Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-01-24
EXPERIENCED MINING
MANS PREDICTIONS
n. Ssss a Great Future in Store
for the "Cold Ridge
District.
Holland Ore, Jan. 81, 1908.

Holland ore, Jan. II, lSOo
Mr.. Editor: For the information
Of such Of your readers as are inter
ested in mining, l desire to give you
the results of my observations as
practical miner and prospector in
district which up to the present time
has failed to receive the attention oi
mining men that it would seem to de-
serve. I refer to spur of the Siski'
you mountains situated in Josephine
county, some % miles southwest OF
Grants Pass, and locally. known as
"Gold Ridge" This spur or ridge
lies between Althouse on the west and
Sucker Greek on the east, the two
creeks being the principal branches OF
the Illinois River. From its northerly
point. the junction of Grayback Greek
with Sucker Greek, to Boland Peak
on the south, which is the extent Of
my observations, is about 10 miles.
Both Sucker and Althouse creeks
have. since their discovery as gold
producers in the early sos, produced
millions Of dollars in placer gold, and
are still producers. and while it
appears to have been generally reoog-
nized BY the placer miner of the
district that the original source Of
the gold has been the adjacent noun
tain ranges and also that the bulk
Of it has come from Gold Ridge, this
fact does not. until quite recently.
appear to have stimulated prospecting
for quartz veins, except that the
characteristic pocket hunter" so
well known in Southern Oregon,
while scarcely heard Of elsewhere, has
frequently found pockets, /. g. the
decomposedlape1es of quartz veins, of
greater or less value, which he has
worked as far as he could with pick
and shovel and then promptly forgot
ten even their exacr location. To
this general rule there is one excep-
tion on Gold Ridge in the so-called
"Cohen Ledge" located about 21a
miles east of Holland, near the sum-
init OF the ridge. THIS ledge was
worked to q limited extent in the
early days, the ore being treated in
stamp mill, on the assumption that it
was free-milling. As the ore was not
free milling except for few feet be-
low the surface, the mine was finally
abandoned. although carrying high
values in gold associated with sui
phurets, which with modern ma
ohinery and with modern methods of
mining and treatment, will doubtless
pay to work. This old property is
now being reopened, the ancient tun.
nels being cleaned out and retim-
bered, preparatory to starting develop
ment work.
Gold Ridge presents one character
istic which probably more than any
other one thing has been the cause of
its being ignored and neglected by
quartz miners. This is the fact that
practically all lodges so far discovered
are very narrow at the surface, or
wholly invisible, even where not
covered by an overburden of soil. A
little study of the character of Theories,
explains the reason for this in very
satisfactory and self evident manner.
The ore bodies OF Gold Ridge, already
found and doubtless most Of those not
yet discovered are heavily charged
with sulphurets, with which the gold
is intimately associated, Near the
surface these sulphurets have become
oxidized aud leached out of the quartz
rendering the latter porous and ex-
ceedingly brittle. By lateral pressure
of the wall rock this porous aud brit
tie gangae has become gradually com
pressed, aided 10 this compression by
the surface waters, 80 abundant dur
ing rtsin seasons of the year. Fl
nally, what little remains Of the ledge
at the surface, after having had its
principal values leaohed out anh
washed down into the Rulches and
streams has hecoue wholly covered
by the friable aud readily decom'
posing country rock which i also .
most places heavily charged with iron,
so that the onlv indication Of the
presence of "a sold bearing body is
found by panninR. The prospeotor
who is looking for float or outcrops IN
greater or less abundance, is there fore
disappointed, and unfamiliar with the
facts, he tarries but a short while,
departing with more or less earnest
msledictions on the district.
The above briefly stated theory has
been amply verified in the few in
stances where even a small amount o.
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