The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-01-05

Minnesota has gold mine.
On the shore of the Vermilion river
deep in the heart of the northland
wilderness, its shaft has been dug al
ready to a depth of 200 feet through
volcanic rock. Its tunnels and drifts
extend 1900 feet and ore has been
found believed to be richer in gold
than many of the famous mines OF
history.
Within a year, its owners believe,
this mine will be shipping gold, ex-
tracted in its own mill from the ore
produced by its crews of handbook
miners. Thirty men will be at work
at the property this winter. Nearly
5000, 900 has been spent already in de-
velopInent work, buildings and equip
ment.
Will Use Cyanide Process
The next steps in the development
of the mine will be excavation of new
and larger shaft, installation of more
powerful hosting machinery and con-
struction of an ore treating plant for
extraction of gold by the cyanide OF
potassium process.
More than 5000 assays have been
made of ore taken from the mine and
these show an average of SIS to Sc worth
of gold per ton, based on the old gold
price of $20.67 an ounce. AT the
present price paid by the United States
government for gold, the yield would
be at least so per cent higher, nearly
$40 ton.
Located in Forest Area
Owned, developed and operated by
the Vermilion River Mines, Inc, this
first gold mine of the Great Lakes
region of the United States is located
in the forest country 10 miles north OF
the Mesaba iron range, % miles north
of Orr and six miles from the hamlet
of Buyck. 1t is in st. Louis county
Americas greatest producer of iron ore
and is only seven miles from the
Canadian border.
The story of the discovery of this
Vermilion river lode reads like a tale
of Suffers Forest and the 49'rs, OF
Cripple Greek and the Yukon. There
are differences, however, between this
Minnesota strike" and those of Cali
fornia, Colorado and the Klondyke.
Gold Rush Barred
I'm the first place there will be and
in fact, can be no gold rush" OF
stampede of people lured by the magic
of the word gold and the chance to
make everlasting fortunes in a hurry
Minnesota, according to government
classifications of a half century ago, is
a non-mineral state and its laws permit
no stalking of claims for gold, iron
copper or any other metal The only
way to get possession of land that may
cover a part of the Vermilion lode is
to buy it as it is already privately
owned.
Second, there is no placer mining
along the Vermilion river-none of
the gold-bearing gravel that a pros
pector can wash in a pan, needing only
water and muscle TO separate the virgin
gold, in flakes or nuggets, from the
sand. That was the way gold was pro-
duced in California and Alaska, but the
Minnesota proposition is different.
Rocks Must Be Blasted
Here the gold-shot vein must be
blasted from the surrounding rock,
hoisted from the depths of the mine,
crushed and chemically treated to free
the gold particles, process that re-
quires unlimited hard work and an
array of expensive machinery.
So Minnesota will have no gold rush,
with its color and glamor, its hazards
and hardships. Instead, the discovery
of Minnesota's first gold vein and the
preparations to put it on sound basis
of commercial production mark the be-
ginning of new industrial development
for the state as well as new chapter
in its mining history.
Vein Found in 1907
Charles w. Eden of Minneapolis.