Semi-weekly herald., 1911-08-14
NEW MINES IN THE SAN JUAN
REGION.
Warren C. Prosser.)

found In Burns gulch, and umerous
properties have been staked and de-
veloped in quest for the source of
this high-grade ore. 1t was not until
Labor day in 1910, however, that the
vein from which this float originated
was found and staked. Jim O'Kelly,
who discovered the O. X. mine in con-
junction with Senator Joyce, made a
trip to the head of this gulch with
George Casey and found the vein out
cropping in the cliffs in q very mac
cessible locality. Pieces of the ore
from this vein rot very imposing look
ing, yield profusely when roasted in
an ordinary kitchen stove bubbles of
gold and silver. Secrecy has been
maintained in regard to this strike to
enable the locators to connect this
group by other locations to the o. X.
group in Minnie and Niagara gulches,
which has now been done. This has
been the most important but not the
only strike on the eastern range this
season.
To the northwest of Silverton, in
Georgia gulch, prominent strike Of
black copper ore was made last fall
and is being worked this year de-
veloping into producing property.
Just across the same range, on Min
eral creek, the Silver Ledge mine
has opened up fine bodies of lead-zinc
sulphide ore and has recently great
ly increased the capacity of the mill
to handle the greater output.
In the South Mineral creek section
Judson Clevenger, William Sullivan
and ]. A. McCrimmon have found good
ore in well-mineralized country, and
scme little excitement has prevailed
here this season as a result of their
discoveries.
The country is large and well min
eralized and there is scarcely any por-
tion of it in which new locations and
new discoveries cannot be made. There
are many old locations and old prop
critics on which the possibilities OF
making mines are equally as good as
on new locations, and many of these
are idle, with plenty Of ore exposed
which is amenable to treatments in
general use today.
There is no more profitable field for
investment than the investigation and
the development of the class of prop
critics upon which the discovery and
preliminary work has been done. The
needs of the San Juan in bringing
about the development Of these prop
critics forces to light the scarcity of
legitimate promoters who can bring
mining enterprises in touch with men
who are willing and anxious to in.
vest in bona fide mines. Judging from
the scarcity of these promoters Colo
RADIO needs to develop corps of them
as well as of prospectors. 1t needs
to back up the workers who are striv-
ing to sidestep the rut of misrepre-
sentation and place the mining indus.
try in Colorado, as well as elsewhere
on sound, profitable basis general.
ly.
The strikes which have been made
and are today being made in the La
Plata mountains are having more thar
local influence in bringing to light 8
territory which has been sadly neg.
lected and which has the combinations
of geological phenomena most favora.
BILE for ore deposition.
When Emil Fisher, the pioneer ar,
tist, was in this section of the state
it is reported that he was sketchine
the Cascade creek country, showing
Engineer mountain and its surround
ings, and that he brought to Silvertor
specimen of ore from a vein neal
which he had set up his camp, which
on being assayed, yielded startling
values in gold. He later directed sew.
eral parties to the place, but moi
having knowledge of the formations
he was unable, apparently, to send
them to the right locality.
Again it is reported that an ole
stage driver, who lived at the station
of Cascade, where the Cascade creek
runs into the Animas river, woult
make trips each year up into the
Cascade country somewhere and re.
turn with several sacks of very rich
gold ore. He promised to let mar
by the name Of E. l.. Roberts in or
the strike, and on his death bed at
tempted to explain the location of the
discovery. The sketch under his rap.
idly failing fingers resulted in hope
less scrawl.
Other stories have been told of rich
finds in this section, the locations Of
which were not divulged by the men
who took high grade ore from them,
most of whom died with their secret
Many stories of this character have
been followed up and the majority of
them have proven to be poppycock,
but the latent possibilities Of the Cas-
cade district stand out enticingly to
be investigated and lend n semblance
Of truth to the reported discoveries.
Parties from Durango and Silver