Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-06-12
Castle Creek Gold Claims.

SuStIe Sreek tOlu Olalue.
An occasional contributor to the
CHRONICLE submits the following in re-
lation to the gold claims of Castle creek
About a year ago Messrs Hooper and
Mendenhall ~dsscoYered free milling
gold ore on a claim called the &. Bene-
dict. Developments show the vein to
be more than $50 feet in width, with
but wall exposed, The ore is ofthe
same general character wherever ex-
posed. A general average across the
vein gave $500 free milling, and a total
assay value Of SO 33 to the ton. The
ore found in this vein is classed as dior
lite, although differing somewhat from a
true diorite, being composed of horn
blende, feldspaf and quartz. The ieca'
ton of this claim is On the north side Of
The north fork Of Castle creek about Z Of
a mile from its confluence with main
Castle creek. On tho south end the
country, for several miles, is covered
with q talus Of drift and decomposed
rocks. On the north end the vein has
been exposed in a few places. Recently
q Swede, named Oburg, found free gold
in several places along the vein. North
of Oburg's claim the Hupp Bros. have
locations on the same yein. The claims
of Oburg and the Hupp Bros. prospect
equally as good as the =. Benedict. The
ore is of the same character, and the
vein holds up in its enormous size. The
fIupp Bros. claims are located fully two
miles from the c. Benedict.
THE CROW.
This property is situated on main
Castle creek about I Of a mile aboyeitbe
junction of north Castle and lies parallel
with the c. Benedict. The vein is pro.
badly as large as the c. Benedict. AS
far as prospected, ore is exposed for
fully 400 feet in width. About SO feet
from the east wall, twenty feet of slate
is exposed. Whether this slate is con-
tinuous between two veins Of ore, with
a horse in the vein has not yet been
determined. The character Of the ore
is quartz and a mineralized quartzite,
| with stratas Of tale. The gold occurs
free and in auriferous pyrite, tellurides
and arsenopyrite. Assays show the ore
to contain gold wherever exposed across
the entire vein. and along the vein for
more than 1000 feet. The general aver
age Of all the ore will probably be found
to be about $1,000 per ton, although Sc.
lected specimens would run very high
in gold. The location Of the vein is an
ideal one for a mine. Castle creek, with
an average flow Of 1000 inches, flows
across the vein at nearly n right angle.
The ore body rises almost perpendicular
on one side to the height of about zoe
feet, and on the other side about SOC
feet. Several hundred thousand tons oil
the ore lying above the water level, can
be mined, milled and concentrated at .
cost not to exceed $l.00 per ton.
The Crown group contests Of FIVE full
claims running along the vein for $500
feet, by 900 feet in the center Of the
property. The group is owned by J. d,
McNickle & Co. Mr.. McNickle is an
old typo, and put in several years on
the Rapid City Journal and other rews'
papers in the Hills. Becoming tired OIL
the nonotonous business Of type setting
| ln an-al,,laI 10 lnoota xo-ob - A..
mining districts, whereby he might
combine ranching with prospecting
He selected q site at the head Of a small
tributary Of Castle creek called Running
Water Gulch, about n mile from the
Crown location. Before leaving Rapit
City. Mrs. McNIckle dreamed that she
found a gold mine Of vast extent, and
almost fabulous richness. One day
while out picking berries with her hus'
band and children, she came upon the
ground now embraced in tho Crown
location. AS soon as she saw the place
she at once told her husband that this
was the place she had seen in hei
dream, and that there was surely a rich
mine there. He did not think from The
outlook that there was anything promis
ing for q gold mine in that vicinity, and
was disposed to laugh at her for select
ing in her dream such an unpromisine
location for a rich gold mine, and ever
refused to investigate to see whetf Ell
there was anything in it or not. How.
ever, Mrs. McNickle was not Of that
class Of women to be discouraged by O
talk when she had dreamed that the
rich gold mine was at this identical
place. So she determined, woman like
to investigate the matter herself. Soon
a%fterward, Mr.. McNicIle being absent
for q few days, she took the children
and went out to prospect her gold mine,
After prospecting around for several
hours she selected ONE ore, which she
sent to an assayer with whom she was
acquainted, telling him that if there was
anything in the ore she would stake
him in 10 the extent Of a one-fourth
interest. The assayer made the test,
which resulted in a return Of s22.75 per
ton, which vas alike pleasing to both
parties, and Mr.. McNickle is not laugh
ing nearly so loud as he did over his
wife's golden dream.
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Wanted