The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-01-31
A GEOLOGICAL REVIEW
OF THE C0EuR O'ALENEs
CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ORE
DEPOSITS ARE FOUND
OUTLOOK GOOD.

The last issue Of the Mining and
Scientific Press contains a contribu-
ton on 1.-The Mining Districts of Nor
them IDAHO" by e. X. Soper. Mr..
Soper was formerly connected with
the mining department of the univer-
sity of Idaho at Moscow and is now
lat the head Of the Oregon school Of
mines at Corvallis. While connected
with the university at Moscow he
made frequent visits to the Occur
d'Alene district and devoted much
time to geological research, covering
all sections Of this large district, and
made similar Investigations in Bonner,
Boundary and Kootenai counties Mr..
Soper's article describes mining con-
ditions and prospects in the four coun-
ties. His comments on Shoshone coun-
ty or the Coepr d'Alene district, are
here given.
Local Districts.
The most important mining districts
are the following: Wallace placer
Center), Mullan (Hunter), Burke Ga
Lande), Kellogg Wardner (Yreka),
Evolution, Pine Creek, Slate Creek,
Shoshone, Beaver, East Occur dAlene,
Murray, and Bald Mountain (Monitor).
The most important of these districts
from the standpoint of production are
the Wallace (Placer Center), Mullan
| (Hunter), Burke LaLande), Kellogg
Wardner (Yreka), Pine Creek, and
Beaver Occur d'Alene is a name fire.
quently used to designate the region
comprising all of these districts.
Wallace.
| The Wallace district contains i'm
portant deposits of both lead and zinc
ores. The district embraces mines
on Nine-mile creek from Wallace to
Sunset, and the surrounding territory
The deposits within this area include
tsome very complex ores. With the
exception Of the clean sphalerite ore
OF the Interstate Callahan deposit, the
ores usually consist of intimate mix
lures of galena and sphalerite with
more or less pyrite, magnetic, and
siderite. The galena always carries
silver. but there is very little, if any
silver associated with the sphalerte
In some Of the mines ore-shoots of
comparatively clean galena are found,
and in the Interstate Callahan mine
the ore consists of sphalerite, free
from the sulphide minerals so COM
mon In the other deposits of the dis
trict. Where galena and sphalerite
occur together the two minerals are
often in such close association that
the finest grinding is required to
break the association. The associa-
ton is rendered still more refractory
In some mines by the addition of py-
rite, and by the presence Of much
siderite in the gangue. The principal
mines Of the Wallace district include
the Interstate Callahan, Tamarack &
Custer Rex, and Success. All of these
supply large mills, and since the intro
duction of flotation the recoveries
have been greatly increased.
MulIan.
The Mullan (Hunter) district in
cludes the town of Mullan, about
seven or eight miles east of Wallace,
on the branch of the Northern Pacific
railroad connecting Wallace with Mis-
scula, in Montana. The ores of this
district contain less zinc than those
in the Wallace district. Lead silver
ore is the principal product, and the
district contains some Of the most i'm
portant lead-silver mines in the Occur
d'Alene region. There is also an i'm
portant copper mine the National,
which Is now under active develop
ment. The famouns Snowstorm cop
per mine. now worked out, was also
near Mullan. The principal active
mines are the Morning, Gold Hunter,
and National. An important property
still in the development stage is the
Star. now engaged in litigation with
the Morning mine of the Federal Min
ing & Smelling company. The Morn
ing ore contains considerable sphal-
erite associated with the galena in
heavy gangue Of siderite. Some bar
lite and quartz is also present, and
pyrite and pyrrhotite also occur asso-
ciated with the lead and zinc sulphides.
The silver Is associated with the ga
lena. Considerable quantities of OK
idized lead-silver ore were found in
the old upper levels of the Morning
mine, and it has been reported recent
ly that additional bodies of lead car
Donate have been found in developing
new ground on the upper levels. Be-
cause of the association of consider
able zinc sulphide with the argenti-
ferrous galena in the Morning and
Gold Hunter ores, and because of the
presence of large amounts of siderite
In the gangue, these ores have pre-
sented serious milling difficulties, now
overcome. The mines in
he Mullan district were among the
irst to employ selective flotation
Burke.
The mines in the Burke UaLande) |
district are nearly all situated along |
canyon creek in the Burke canyon
which joins the south fork of the
Occur d'Alene river at the town of