Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1905-12-29
SILVER BEARING SANDSTONE
Of Silver Reef.
By James q. Wilder.
SILVER BEARING SANDSTONE.

SILVER BEARING SANDSTONE. |
Silver occurs in rocks of all ages,
but In some of them very sparingly (; |
and it is but seldom il occurs in pay
ing quantities in sandstone. The |
most conspicuous place in which
srgentiferous sandstone occurs In pay
ing quantities is at Silver Reef, in
Washington County, Utah, which
place has produced over $1,000, 900
in silver up to the year 1900. 1t
was in this locality of Utah that John
Barbee. in the year 1873, discovered
silver in sandstone reef, near the town
of Leeds about 10 miles northeast of
st. George, the county seat of Wash
ington County. John Barbee was
an old time prospector of California,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Utah.
He had taken part in every great
mining excitement for the previous
% years. In 1872 he had discovered
the silver lead mines of Deep Greek,
in Western Utah, only to make a
failure of smelling the ores of that
region at Clifton. His next move
was to Southern Utah, and one morn
ing, while he WAS preparing his
breakfast at a campfire near Leeds,
he observed metallic substance ON
the surface of one of the sandstone
masses against which his fire had
been built, which he found to be
silver. and investigation proved to
him that the region round about for
a distance of five miles in length and
three miles in width, was made up of
successive sandstone reefs, each of
which carried more or less silver,
some of them being too low in value
to pay, while others ran as high as
1000 ounces per ton.
Mr. Barbee located large area of
land near the scene of his first dis.
covery at Leeds and farther west on
what are know as the Buckeye and
White Reefs. He was without money
at the time, but it was but short
time before he found the man with
the money aud as result small
mill was constructed and set to work
and in very short time was produc-
ing silver bullion. At the end of the
year 1874 excitement ran high: the
( fame Of silver. Reef extended. over
Nevada Utah and Montana; great
numbers of miners fioeked int from
those territories and in the year 1875
the town of Silver Reef on upper
Leeds creek was thrifty camp.
Five mills we're employed in treating
the ores and about 200 men found
employment in mining and milling
the ore of the district. The pr ncipal
mines Of those halcyon days we're
the California, Maggie, Buckeye,
Teoumseh, Barbee aud Walker,
Stormont, Thompson, Last Chance,
and the Leeds mine. The silver &C
cured as black sulphurets,' chrotidss, {.
born silver and native silver in thin
sheets. the best values occurring near
the surface, but the largest bodies in
: the deeper workings. AS to the
source of origin, we know little about
the silver Of the reef. The problem
is difficult of solution, and only the
student W no is able to patiently work
his way through natures laboratory,
will be able to give us the true solu-
ton.
The history of Silver Reef as a
mining camp, is strange one. 1t
arose to prosperity rapidly and for
eight years continued to produce
large volumes Of silver. In the year
1888 it had grown to be a handsome
little mining city of about 800
people. Ia that year strike called
by the Miners Union, shut down
most of the principal mines, and the
decline in the price of silver occurring
soon after. completed the work,
Now only few leasers are at work
and the output in the year 1904 had
declined to Is, 600 fine ounces of
silver. The Brundage Mining and
Reduct on Co., composed of Cleve
land, Ohio, business men, came into
the histoy of Silver Reef few year
since. 1t purchased water rights,
the Barbee and Walker, Leeds, Jumbo
and Free Coinage mines and th.
Barbee mill, which it refitted with
new machinery, and now works the
leaser's ores. AS to what it will do
in the future, it maintains discreet
silence, but the mines which are now
almost abandoned, will in time be-
come again the scene OF activity and
life. Millions of dollars have been
taken from the old camp, but tens OF