| Show TUE ELDORADO MiNE And Other Mines on Sierra Madre Mountain Box Elder County Utah v I I Twelve miles north of Ogden Utah there is a high and rugged mountain It Is one of 6ie most dlfllcult to ascend I I of all the mountains of the continent that is if the attempt be made from the west side or from the valley of Great Salt lake This mountain Is a part of the main range of the Wasateh and henceforth will be known as Sierra Madre mountain moun-tain For fifty years the ranchman the farmer the traveler and the passing prospector passed up or down the road that runs along Its western base but no man ascended to Its summit that for a great part of the yent Is capped with snow From Its peaks l that rise 10000 feet above sea level one can look into Idaho Utah Nevada and Wyoming Wyo-ming The gnarled and battlescarred trees that grow above timber line near its crest show annular rings proving thorn to be of ages from 400 to SOO years They are monsters in size and so distorted and twisted by the action of centuries of storm and wind that their wood is hard almost us I ebony They are of the lit species Tho stunted grass of this mountain on its summit shows the same marks of severe se-vere climate as the limber that battles there with the elements for existence MINERAL RICHES This mountain itself is rich in gold sliver lead copper iron antimony zinc molybdenum sulphur graphite I and nickel i The rocks composing tho base of the I mountain are of the oldest formation I formaton They are of syenite gneiss and por 1 1 I phyry This lower measure shows potash feldspar and hornblende I These rocks of the older measure in thIs mountain present the strongest system of veins found In any equal area throughout Utah and are all more or less fcharged with values In gold silver sil-ver and copper I Resting upon the older rocks lies a measure of Cambrian quartzite 1500 feet in thickness Upon this quarlxlte a measure of clay slate appears from 150 to 200 feet In thickness and resting oil this clay or arglllous slate there is a measure of carboniferous limeStone lime-stone SOO feet In thickness While yet I above this dark carboniferous limestone lime-stone there rests a measure of chlorltic schist 200 feet thick and lastly on the summit there lies 100 feet of the later I q u artz i te Each of the measures enumerated shows its own distinct system of veins IDEAL FOR ORES The mountain Is an ideal region for great ore bodies and is destined as already stated In the near future to become one of our chief producers of silver gold lead and copper The nature na-ture of the veins found In these are fissures blanket and contact veins The fissures exist in the syenite gneiss and quartzite and the contact veins lie between the quartzlte and syenite and between the quartzlte and the clay slates In the fissures in the quartzlte sliver copper and lead abound and In the clay slate and limestone measures we find bedded veins very much resembling fissures in each of which the minerali sation and ore bodies very much resemble re-semble each other In the upper or slate and limestone bodies found at an altitude the ore bodic are ultudc of over 9000 feet the ore cropping out in magnificent bodies at the surfaces to be henceforth known us Sierra Madre Ma-dre mining district At present Avrlllng the chief properties proper-ties existing In the new district are the Eldorado Manila American Eagle Samsons Red Hand Agulnaldo King Solomon Uwanta Cashllngs Vulture Mexican BlueEyed Nellie Ben Hur Defiance un1 PIne Grove groups of claims and also the properties of tho Royal Mining and Milling and Ogden and Chicago Mining and Milling com I panics gIOUpS rile areas of the above groups are in most cases quite large running I from four to twenty claims and considerable con-siderable work has been done on each group FIRST FINDS The first discoveries on the west side of Sierra Madre mountain occurred In the autumn of 1S95 when C R Ilauk and the writer of this article penetrated pene-trated the almost inaccessible wilds i and defiles of what was then known as Black canyon and reached an Immense I fissure vein that runs from south to northwest for about 10500 feet The I journey was 1 difficult one and the I men after making the journey were I I barefooted but they succeeded In I reaching the mother lode from which I I came the float rock that for forty years I previous had been found in the mountain I moun-tain wash along the foothills I was I I GOLDBEARING FLOAT from this vein that J Ross Browne I discovered east of the Hot Springs when making his report on the Western West-ern Territories In 18CS Jn his report of that year he tells of having found gold quarts at the mouth of the canyon can-yon east of the Hot Springs but through the inaccessibility of the region did not penetrate higher to roach the vein or lode from which the float came During previous