Lincoln County record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1900-1905, 1904-11-04
MINING IN ELDoRADo CANYON
FORTY YEARS AGO.

he Mining Il Scientific Press in its
issue of Feb l6, 1867. The material
ior the write-up was furnished by
Frank Alling who was one of the
pioneer operators at ElDorado Can
ron and who week ago passed
trough Searchlight enroute to the
canyon for the purpose of visiting
the scene of his youthful adventures
Verify the mill of gods grind slowly.
Forty years ago Alling was writing
in same tone, making the same pre-
dietions and prophesies as is today
the editor of this paper. Both are
right, the district is all that they
claim and with the Salt Lake road
in operation it will become the great
producer that men predicted it would
half century ago:
The first mining district organiz-
ed in Arizona Territory, by Ameri-
cans, was called Colorado" 1t is
located on the west bank of the river
of that name, $50 miles above its
mouth. 1t is twenty miles square
the Colorado river forming its eastern
boundry. For distanse of eleven
and half miles through the center
of this district runs a deep and wide
gorge, well known as Gel Dorado
Canyon"
In 1861 a party of Californians,
from Nevada county, set out to ex-
plore the then unknown regions, in
the vicinity of Death Valley, About
100 miles southeast of that terrible
valley, they came upon series of
mineral lodes, which were found to
be galena of very high per cent.
Some of them were found to assay
as high as $40 per ton in silver.
This party organized district, and
named it Potosi; part of the rest
went to work prospecting the lodes,
while the rest of them started for
supplies They arrived in Los
Angeles, made known their discov-
cries, and Immediately returned
with new outfit, followed by a
large number of adventures. Soon
after they arrived at the mines, an
old indian came into the district and
informed the miners that in three
sleeps he could take them to where
there was plenty of gold. Five Of
the miners agreed to follow him, and
after three days of hard travel over
high mountains and through deep
gorges southeast they struck the
head of what is now ElDorado Can
yon. Travelling down the canyon a
short distance towards the Colorado
river, the Indian led them up into
some high rocks and showed them
large masses of bright sulphurets
OF iron, which he supposed to be
gold. Upon looking around, they
found they were in the heart of an
immense mineral region. Silver
and gold lodes of great width and
very rich, could be found on every
side of them, the most important OF
which they at once locat ed. They
also found very good copper ore,
galena and IRON; also beds of alum
and a number of beautiful springs
of water, at different points in the
canyon.
In the Arizona Miner of June 27,
1866, we find extracts taken from a
letter written to the Alta California
by Frank S. Alling, postmaster at
ElDorado Canyon, in which he says
that up to 1865, there were recorded
in that district 760 mineral lodes
and $50 mining deeds. Eldoradc
Canyon claims the honor Of build
ing the first quartz mill in Arizonf
Territory. There were some smelt
ing works and arastras put up il
Southern Arizona. Lieut. Mowrey
undertook to get and engine and
crushing machinery in 1922; bu
only part of the machinery arrived
The boi Ell was left on the desert
where, for ought we know, it still
remains, a mortal terror to the In
dians, who supposed it to be a hug
cannon.
Now, after Rip Van Winkl
sleep, rendered necessary by Indian
hostilities, difficulties Of com
municanon, etc, this noted mining
district is WI, ny up fhr govern
ment is helping the miners ont i
tna way d protection from the Ii
diaus. perinnne torf is beini
=
built It tlr mouth of Eldor,d
canyon, ana is 70 oe strlisone ,
Co. D, 8 . s. Infantry, Capt Yard
Tlns cnn,n.und Arrl,1d ~ tn 1