Arizona state miner., 1925-08-29
Hassayampa Placer Cold Mining Company's Operations

HAssAYAMPA PLACER GOLD MIN
ING COMPANY TESTS DREDGING
POSSIBILITIES OF HASSAYAMPA
RIVER.
Very quietly during the past three
years, small Phoenix syndicate of
mining men have busted themselves
in the study of dredging possibilities
of the Hassayampa. They made no
display or noise, but got to work in
a practical manner and after finishing
thorough program of exploitation
are ready to prove to the world the
accuracy of their deductions, by &C
tual and guaranteed computation.
For many years prior to the organ
izatiOn of the Hassayampa Placer Gold
Mining Company, possibilities of
dredge mining in the old placer
camps along the Hassayampa river
have been deemed favorable In proof
of these conclusions let us quote reli-
able authorities taken from govern
ment reports:
Bulletin 118, on Arizona Gold Plac-
ers, issued by the Bureau of Mines
A1
tells OF the placer operations in YaVa-
pal county, along Lynx Greek near
Prescott to Walker by Patrick Ham
ilton in 1882, where he estimated they
paid $1,000,0O0 in the year previous
by crude, primitive methods.
These crude placer operations are
still carried on in desultory way to
this day. In 1918-19 dragline scraper
methods were in vogue AS far up as
Walker early day operations told of
the placer values recovered.
In the Rich Hill and Weaver dis
tricts, II miles from Congress juno
tion rich gold nuggets were originally
found barred on top of the mountain
where freshets had exposed the bed
rock. Clutches and ravines of this
district still produce gold, and the
Mildred, Octave and other quartz
mines nearby proved the gold was
local. In 1883 Hamilton says $500. 900
was taken from an acre of ground
and in the same year produced over
million dollars in placer gold.
The Groom Creek Dlacers of Yava-
PAL have production record of $3,OOO,-
600; all along the Hassayampa, from
the Maricopa- Yavapai county line
southwark, taking in Copper Creek,
Ash Greek, Slate Creek, East Hassay-
ampa, Cherry and Oak Creeks, there
is record of continuous placer gold
production which in rainy seasons are
still being worked according to the
water available. These citations are
used as proof of the existence of a
continuous chain of gold placer dig
gings IN the regions tributary to the
Hassayampa.
Northwest of Phoenix 45 miles the
Hassayampa spreads it's gravel bars
for miles away to the southwark. It's
course is ever through heavy min
eral gold bearing country. Right in
Maricopa county exist the San Do
mingo and other placer camps
Placer gravels occur along the Has.
sayampa and it's tributaries at a point
forty-five to fifty miles northwest of
Phoenix and near Morristown on the
Santa Fe Railroad. Gold has been
known to occur in this district, the
San Domingo, for many years. Most
of the country is rolling. The gold
in the placers is derived from gold
quartz veins in Schists, gneisseS, and
GRANTEES which have been intruded by
Tertiary andesites, rhyolites, ETC.
The gOld-bearing gravels are found
in numerous gulches that lead down
from the hills to the northeast of
Morristown. During heavy rains these
gulches carry the run-off to the Has
sayampa. and into them is washed the
gold-bearing sand and gravel. The
coarse gold is found at bedrock in the
upper reaches of the gulches, but here
the amount of gravel is small. In
the wider washes, according to T.
Lane Carter, are found placer gravels
that cover areas as much as twelve
hundred feet wide and two and one
half miles long, and the average
value, as determined from samples
taken from test pits to bedrock,
is 40c per cubic yard. In the larger
deposits, and along the lower reaches
of the gulches, the gold is distributed
fairly uniformly.
One property in this district, called
the Lotowana Mine, and located by
John Sanger. covers four thousand
- acres One-tenth of this area has
EVven tested Ny pits. Part of the prop
eHy. on Rogers Wash" is said to be
covered with a gravel bed that is two
ana one-half miles long, and one thoI-
sand feet wide, and one to twenty
Ieet thick 1t is estimated to contain
4'4uS V0U ~$ubic yards that will yield