and subsequent years very rich float of copper gold quart and silverlead ores were discovered in the washes along the base of the mountain but the high rugged mountain moun-tain from which they came was never searched on its west side by prospectors prospec-tors owing to its supposed Inaccessibility Inaccessi-bility For almost two generations legions of miners passed about one I mile west ward from the base of Sierra Madre mountain on their journeys to California Oregon Idaho Washington Montana or Novada and although few passing but said that the expression of the great mountain with its black and red yawning canyons was favorable favor-able for mineral yet no one ever attempted at-tempted to penetrate its wild gorges to reach thc strongly promising mineral min-eral belts that showed so conspicuously near the top of the mountain FIRST GLIMPSES The writer in the year 1891 from the summit of FIe lont island In Great Salt lake first saw evidence of tho big fissure vein now known a the King Solomon lode and It was to discover this vein that the expedition was made with 1S95 Mr C R Hank In the autumn of 1S95Strange Strange as it may appear no assays were made of the ore taken from this vein for almost a year after its discovery discov-ery by Mr Hank and the writer and as is was then found that i contained free gold It was located and recorded WORK BEGUN The next year It was brought to the notice of Dr Lagan of San Francisco who at once entered into arrangements for its development The hitherto In I I accessible canyon was opened up a good pack trail constructed a house I and blacksmith shop built and work U I Y1 41cp 9 it fr Lt4 7 I t oJ fl t jft1 ic I i 4qT4m7q 1I 1 I L = = = A Scene Showing Difficulties of Constv noting Trnmway on Eldorado Mountain Moun-tain I I i I pea 1i L t 5iii1bO01 p O 1ffttre rO 5ce Eyed tYe1 I ur GP qrovp oro Cahlnq irocfP UrMfltz I i qrOVp F Ef IF zr5UPtr iffiiffjg t 5Weaci or oon T h 11TlltS IE f IL ELDtf O RId OIerrO x ox Elder COfnt tfzWarj Uap t m N r I i f i L I t I 4 t ftt I 1 I I h t 1 t j f r W T h 1 J < > I < C hOP < 1 ILT i m I J j r I d PI 10001 a def va C I zie I h T tllHe 5 0 S r 0 Sl rR J I 1arC I I rZttOT fIHttHff l7alloT 444I44 4 5 P jD F 1 I I PrIY i + i f I r N < 1 r I 1 Illd1frl i jpnViic lonnevle p r I Diagram of Eldorado Mines and going down distinctly and with great strength Sierra Madre mountain is about seven sev-en miles in length from north to south and its summit rises up about four miles northeast Utah Hot Springs and fortyeight miles north of Salt Lake City On Its west side this mountain moun-tain lies In Box Elder county on Its east and south it lies in Weber county coun-ty its high ridge being the county line As might be expected from such formations for-mations and measures as exist here the limestone and slate belts of this mountain contain veins of silverbear 1 ing lead ore in which copper exist inconsiderable in-considerable quantities The fissures that break through the quartzite of the lower periods contain silver as tho chief metal of value while the fissures and blanket veins that exist In the syenite and gneiss carry gold silver and copper cop-per I IT IS LIKE ALI The limestone and slate measures that comprise a belt of about 1500 feet In thickness near the summit of this mountain show conditions exactly similar sim-ilar to those existing at Alta In Little Cottonwood twentyfive miles south of j Salt Lake City and the locality Is an I uprise of the same measures comprls J lug that district At Alta we have I what may be termed i mineral axis at which point we find the great metallic concentrations comprising the old Emma Em-ma Flagstaff Grizzly City Rocks Prince of Wales and Toledo mines and at Sierra Madre mountain we find I similar mineral axis that rises most j conspicuously at what are now known 4 as Eldorado and Dewpy peaks Dewey I peak is what heretofore was known as Mount Ben Lomond and Eldorado peak is peak what was formerly known as Baldy ELDORADO GROUP Under Eldorado peak lies the Eldo J rado group of mines They are situated situ-ated about 1100 feet from the summit of the mountain and comprise thee n ff tra I > 1 figure of the nev mining dlstr eta j I was pushed until 600 feet of tunnel work was completed and a large body of sulphide gold pre exposed NEW DISCOVERIES As work went forward new discoveries discov-eries were made in the country south of the King Solomon vein and In the fall of ISJS Ell T Williams and Robert Stevens young men who were doing contract work on the King Solomon lode went one Sunday morning to hunt for deer east of the King Solomon workings They penetrated eastward into the hitherto unexplored ground that rises broken and rugged near the summit of the mountain and where there grows a number of large fir trees they discovered the outcrop of the great gold and silverbearing vein that now constltucs