The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-08-14
MORE ABOUT THE DAYS
WHEN WE WERE YOUNG
History of tn. E.rsy Miner. Of Irwin

Mr. Editor:
In 1879 Mr.. Gilkeson drove a
team of horses hitched to a wagon
out to Ruby camp from Missouri,
bringing his family, consisting Of
wife and several children He camp
ed on the west shore of Lake Bren-
nan. After visiting a few days he
wanted to move and going out after
his horses that were feeding in the
meadow he found one of them dead.
That delayed him several days until
he could find another horse to buy
While wandering around his little
boy, ten years old, in hammering on
the rocks, chipped off a piece, turn
ing it over it looked to be all galena,
but on having it assayed 1t proved
to be brittle silver, as it ran several
hundred ounces of silver to the ton.
Mr.. Gilkeson lost no time in locat-
ing it and that proved to be the Lead
Chief and Little Chief mines, as he
located two claims or 1900 feet each
way from this rich discovery. 1t
commenced to pay right from the
grass roots, and attracted the at
tention of promoters. The Gurley
Bros. at that time prosperous real
estate firm of Denver, were in the
country and secured an option on it
from Mr.. Gilkeson. They went to
Denver and turned the option over
to Col. f P Jacobson, and he sold
the mines to Commodore VIM Amy,
of eNw York, do not know the
exact price, but it is said that Mr..
Gilkeson received $4,000, and took
his money to Fort Collins, where he
bought a big ranch, raising his FAM
ily and living there to this day.
Note-Mr. Gilkeson was run over
by an auto and killed in January.
1917. His children, at least some OF
them still reside at or near Fort Col
lins.-Ed.
His sons and daughters grew
to be honored citizens of that COM
munity. do not know how much
the Gurleys got. Col. jacobson it
was claimed made enough to build
the block on the corner of 10th and
Arapahoe streets, opposite the old
postoffice of Denver, that is known
to this day as the Jacobson Block.
The Amys, Henry and William, were
rich German wine importers of New
York Henry Amy at the time was
director in the Denver & Rio
Grande Railroad, and afterwards he
built smelter in Durango, but it
was VIM. Amy who bought the Lead
and Little Chief claims. He had
them worked vigorously for awhile,
and would come out every summer
for a few years. He would always
ship out consignment of wines and
liquors out from New York to last
him during his stay, and naturally
the Pilot man made frequent calls at
the mine to see how the work was
going Twas invited one 4th of July
to dine. While sitting on log Mr..
Amy asked if would join him, and
said he would go to his wine cellar.
He went behind the log and scraped
the brush away and pulled some bot
ties out of snow bank. Think of
it. snow in July!
When the work stopped on these
claims, l do not know the reason
why, whether the ore pinched out,
or too much water, this do know
however, there was no great depth
reached and it occurs to me that
with the present price of silver, up
on investigation they might yet be
good mines.
The Bullion King mine a mile to
the east of the Lead Chief was To-
Gated by VIM. Tule and James Pres
ton, two of Gunnison's first settlers.
1t was sold to Col Elisha A. Buck,
the owner of ''The Spirit Of the
Times" then a high class horse and
sporting journal of New York, and
some business men of Easton, Pa,
Mr.. P. F. Ropell was put in charge
and proved to be a good manager,
shipping considerable high grade sill
yer ore. How much it produced or
whether it paid I do not recall, but
do know that when the work stop