The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1904-12-10
MINES AND MINING NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST GATHERED
DURING THE PAST WEEK.
Mine Owners Are Preparing for the
Winters Work on Their Properties
In Idaho, Montana and Oregon
bla Are Brisk-Many Accidents and
Personal Events.

Personal Events.
Waldemar Lindgren of the United |
States geological survey, assisted by
G. w. Stose and H. r. johnson, under
took a geological reconnaissance in
1899 across the bitter Root range and
the Clear water mountains in Montana
and Idaho. Mr. Lindrgen wrote re-
port of the work, giving particular
attention to the mineral deposits of the
region studied, and it is now available
as professional paper No. 81, and may
be obtained free of charge, on applica-
ton to the director of the United
States geological survey, Washington.
d. c., 1t is the only paper ever pub
lished on the geology of the district.
The region described in this report
is bordered ON the south by the Salmon
river and on the north by the north
fork of the Clearwater The Bitter
Root range, which attains an elevation
of IL 900 feet, merges into the great
dissected high plateau of the Clear
water mountains. These descend rather
abruptly to the plateaus of the Camas
prairie and Cold Springs prairie, which
form part of the Columbia river lava
plateau. This plateau has a general
elevation of $500 to 5000 feet, and is
built up of horizontal lava flows. From
great glacial cirques in the western
slopes of the Bitter Root range the
Salmon river and the several forks of
| - en- <lxzsx-
westward through canyons from 5000
to 5000 feet deep. The canyon of the
Salmon is especially remarkable for its
great length and depth.
The area indicated forms wild and
very sparsely populated mountain re-
gion, which is heavily timbered except
on the highest ridges. The geology of
the region is comparatively simple.
The main Bitter Root range and the
larger part of the Clearwater noun
tains consist of a massive biotite gran
lite, OF, to define it more correctly, of a
quartz monzonite, which is the north
ward continuation of the great batho-
18th of the same rock that occupies SO
large an area in southern central
Idaho. A very remarkable fault of ex.
ceptional lentgh and displacement sep.
arates the eastern slope, of the Bittte,
Root mountains from the valley of the
same name.
The valuable minerals contained in
this area are confined chiefly to the
western slope of the Clearwater noun
tains. The most important are the
gold deposits, which occur in the
fissure veins and gravels. At the foo
of the Bitter Root mountains, some /:
miles north of Hamilton, Mont, is tn,
remarkable Curlew mine, where a body
of galena was found in fissure thai
had limestone and quartzite as its foot
: wall and the gravels of the Bitter Roo
: valley as hanging wall. On the upper
south fork of the Bitter Root river
> prospects of copper, sivler and silver
lead ore have been worked. Hughes
creek, in the same vicinity, contains
gold bearing gravels which have beer
worked for many years.
, Elk City, whree mineral deposit
were discovered in 1869, is the centr,
> of the gold mining industry on tn,
west slope. Gold to the value of sew
eral million dollars was extracted Their,
from late tertiary bench gravels, anC
placer mining is still prosecuted on {
small scale. Quartz veins have ais,
been opened in the old mining district
> The we'll defined quartz veins o
Buffalo Hump, discovered in 1897, ar
actively worked, though not on a yer,
large scale. These deposits occur il
granite rocks, accompanied by contac
metamorphic states. Florence, loca tel
= 40 miles southwest of Elk City, is an
other of the old placer camps, dis
covered about 1861. The gravels wer
!, rich and the camp has yielded gold +
the value of many million dollars. A
present few placer and quartz mine
i are worked there also. Pierce City
on Orofino creek, about so miles north
{, northwest of Elk City, is also wei
= known placer camp, discovered il
u 1861, and worked continuously sine
{ then. The present yield from thes
= placers is probably about $4,000 pc
annum. The gravels occur as cree
aluvium and as benches up to 500 fee
above the persent drainage level.
Quartz veins have also been found nea
p Pierce, and many of them are nov
a worked ON a small scale. The vein
n occur on gneises and chists. The tots
r production of this gold. bearing regio
< is at the present time probably abou
II $1,000, 90 per annum.
e Coal of fair quality has been foun
v ON the upper South Fork Of the Bite
Is Root xro11av ond tba hadc o~a hove nc