Daily camera., 1897-08-21
SAN JUAN.l
Population &,Os<
Assessed valuation of prop
erty ..$l ,oOo'~oo
Leading town or city. ..... Silverton

Leading town or city. ..... Silverton
San Juan county is, without doubt,
the most mountainous county In the
state, and her resources consist exclu-
sively of mineral. The prevailing char
acter Of ore Is silver and lead but some
very promising gold properties have
been opened up during the last three or
four years and the gold output of the
county is steadily increasing. The rapid
strides being made in this direction
would warrant the assertion that In the
course of the next two or three years
Silverton. the county seat, will be
known as one Of the most prominent
gold mining camps in Colorado. Minnie
gulch, between Silverton and Eureka,
Is the scene Of most of the gold mining,
Cunningham. Eureka and Mastodon
gulches, the latter between Animas
Forks and Eureka gulch, has disclosed
a number of large gold bearing quartz
veins that can be worked at an I'M
mense profit after being provided with
tramway and milling facilitis. The
presence of gold In the alluvial depos-
its that line every stream flowing from
the mountains was the incentive that
directed the footsteps of the prospectorss
who followed up the yellow metal and
located the source from whence 1t
came, the quartz beds. The remarkable
success that has attended the develop
ment of the silver interests of this
county has engrossed the larger part
of the attention Of the people for years
past, but more recently less attention
has been given to silver mining and
more to the gold resources Of the dis
trict, and 1t is now the predominant
thought in every mind that San Juan
county will soon be equally noted for
Its gold production as Its silver. In
speaking of the present condition and
inimitable possibilities the future has in
store for San Juan county's gold re-
sources. there is nothing but what is
amply justified by existing conditions,
or that cannot be clearly made mani
fest to any intelligent observer. The
big gold-silver propositions such as the
Silver Lake and Iowa, are running full
capacity and yielding a large daily pro-
duction. The drop In the price Of silver
has had no influence on any Of these
properties and, unless 1t goes much low
er than 1t is at present, it Is not prob
able that 1t will. The Silver Lake and
Iowa are two Of the largest concentrat-
ing propositions in the state the former
employing between 400 and 500 men, and
they are, no doubt, as finely and con-
veniently equipped as any anywhere.
the improvements on the Silver Lake
costing at least $500, 900. It Is estimated
that there are about 1000 men employed
In and around the mines of the county
and In addition to these there are scores
Of men prospecting and working claims
of their own with gratifying results.
The Walsh smelter, located within a
short distance Of Silverton, having a
capacity Of treating 130 tons of ore
daily, was started up this week giving
employment to about sixty men. San
Juan county's smelling facilities en-
ables the profitable operation of a
number Of low grade propositions that
otherwise could not be made pay. There
are also mines being worked at profit
today that ten years ago it would have
been utterly impossible to have made
nav.