The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-14
EARLY Days
N LEADVLLE
How the Pioneers in the Town
Located Claims.
WORK OF ALVIN WOOD
His Surveys and the Endless
trouble They Caused,
WORK OF ALVIN WOOD

The following article which was read
before a recent meeting of the Leadvnle
Pioneer Society establishes the facts as
TO the discovery OF carbonates in this
section. Inc article is the result Of much
patient research among the archives of
Lake county and is regarded as authori-
tive by mining men who are in a posi-
ton to judge:
Alvinus Il. Wood is credited with the
discovery. location and exploration Of
LeadvilIe carDonates The president Of
this society, however. has written a
narrative which tends TO prove that
Lucas F. Bradshaw was probably the
first individual who actually unearthed
car5onates in this camp.
Bradshaw came to Lake county in 1Ses
OF 1851 After working Tor some time
around Granite. ne located in California
Gulch and operated placer dam where
the La Plata stone and rock mining
claims now exist. He was finally com
PEELED to abandon gold sluicing on account
Of the accumulation Of heavy sand in
his boxes. This sand would bank on the
TO remove it would carry off the gold
dust also Bradshaw 1t this time was
sluicing the side Eill above the gulch
The bed OF the creek having pre-
viously been worked out; the farther
up the hill he worked the more of this
heavy sand he encountered, and. noticing
number Of pieces OF galena in the
boxes. he predicted the possible existence
of ct1r
q shaft
At a depth Of sixteen feet from the
Surface he disclosed quite body Of ore
which assayed high in lead, but con
tanned only twelve TO thirteen ounces Of
silver This discovery was made in the
summer OF 1919. The ore was not sufi-
cienuy valuable to haul by wagon to
Canon City or Colorado Springs and
ship by rail- thence to St. Louis; neither
would II have paid for packing over Mos
quito range to Senator \. p. HIS works
al Alma. 50 Bradshaw let his mine lie
idle and removed TO McNulty Gulch, /
where he again devoted his energies to /
placer mining Bradshaw, however. never /
abandoned nor lost faith in his CaHfor- /
MA GuIch lead mine and often endeav- 4
ored to obtain partners who would assist I
in developing it. Ia the fall Of 1873 he Of
fered our president a quarter interest (
IN the location and one-half the ore that
might be extracted, if he would assist
him in sinking a shaft, for he believed
that higher grade ore would be discov-
cred with depth.
This is abridged narrative taken
from a more circumstantaI account Of
this discovery written by our president
whic! paper has been filed in the
archives Of the society.
The old records of Lake county show
that on October Is. 1873. the ORC Plata
Plata claim was located by Jno. Durham.
Jake Lightfoot and Lucas T. Bradshaw
The ORC La Plata runs directly south up
the northern slope of Rock Hill Brad
shaw apparently made his location
beyond the southerly boundaries Of the
old placer claims in California Gulch
and to avoid conflict with chem located
his claim 1900 feet south from the dis
covery shaft In his location certificate
he uses the following language TO de-
scribe his claim said claim is situated
on the south side OF California Gulch.
opposite the claim of Walter II. Jones"
The Crown Point ore chute outcrops
across the north end line OF the orc Ia
Plata and extends into the Rock claim,
which adjoins the orc La Plata to the
west; il also continues coo feet south
erly into the orc Plata lines before
turning easterly into the Crown Point
and Pinnacle territory.
Apparently the oldest location in the .
carbonate belt was the a. r. This claim
was located by a. r. German. David ,
Ringle. John Nelson. John McKinna. j
George Martin and NJ G. lIuntucker on
October 2oth. 1853 The location certificate ,
tnow obsolete IS as follows; The claim
by right of discovery one claim OF 210 feet q
and by location one claim each Of 90 feet.
according TO act of congress OF July 25th. i
1866, making in all 400 feet linear and
horizontal measurement on the A T. lode, :
along the vein thereof. with an its dips. T
spurs. angles and variations, together i
with the amount Of surface necessary Tor Y
working same and allowed by local laws" 3,
on May l.. 1877. A. T. German indlvid- r.
uany reIocates the 4. T. lode. Ia his q
relocation certificate he makes this state d
ment. This is the same as the location +
OF October 20. lSc9, and is made for the ?,
pupose of correcting errors and TO tie Ii
10 a location monument Ii is question :
able II German intended 10 give his pre- ID
vicus partners an interest in his relo- r
cation. but. Willingly or unvitungly. he !.
apparently did Sc. If the abstract of 2
the tile TO his claim was available It i,
would be q satisfaction 70 discover Il al :
OF Germans 19 partners had to formally s
their rights TO the A. T. mine 7
before perfect title passed to Graham o.
OF Gugsenheiro ii
on June j. 1874 Nvinus B. Wood loca- Il