the central figure of the group now known as the Eldorado which name was then given to tho new discovery Things worked very quietly and without I with-out excitement at that time the fattest I fat-test of the new bonanza was staked lout and the new locations worked upon until the snows of winter fell so deep as to compel shutting down both at the King Solomon and Eldorado WORK RESUMED In tho spring of 1S99 work was resumed re-sumed on the Eldorado Robert Stevens selling out his interest to Dr Lagan of San Francisco who now controlled the I greater part of the new bonanza Work was pushed and as work went forward for-ward more extensive grew the showing show-ing until the vein presented at fifty feet In depth an Incline horizontal vein of pyrite and galena eight feet thick and still widening The vein ran with the country from northwest to southeast and the ore outcrop was visible for 1700 feet along the surface The locality vas most dilllcult of DC cess Everything used In the way of tools coal provisions clothing bedding bed-ding etc had to be carried over rocky cflfrs up narrow gorges and along narrow nar-row escarpments on mens backs until I Sftli EfcrrSSttlf l I u till VSrJwlPTjTl V 1 1 II hiflhal Wrfa M Jw JL I I 3 1I 1 I the site of the new discovery was reached A PACK TRAIL During the summer of 1890 1 pack trail was cpnstrueted up King Solo mons canyon past what is known as the Devils Neck to the Eldorado The I country traversed by this trail and the difficulties to be surmounted In Its completion com-pletion do not find a parallel on the American continent outside ofl Peru and Bolivia The expense of its construction con-struction was equal to its natural obstacles ob-stacles I was finished In September 1899 and the property I surveyed for patent COMPANY ORGANIZED A company was organized known as the Eldorado Gold Mining and Milling company and work was continued during dur-ing the winter of ISOiMOOO In the spring of 1000 E T Williams and Joseph C 1 Williams disposed of their Interest In the Eldorado by bond receiving part payment down and the work of development < vent forward with renewed vigor on the mine THE rRArL WAY Steps were taken to construct a tramway and at the foot of the mountain moun-tain a considerable tract of land was secured on which to construct lower terminal buildings storehouses boardinghouse board-inghouse I blacksmith shop carpenter shop commissary buildings barn magazines and other necessary structures struc-tures Owing to the tremendous difficulties that were to be overcome in the construction con-struction of the tramway to the mine 0300 feet In length every precaution was taken to prevent loss of life The tramway to be constructed was furnished fur-nished by the California Wire York company of San Francisco who forwarded for-warded to the ground what is known as the Ilolladay pattern of tramway which is most peculiarly suited to thorough tho-rough and dilllcult region The woijc of Installing this tramway was firstintrusted to air William Stephens of San Francisco who in June last started on tIle work of preparing pre-paring timbers and material I for towers and terminals The most difficult part of the work was cc send the hyavy timbers for the towers along the line This work was intrusted to Mr Albert Maloine an engineer of Ogden who very ably managed the work A short tramway oi 1000 feet in length was constructed and in this way he car ned his material over steep cliffs across deep Impassable gorges moving the cable from time to time until the qntlre line of tower timbers was scattered scat-tered along tho line and tho terminal timbers placed at the top and he did this without the loss of a stick of timber I tm ber orthe loss of a single life In 1 re II 1 gion of country where the risks to life were simply frightful The cable to be placed along the line was manufactured in Europe and was especially prepared for the place the work of stringing it along the line began be-gan in October 1900 TRAMWAY COMPLETED In the latter days of October Manager Man-ager William Stephens was replaced by William oulter an engineer of San Francisco under whose able management manage-ment the tramway Is now being completed com-pleted and the first ore from the El dorado has already cached the bins on November G 1900 WORK r THE MINE At the mine work was pushed during the summer and autumn of 1000 the work being don down an incline for 250 feet on the ore body and side drifts into the same also open cuts Into the ore body 750 feet to the eastward and r > 50i feet to the northwest In this distance dis-tance of 1300 feet there is exposed an I ore body the approximate value of which very conservatively placed Is 1100000 Very few mines have ever with such limited workings shown as large a value In good clear ore THE ORE The ore of the Eldorado consists of steel galena carrying lead