| Show v in i gg big cottonwood canyon in the early history of mining in utah big cottonwood canyon was one of the most popular districts in the state As a matter of fact it was one of the few camps of our commonwealth then designated upon the map of the united states as the territory of utah and before the slump in silver quotations and the panic of 1873 was one of the most prolific producers of mineral wealth to he be found in this western country boino cr salt lake jake city it was and still is easy ot access and its mines produced mil pons ions in silver and lead ores according to whitt what is now regarded as ancient history but of which no authentic records have been kept although the oldest inhabitant in habitan well remembers the e wonderful activity aati ity in this section when two or three daily stages plied be for years is an enigma that is difficult to solve equally as difficult is it to ascribe some good reason for the failure to develop the mines of this region to a depth of beyond or feet for as a matter of fact the work performed in mine development up to 0 the present time almost exclusively has been confined to surface scratching and gop hering and yet the veins are large and strong and possess every indica fore the first of the great electric power plants of the utah light power company is reached A little further on one passes the second plant of the company and then comes the stairs so appropriately named several years ago but a misnomer now as ag the road up this steep incline at the present time is as passable as is the fine driveway up city creek canyon A few miles above the stairs one comes within sight of the maxfield awu A N V MINES AND WORKS BIG cottonwood tween d the mines of the district and the I 1 metropolis of utah and when the canyon road was crowded with teams hauling in supplies and abild taking put ore which was samow az d handled at sandy now the ree receiving avig point for the newly resurrected alnes mi little cottonwood canyon which parallels the greater canyon but af a few ew miles to the south why vhf big cottonwood canyon with its i splendid and many natural i advantages has virtually been abandoned tion of c continuity and permanency while water and timber abound in sufficient quantity for all mining and milling purposes starting froni from salt lake one can drive in a buggy or surre surrey over an e excellent xcell ent road to argenta just above the maxfield mine in five or six hours prom from salt lake to the mouth of the canyon the dr drive lve is a delightful one full of pastoral scenes over which as sentinels stand the towering peaks of the mighty wasatch range it is not long after the mouth of the canyon is passed be 13 mine to pass which one must drive under the tramway used in conveying ore and waste from this rich but ancient producer to the huge dumps that are rapidly filling c up the canyon bed the maxfield at the present time is the onty only regularly producing mine in the canyon and it has consigned its rich silver lead ores to the valley smelt ers for a period ot of seventeen years AS a matter of fact the maxfield has produced ore in excess of a million in value has paid out over in dividends and yet it may be accounted as a practically undeveloped property and recent exploitation has demonstrated the fact that its ore bodies grow richer and larger with depth the company is now shipping on an average of two carloads of ore monthly with a force of about twenty men employed the major portion of whom are engaged in doing de work on august 13 from the fine ore body uncovered at a point 1200 feet in from the tunnels mouth a car of ore was marketed on control assays essays showing metallic values of per cent lead ounces silver 29 per cent copper in gold and per cent iron while an on the of the same month another carload the track leading from tie tunnel this track being enclosed with snow sheds so that work can be carried on without interruption during the winter months the top of the power house can be seen over the the surface improvements are conveniently arranged the boarding house being located a short distance further up 1 MT za IV AW jr 4 LOOKING DO N THE SOUTH FORK OF BIG cottonwood FROM ABOVE THE mckee MINE V of ore taken from the alligator extension shaft assayed per cent lead ounces silver 27 per cent copper in gold and per cont cent in iron the alligator extension shaft has attained a depth of feet and in the bottom there is showing a seven foot body of high grade ore A still better showing than this is to be found in the alligator shaft that has been sunk to below water level on a mammoth chimney of rich ore that is four feet in width one way and eighteen feet the other when this ledge can be it will be productive of much ore that is almost sensationally rich in its metal values the corkscrew shaft nearby has been a heavy producer in the past also and other portions of this grand old property as soon as made accessible by deeper mining and a more thorough system of drainage will more than duplicate the splendid record that the mine has made in the past the company owns about acres of ground two thirds of which is patented the property is well equipped for economical and successful mining operations a fine water power plant being one of the moab repent recent improvements and in which the management takes justifiable pride two air compressors are embraced in the equipment and six machine drills can be utilized at any time in mine operation the accompanying illustration gives a view of the maxfield from just above the mine A better view of the power house could be obtained from a point a short distance down the canyon the wagon road passes under the canyon the destinies of the maxfield are presided over by hon A L thomas of salt lake it is a mining country all the way up the canyon from the maxfield to the summit cottonwood cotton wood 1 where th there ere is a veritable veritably abl dug clu S ter of mines and prospects chief in import ance being the kennebec formerly known as the reed benson while inthe in the iram immediate vicinity of this old producer which has a record of half a million to its credit are to be found the baby mckee the south fork monte cristo the jones mine and many other properties of promise while nn kesslere Kess lers peak further down the canyon are the old carbonate rattler sailor jack the phoenix and other mines that were productive of much good ore when the district was w as at the heights of its prosperity an and d popularity As the crow flies the kennebec Kenne hec is but a short d istance distance from them the mines that have made alta so famous in the past it is probably on the samie same mineralized zone and a tunnel cutting through the mountains crest would doubtless connect with the old workings of the flagstaff mine one of altas noted producers of the past the kennebec of which W J craig of salt lake is manager is now being worked under contract and tunnel connections with alta as above mentioned will probably be made in due time almost directly across the canyon from the kennebec is the property of the baby mckee mining company this was an accidental ci find and a surface producer from the start the vein being a fissure in the quartzite and evidently a continuation of the columbus con ledge on the other side of the divide this mine was discovered in the year 1891 and was worked successfully wig LAKE SOLITUDE BIG cottonwood and from the point where the south fork of the stream branches off to the crest that is the dividing line between big and little cottonwood canyons on one side of the crest is the mining camp of alta on the other is the head of the south fork of big until late in the year 1895 when on account of the death of one of the principal owners and the subsequent transfer of a major interest to a chicago capitalist active oter oper actions were suspended although there is every reason to believe that this ground 1 IP i the making of a heavy producer during the present month however the mine has been visited by the chicago gentleman and arrangements have about been perfected perfect eld for its systematic development and exploitation in the main canyon its forks and its numerous gulches are many other properties of merit including the gipsy blair the black baack bess the wheeler wilson the pioneer the utah chicago and the big copper property of the big cottonwood copper gold mining company of which col nick is general manager it would be difficult to find better surface showings than are on exhibition on every hand in big cottonwood canyon almost from its mouth to the extreme limits of its tributaries tributa ries the ledges in this section are strong and prominent and carry high grade ore at the very grass roots the formation is very favorable to the existence of the precious and baser metals being principally quartzite and lime with the ore usually making in the lime near the contacts it is a down hill pull with good roads to the valley sampling works and smelters shelters sm elters and the district if located anywhere else than so close to salt lake city would attract a great deal deaf of attention at the hands of mining men and investors it is safe to say that this locality because of its splendid mineral resources its arcessa ability and the many opportunities it offers will not be much longer overlooked by those out after bonanza propositions |
