The Elk Mountain pilot. [volume] (Irwin, (Ruby Camp), Gunnison County, Colo.) 1880-19??, 1919-08-21
REVIVED OF
eUNlsON's EARLY DAYS

Mir. Editor:
In Elk Basin mile or so north
east of Irwin is the Venango group
of mines, gotten together by persons
from Venango County, Pennsylvania,
which gave it it's name. The owners
were Colonel ahd Edward Delavergne,
j. F. Seldomridge and Edward Copley
and possibly others from Colorado
Springs. This property was quite
promising in the early days, produc-
ing much high grade silver ore.
Aside from the sulphide silver ore
there was a deposit of sand carbon
ate silver-lead ore, the same as found
in the Doctor mine on Spring Creek.
This ore resembles fine red sand
and to the inexperienced would be
passed UP as of no value, but on ex-
animation it is found to be heavily
charged with lead and silver.
l think the owners were offered
s150.0O0 for this property at one
time and 1 am of the opinion that
they lost the ownership by failing
to pay the taxes in after years.
Whether it is of any value or not I
do not know but it occurs to me
with modern machinery ore might be
again found.
Col Delavergne lived in Honolulu
for long time but think he now
lives in Los Angeles, Calf. Ed Della
vergne, who was prominent in the
Cripple Creek boom is still living in
Colorado Springs. ]. F. Seldomridge
formerly from Philadelphia. was
merchant of Colorado Springs, the
father of ex-Congressman H. H.
Seldomridge, is dead for number OF
years. Edward Copley was a pious
prospector. He talked religion on
Sunday and geology the rest Of the
week. He was the manager and a
very interesting gentleman to meet,
widely posted on mining operations.
He was an uncle to the notorious
Harry Thaw you have read so much
about the last few years. as he was
brother of Mrs. Thaw, of Pittsburg.
He died about year ago, long past
80 years of ago, at Riverside, Calf,
where he had lived in retirement for
number of years.
The Hopewell mine, near the Ruby
Chief, was in company called the
Standard Mining Company, exploited
by Brick Pomroy, well known gener-
alton ago as lecturer and newspa-
per man. He broke into the mining
game about 1880, and aside from the
Standard Co, in Irwin. he started the
famous Atlantic and Pacific tunnel
above Georgetown. Colorado, designed
to cut through the backbone of the
Continental Divide, for the purpose
of shortening the mail route to Salt
Lake and the coast. The tunnel was
run several hundred feet with the
expectation that mineral veins would
be cut that would at least pay for
the work, if not open up bonanza.
Nothing Of Importance was ever cut
and at the death of Mr.. Pomroy the
enterprise was dropped.
The most famous thing about the
Hopewell was the large boarding
house erected by the company and
run by Uncle Johnny and Aunt Mary
Chestnut People would travel miles
out of their way to get a dinner
there. They afterwards kept hotel in
Crested Butte. Mr.. Chestnut is
buried in the Gunnison cemetery and
Mrs. Chestnut died in Denver years
ago, and at her request was brought
to Gunnison for burial.
There were hundreds of other pros
poets and locations in Irwin, and
have only named a few of the more
prominent. If one could see an early
map of Irwin they would see a per
feet network of patented claims, the
names and location of which are lost
to memory of the present generation
No one ever received any benefit ap-
parently out of these patented min
eral claims except the surveyor, the
lawyer and the printer. The sur
veyor WIS paid for the survey, the
lawyer for making out the papers
and the printer for publishing the
notices for sixty days. At one time
had over page of patent notices
which We're profitable.
Our land office at first was Lead
vile. The Receiver and the Register
was VIM. X. Burchinell, afterwards
sheriff of Lake County and at pre-
sent custodian of the State Capitol
in Denver. When the business grew
so big-about 1SS3-the land Office