are said to have been Sc
cured. The presence of gold in the river
below the mouth of Cottonwood creek was
accounted for on account of the rich
gulches running into it from the west, but
ha Sayona of on b rinh IanAS,ts I L.
appearing mile and half below, and the
very limited quantity found above that
point, seems to have been a poser to all the
early miners, and so far as l have been able
to ascertain very few, if any, ever troubled
their brains about the source so long as the
pay satisfied the present demand. These
mines, as well in the rivers as in the
gulches, finally lost interest for the great
body of miners, the newer discoveries
called them away and the old camps have
been in great part abandoned, a few strag-
glers, old-imers and Cinnamon only re-
naming to hold the fort.
Occasionally old stories of "blue gravel"
and other rich deposits have momentarily
revived interest in this locality, only to die
down and be forgotten or to be told by the
few old-timers who remained. About two
years ago Charles Jilson, who for many
years was interested in the Bald Mountain
Blue Gravel Mine in Sierra, stopped at
Cottonwood to look at a mine near there,
and being told of the richness of the
klamath and of the peculiar formation
spent few days looking about During
this time he came upon a gravel pile ne ar
the bank OF the river that had been thrown
out of a prospect hole many years before
and abandoned. He examined 1t and at
once pronounced it to be the typical blue
val nd Of, nI, i -, e.,
be rich. After further examination, be be.
lieved it to have come from an old chan
mel, the peculiar wash indicating that fact
Further examination showed that it was
directly below this point where the river
had formerly been so very rich. He next
found what he believed TO be the west rim
of an old channel which-ifa channel-had
beenbcut in two by the present Klamath
river. Drifting into the face of this sup
posed channel where the river had cut it IN
two, he found the blue gravel and became so
well satisfied of its character and richness
that he organized company, located about
24O acres, bought water right and con-
structed ditch about two miles long, and
has spent several thousand dollars in pros
pecting his mine and demonstrating to his
satisfaction the existence and character of
| this channel
The C urse of the channel, so far as it
! has been examined, has general direction
from north to south, and its width is un-
known. 1t has been located on both sides
of the klamath river, aud continuously to
| the northward for five or six miles, At
| the Jilson mine, where the river cuts the
channel in two, several drifts have been
run into it to a distance of from one to two
hundred feet, and in places, l am very
credibly informed, has paid from $40 to $50
1op n tho thpnuh oil
pecting so far has been upon or very near
! to the western rim of the channel.
About two miles to the northward, on
| this channel, is the claim of Geo. Barr and
| others, who have sunk an incline on the
western vein of the channel to the depth
of about sixty (60) feet, following the dip
of the bedrock to the east at an angle of
| from So to 40 degrees. This seems to be
! the general condition of the channel, 4. c
| its bed dips very rapidly to the east, leav-
| ing the depth of the channel uncertain.
| The pay gets better as the prospecting in
creases in depth. In the Barr claim the
| dip to the east is not rs rapid at depth of
sixty feet as it was before reaching that
| point, and the gold gets coarser and heavier
as they go down. Other locatoIs along the
line of Tue channel rs they go northward
are preparing to commence sinking, some
by shaft and others by boring, the chief
purpose being to determine the depth and
exact locality of the bottom of the enamel.
The granite and other character of the
powders found in the channel, by compare
SOD with the formation of the mountains
| to the west and northwest shows that the
| wash had come from that direction, " hich
is an additional reason for belief in the rich
ness of the deposit, inasmuch as a very rich
pay streak eX,ends in northwesterly direc-
| ton from Cottonwood and Yreka, cnmpris-
ing the old and rich camps on Beaver, Apple
gate, Sterling, Althouse, Illinois river and
Rogue river. SAMUEL WATSON.
SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.
L. Goldstein leaves for Redding to-day.