| Show MINING IN COLORADO IN 1923 gold was the lure that brought the first permanent settlement in in colorado in 1858 59 according to a statement given out at the department of the interior through 6 charles charle s W henderson of the geological survey pikes pe peak ak was the landmark toward which the pioneers headed and cherry creek in whose gravels nine years before gold in small quantities had been found was the most prominent local destination A few log houses at the junction of cherry creek and platte river served as a nucleus for the beginning of the city of denver small quantities of gold found on clear creek between platte river and the present site of golden led the prospectors beyond into the erea where now stand the towns of idaho springs black hawk and central city the rocky mountain range from longs peak to a point below pikes peak was penetrated by a veritable army of men in skirmish line boulder golden colorado city and canyon city which are closer to the mountains than denver for a time threatened to make denver merely a stopping place to the settlements in the mountains some of which were larger than any of the plains towns idaho springs black hawk central city georgetown b tarryall carryall Tar ryall fairplay granite oro forerunner of leadville and breckenridge became thriving I 1 settlements the semi aridity of the plains a condition now almost forgotten in the changes brought about by irrigation limited the development of farming to the small but fertile benches of soil along the streams in the mountains the b grass of the mountains and mountain parks provided food for cattle that supplied meat and dairy products and for the mine saddle horses and teams 14 for ten years gold was the principal metal sought then the ores of the georgetown montezuma area made the miners pay attention to silver in 1877 the silver lead ores of leadville were first recognized for some time silver played so large a part in the destinies of colorado that from 1892 to 1896 the majority of Colora doans felt that the very existence of the state depended upon the price of silver but in the midst of their anxiety the discovery of gold in the lode mines of cripple creek and in the lode mines mines at leadville turned the attention of the state back to its first product in 1900 the state produced its greatest output of gold nearly As early as 1885 attention was paid to saving zinc which was considered the curse of all ores by 1902 hitherto worthless zinc concentrates had found a market in belgium after 1910 the discovery of zinc carbonate ores at leadville lying there undeveloped though blocked out by earlier exploration and the mining of lead silver bodies made gold and zinc the two most important products of colorado mines mining and smelting smelling Sm elting builds colorado towns smelting smelling Sm elting was at first done with charcoal made of wood from colorado forests but attention was soon directed to the coal beds these beds now known to be enormous include lignite semi bituminous bituminous and anthracite coals much of the coal was found to make excellent coke hydraulic mining developed the wood stave pipe afterward used in irrigation projects on the plains hydraulic mining also developed the pelton water wheel which made possible the development of hydroelectric hydro electric power the milling of the ores demanded classifiers dewater ers agitators and filters all of which later found their way into the chemical industry sewage from mines gambled ambled on plants and sugar factories money b the feasibility of taking sugar from sugar beets grown rown on irrigated lands denver b grew rew froni from the money and population of r r central i cit city y black hawk idaho idah 0 springs georgetown silver city caribou leadville summitville Summit ville creede silverton and telluride colorado springs was founded two or three miles east of the pioneer town of colorado city at the foot of pikes peak cripple creek gold help helped ed to build of office fice buildings and hotels hotel a ac colorado springs although all colorado mining mining towns contained substantial homes hardly a monument in the form of buildings s was erected except libraries schools and county and federal buildings to this day the schools of every mining town are the most substantial buildings in the towns and the curriculum is the equal of schools anywhere it is said that colorado mines built large buildings in chicago and new york the colorado building and the wyoming building in va hington ington fl D C were built with colorado gold pueblo at first an indian village and trading post grew to be a manufacturing center on colorado coal and limestone where were smelted smelter the gold silver lead copper zinc iron and manganese ores of colorado supplemented by iron and manganese ore ors s of wyoming and new mexico after sixty four years of continuous mining with varying degrees of prosperity the year 1921 witnessed the lowest gross z output since 1879 increased prices for zinc and lead in the last few months of 1922 helped the mines to make a modest recovery and the production and development during the first six months promises a very considerable increase in 1923 by june the leadville smelter was operating four furnaces and was treatie treating more material than it had for twelve years and the durango smelter was operating two furnaces as against only one for many years the price of 1 an ounce for silver and high prices for lead brought forth much new lead ore activities of 1923 the early months of 1923 showed the zinc industry of the state approaching the condition of the more prosperous years from 1912 to 1918 some of the mines that had been developing during the period of low zinc prices from 1919 to 1922 were able to respond quickly to the increased price of zinc the eagle mines at red cliff the sunnyside Sunny side at eureka 3 land and the wellington at breckenridge were steady shippers during 1923 the large zinc oxide plant of the empire zinc co at canon city was steadily operated the western zinc oxide plant at leadville was active and the river fuming and matting plant at florence renewed operations by june the coolbaugh sulphating sulp hating 6 plant at durango was working b normally in removing zinc from the complex concentrates at the black bear mine san miguel county and the large ore bodies blocked out in that mine anine together with the fireproof smuggler union flotation mill which is ready to handle the ore will add large new production to colorado mines the rawley mill was ready in june to commence corn mence operations and sufficient ore was blocked out in the nine mine to promise soon a steady new supply of lead concentrates to the leadville smelter in june un watering was begun at the carbonate hill and graham paric mines at leadville which have been idle since 1918 though they contain ore bodies and this work promises a large production of lead and zinc before the end of 1923 the lead zinc ore bodies developed in the dolly B mine near the present terminus of the kak tunnel promise a larger output of these ores in addition to other ores from that property the down town mines co at leadville has continued to ship nearly all varieties of ore known at leadville two new concentration mills have revived the idea of milling the known bodies of complex ores at leadville the atlas and mountain top mines near ouray which installed increased milling facilities in 1922 have been steadily yielding lead silver concentrates clear creek county has maintained a fairly regular output and one new discovery at silver plume has already resulted in marketing some very excellent silver lead ore the east butte concentration mill at silver plume has been operated at intervals during the spring and it is now reported to be again in operation the wasatch colorado mill which yields both lead silver and zinc silver concentrates has been active at silver plume one or two properties reached through the argo adit at idaho springs spring have resumed operations 01 the colorado miner has always adapted himself to the changing prices of lead copper and zinc as well as of fiher sil but lie he has mined gold with greater regularity the poli goli dredges 6 at breckenridge have been steadily steadily y operated and the dredge installed in 1922 at fairplay has been a regular ship shim per to the denver mint in the cripple creek gold old district sufficient ore has been beel produced from several well developed mines in 1923 to ma maintain the steady operation though not at full capacity of tk the golden cycle roasting amalgamation and cyaniding cyan iding mill at colorado springs and the opening of new ore bodies in several mines that have been steadily operated promises to yield ore for this mill for several years in addition to the ore necessary to assure the steady operation of this mill at minimum capacity still more ore is promised by the reopening of several mines that have long been idle the portland independence pen dence non roast concentration mill at victr victor has again been placed in operation on low grade ore which ot otherwise berwise would have been waste material gilpin county shows a modest revival of operations the mines in san miguel county unhampered so far this year by fire and snow which have impeded them for several yem years have continued their production of gold silver concentrates at an increased rate the yellow pine mine at sugar loaf boulder county has been contributing its small but regular quota of smelting smelling sm elting silver ores mined by lessees lessels les sees as old boulder boulde county mill promises production from the milling ores that are planned to be blocked out at the group of consolidated properties at caribou lessees lessels at silver cliff have been mak matting shipments of lead silver copper ores |
