New Mexico Mines and Minerals ...
By Fayette Alexander Jones
CHAPTER XIX.
MORENO AND WESTERN COLFAX COUNTY DISTRICTS
The mining districts of Moreno, Willow Creek, Ute Creek, and Ponil can best be discussed in the aggregate, since they all lie on the immediate slopes of Elizabeth peak (Baldy) and their minerals and mineralization have their origin in that great isolated mountain. Elizabeth peak (Baldy), according to Lieutenant Wheeler in the United States Geographical Survey West of the 100th Meridian, reaches an altitude of 12,491 feet above sea level: this elevation is exceeded only in a few instances in the territory.
The writer has been very fortunate in having opportunities to familiarize himself, to a certain degree, with this section of the country. The beginning of this experience dates back to the fall of 1893, in making a railway survey, under the supervision of Ed. H. Smith, now of Las Vegas, from the Santa Fe tracks at Maxwell City, as far west as the valley of the Rio Grande. The line of this proposed railroad was through Cimarron, up the Cimarron canyon, through the gateway of the Moreno valley, where a branch line ran north from this point to Elizabethtown and into the Red River country. The main line, however, kept to the Moreno valley south and crossed over the range at the Taos Pass, thence to Taos and from there down a boxed canyon to the Rio Grande.
Every facility was afforded to examine into the mineral resources during this survey. Topographical maps and geological sketches were made extending over a wide area of country, which embraced the mining districts flanking Elizabeth peak (Baldy mountain) and westward to Red river.
A geological section of the country, from a point east of Elizabeth peak to a point three
miles west of Elizabethtown, was made at that time.
The geologic section best observed and studied is in the Cimarron canyon, which forms the narrow gorge and exposes the rocks to a thousand feet in depth on either side. The lower canyon, extending from near the town of Cimarron to Ute Creek park, is about twelve miles long and is entirely eroded in the thick bed of the Laramie coal measures; and which has, apparently, cut entirely through this latter series, since the Colorado shales of the Cretaceous are exposed at both ends of this part of the canyon. The upper canyon of the Cimarron, from Ute Creek park to the Moreno valley is approximately six miles in length, cutting through the Archean rocks and draining the great ancient lake of the Moreno valley. Recent development, it is understood, proves the existence of coal in the Moreno basin; its quality and extent is undetermined at the present writing.
In following up Ute Creek toward its source from its affluence with the Cimarron, it is observed that erosion of this stream is now in the Colorado shales.
At the west side of the Ute valley are two intrusive porphyritic members, which disappear toward the northwest as they pass into the eastern and steeper portion of Baldy mountain. Still further west is another porphyry member which has carried with it in its upward movement the Dakota sandstones. On the east side of Ute valley is an escarpment of the light colored sandstones of the Laramie coal measures.
This sandstone may be traced on that side of Ute Creek until it reaches the saddle which divides the South Ponlil from the latter stream. From this saddle the same series rises and covers the steep east slope of the mountain, even reaching and capping the very summit of the peak. The sandstone, however, above the saddle to the top of the mountain is altered to massive quartzite. The elevatory movement, which resulted in forming Elizabeth peak (Baldy), must have taken place at the beginning of the Tertiary. The origin of the mountain is due to the massive porphyritic sheets which have been forced upward between and through the thick beds of the Cretaceous. On the southwest side of Baldy in the vicinity of the Willow Creek placers, Cretaceous shales and limestones are superficially exposed. The cause of this exposure is due to the shattered condition of the strata that were elevated by the porphyritic intrusives and which favored more rapid erosion.
In passing toward Elizabethtown from the Willow Creek placers, eruptives of a porphyritic nature occur immediately to the west of the gravel wash on Willow gulch.
Beyond and west of Elizabethtown are some exposures of the Permian and Jura-Trias. These latter series seem to rest immediately on the Archean core at Comanche canyon.
The whole of the area immediately flanking Elizabeth peak (Baldy) may be regarded as one vast gold placer field. The principal operations in placer mining have been conducted in the localities of Ute creek, lying on the southeast slope of Baldy; at Willow creek gulch, lying on the southwest slope; and the Moreno fields lying on the western slope in the vicinity of Elizabethtown.
These placer fields are the most extensive and have excelled in production those of any other placers in New Mexico. They are today producing over one quarter of the gold of the territory. To their success is due the fame of the districts.
