Gilpin observer., 1905-09-07

OI Lne SOIL OF COlOradO since the days
Of pixies Peak or Bust!" He made
some figures on the blotter with his
pencil and then replied:
Including gold, silver, lead, copper
and zinc, the soil of Colorado has
yielded not less than $SS9,OOO,OOO in
precious metals during the last forty
five years. From twenty-five to forty
per celt. of this amount has been lost
in treatment-in smelling and milling
and much of it was discarded on the
dumps. But that will be recovered
some time"
Developing the Gregory Lode.
Where was the first big find?" l
asked.
John II. Gregory made the first dis
covery in 1859, in Gilpin county, about
fifty miles from Denver. That camp
probably paid from $20,O0tOOO to $685.
100000 altogether Perhaps you did
not know that George M. Pullman, Da-
vid A. Gage and John B. Lyon of Chi
cago worked claims on the Gregory
lode. Pullman and Gage went into the
brokerage business and soon after the
beginning of the war, when Secretary
Chase issued greenbacks for money.
they set up shop at which they
bought gold dust from the miners, paid
Tor 1t in paper money and shipped 1t.
From the development of the Greg
ory lode sprang the impulse that has
made Colorado. 1t attracted tens of
thousands of immigrants, men of cour-
age, industry and determination, who
scattered over the mountains, pros
pecting as they went, and the riches
of the state have come from their dis
coveries. John Gregory was remark
able mana natural pioneer and
leader. At the same time he was
gambler and hard drinlSer He be-
came very rich and after the war
closed sold his mines, left the gulch
with his money, came to Denver and
took the stage for the East, intending
to spend the rest of his days at his old
home in Georgia. But he never got
there. He vanished completely on the
way and his fate has never been deter
mined. There has been a great deal of
speculation about it and many plaus-
lDle theories have been advanced to
account for his disappearance. We
know that he got as far as Kansas
City, but there every trace of him is
lost
The Valuable LeadvilIe Carbonates.
THE next great discoveries were in
and about Breckenridge and the South
Park. A great deal of gold was taken
from the placer mines in that neighbor-
hood, but the war demoralized every
thing and practically no progress was
made in Colorado mining until the
Leadville carbonates were discovered
in 1878 by w. II. Stevens of Detroit,
while placer mining in California
gulch. The discovery was entirely ac-
cidental. While he was sluicing. this
very heavy mineral kept clogging up
the sluices. Stevens tried TO get rid OF
1t at first, then became interested, had
it analyzed and found that the lead was
loaded with silver. Stevens induced
l.. u. Letter of Chicago to furnish him
capital and located great deal of
ground under the name of the Iron
Silver Mining Company. That COM
pany still exists and is paying large
dividends. After Letter had made
many millions he sold out and the mine
was abandoned and filled with water
About five years ago the water was
pumped out, new machinery was in
stalled and it is now being worked on
a business basis. Stevens died in De-
troit last year. He never became as
rich as Letter. but kept his money and
was a very rich man.
Career Of II. A. W. Tabor.
In 1878 or 1879 II. A. w. Tabor ap-
peared. He was a Kansas man and
had served in the Legislature of that
state. He came to Colorado with a
yoke of oxen attached to prairie
schooner, and curiously enough drove
his team directly over the rich gold
fielsd of Cripple Creek on his way to
California gulch, where he set up a gro
Gerry store and served as postmaster.
10 orr, n l.nl fu
Rische and Hook, who discovered the
Little Pittsburg mine on Freyer hill.
TABOR bought out his partners and
worked the mine with great success
until he became one of the richest men
in Colorado.
He finally sold the property to J. B.
Chaffee and David II. Moffat, and re-
moved to Denver. where he invested
his money in real estate and started
the boom that developed that city. He
built the Tabor block, which was the
finest building between st. Louis and
San Francisco: and the opera house,
which was the equal of anything in
New York at that time and cost nearly
a million dollars. He built another
opera house at Leadville, and for ten
years was the most prominent and the
most progressive citizen OF this state.
He inspired the improvements In this
city, and 1t is not saying too much to
attribute to Mr.. Tabor the credit OF do
ing more for Denver than any other
man. But he spread out over too much
territory. He had too many irons in
the fire. He went into politics, which
cost him great deal OF money, and
became involved in mines in old Mex
leo. New Mexico, Arizona, where he
was deceived and betrayed. He got so
deeply involved that when the panic
of 1893 struck the state he went under
and died a poor man.
Mr.. BIaine's Wealth.
James G.. Blaine came into Colo
rado in 1880 and made millions Of dol
lars In connection with Jerome r.