River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-05-28
GOLD MINING IN INDIANA
Vow Being Done on a Large Scale by
Hydraulic Process Where Pans
Were worked.

For a hundred years or more it has
been known that there was gold back
in the hills of the Indiana counties,
saws writer in the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. and for over half century
a queer lot of illiterate. grizzly recluses
have been washing gold back in the
hills. making from one dollar to two
dollars day. The gold that they
brought in to market occasionally in
little bags and in phials passed assay
in the government mint on an equality
with Snake river gold, the finest stand
ard in the United States. 1t remained
for an old California miner, who came
east two months ago for his firm. to
open up the first hydraulic gold mine in
the state.
IT is located in Morgan county
north of Martinsville, the county seat.
1t is a small affair. compared with those
in the west that tear down banks 400.
500 and 600 feet high, but it is capable
of thoroughly developing the 50-foot
hills in which the gold is lodged along
the hill streams of Morgan, Brown and
Johnson counties.
The first cleanup on the hydraulic
mine has not vet been made, but it is
confidently expected that it will run 40
cents yard. Such a panning out would
mean that Indiana would Immediately
blossom forth as one of the greatest
gold mining states in the union. II
most of the California placer mining
camps dirt is being worked that
Yields ONLY ten cents a square yard
and there the water rates are high.
r. L. Royse. who has brought about
the present development, became con-
vfnced three years ago that there was
gold in the Indiana hills that would
cause national sensation i: it was ever
handled by improved methods. For
over three wears he has been prospect.
inc in the hills. and here and there has
been picking out tracts Of land that
showed good tests. He now has 1850
acres under his absolute control and
has supervision over 5000 or s 1000 more
acres,
The chickens and ducks OF the gold
hills picked the gold up, installing it
for grains of wheat or corn, and, be-
ing heavy. the gold had lodged in their
craws. Mrs. George Johnson. who lives
lust across the river from the city OF
Martinsville. killed a duck that had
picked up its dinners along the little
stream that ran through the barn lot.
She cleaned up the craw of the fowl and
Melted S2.1O. William Boutwell,, who
lives seven miles from Martinsville,
killed chicken; that Melted him sc
cents. A farmer near Martinsvllle
killed duck that was veritable klon-
dixie.
The hydraulic operations have caused
a panic among the grizzly recluses who
have been banning the gold. They are
a quaint lot, with queer names. The
king of their camps is 4O-year-old'
widowed. red-bearded man who can
neither read nor write and who is
known as =" Wild Bill Stafford" He is
king because he is known all over the
gold fields as the man that found the
S12 nugget and that drank Is schooD-
ers of beer in one day without getting
drunk. Bill as a rule, operates IN ''Gold
creek holler." He cleans up three dol
lars a day when he works steadily
cold Man Moon" is a Brown county
washer. "Old Man Jim Stanley" who
operates around in Highland holler,
put his name into the history OF the
gold diggings by finding a $500 dla~
mond. which was sold in the lndianapo-
lis market. Quite number of large
diamonds and a number of valuable ru-
bies have been found. "Old Man Stan
lew has been washing gold in the hills
for over 40 wears and has raised big
family. "Bill' Merriman is the patri-
arch of the section. He won't permit
a stranger to get within a half mile Of
him. so secretive is he concerning his
operations.
TAYLOR. the California miner who
built the hydraulic mine and the fumes.
saws the Indiana dirt is of the same
character that is found in California.
EXCEPT that there is no cement in it.
which makes the operation in Califor-
MIA so, costly. He thinks that there
is a great deal of dirt in the Indiana
hills that will run over one dollar a
ward. He saws that with the latest de-
vices dirt can be handled now that runs
only four cents yard at big profit.
State Geologist Blatchley holds to
the theory that the gold was brought
down by the glaciers. tits found where
the glaciers from Hudson bay ended
and deposited great banks of conglom-
eratn