Indirectly, the discovery of gold in this part of New Mexico is due to a Ute Indian who brought in a piece of rich copper float and exhibited it at Fort Union, during one of his trading expeditions, in the early part of the sixties of the past century.
The real discovery of gold in the Moreno valley, however, dates to October, 1866, when three men-Larry Bronson, Kelly, and Peter Kinsinger-were sent by William Kroenig, W. H. Mpore and others, from Port Union to do assessment work on a copper property, near the top of Elizabeth peak (Baldy mountain), which had previously been located as a result of the find of the Ute Indian. This trio arrived on Willow creek late one afternoon and after arrangements for camping had been made, Kelly took a gold pan and commenced washing the gravel along the edge of the stream, while the other two prepared supper.
The first pan of dirt revealed several colors of gold. Calling to his companions and announcing his find, all three began to pan and dig, when to their astonishment gold was obtained from most every pan of dirt. Several days were spent in digging, running open cuts and panning with very satisfactory results. It being late in the season and the weather extremely cold, they gave up further prospecting until the following spring-forgetting, in the meantime, to do the work which they had set out to do, at the beginning of their mission. It was the intention of the discoverers to keep the find a secret after their return to Fort Union.
But secrecy could not be kept; the desire to exhibit the coarse gold saved by their pannings was irresistible. At the opening of spring in 1867, the excitement was so intense that the news of the find was spread over both New Mexico and Colorado. A great stampede was made to this Eldorado from all over the west. Bronson on returning to the diggings made several locations on the site of the original discovery, on Willow creek, for himself and partners. These locations were all measured from a big pine tree which was the initial monument, on which all courses and distances were based. This tree is known as the "discovery tree" and is now standing, April 1, 1904.
Numerous claims were staked during the first rush; among the new comers were Mathew Lynch and Tim Foley who made locations on the south or opposite side of the gulch. These latter gentlemen, especially Mr. Lynch, played an important part in the early history and development of the surrounding gold fields. To them is due the discovery of the famous Aztec mine, on the east side of the range. Mathew Lynch, with one or two minor exceptions, is to be regarded as the father of hydraulic mining in New Mexico. His efforts were very successful; running from three to four hydraulics each season, up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1880, by a tree falling on him.
About the time of the first locations on Willow creek, a second party from Fort Union arrived, and made the first discovery of gold at Elizabethtown.
This party was composed of J. E. Codlin, Pat Lyons, Fred Phefer and Big Mich, who termed themselves the Michigan Company.
After the discovery at Elizabethtown, prospecting became general, and it was demonstrated that gold in paying quantities existed in most every gulch around Baldy mountain.
the first to make locations in Grouse gulch. Across the Moreno river, just in front of Grouse gulch are the famous Spanish Bar diggings, which were located by Lowthian, Kinsinger and Bergmann.
Humbug gulch was located from the Moreno river, almost to its head. This latter gulch probably received its name from the supposition that it carried but little gold. Subsequent prospecting proved it to be the richest gulch in the district.
MATHEW LYNCH, PIONEER HYDRAULIC MINER OF ELIZA- BETHTOWN, AND THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL OPERATOR OF THE "BIG DITCH."
Owing to the great influx of people into the new gold field, and in order to properly protect the rights of each individual, it became necessary to establish and organize a town. The prime movers in this direction were John Moore, George Buck, and a few others; the survey and plat were made by T. G.
Rowe in 1867. Much discussion arose as to what the new town would be called; finally the name Elizabeth was decided on, in honor of Mr. Moore's eldest daughter, who is now Mrs. Joseph Lowrey and is still a resident of the town which bears her name. As a matter of history, when Colfax county was first carved out of Mora county and organized, Elizabeth-town became its first county seat; it also, bears the distinction of being the first incorporated town of New Mexico.
It was realized in the first years existence of the Moreno district that an ample water supply to work the new fields successfully was of prime importance.
Parties from Las Vegas and Fort Union took the water question in hand, and employed Capt. N. S. Davis, an Engineer of the U. S. Army, to make surveys and report on the feasibility of increasing the supply.
Surveys showed that a large supply of water could be brought around to the new fields by diverting the water from Red river, which was about eleven miles west of Elizabeth-town.
Accordingly the Moreno Water and Mining Company was organized and L. B.
Maxwell, William Kroenig, John Bold, W. H. Moore, V. S. Shelby. M.
