Gilpin observer., 1906-06-28
Work of the Prospector.
By Thomas +. Walsh.

| anu uppuilulng OF our state, from deS-
ert waste and unexplored frowning
mountains, to its present very prosper
GUS condition, as we are to the pros
pector. Others have done their part,
nobly and well, in the building of rail
and wagon roads, and in establishing
commercial and manufacturing indus
tries, etc., but to my mind we owe
debt OF gratitude to the prospector we
| can never repay.
When l came to Colorado there were
only few small mining camps, be-
| yond which was land unknown and
uneXplored. Through this wilderness
pushed the prospector, with his patient
burro, his pick, pan and oftentimes
I scanty provisions, braving all the dan
gers, sufferings and agonies of cold,
hunger and exposure; passing over
places SO impossible as to oblige him
to let himself and his patient little
animal down with ropes. No peaks
were too high or steep, no yawning
chasm SO deep that he did not climD
and penetrate in his wooing of nature
to reveal to him her hidden treas
ures. l have travelled great
| deal over the mountains of
Solorado, but l have never yet
found place that did not find traces
of the prospector having been there
before me.
The prospector was the pioneer of
all our mining camps. All interests
watched and waited to see the result
of his explorations. The moment it be-
came known he had made strike" all
| the machinery of our civilization
from railroad to faro bank, was at
once set in motion to build up a city
or town, all due to the discoveries made
| hn N rhre e,t,
| tistics of the output of precious met
ais give the strongest evidence of the
incalculable good the prospector has
done for his state and nation, bring
| ing into existence a clean wealth
which previously had lain dormant in
| natures treasure vaults; crushing
| down no fellow in competitive strife.
| His success brought forth only good TO
all.
| When we consider in what small
areas Mother Nature deposits her min
erals We can more readily appreciate
the possibilities of the large mineral
lied mountain region of Colorado, ex-
tending, as it does, from Wyoming to
New Mexico. and from Denver to Salt
Lake. Prospectors have explored
nearly all of this region, but only the
merest fraction of it is prospected.
l
developed mines and prospects as well
as INDICATED mineral lands, and while
| it is quite true that the big, strong
veins which come to the surface are
| the easiest found because of the great
amount of float" they give out, and
| the discolorations along their apexes
| are prominent indications for the ex-
| perienced prospectors; yet, on the
other hand, we have Cripple Creek,
which gave little or no evidence on the
surface of the vast wealth deposited
| in very small area, so that in the
mineral as we'll as in the human,
world 1t is not always safe to judge by
! surface indications.
1t is very easy for nature to hide
| away hundreds of such camps in the
extensive mountain domain of this
state. The vast empire which the Mof-
| fat road opens up will make room for
| thousands of prospectors. We need
| the prospectotr as much now as we
ever did, and We need to recognize and
encourage his good work in every way
we can.
l believe we should provide means
| by which. when a prospector cannot
afford to pay for his assays, they could
and would be made at public expense.
Many prospect hides its treasure
because the locator of it was too pool
to make many assays, and unlimited
assays are, TO the prospector what the
mariners compass is to the navi-
gator. The expense of doing this
would be a mere nothing compared to
the public good the creation of one
new successful mining camp would ac-
complish.
Pamphlets describing the rarer
minerals. to which heretofore no at
tention has been paid, should be dis
tributed free to all prospectors. | be
lieve that when we know how to pros
pect for and recognize those rarer min
erals, that doubtless are now lying un-
noticed and unrecognized on the waste
dumps Of many mines, new and prof
table industry will be added to the
mining interests Of the state. We must
remember that until the late Senator
Hill introduced his system of ore treat
ment and established his smelter at
Black Hawk, the heavy copper and
iron pyrites were OF no value to the
mine operators OF Gilpin county.
So we should supply the prospector
with all the information necessary to
successfully search for those rare min |
erals which now are In such great de- |
mand, and command such high prices,
and, when necessary, test them at pub |
lie expense. In this connection / |
might mention the fact that Henry L. |
Wood Of Denver has for the past two |
or three years devoted much of his |
time to demonstrating the existence of |
these metals in our ores, with crafty |
ing results.
Prospecting, in the future. should be |
done, II possible, so as to take in ev- |
cry mineral of value our mountains |
contain; the precious minerals, the |
rare minerals. even the valuable clay |
and cement deposits. No metal that |
can be marketed at profit should be |
overlooked. In carrying on this work