Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1904-12-09
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
Mine Operations Of British Column
bia Are 6risk--Many Accidents and
Personal Events.

Waldemar Lindgren of the United
States geological survey, assisted by
Ct. w. Stose and 81. r. johnson, under
took geological reconnaissance in
1899 across the bitter Root range and
the Clear water mountains in Montana
and Idaho. MIR. 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.
81, 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 600 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
the Clearwater river find their way
westward through canyons from 5000
to 5000 feet deep. The canyon of the
Salmon is especially remarkable for it's
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 massive biotite gran.
lite, or, to define it more correctly, of a
quartz monzonite, which is the north.
ward continuation of the great batho-
lith Of the same rock that occupies 30
large an area in southern central
Idaho. A very remarkable fault of ex.
ceptional lentgh and displacement sep.
arates the eastern slope of the Bitter
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
assure veins and gravels. At the foot
of the Bitter Root mountains, some II
miles north of Hamilton, Mont, is the
remarkable Curlew mine, where body
of galena was found in fissure that
had limestone and quartzite as its foot.
wall and the gravels of the Bitter Root
valley as hanging wall. On the uppe,
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 deposits
were discovered in 1859, is the centr,
Of the gold mining industry on tn,
west slope. Gold to the value of sew
from late tertiary bench gravels, ant
placer mining is still prosecuted on {
small scale. Quartz veins have alst
been opened in the old mining district
The well defined quartz veins O.
Buffalo Hump, discovered in 1897, arr
actively worked, though not on a yer,
large scale. These deposits occur il
granite rocks, accompanied by contac
metamorphic states. Florence, located
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 Z,
the value of many million dollars. A
present few placer and quartz mine
are worked there also. Pierce City
on Orofino creek, about so miles north
northwest of Elk City, is also a wei
known placer camp, discovered il
1851, and worked continuously sinc
then. The present yield from thes
placers is probably about $4,000 pc
annum. The gravels occur as creel
aluvium and as benches up to 500 fee
above the persent drainage level.
| $un4O1 Willis uafO d1bO Ooou IOuuu u0d
: Pierce, and many of them are nov
worked on small scale. The vein
occur on gneises and chists. The tota
: production of this gold. bearing region
is at the present time probably abou
: $1,000, 90 per annum.
Coal of fair quality has been fount
on the upper South Fork Of the Bite
Root valley, and the beds are here as
ISOLATED with rhyolote. The develop
ments have not yet shown the extent o
this occurrence. Ignite of fair quail
ity aslo occurs on Orofino creek below