Bloomfield and Capt. N. S. Davis, composed the original members of the company.
The survey was finished and actual construction began on May 12, 1868. Work was pushed with all possible vigor up to November 13th, and the ditch was practically completed during that short period; as many as 420 men were on the work at one time. Considering the magnitude of the enterprise and the difficulties to overcome, this is regarded as the most remarkable engineering feat ever accomplished in the west. The flume in many places is suspended, for long distances, from perpendicular walls, deep arroyos were bridged and in one place the aqueduct crossed over a valley seventy- nine feet above the earth, requiring over 2,300 feet of trestle. The ditch from its head to Grouse gulch at Elizabethtown, is 41 miles and 660 feet long, with a carrying capacity of 600 miners-inches*, or 9,720,000 gallons every twenty-four hours.
*It should be noted that a miner's inch of water is not a definite or fixed quantity, but varies in different states and localities. Bowie's Treatise on Hydraulic Mining, page 268, states that in different counties in California, it ranges from 1.20 to 1.76 cubic feet per minute. In Montana it is 1.35 cubic feet. The writer has alwajs taken 1.50 cubic feet, per minute, for a miners-inch in New Mexico.
A miners-inch in New Mexico may, therefore, be defined as that quantity of water which will flow through a vertical orifice one inch square, when the head on the center of the oriflee is 6!4 inches. By calculation it is found that water flowing under this condition, will discharge 1.53 cubic feet, during one minute of time.
One cubic foot of water equals 7.481 U. S. gallons and weighs 62.5 Ibs. One U. S. gallon weighs 8.355 tbs. and contains 231 cubic inches.
The original cost was $210,000; an additional expenditure of $20,000 was made in constructing storage reservoirs at the headwaters of Red river.
Martin and Scott received the first water delivered by the ditch, on their property in Humbug gulch, July 9, 1869.
The Moreno Water and Mining Company constructed the ditch as a water speculation, and expected to sell water at such a figure as to pay a handsome dividend, since the company did not have any placers of its own to work.
The first water sold for 50 cents a miners-inch; owing to losses by leakage and evaporation and the great expense in maintenance, the company became financially embarrassed and the property passed into the hands of Col. V. S.
Shelby of Santa Fe, who had loaned large sums of money used in the construction.
Shortly afterwards Shelby sold to L. B. Maxwell, the owner of the famous Maxwell land grant and one of the original members of the old water company.
Mathew Lynch purchased the ditch from Maxwell in the summer of 1875.
Mr. Lynch operated the ditch successfully until his death in 1880; the property then passed into the hands of his two brothers, James and Patrick Lynch, who operated it for a number of years. This noted ditch is generally known as the "big ditch," though now it is practically inoperative from want of repairs; the probability is that it will never be used again as a water carrier for mining purposes.
In 1867, Joseph Lowrey came to the Moreno valley, where he works placers, (by hydraulicing, just opposite Elizabethtown, at the present time; this ground is known as the Lowrey placers.
It is estimated that $2,250,000 of gold has come from the placer fields about Baldy mountain from the time of their discovery in 1866 to January 1, 1904; the average fineness of the gold is 885.
Owing to the angular form of most the gravels in the districts, adjacent to the foot of Elizabeth peak (Baldy), it is practically conclusive that the material has not been transported from any great distance. The theory has been advanced that no very rich lodes (with two or three exceptions) have ever been found in the mountain and that such enormous
quantities of gold as exist in the placer area must have come from some other source. The form of the gravels and the altitude at which gold is found on the mountain slopes, with the character of gold in the various districts, would preclude any theory, other than that the gold came out of Baldy mountain. The lodes about Baldy mountain were, perhaps, superficial in depth originally, as the Aztec and other rich veins indicate, and the enormous erosion has long since carried away the best mineralized part of the mountain and concentrated the value in the placers below.
Over on the east side of the range at the head waters of Ute creek is where the coarsest gold is found. This may easily be accounted for, since the Aztec lode is just above or at the point where Ute creek heads, and which lode: is unquestionably the source of this coarse gold. One nugget* weighing a fraction less than twelve ounces was found a few years ago, just below the source of the creek. It should be remembered that the Aztec mine has produced many large nuggets of gold, found in the quartz, at the time the mine was worked. Over on the south Ponil stream from the Aztec are also found nuggets and coarse placer gold. The Aztec mine being on a ridge separating the two streams, would easily account for the gold found on both sides of the ridge.
