Show Pt RAMBLING ABLING THOUGHTS OF A by frank silvey reprint rights reserved t LOST MINES written for the historical survay of san juan county by frank silvey the lost spanish or lost los joephine mine and the dream mine the early pioneers of san juan county la sal october 1877 bluff city april ath 1880 rico silverton and other mining camps of south vestern colorado mineral deposits of rich silver and sold old hearing bearing ore being found there in 1874 76 and flourishing ruining mining camps established rumors throughout 4 out this district of a lost spania mine seniew acre in in the southeastern part of the blue mountains wa stalked of and a number of prospectors searched in vain for this su rich mine all sorts of stories were at that time told as they are today about this lost spanish mine it is stated by a few pioneers that the spanish history of cf new mexico arizona and southern utah gives an account of the lost josephine mine being loc located abed in the southeastern part of the abajo mountains renamed by early white pioneers blue mountains on account of the blue haze at times surrounding these mountains that can be seen for a long distance by travelers corning coming from an easterly direction and going in a westerly direction by spanish explorers about 1860 they ran a 40 foot tunnel found rich ore gold and silver they packed on mules all of this ore they could carry and started for santa fe on the way they were attacked ond nd all killed by the warlike indians vii a nahe d arr bre confiscated A few months later a spanish caravan with pack mules and a few wagons contacted a number of Indi indians who had rich ore to show them but tell them where it came cam from F finally one seemingly friendly indian after being crib bribed d with ith money and trinkets told them of cf the massacre of ct tle the spanish by indians and how he and other indians had come into possession pos of the ore arl sr had traced it up to the mine and he poin towards the blue tins I 1 I 1 y t leading them northwest to an nn determined spot to the south of blue blua mountains he be broff bt them to t a ledge that could not be drien down by wa wagon alq S here the indian disappeared and was seen peen no more by the spaniards Spaniard sl abandoning their aanons for cor a ti methe spaniards searched for some time tam around the po fo ith ath pal southeastern portion of ithe mountains without so go far as is known lost mine and there ends h i sn omni ono RA version of the lost josephine mine min during the period cf years years folind ip 10 lag to 1906 1900 a bew few Colo colorado looked for this nun oid did not find it t during the fall and wi wintter litter of 1900 1901 A L who owned a ranch near what is now called lewis but in those days day was call culled texas flats contacted contact cd jachn and his 14 year old stepdaughter who some claimed had a strange unknown power in tracing up lost mines etc it was known that she had a auiza board would go into a trance trancelike like condition and wo id fully describe anything any thins lost becoming Be comins interest interested ted in the lost Jose josephine rhine mine in the blue mountains in this lika hk condition she wold describe in writing the exact where this lot lost min ew located stating that it was on a ridge covered with scrub oai oaks and that oaks concealed the mouth of a that had been driven a distance of 40 feet on a body of rich gold and silver ore by the spaniards jnnny aars rr priar arr that cad spanish 11 toi wi were to bi be franl at nta 1 the brawt arm t of the t hiraml anel also a coni i 1 Sid erable bunch of ore or from the la lat lait t durd af f sect boull be found and that this IMS imi power would lend lead them t to find the lost mine Tn finlly Tuly 1901 A L Pa palee finan j ci braathe cra athe 4 trip in company with strays straus inana w caire caine out to toi the blue fue mountains and searched under I 1 the guidance of thi this is girl R arl for fol about three months without apparent ruc success cess although altho althou irh they found foun dar an bp dolled tunnel they found no rih rich or hody body or nr eld cid spanish tools it hi ii know kno vrr that they as aso drove a blind tunnel foo continued firmed in on last LOST MINES continued from pigo pi pr go ge 1 but as tar far us ns is known did not suc i aeed in getting ore in paying quantities it was during this period that and partners met sammy houser who was an old miner and prospector of rico and later hesperus houser under the guidance of the straus girl found what he called the dream mine and it seemed to have an appropriate name as it has ha been a dream ever since and no real paying mine has thus far been developed and partners apparently gave up the ghost and returned to the dolores district late in the fall of 1901 of recent years some prospecting has been done for the so called lost josephine mine but to date it has so far as the public knows know not been discovered few lost mines in the mining history of the great west have ever been rediscovered but that fact should not discourage prospectors tor for in looking for lost mines a real kuitu nature re prospector may discover a good mine as there are still a few found it is a deplorable fact as this writer sees it that there are today few real nature prospectors as compared to olden times the man with the bur to ro lias has almost disappeared in mie khe west his place has been taken by the automobile prospector and the parlor book prospector who does not know thel nature in the raw thus in the past 35 years we have found no leadville silverton telluride rico and later cripple creek goldfield tona pah dawson city and many others some authorities state that all the united states and alas alaska a has been prospected y and that no more good mines will be found I 1 do not believe this theory but think many more good mines will be found with intelligent pros prospering |