The copper era., 1906-05-03
Revival of Gold Mining in the Clifton
MOrenci, Arizona, District.
STAFF CORRESPONDENCE
From Denver Mining Reporter.

From Denver Mining Reporter.
Mining for gold in the Clifton
Morenci district of Graham county
Arizona, which district for the year
1905 ranked second among the pro-
ducing sections of the territory, has
of late assumed noteworth proper
tions. There are now under develop
ment upwards of a score of promising
properties from a number of which
production either has been or is
being made. Among the latter may
situated about mile and a half
east of Morenci, from which a car
load lot of 800 gold ore was recently
shipped. At a number of properties
in the Greenlee section east of Chase
Creek notably those of the Sierra
de Orc Mining company, Crawford
Gold Mining Company, Polaris NJ. C
NJ. Company, and Arizona Gold
Mining company there are developed
sufficient ore bodies to warrant the
CdllN CICCliOu vi DldnlS.
Among the factors contributing
to the present revival of gold min
ing throughout the region may be
mentioned the recently published
annual statement of the Shannon
Copper Company, which showed that
in the production of 100000 lbs.
of bessemer copper, the gold and
silver concentrated by-products
amounted to approximately 600
ounces of gold and 1000 ounces
silver.
This hitherto little known fact
together with late shipments of ore
running high in gold and silver from
the Standard company's San Jose
mine as well as from other properties
in the Metcalf district, have served
not only to emphasize the impor-
tance of the precious metal contents
of the regions copper ores, but also
to accentuate the developments of
the outlying gold districts. 1t is of
renee of native silver deposited on
copper silicate among the San Jose
ores.
In the district gold occurs native
with galena in the Hormeyer mine
which is fissure vein on the lime
stone ridge between Chase creek
and Morenci canyon; at the Stevens
group in Garfield gulch northwest
of Copper mountain, at the Lakenan
group below Gold gulch and in
portions of the Greenlee district;
in small seams and well defined |
assures in Gold gulch and other
portions of the Copper mining district |
to the north and west of Morenci |
and in the Greenlee or Clifton dis
tricts and in placer gravels along
Gold gulch and other portions of
Gold creek basin, and in adjoining
gulches to the north and, as well as
along the San Francisco river for |
a distance of about five miles above |
the town of Clifton.
Prior to the inauguration of the |
extensive copper mining operations
in the early eighties, the mining of
the auriferous gravels along San
Francisco river, Chase creek in
Morenci canyon and Gold and Bo-
nanza creeks to the west of Morenci,
was quite extensively carried on
and to a fair profit. At Oroville,
several miles above Clifton, a town
of several hundred people was built
up at that time, and hydraulic, as
well as box ground sluicing were
carried on.
The mining of the auriferous veins
of the Gold creek basin area, and
of the gulches to the north, and
south, which region includes the
slopes toward Eagle creek from
the Morenci divide embracing an
area of approximately four miles
square has also been internationally
carried on in small way since early
eighties. The Lakenan group, near
the mouth of Gold creek, has been
worked in a desultory fashion for
the past Is years by its owner, who
has arrastred the high grade oXidized
ores, and shipped the galena ores,
the gold and silver values of which
have ranged from SIS to S75 Il ton.
No great depth was in any instance
attained, and evidence of the quite
extensive shallow workings. which
consist mostly of grass root tunnels,
open cuts and 20 and 80 foot shafts,
may still be seen. A number of the
old arrastras are still in evidence
along Gold and Bonanza gulches. 1t
is impossible to present reliable
aH