Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-04
THE NEW GOLD DIGGINGs.
More Excitement Than Any Time since the
Leadville Eurore,

Throughout the western country, which
owes so much Of its prosperity to the precious
metals blasted ont Of the rock-ribbed mountains
and washed out Of the sands in the bottoms,
the gold discoveries in southern Utah have ex-
cited the people more than any similar cause
since tho Lesdville furore.
For the time being Creole Is forgotten, and
the glories of Cripple Creek ere relapsed. Men
in all walks OF life have abandoned their Gus
tomary avocations to go and dig for gold, and
the new camps already have a population of
several thousands. These gold hunters have
endured great hardships. having travelled hun
dreds OF miles across a desert country on foot
or horseback or in slow moving wagons. and
the majority of them are doomed to failure and
disappointment.
WHERE THE DIeaINGs ARE.
There has been great deal of misapprehen-
sion as to the location of the new San Juan
placer digsings, about which there is SO much
excitement. At first they were said to be in
Arizona. They are located in the extreme
southern portion OF Utah. east of north and
south center line, and are about one hundred
and fifty miles west from Durango. Col They
are north of the Navaj 10 mountains and south Of
the big bend in the San Juan river There has
apparently been an effort TO create the impress
sion that the best diggings are one hundred
miles further north and that the gold has been
washed from the Henry mountains whereas in
reality it is washed from the Navajo mountains.
The Henry mountains lieswest of the Colorado
river, about 100 miles north of the southern
border Of Utah. There are placers in that
vicinity, but they are about fifty miles from the
river and there Is no water handy to wash the
dirt
There is no scarcity OF water, however, as has
been intimated, at the San Juan diggings. which
are principally the beds of small streams
n f Qh ~.
mountains to the San Juan. The streams have
cut away in the mountains during many CEN
turtles great masses OF rock which carried rich
deposits Of fine milling gold ore.
THE BEST CLAIMS.
The best claims yet located are on a sort of
reef that crosses the San Juan at the foot of
the Navajos. There the bed rock is only about
four feet deep, and single pan generally
yields from forty to fifty fine gold flakes. In
other places there is, undoubtedly, much
gold, but 1t is harder to get at, there is lots of
quicksand and bed rock is deeper. Dredges
and other machinery will be needed to work
these placers successfully. There are thousands
OF acres of good placer ground not vet taken,
gold being found for forty or fifty miles along
the San Juan, and there is any amount Of
ground that would yield ten cents pan where
there is water. The placers below where the
San Juan empties into the Colorado are said
to be worthless. There are many evidences
that the region i'll which the new gold fields lie
now barren waste. at one time teemed with
life and supported large population.
ABANDONED VILLAGES.
For miles along the rocky chasms the aban-
doned villages OF the cliff dwei,ers can be seen.
The historic race has left evidences Of its exist
ence on the face of the cliffs, where are visible
that were painted by artists sus-
pended by ropes. The colors are as bright as
if painted but Yesterday. No man has vet dis
covered the meaning Of these hieroglyphics.
Trails long abandoned are seen that lead along
the cliff and down to the water. Thew must
have been traversed long time as the solId
granite has been worn away by the feet Of the
cliff jewellers. These trails are found along the
Green river, as well as the Colorado and San
Juan.
Within mile Of Dondy, on the Colorado, a
large stone fort is crumbling into ruin. 1t was
reached by climbing up perpendicular walls
that have not been scaled by man for centuries
dweers are still visible. One of the fords OF
the Colorado is called 1.-The crossing of the
fathers"
Tradition saws that in the seventeenth CEN
fury party Of Catholic priests, bound for the
Pacific coast forded the river there and disap-
peared in the desert beyond, nothing more be-
ing seen Of them. The highway leading west
ward from Bluff City to the new gold diggings
is said to be the identical pathway trodden by
who were rushing to California in
1S49, 1850, 1851 and 1852. 1t may be that the
forty-niners passed by, unobserved, fields of
yellow metal even moro valuable than those on
the Pacific coast, which yielded fabulous for
tunes.