from 25 to SO per cent and In silver from f to 30 ounces per ton and of gold from 2 to S6 per ton and as depth increases I copper appears being at present In the I deepest workings as high as 5 per cent I The ore runs In three classes First and second will pass to the smelter I as they come from thc mine No 3 will require concentrating lng VEIN AND DP i The great vein of time Eldorado dips into the mountain at a pilch of about 15 degrees and water rises in spring and fall from molting snows on the mountain To drain the ground aboe the present workings and work all upper up-per ground through 0 common level a 500foot tunnel is being started 250 feet below the mouth of tho Eldorado incline in-cline and along the line of the tramway tram-way tills will control all ground above it when completed During the winter 1 of 190001 work will be pushed on the property and the spring of IDOl will see it ono of the llvelj producers of Utah CREDIT DUE To Dr Lagan a capitalist of San Francisco Cal may he given the credit of bringing to its i present state of development de-velopment this great property It was I he who first seeing the certainties that awaited those who would furnish means to open them undertook the work of bringing these mines to their I present slate of prosperity and to him thercrpre n ay be glY pf the credit of first opening up up to the eyes of the flSt t world the treasures of Sierra Madre mountain THE YEARS WORK During the year 1900 considerable work has been done on the King Solomon Solo-mon group new ground has been I added mOi on the east and south new gold and copper veins discovered that promIse prom-ise much in the future but next to the work on the Eldorado that on the Uwanta has been the most extensive This property consists of several claims on the main Eldorado vein whore It shows up most conspicuously In Its course south of the Eldorado workings and the property controls the entire area across three formations from Henrys peak almost down Into the valley on the westward THE MANAGERS The destinies of this group are being looked after and managed under the able management of R A Whltohcad and manSJem AKstlne of Grand RapIds Rap-Ids lIch Inc their work during tile summer and autumn of 1900 has placed the property among the foremost In the new district DEVELOPMENT POINT l The point where development had to I bcgin on the Eldorado lode In this I group was directly northwest of I TInnive nrti Ir oViniil Cnft fr > r l nVinvo I v vuu sea level J Buildings had to be constructed con-structed and n road for packing overbuilt I over-built from the valley below Mr Whitehead White-head superintended all of these himself and com during the past summer sur1mel pleted buildings roads and trails by October 1st The Improvements include in-clude also headquarters at the foot of the mountain The work done at the mine consists of a development tunnel running directly for the vein that lies somo hundreds of feet to the oaatwaid I of the mouth of this development tunnel tun-nel and in driving their tunnel work the miners In charge have already cuts cut-s veral small veins of galena and carbonate car-bonate lend ore the nature of which ploves it to be the same class of areas are-as that found In the Eldorado workings work-ings to the northward Along with the Eldorado vein there exists on the Uwanta property an upper I and lower contact vein in each 01 which excellent showings In gold and silver are found and the western part of tholr group contains a part Qf the St Charles fissure vein and also apart a-part of the Mexican lenticular gold beirincr blanket vein The Uwanta people were among the first in the new field and secured 1 tract of mining ground that Is Imperial I In Its extent and that contains ore I bodies that thirty years will not ex I hausU The money used so far in their I development has been most Judiciously I spent and the year 1901 will no doubt I see this properly Join the list of ore producers on Sierra1 Madre mountain CASHL1NGS GROUP The Cashlings group owned by John Maguire Richard Hume Milton Meek and the Burgett estate consists of four claims in the very heart of the new district dis-trict and contains part of the Eldorado and King Solomon veins and In the small amount of work already done a goodly showing of ore is exhibited This property is expected to he worked on nn extensive scale during the coming year THE ROYAL Adjoining the Eldorado group on the eastward lies the property of the Royal Mining and Milling company It has 1 large area of very promising ground with about 700 feet of tunnel and In dine work done also cabins and shops I The ore in the open workings in i gold silver lead and copper This property Is largely managed by Mr Earnest Stevens Ste-vens of Ogden This gentleman also has the inanccmcnt of the OGDEN AND CHICAGO GROUP that lies in the southern trend of