The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-23
HAVE WE ANOTHER MERCUR.
A SmaII-Sized Mining Boom Sprout-
ing in Zion.

a SmaII-Sfzed Mining boom SprOut-
ing in Zion.
On several. occasions of late The
I Herald has called attention to the fact
that without doubt dividend-paying
mines would undoubtedly be found in
the hills within a short distance of
Salt Lake city, and from time to time
we have given a list of locations that
have been made in this, the Hot
| Springs mining district.
/ In certain circles the word has been
! given out that within a few miles of
/ Salt Lake good mineral has been
/ found Some of it is quartz that runs
well in gold and is free milling, while
/ in appearance some Of the ore greatly
resembles the product of Camp Floyd
mining district and most likely can be
! treated by the cyanide process. Then
again placer locations have been
made and by spring we expect to see
/ the mountains east and north of Salt
! Lake fairly covered with proSpectorS
and miners. and are confident that
I within six months the mountain sides
will be pierced with shafts and tunnels
! and the canyons lined with sluice
/ boxes and tail races.
/ 1t has always been the case that
! distance lends enchantment TO the
view" and hundreds of men will risk
! the perils of Death valley, the dangers
! of the Colorado canyon, or the hard
| ships of the desert where one will stay
at home and look up the resources in
! his immediate vicinity, forgetting that
1 it is better to have a good thing where
all the advantages of market, water,
! railroad facilities and home comforts
are assured than to have a rich propo-
/ sition hundred miles from nowhere.
/ There is no reason why there should
not be rich deposits Of mineral almost
| within a stones throw of this city.
/ The formation is good. and the proba-
bilities are that if this locality was
now covered with sagebrush and the
I coyotes were chasing jack rabbits
across the country from Par
! ley's canyon TO City Creek, that
| some plucky prospectOr would have
long ago discovered big mine
somewhere in the vicinity of the foot
hills that half encircle the city. But,
because we have a city here, and such
famous old mining camps as Park
City, Eureka, Mammoth Bingham and
Stockton within a days drive of Zion,
all thought Of the existence of the
precious metals near at hand seems
never to have been considered seri-
ously by our people
It is true that rumor says that
placer gold has been found in City
creek. and that a little scratching has
been done in the adjacent hills, but we
have never heard of any systematic
prospecting for ore in this locality. At
the mouth of Little Cottonwood a fair
showing has been made in this direc-
ton with most encouraging assurances
of ultimate success; and, even now,
considerable prospecting is being done
I %; Do yIax
canyon, Emigration canyon and Dry
canyon; but this small beginning will.
we believe, be largely increased by
spring, as word has been given out
that gold exists in paying quantities
within two hours drive of the city;
and we were asked yesterday if we
had heard of the New Mercur in Hot
Springs mining district"
Concerning City creek, we have sew
eral times heard the following story
concerning its wealth of gold: Thirty
years ago. says our informant, there
resided in this city an old shoemaker
About twice a year he would leave his
bench and spend a day or two up City
Creek canyon, and upon his return he
was always well supplied with gold
There was a bar upon mining in
those days. and the old gentleman
would never tell where the gold came
from. This much he did say however
which was to the effect that up City
Creek several miles, where the noun
tains were heavily covered with laure
bushes. he had found a ledge of quartz
so rich in gold that in a day, with pes.
tai and mortar, he could grind out
enough of the yellow metal to supply
his immediate wants for at least SIX
months The secret of the locality
where this ledge existed was closely
guarded by the old man, who intended
to reveal it to his son before his death
but the grim destroyer took him I'M
awares and his secret died with him
Since then several persons have visited
the canyon in hopes of discovering this
hidden mine of gold, but a systematic
search has never yet been carried on
Since January IA the following loca
, ton notices have been filed with TIL
recorder of Hot Springs mining dis
trict and recorded:
The Sandstone placer claim, in sec
ton IA. township l south, range east
located by Phineas Young and Waite
K. Perkins.
The Sparrow No. 1 lode, in Re
Butte canyon, between the North ant
South Fork, by Theopolus Parsons.
The Clarence lode, a relocation of tn
Golden Age, and mill site, by c. 2
Brown.
The Josie lode, relocation of tn
Golden Age No. lode, by c. T
Brown.
The Wheel of Fortune, on the nortl
side of Parley's canyon, about a mil
and a half above the city water works
and adjoining the Golden lode on TIL
southeast side. by S. ]. Dunsmore an,
Frank Willis.
Besides the locations above mention
ed, ten other locations have been filet
with the recorder, which have not a
yet been spread upon the pages Of hi
records.