Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1894-03-16
WHITE HILLS.
Arizona's Greatest Silver
Producing District.
THE HISTORY OF THE CAMP
And Mines From Its Discovery
to the Present Day.
The Only District in
Arizona Today
That Boasts of a Big Production
of the White Metal at Its
Present Low Value.
HUALAPAI JEFF INTERVIEW,
The Indian Who Claims to Be
the Only and Original Dis
coYererer of the Mines.
The Present Outlook and Future
Prospects-Some of the Lead
ing Business Houses.
HUALAPAI JEFF INTERVIEW.
The Indian Who Claims to Be
the Only and Original Dis
COyererer of the Mines.
The Present Outlook and Future
ing Business Houses.

At distance of fifty-fve miles north
of Kingman, the prosperous and thriv-
ing county seat of Mohave county, lies
the far-famed and much talked about
silver camp of White Hills.
Located at the northern spur of the
Cerbat mountains, it occupies narrow
canyon leading up from the great Sacra-
mento valley to the point where the
frat discovery of the precious metal
was made.
There appears to be more mystery
about the original discovery than is
CONSTANT or necessary, but an outline
of the interview recently had with the
famous Hualapai Jeff by your cores
pendent, will no doubt tend to set at
rest the many stories now in circula-
ton about the first discovery and loca-
ton.
During the latter part of '87, Huala-
rai JEFF was on his way toward the
head of the canyon, (now the camp of
White Hills) in search OF paint that he
had been told existed in that neighbor-
hood, when he found both the paint,
(oxide of irony and fine specimen of
chloride of silver. He thought the
specimen was worth keeping, and later
on, while at Mineral Park, he showed
the sample to Louis Siebrecht and
asked him what he thought of it.
Siebrecht said it was iron ore and not
worth anything. 30 no more attention
was paid to the matter at that time.
1t was during the winter of '91, when
asnow storm was raging, that Frank
Robinson asked Jeff to help him bring
back some cattle that had wandered
from Cold Springs down the canyon
toward the desert below White Hills.
Jeff helped drive back the cattle, and
when near the place where he was in
the habit of getting some of the paint
which he found in 'S7, he camped for
the night, and in the morning he acct
dentally found rich piece of float. He
said nothing at the time, but while at
Gold Basin q short time afterward,
Judge Henry Shaeffer, one of the fore
most and most substantial citizens of
our territory for the past twelve years,
asked JEFF if he knew of any good
mines. Jeff answered, "may be So"
and brought him a fine specimen OF
horn silver. The Judge saw the value
OF the specimen in moment and Of
fered jeff 5000 if he would show him
where the mineral was to be found.
This was agreeable to Jeff, 80 Judge
Shaeffer took John Burnett and John
Sullivan along, and with JEFF as guide,
the Horn Silver, Occident, Grand Army,
Chief of the Hills, Treasurer, Norma
and the Emma were located in May,
1891. Jeff received his 5000 as agreed
upon, but he is now as near dead broke
as he was before he discovered this
bonanza. In the mean time, it appears
that Frank Robinson obtained some in
formation in reference to the, where
abouts of this rich mineral, SO he told
Sol. Rowe that as soon as he (Robinson)
1OU0l AhOAA bhO INK AC
would take Rowe where there was
some good rock. True to his word,
when he returned from the rodeo, he
got started on the same trail taken pre-
viously by Shaeffer and his party and
arrived on the same ground ten days
after Shaeffer mad located all the above
valuable properties. This district is
now known as the Indian Secret Min
ing district.
Before much work in developing had
been done, Sullivan sold his interest in
the property to W. H. Lake, then
sheriff of Mohave county, for $l1 900.
In 1892 the entire property, except
Shaefer's Treasurer and Emma, were