| Show A RARE METAL among the rare minerals for which Marys valc has been noted and of which the old camp was once a 1 producer in commercial quantities Is cel enite of mercury or quicksilver as it is commonly called the lucky boy just west of the deer trail was discovered by frank P fullmer and rube ivory I 1 late a t a I 1 in it the fall of 1878 the first retort of one oven was milt by john fullmer and the gan gaii chat brothers at the mouth of cot conwood canyon in 1884 several years later the property was bought by the richmond quicksilver company of california and they erected a larger retort of two ovens lower down on the creek after the plant was completed and in ill working order between and 30 worth of quicksilver was recovered and fully as much or more lost through poor equipment with the railroad so far away making transportation difficult and expensive and a large proportion of the values being lost through lack of proper machinery the retort was abandoned and the mining claims finally became the property of the deer trail mining company in blocking out the high grade gold ore for which the deer trail is now noted it is said by experienced miners millers working there that occasionally a fine specimen of of mercury Is found in the vein matter on the old lucky boy claim specimens of the ore can call yet be found that will run 70 per cent mercury however for years no attention has been paid to prospecting for this rare and valuable mineral mineral mine raj consequently mining milling tor for quicksilver along with the saloons gambling and other relies relics ot ol boom days in marysvale Marys vale is a story of the past |