the Eldorado vein and on this there is I almost al-most 1000 feet of work completed with a very good exhibit in their workings of lead and copper ore BLUEEYED NELLIE Lying south and adjoining the Uinta group is the BlueEyed Nellie gooup owned by Messrs Jean Mole and Joseph Jo-seph Cools of Blngham Utah This group lies on the Eldorado belt In the carboniferous lime and clay slates l Ore has already been found In their worKIngs work-ings and their tunnel work has been driven a considerable distance Cabins blacksmith shop and other structures have been constructed and the spring of 1901 will see work resumed oii this property which Is already quite well developed RED HAND GROUP North of the Eldorado lies a group known as the Red Hand group consisting consist-ing of four claims owned by Mr Dan Convery of San Francisco and Mr Charles Carne at present absent In Europe This group contains an excellent excel-lent showing of copper wIth a limited amount of development work done theieon Adjoining on the northwest and lying against it is n group of claims owned by Mr Garner of North Ogden in which there are mineral deppslts of spicular iron and copper silicate Only a limited amount of work 1ms been done on this although located sometime some-time I MANILA GROUP The Mania group adjoins the Eldo rado on the northwest and contains part of the north extension of that great vein This group contains five claims and is owned by Eldorado people peo-ple At present this vein is worked directly on the Eldorado vein there being be-ing already exposed a large body of lead ore in the new workings AMERICAN EAGLE Adjoining the Manila group on the northwest lies the American Eagle group owned by E T Williams Joseph Jo-seph C Williams and 0 H Kester This group contains four claims and the same parties own the Aguinaldo group to the northeast THE SAMSON I Still further north and adjoining the American Eagle group lies h < Sam j son group owned by Mr N R Waterman Water-man and brother of Salt Lake City Although 1 Al-though this lies some distance north of the Eldorado group it shows up 1 large part of the Eldorado lode and it is on this property that it disappears under the measures of the upper quartzlte I near Wiilard canyon This group in Its open workings shows the ore common com-mon to the Eldorado vein and besides the Eldorado vein a very large quartz lead cuts through its eastern half and In which there is a very regular value in free gold although low it will pay for working If treated In a large plant as there is a tremendous deposit of I On the Samsons wood and water are abundant and its owners are preparing to begin extensive development in the year just opening t BEN HUn The Ben Hut group Is conjointly owned by Dr Lagan N R Waterman and others I lies on the Kim Solomon I Solo-mon lode where it plunges Into the valley val-ley and shows an Immense tonnage of lowgrade gold ore In Us workings About 500 feet of tunnel work has been done upon l There is an excellent I trail built to this property with abund I ance of water considerable wood and the tunnel when driven about 100 feet further will cut the main vein of the i King Solomon 700 feet beneath the surface sur-face RICHARD SMITHS GROUND Mr Richard Smith of North Ogden i owns a large tract of land northwest j of the Eldoiado and across its north east corner a part of time Eldorado vein runs This property contains also in Its northwest quarter some excellent Indications of copper but on this property as yet no work has been done A COPPER PROPERTY Directly east of Hot Springs and lowest low-est of all the developed hropertles on the mountain lies a copper property owned by Messrs Frank Illrt of Hot Springs and Wilts Cragun of Pleasant View About 100 feet of work has been done on this vein It carries from o toe 10 to-e cent V copper four ounces i J silver I I and 53 gold per ton The vein may bo E termed a blanket vein about three feet In thickness I lies In I gneiss and its walls show a clay casing The copper Shows up us olmlcopj Ite ixirnlie t I malachite and black copper This group presents an excellent showing and u worked will develop Into a good property MEXICAN AND SOUTH SIDE Between the above copper property and the west claims of tile Vulturo group lies the Mexican and South Side claims owned by Ed C Brown of Ogden Og-den This group contains a part of the Santa Maria fissure vein also part of the St Charles fissure vein and a part of the New York blanket gold vein I The chief work on this has been done on the Santa Maria fissure vein where a sulphide vein seven feet In width shows very promising values In gold and silver STRONG COPPER VEIN There exists In I this same part ot the t j mountain 0 group of copperbearing f claims owned by Mr Barnum of Salt Lake and Mr Preshaw of Ogden This group Is known as the Copper King Nor very much work has yet been done