Arizona state miner., 1924-08-09
LOST "NIGGER BEN"
BY Chas. NJ. Clark, President of the
Arizona Pioneers Assn.

BY Chas. NJ Clark, President of the
Arizona Pioneers Assn.
Another of the reputed fabulous
ly rich mines which was lost" in
the early days of Arizona, was called
the "Nigger Ben" The story of this
mine, as told me by George Munro
in Phoenix about 1877, follows:
In the SOS a negro named Ben
made his headquarters at Wicken-
burg He was known on several oc-
casions to leave Wickenburg, going
west and north from the settlement.
After an absence of several days he
would return and in each instance
showed his friends remarkably rich
samples of gold ore with the native
metal plainly visible. The rock was
a decOmposed quartz heavily stained
with iron oxide and hematite, the
gold occurring in the little cells of
the hOneycOmbed quartz.
Several attempts were made to
trail Ben from Wickenburg but the
trail was lost on each occasion. The
character of the ore as described
would fit some of the ores found at
Harqua Hala, which were extremely
rich. But the route of Ben was fol-
lowed to point near where the Con-
greSS mine was afterwards discov-
cred. That it was not the Congress
vein from which he obtained his SAM
pies is shown by the fact that at
no time in it's history did the Con-
gress show any such ore as that
~
The writer has prospected pretty
well over all Arizona and during his
various journeyings has met up with
great number of old-time prospec-
tors, several of whom had taken a
try at finding the Niger Ben Mine.
From composite of information re-
ceived from these various sources
believe the Niger Ben mine, if
ever rediscovered, will be found in
the peninsula or point of country ly-
ing between the Santa Maria and Big
Sandy creeks in the southwestern
portion of Yavapai County or south
eastern Mohave. This opinion was
concurred in by A. H. Peoples, the
discoverer of Rich Hill, and by Lum
Gray, both of whom claimed to have
known Ben. The section mentioned
is gold bearing formation, the gran
ties and states predominating. The
hills are colored by the iron contents
and almost any little gulch in this
section shows colors in panning. At
one time | prOspected for about two
months in the country between Grape
Vine on the Santa Maria and Signal
on the Big Sandy, but beyond find
ing light colors in several of the
gulches, nothing of consequence was
discovered. | have met and talked
with many oldtime prospectors who
were in the country when Nigger Ben
used to bring the rich gold samples
into Wickenburg. To a man they
believed in the existence of an ex-
tremely rich vein of gold ore and
from time to time devoted their en-
ergies to its rediscovery. So far no
one has found it. George Munro
told me of party who had trailed
Ben out from Wickenburg past the
foot of Rich Hill or Antelope Hill
and thence west to the junction of
the Santa Maria and Big Sandy where
the trail was lost. These two streams
NASSA OAOAA COANSI SOuCS are kuOWu
as the Bill Williams fork There is
a strongly mineralized section west
of the head of the Bill Williams fork
and in Potts Basin and very rich
gold ore has been found there. But
it is associated with copper, in some
cases the copper showing 20 to 80
per cent
Accepting the statement of Munro
that the trail was lost in the neigh
0orhood of Inscription Spring at the
head of Bill Williams fork. where
the Santa Maria and the Big Sandy
come together, and the numerous
statements laying Niger Ben's course
north and west from Wickenburg. fol-
lowing a knowledge of the geology
of the surrounding country supported
by later actual discoveries would he
to place the location of the Niger
Ben mine in that section living he
tween Grape Vine on the Santa Maria
and Signal on the Big Sandy, where
the formation is favorable for the
discovery of gold bearing rocks While
there have been discoveries of rich
ore north of this section, notably at
Hillside, the ores are principally sill
yer bearing and though some gold
has been discovered to the north the
ores do not in any E1anner resemble
that brought in by Niger Ben as
described to me by George Munro
who claimed to have seen several
of the negro's samples.-Silver Belt.
When merchant gets boiling mad