Show HISTORY OF SILVER REEF news st gorge utah the history of mining in washington county begins with the discovery of silver near leeds in the early seventies the district was organized in 1874 as the harrisburg mining milling district and the camp is known as silver reef the ore occurs as a bedded deposit in a sandstone gangue and with sandstone walls the silver occurring native and as a sulphide and a chloride very valuable deposits of high grade silver ore were mined and milled during the ten years the camp was in active operation it is estimated that one and one half million tons afons of ore running from ounces to several thousand ounces were milled during this time the mines and mills supported a population of people during this time after this period of activity the drop in silver the lower grade of ore coupled with the increased cost on account of some of the principal mines encountering water in quantity and the increased cost of mining and milling active work in the camp ceased since that time up to the present there has been some mining done by leas ers on the high grade stringers at the present time there is exposed in the various properties thousands of tons of ore running ten ounces and better which with railroad facilities and modern methods of mining and milling could be ba treated profitably at the present price of silver besides these deveo developed ped properties there is is still a large territory of favorable ground round undeveloped there is plenty of water available at the camp for mining and milling purposes and numerous power sites on the virgin river will afford ample hydroelectric hydro electric power with a transmission of about five miles |