but the vein Is of great promise being almost al-most fifty feet In width and shows values in copper gold and silver Throughout this vein Is In the contact between tie Cambrian quartzit os the hanging wall and syenite andljjorphy r Iy as the footwall Mr Ras Chrlstoferson of Ogden and others are Interested in a group of copper claims In the same neighborhood neighbor-hood Some work has been done and for the work done the showing Is excellent excel-lent THE KILCAU Messrs James Boyle o Tintlc and Pat Dugan of Cieede Colo own the Kilcar t group on the west extension ot J the Santa Maria J tlC vein In I their j workings carried on during the past autumn they cut Into the main vein I and found the ore to be slmllaj to that found In the main workings of the Santa Maria liOO foot to the eastward These gentlemen are preparing to develop de-velop this property during the spring and summer of ijjOl THE VULTURE The one remaining group of Sierra Madre mountain Is what is known as the Vulture Consolidated consisting of the Vulture and Santa Maria ciT ms uYiitcd into one group With their associated asso-ciated claims this property contains part of the ISldoraUo vein as It enters en-ters the Uwanta group and also most oE the Santa Maria fissure vein the New York gold ami copperbearing blanket vein the St Charles fissure and the lower contact vein that lies In the Vermont Ver-mont claim between the Cambrian quartzlte and the syenite Each of the J above veins shown values In gold and silver and the Santa Maria fissure promises to equal the King Solomon I I fissure when equal work shall have been don upon It The property has had considerable work done on it years ago but when silver fell In value work was discontinued discon-tinued upon it and only assessment labor has been performed upon It since then However during WOO gold ha ing appeared in Its workings In greater quantity and copper ore of high giade having been discovered in thiit part of the property that is crossed by 1 the New York blanket vein and also because of the Eldorado cutting through the Vulture Vul-ture claim that forms tne eastern part of this group the property how stands among the foremost of the district and is destined within two years to beconvj one oC its largest producers UNKNOWN HITHERTO Hitherto as stated in the early part of this article the world has leon little or nothing about the region in I which the abovenamed properties life rich In all that goes to make up a prosperous pros-perous field I was Ignored partly on account of the extreme difficulty of prospecting Its steep mountain sides before trails were made and partly because be-cause few If any persons who were really acquainted with mining ever investigated in-vestigated its probabilities until three years ago The work done there on the Eldorado and King Solomon groups was carried i forward without excitement and no 1 Information ot results eriven to the pub lie The company doing this work was a close corporation t spending their Own time and money and laooring quietly but earnestly firm in the conviction that the field in which they weie engaged en-gaged would in time justify the labor and capital devoted to its exploration EXTENSIVE VEINS In no mining camp of our country Is ol well there a more extensive 3eies wel defined and strong veins than here They exist In every formation of thy mountain The following enumeration comprises ten of the most conspicuous These are the Eldoralo fissure and bedded ein Eulaha fissure tvanta Maria Ma-ria fissure Devils Neck lure New fS31UC York blanket vein Broken Bow fissure fis-sure Emma Nevada fissure Mexican Cross fissure Lower Contact and Upper Contact A volume might be written on the interesting in-teresting features 01 this locality I have given only plain laots and for the first time have thus made public the existing condition of iffairs in u place that Is destined to play an interesting part in he fmme mining history of Utah MA rwVlLC SIT 1 DAT ION The moiiiruin on which the above properties exist is one of hi most majestic ma-jestic propertes 1 he Vasach iminge From its summit above the ISllorado mine on can look over into dnno V oiulng and f Nevada with the roacrr part of Utah at his feet The Great Salt lake with its Islands seems less thani mile away an the clear atmosphere oC Utah nennits the eyes to rau e over an area emiru ujr little less tlisn 40000 square mlljs of mountains lake and sCuare oC Sierra valley md from the Mtimuut Madre mountain one can look down lIadre upon prulo and glnri of Utah From no other point in nc State can one see so nuirh of the States wealth us 1iom ttioi 3 itHl whon standlrg thero at a heht of 10000 feet above sea at 11eibt tin level onj van but fo ulor that mountain itsef with its iii cat mineral wealth ahoull have tested so lng undisturbed un-disturbed unpiosp i ued and unknown DON MAOUIRE |
