Arizona republican., 1898-04-07
CASTLE CREEK PLACERS.
Old Time Diggings are Being Worked
 Again.

Castle Creek, April 4.-(Special cor respondence of The Republican.)- There are several important mining sections embraced in the Castle Creek mining district. Each gulch drained by Castle creek has it's mines and pros poets. In Buckhorn gulch there are many promising copper-gold pros poets, but there is but little activity. The mining that has been done there consists of assessment work in the main, with here and there little de- velopment. Some of the most encOur- aging prospects in this district are to be found in Buckhorn gulch, and when they are developed they will no doubt make good producers.
 few miles up Castle creek from the mouth of Buckhorn gulch is Banty gulch, which comes into Castle creek from the north. It is known as Banty creek but like the Arizona creeks and rivers the water hides under the sand during the warm weather. The gulch got it's name from an old miner named Banty who worked there many years ago with an arastra and his dry wash CT. The gulch through which Banty creek runs has produced some gold according to the old timers. Nuggets weighing as much as $3 are said to have been found. This gulch extends from Castle creek to the Bradshaw range, which gives it circuitous stretch of about twelve miles. A num- Der of placer claims have been located on Banty creek by Jack Evans and A. B. Williams, which are now being pros pected. Three shafts have been sunk, but bed rock has not been reached owing to water. The bed rock is about twelve feet deep at the mouth of the creek, and where Castle creek gulch appears there IS an uprising of bed rock which holds the gravel from Banty creek in a natural reservoir It forms gold pan which holds the gold and throws the washed gravel over it's rim with every raIn
 Messrs Evans and Williams are mak- ing preparations to work Banty creek extensively for gold. They will put in pump to drain the diggings. and the bed rock gravel will be hoisted and dumped into a sluiceway Good col ors have been found on the surface of the diggings, and as far down as the water would allow prospecting and the owners think that bed rock will give them pay gravel
 They have established camp on a bar at the confluence of these gulches. and half dozen men are employed. When the Republican correspondent arrived at their camp Sunday morning he found the Salvation Army flag hoisted from high mast and beckon- ing to travellers coming up the long wash from the Hot Springs.
 Jack Evans and A. B. Williams also own copper mine in this district. A little gulch known as Spring creek takes you out of Castle creek a mile above the Evans camp and brings you to the mine after walk of something over a mile. The Evans group con sists of three claims, two of them be- ing on the same lead, and the third is higher up the mountain several hun dred feet on lead running parallel with the lower one. One claim has the greatest development, but the other two have not gone without attention. The discovery claim known as the Ev- ans is developed by tunnel which takes the course of the ledge into the mountain 175 feet The ledge cuts the formation of the mountain and is de lined and regular. Its greatest width is about eight feet including the ac SduGu6 copper ledges always give portions of their values. MT. Evans has worked this mine for many years, and at one time he had dumps well filled with the ore which came from the tunnel but a. heavy rain filled the gulch with water and his ore was taken down the gulch and buried in the gravel On either side of the wash made by the flood remain small piles of ore which give the visitor an idea of the mines pro duct. The other claims are developed by open cuts and small shafts.
 The northern extension of the Ev- ans lead contains the Mayfiower mine which is owned by the Grown Point people. The lead goes down the noun tain side into a gulch from the Evans. and where the Mayf1ower is opened up is several hundred feet below the Ev- ans mine. It is opened by a shaft which takes the pitch of the ledge and goes down 1S0 feet There is the re- mains of an old arastra at the May flower which was used to take the gold