The Meeker herald., 1893-02-04
FOUR-MILE LOOMING UP.
The PlacerS of Routt County
are no Fake Like the
San Juan.
PEOPLE BLOCKING TO THE SCENE
Rich Diggings Discovered and
Will be Worked by Big
Compantcs.

atlDS tne san Juan craze, IOr WHICH
many hapless wights hold them solly re-
sponsibe, these journals are hard at the
business of booming another gold field.
This time the papers are working to
the profit, advantage and, possibly,
glory OF the Centennial State, But un-
less all signs Tail, the Colorado newspa-
pers-for the booming is becoming gem
eral throughout the state-haye some
substantial basis this time.
While the Mining Age neither aided
nor abetted in the recent gold excite
ment, months ago it took precautions to
investigate the -Four Mile district, that
is the scene of the new excitement.
Routt county, where the district is To-
Gated, is one of the most expansive as
well as the least known of the counties
of Colorado. There are only two towns
within its boundaries-which are 20
miles in extent on two sides and $50 on
the others-and these Steamboat Springs
and Craig, are forty-tive miles apart.
kilograms from Rifle, Colo, were
printed last week stating that in Lead
vile, Aspen and other camps thous-
ands of miners are Quitting to go to
Four Mile. All the rigs and saddle ami
mails in and around Rifle are said to
have been engaged by telegraph for men
whose destination is the new placers.
Others are said to have slipped off quiz
| city to be ahead of the rush. Rich gold
specimens, as well as flattering reports
from Four Mile, were the basis for all
this talk and hustle.
In the Mining Age of July 16, last, n
record was made of the prospecting al
ready done and the outlook for success
full operation being prosecuted. Since
then various deals have been consum-
mated by which active development is
companies have already been formed
aud others are being organized.
The geography of the country may be
thus described south of Snake river and
Mile creek, close to the northern border
OF Routt county. The creek heads in
i Colorado .between Black mountain and
| Bears Ears, twin mountains, close to
the first named, flowing west into Wy
oming and emptying into Snake river
about two and one-half miles southwest
of Buggs. Wyoming.
In the bed of the stream and on the
adjacent ground, particularly on the
south side, for the full distance, between
sixteen and seventeen miles, gold has
been found as far south as the Iron
Springs divide, that separates the water
shed of Yampa river from the Snake,
and which is twelve miles due south of
Four Mile, where the find was made.
So far as prospected the placer ground
extends northwarl and westward to the
Snake. with Putnam creek as the east
tern limit and Yampa river on the
south Prospect holes have been sunk
over an area of eight or ten miles of
this section of country and in every
case pay dirt was found. Bedrock is
from three to nineteen feet below the
surface. From actual tests made on
these prospects, by washing, the dirt is
said to average about thirty cents to
the yard, and this from the grass roots
to bedrock.
The gold don't seem to have come
from the mountains, but occurs in a
broad belt running across the country,
the limits of which have not yet been
defined. 1t is placer gold, strictly, tn at
is found there, fine but exceedingly
heavy, so that all can be saved in the
first sluice boxes. Retorts sent to the
United States branch mint at Denver,
showed that the gold is worth $3.50 an
ounce, which is high degree Of fineness.
Bedrock is blue clay, that dissolves
readily in water and don't rob the sluice
boxes. never balling up. The gravel,
too, disintegrates perfectly, allowing
the gold to settle free. The action of
the water on the gravel is similar to
that on alkali soil.
The conditions will be recognized by
all placer miners as particularly advan-
tageons. In fact, it was due to these
causes that attention was attracted to
the section.
Minres were sent out by Aspen people
little more than year ago to prospect
that country. Caught in Il snow storm
they made camp on Four Mile creek.
Their attention was attracted by gravel
at the bottom of the stream where the
bank had caved. Paintings gave them
not alone numerous colors of fine gold
but coarse particles as well as nuggets
of good size. They found that $3.50 a
day to the man could be easily made by
shoveling the gravel from the bed of the
creek into sluice boxes.
In all that country it is said there
isn't boulder as big as mans fist
There are numerous small streams
that furnish good supply of snow wa
ter in the spring and early summer that
make OF certain tracts what might be
termed poor mans diggings."
The great opportunities of the section
however, are for companies that will
build bitches and put water on ground
remote from streams or permanent and
reliable water SUPPLY.
TThe above is from the Mining Age,
published at Salt Lake City, and we
publish 1t as valuable compendium
on the -Four Mile placers, which are