The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-29
OUTLOOK At JARB|OGE
IS REGARDED AS BRIGHT
DENVER MINING ENGINEER TELLS
OF OPERATIONS AND GEO.
LOGICAL CONDITIONS.
OR. L. Chase in Mining American

in northeastern Nevada, in the north
ern part of Elko county, about ten
miles from the Idaho state line. Tbs
district came into prominence in 1910,
during the boom days OF the camp,
but since then little has been heard
of It, / made two trips to the dls :
trict this last summer and found II
developing into a promising gold
camp with steady production as
sured for many years.
The district is very difficult of ac-
cess being reached from the south by
65-mile auto road from Elko, this
road, however, being blocked by snow
for several months in winter. 1t Is
also reached from Twin Falls Idaho,
by 1O0-mile auto road passable
throughout the year.
Discovery.
In 1909, D. A. Bourne, prospector,
started in the foothill country near
the state line and assembled Jarbidgo
river, prospecting and panning the
grayes. He obtained his best re-
suits at the mouth of tributary, now
called Bourne gulch, and ascending
this stream half a mile, he discovered
and located gold bearing outcrops that
developed later into the Bourne mine.
It Is at the intersection of Bourne
gulch and the Jarbidge river that the
town of Jarbidge sprang up.
Practically at the same time, John
Escalton entered the district from the
south. Discovering rich float, he To-
Gated the Pick and Shovel ledge about
a half mile further up the river than
Bourne's discovery.
Reports of the discovery soon spread
and men began to flock to the camp.
The Jarbidge mining district was or
ganized and recorder elected. Early
in 1910, the Buster, ozark and Bunker
Hill properties were located. Exag-
gerated reports of these finds were
published and a stampede of people
to the district resulted. These people
experienced many hardships getting to
the camp as it was midWinter with
deep snow on the ground and the road
at that time extended only from Twin
Falls to the Hot Springs, about twelve
miles from Jarbidge. From Hot
Springs, the men were obliged, in
most cases. to pack their baggage and
freight on their backs, through the
deep SHOWS. Some were lucky enough
to secure packhorses, though at ex
brilliant prices. Claims were staked
on the deep SHOWS and in few months
over 500 claims were recorded.
Jarbidge at this time contained
about 1900 people and had been sup
piled with several hotels, restaurants,
lighthouses and other adjuncts of q
new mining camp.
BY summer, the newcomers had
found the reports of the richness of
the discoveries to have been much
exaggerated and many left camp. Dur
ing that year. the Bourne, Pick and
Shovel and Pavlack mines were start
ed and financed and mills were built,
They operated for a short time with
out much success as the money had
been put into mills and not in develop
ing ore reserves.
Town of Jarbidge.
At present, Jarbidge is town of
antly in the valley of the Jarbidge
river at an elevation of $500 feet.
There are two hotels. restaurants,
commercial club, moving picture show
and, unfortunately, numerous saloons.
Jarbidge river flows north through a
deeply eroded canyon which narrows
toward the north end into very pre-
cipitous box canyon. To the west of
town, the canyon walls rise probably
1900 feet and then slope away into
level lava plains. To the east, the
country is quite rugged attaining an
elevation of 1900 feet on Jarbidge
and Bald peaks which rise above tim
berline, The slopes of this side are
well timbered with pine aspen and
mountain mahogany, Numerous
springs dot the hillsides, making good
drinking water plentiful. In the sum-
mer, the weather Is ideal, but in the
winter the SHOWS are quite heavy. re-
naming on the peaks throughout the
summer although the temperature
seldom drops to zero.
Geology.
The geology of the district is rather
simple. The older rocks consist OF
paleozoic sedimentaries quartzite
limestone and shale. They have been
considerably folded and faulted and
intruded by numerous grano-diorite
dykes. These rocks rest upon the
older granite. The erosion of these
sediments was followed by an erup-
tion of tertiary lavas as rhyolites in
two distinct periods. The older rhyo-
lite covered the surface to a depth of
several thousand feet This was then
partly eroded and later covered by
another rhyolite flow. This later
rhyolite has been eroded in the Jar
bidge mining area exposing the older !
rhyolites which are ore bearing. The |
center of this eruption seems to have
conceded closely with the summit of
the Jarbidge or Crater range.
The Crater range gets it's name