The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-12-24
1t is generally supposed by those


sketches for information concern
ing Gunnison county, that the
first settlement was made in
1S79-79. While this may be true
as to the greater part OF our popu-
lation, it is nevertheless a fact that
permanent settlements were made
many years prior to this time.
About the year of 1860 a venture
some band of prospectors pushed
into the then unknown region in
search of new Eldorado. They
discovered gold in Washington
! gulch, and for many years after,
placer mining was carried on there
very extensively. The In
dians at that time still roamed over
their native hills, and, they not be-
ing disposed to regard the steady
encroachments of the gold hunters
with any considerable degree of
friendliness, there were frequent
intervals when all struggles for
riches ceased, and the lives and
safety of the settlers became a
question vastly more important.
But when once the gold was known
to exist, the tide of immigration
turned toward the SHOW capped
peaks and rugged passes and in a
short time several hundred thou
sand dollars We're panned from the
bed of the creek which is only a
small tributary to Slate river.
Washington gulch gold in those
days sold for S1S per ounce. These
parties not being lode miners, made
no attempt to develop any of the
numerous ledges that could have
been easily traced by the enormous
groupings. Consequently after
panning out the stream they drifted
back over the range, and nothing
of any consequence occurred until
the year of 1873. About this time
Professor Sylvester Richardson ar
rived on this side of Marshall Pass
and took up ranch lands neal
where the city of Gunnison now
stands. The hardy band of ranch
men having no market for the pro-
ductions of the valley, they very
naturally had hard time for four
or five years. In the meantime
they managed to do some prospect
ing, and it was through the favora-
BILE reports of the Professor that
prospectors began to arrive in
1878. 1t is from this date most OF
the locations of lode claims were
made, but there are locations in the
Elk Mountains that date back as
far as 1873. In the year of 1875
quite an influx of prospectors came
into the county and the towns OF
Crested Butte and Irwin were
founded. The first claim stakeo
in Irwin WAS the Ruby Chief which
was located June 5th., 1879, by
Messrs. Brennand and Deffebaugh
The Ruby Chief lode was easily
discovered, as the crevice is Ia fee
wide and the first ton of lead mat
ter blasted down yielded $500
The news of the wonderful strikes
in the new country spread like
wildfre, and people came fockine
over the mountains by the thou
sands. Ruby camp, as Irwin was
then called, YVES soon a thriving
town of 1000 inhabitants, while il
avery few months after the first dis
covery over 250 claims were stakec
. and some of the most famous silver
mines in the state were developed
, and working large forces of men
The mineral found In the Irwin
camp consisted of ruby, brittle ano
wire silver. At about the same
, time the camps of Pittsburg
, Gothic, Elko and Crystal were
, struck. The history of the dis
trict naturally divides itself into
epochs. The first epoch dates
from the first discovery to the yea