Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-01-23
Interesting Earl, History u.
Grant Gsunis Mining Camp
sf Pines AItss
THE FIRST STRIKE
Fps and Downs N R~ss0uresfui
District. Considerable Asfi-
Wis ut the Present Time
sgy szandeas

Eyes s~aes@ndeas9
Il IL SAID la Easrs zre records
gst TIE srsAsves 81 tae aerarxa
g-oyeynne1t i. he esty u cashaahHa
wssefs yrpve that goss sss discovered
II ire Pss,s Astns uspnasains ID Gen
era pssr1 Aaaendzrss. one a The
cxrsrnxrdxnss ~ tbe ihan Asxiean oasis
pests o. Gantz Ratz This discovery
~ss psossssy sorzDtten. - no practI
al 80 appears % hare k4@a made III
Il fn 1886 three sdrenturoas and
dartag Americas prospecfors. Messrs
Birch saIses and Hicks. Invaded theH
txunfry thea snhabite8 0aly by ssY.
sxe ard n~lcosahlrssy Agaehss and
discovered gold 90 Bear creek III ~
dssccsered BY Dirch Wills takins i
drink from the stream Just above III.
sEneton and Little Cherrys near
where me gr4HiasEEey aos Stands
The place named BirchsiIie III
honor os he discoyerer AZ soon Al
the news 81 ths discovery aas noisel
shrusd there ~as 4 grana rush 10 the
nes Efdursdo asd he month If Sep
sesnber sas oser 10 men. III more Or
lsss assIstig sneagsd Id washing gold
ID Bear creek ana he gulches and Ar
rozem tributary thereto. THE fret.
year was devoted alnost exclusively
70 placer mining and II vas not until
si that iAs miners devoted ANY attefs
Lion 10 the rlch quartz ioGe4 IA few
locations were nasfe that year.
afnopest ihsTn ,he eLock los since
famous Ill d gold producer under the
name Of the Mountain Key During
'ef, owing III me frequent incursFons of
ne Indians. the camp vas abandoned
BY ALL Or nearly all, The American
miners leaving only . few Msxicans
ID The aforrtime lively camp The
Me1icans changed TIE name from the
ABlfchyiIie ~ Pinos Altos
tmeansng tall pineal BY which name
!; has been knnxn yer since.
Very little mining was done until
1856 when a second rush to those nov
goi.l fields occurred; and new
discoveries Of rich gold bearing quartz
sere of every day occurance July nl
hat year saw the completion OF a IS
lamp mill. II was erected by Virgil
and vas the irst mill In Tie
the milling having hitherto
'een all done by srastras Other mills
soon built and during the years
% and 90 the Pacific mine alone
FINISHED ore for thirty-one stamps.
nd the output Of gold exceeded the
expectations Of the most sanguine.
he oxidized surface ore was .Log
yer, 0 exhausted and the Pinos
Gold Mining company were
breed % suspend operations. not be
ig able 20 treat successfully III base
ore with stamps.
In 1872 skiilIcorn a Co, built aud
u In operation the well known Mud /
urtle' mill. 70 called from The fact
lat a large mud turtle had been cap. !,
Ired at that place. In 1883 Place and
built a ten stamp mill, but /
% the lack OF knowledge OF the \
eatment required BY base pres 81 the :
strict the attempt 10 work them re.
lted In failure. The sam. year :
stsr Wagner built a I'VE stamp mill
hieh be provided with concentrators
q 70 him belongs the credit ~ first
Ing able - treat the ores OF this
with success The years SIS
q ~ demonstrated thai stamp mill
with concentraiorh ecrs abic
successfully handle the sulphIae
- Aetlng on this belief Hrfi snd I
purchased the Place and \
snsoa rgllI equipped d With csncons :
lots ana successfully and pirohi
" hshsled the base ores from tae
ina Grande" and other mines own
W them ~ ~ rich oge vas sis
Fsfee 10 ne Mountain ~ min
Luagef q Co, who had 4 Iease %
properly This attracted tie ~
tion Of General Boyle. Who Pr.
lsee the mine Organized = sioci
ppsny baiti = 29sisnp mil 70
tbe 0fts and in a short time took !
sSO9c06 The company chen suss :
eed OPERATIONS. which suspension
~ n have been caused by bad
ssgenseht and dissentions amongst
atDckhoIders Soon after closing
p The property passed into The
= hsnds. who did MOI work Ii and
wed the shaft % cave. thus closing
mine Weld g Chandler finally
c>ssessDn and 10 1901 sold II IN.
jsass sn1 bond % o b. Hardy,
riesnec 0yf the shaft and retim.
I n % The 100 foot level, but. ow.