Arizona republican., 1903-11-25
MINING IN BIG BUG

Mining events of importance seem to travel in cycles, and ordinarily odd numbered years seem to have the right of way. This was so in the Rich Hill placer discovery of 1869, the Big Bug placer doings of 1865, the finding-of the Tiptop silver bonanza in 1875. and on and on until 1893, when by way of a coincidence silver had its finishing touches put on politically and financi- ally, and gold mining in YaVapai came to the front in the specific case of one property the Little Jessie of Chapar- ral. Previous to the discovery of this mine, gold quartz mining in Yavapai was totally disrt garded by both the prOspector and the investor. In addi- tiOn to this the spirits of the mining fraternity were at low ebb, also. From the discovery and working of the Jes- sic, however, there has resulted a change in mining principles that has been remarkable, and from the gener- ally accepted belief of men that the mineral zone of Yavapai could not profitably support the mining of gold. the yellow industry has been steadily and profitably pursued until today not a silver mine is in operation. The statement is made time and time again by those devoted to silver mining that Yavapa is yet a silver region, that it has mines that will, dollar for dollar in production, compare with gold and copper mining, but this is purely par tisan sentiment, and since 1891, when the true value of the Jessie was de- termined, one discovery of gold has followed the other, and one by one the sO-called big silver producers have been abandoned. The decline in silver did not. as it is popularly said, de- press the mining industry of YaVapai, but it did on the other hand make the mining of gold a legitimate and also a profitable undertaking. and the il- illustration above mentioned is generally acquiesced in and by those who are conversant with the h ne condition of affairs in that past day. The mines of Big Bug, or to state 1t succinctly, those deposits that gave the wonder fully rich placer yield, and also to a certain degree of development the true gold Assures, are the basis of the re- generation of mining in that section today. In the sixties the old Tt.onde- roga was worked and it yielded tabu- lously, but was abandoned beca.'re a DSi-'S iliCNeil was SlIuCh. W IldL IS now the Henrietta, gave way to the same conditions. The Dividend "panned' cn -8he surface, and not until 1891 did the Jessie practically demonstrate the feasibility of gold quartz mining and especially so in the region of Big Bug. l do not believe in boosting" any particular mine, but where conditions are supported by indisoutable facts, and where also the evidence is un- mistakably plain that the operations of the Jessie for the first time estab- hshed gold mining permanently to the east or Prescott, a proper acknowl- edgement should be extended it and as a matter of general consideration in mining.
 Following the operation of the Jes- sic in 1891, the story of the decline of silver and the beginning of the gold and copper eras is a familiar one to all. The Congress, the United Verde, the Crowned King, the Poland. the Gray Eagle, the Copper Cobre, the Orc Grande, the Mudhole, the Henrietta, the Victor, the Octave, the Cash, and a score of other heavy gold and copper producers dispel the fallacy of old time beliefs that prevailed. An other fact apparent is that in the number of claims located the Big Bug section is regarded as the banner gold region of this section. After lapse of some five or six years it again as- sumes q leading position and if the investment of capital today is to be weighed with the same consideration that its production of ten years ago shows, with the improved methods in vogue, together with a better appre- ciation of what deeper and more ex- tensive methods return in the prosecu- ton of mining, why should not this district in the very near future. as it has in the past, maintain it's standard ? A vast amount of capital is going to II today. and below will be found some of the more important transac- uons' covering development on new and old claims.