, 1922-02-02
RAWLINS SITS ON TOP Of A
HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS
NO KICK IN HAVING WEALTH unless One CAN
Spend II. ULD-TIMERS CALLED IT TO at
TENTiON OF UNCLE SAMUEL and He AND The
STATE OF Wyoming GOBBLED IT Up

high up on the M~esavcradc p~lateaus
would involve some moderately diff
ficult engineering, but most of the
Mesaverde and all of the higher Goals
could be reached by easy and mex
pcnsive railroad construction"
Between Rawlins and Lake Val
ley a shallow Syncline separates the
Rawlins dome from the north end of
t,c Sierra Madre uplife. and connects
the Mesaverdc coal beds Of the Little
Snake River field with those of the
kindt Basin. Outside of this small
part near Rawlins the structure of
the area is extremely simple. the for
nations dipping regularly to the west.
forming the eastern limb of the
great Green River Basin"
THE simplicity of structure and
general low dips of the field favor
easy and economic development of
the Goals. So far as observed no
faults of my ~appreciable magnitude
disturb the continuity of the coal
beds anywhere in the field. That
minor faults are present in the region
of folded rock near Rawlins is
shown by the following statement by
NJ. w. Dillon regarding the Dillon
mine: The first fault is a d~ownthrow
of 4 feet about 200 feet from the
portal. the merit is an upthrOw Of 4
feet 240 feet from the portal. and the
next a downthrow of 6 feet about
$50 feet from the portal of the
slope
The Coal.
Physical Properties
THE Mesaverde coal as exposed at
the Dillon mine is very compact and
hard. AS there are no surface ex-
pOsures OF this bed in the vicinity. it
was impossible to determine the eff
fects of surface ~weathering, but in
the mine the coal is black and clean,
with a submetallic luster. showing a
smooth, unweathered face down TO
the water which at present fills the
bottom of the slope. At the Robert
son opening the Mesaverde ceal pre-
SCENTS a clean. compact face without
partings or inferior streaks.
THE Laramie coal bed exposed at
the Nebraska mine Is composed of
alterations of clean, firm coal and
softer, slightly crumbly layers which
weather rapidly. The coal in the
harder benches is black and compact,
and has a slightly r~esinous luster.
'' ~ ~ hh' "tai ( VI
the upper coal group are made up of
benches Of coal with hin partings Of
bone. The Goals are not so compact.
clean or black as those Of the Mesa
verde. and they weather much more
rapidly. having a cracked or minute
ly jointed appearance in surface ex-
posures. with se!enite and ferrous
S'Ilplatn IN the c:2c,.% "ld along the
joint planes.
THE Goals in the next higher coal
bearing member of the upper coal !
"rour occur in zones as much as 50
feet thick. composed Of coal beds !
| to 10 feet thick, separated by
of sandstone and shale of about
the same thickness. Although some
Of the coal is clean and firm. much
of it is dirty and shaly. and all seems !
to air slack rapidly. Selenite and |
Sulphate are present in the
coal in large quantities.
only a few exposures of the Goals
of the topmOst member Of the upper
coal group were encountered. Th"l
occurrence Of the beds is similar to
that in the next lower member. but
the coal is for the most part dirty.
and gypsiferous. Small seams,
of brown coal appear among the BEDS !
showing the %nearness of the Goals to |
true lignites."
Development.
e"Development in the area has been
confined to Il slight amount of pros
pecting and a few small openings to |
supply the local demand. The Dill
Ion mine (Mesaverde) produced
good coal for several years prior to
1900 or 1901. NJ. w. Dillon. the |
original owner of the mine. says the
mine was closed down by the people
to whom he sold it because faults
we're encountered in the rooms. The |
coal was used in Rawlins. 3 miles
away. as was also that of the
Nebraska mine ~Laramie). 4 miles
southwest of the Dillon opening.
1.-THE remaining development con-
sists of a small opening in the Mesa
verde about a mile east of Sulphur
and another opening in the base of
the upper coal group a mile west of
Muddy Bridge. the product of each
being used by two or three ranches
in its neighborhood; a few prospect
drifts and slopes in Coal and Cut
off gulches. between 4 and 5 miles
northeast of Bags: and some small
prospects in the hogbacks east OF
Muddy Greek. between the Corlett
ranch and the old Washable stage