Of the several producing districts and gulches of the Baldy mountain section, more gold is now being recovered from the Moreno river, just below Elizabethtown. than all of the other diggings combined. In fact, one-fourth of the gold of New Mexico is now being taken from this little stream by the Oro Dredging Company, under the successful management of R. J. Reiling.
This piece of machinery began operation on September 19, 1901, and is complete in every detail, being especially designed and constructed for working the gravels of this stream.
The material is elevated by a system of buckets and dumped into revolving screens where the larger stones are separated. As the coarse material passes through the screens it is washed thoroughly with jets of water, and the mass of liner gravels, sand and mud is forced by a heavy torrent of water into a long iron flume or sluice box. In this sluice box is placed a suitable false bottom and several pounds of quicksilver are distributed in the riffles, in a manner similar to that of the ordinary wooden sluice box.
DREDGE OF THE ORO DREDGING COMPANY, OPERATING IN THE MORENO RIVER AT ELIZABETHTOWN
The process after the material is elevated, is identically the same as is practiced in ordinary hydraulic sluicing; that is, forming riffles in the sluice and amalgamating by the use of liquid mercury. Clean-ups are made about once every week and the product is retorted in the usual manner where the mercury is boiled off and condensed back into liquid form to be used again. The gold is left behind in its original form.
The capacity of this dredge is 4,500 cubic yards per 24 hours; although the average daily amount handled is about 3,000 cubic yards, This machine can successfully work a gravel bank 25 feet in thickness and can excavate with ease 15 feet below the surface of the water.
Next to this dredge in production is the hydraulic plant of Joseph Lowrey, who has been operating every season for over thirty years.
Other placers in the Monero district, beside those of the Oro Dredging Company and Joseph Lowrey, are worked in a small way. The Lynch Brothers have not operated placers for several years.
In Willow creek district, the more prominent grounds are the Kaiser diggings, Last Chance and Grub Flat placers, and the Brown diggings.
On the Ute creek side are the Pierson and Mead diggings and the Major Dennison placers.
Across the south Ponlil are the Wallace placers. Among the phenomenal gold strikes in New Mexico, the Aztec lode deserves special mention.
Mathew Lynch and Tim Poley, after making some locations in Willow gulch, crossed over the range to the east side, where they found rich float and coarse gold at or near the head waters of Ute creek; this was in the summer of 1867. These two gentlemen worked assiduously for about one year in tracing the rich float to its source. Finally in June, 1868, they uncovered the Aztec lode. This was said to have been the richest discovery made in the west, of gold from a vein or lode. As previously mentioned, this mine is at the foot of Baldy mountain on a little ridge which separates Ute creek from south Poflil. The Aztec lode is a contact between shale-slate and quartzite. In other words its geological horizon is in the cretaceous shales which immediately underlie the Laramie coal measures. This is, perhaps, the most singular occurrence of gold, when considered from a geological standpoint, of anything in the west.
The strike of this vein at the surface is about N. 40° W. and dips to the northeast about 75°, to a depth of 90 feet.
Below the 90-foot level the dip almost attains horizontality and conforms closely to the contour of the hill. The strike also changes to about N. 70° W. ., The original ore was of a brown color, due to the oxidation of pyrites; the gold being remarkably free milling.
A 15-stamp mill was immediately erected and operations began on the 29th day of October, 1868.
The mine was successfully operated between three and four years time, and was closed down in 1872 on account of litigation. The principal rich ore bodies were, however, worked out during that period. The mine since that time has been spasmodically worked, though never successfully in a general sense. The production to date is estimated at about $1,250,000; about $1,000,000 of this was mined prior to 1872.
Many promising lode claims exist in the different districts which surround Elizabeth peak (Baldy). In the Pofiil district is the noted French Henry mine; it being the first claim located in this district. Among others are the Smuggler, Guerilla, Mountain Witch, Paymaster group, Black Joe, Harry Bluff, Harry Lyons group and the Mount Vernon.
In the Ute creek district may be mentioned some of the more prominent lodes, as the Thelma, Montezuma, Black Horse group. Rebel Chief group, Maid of Erin, Rosita, Puzzler, Monarch, Homestake, Bull-of-the-Woods, Paragon, Little Jessie, Sweepstakes and Real.
The Willow creek district has several producing and promising lode properties such as: The Golden Ajax, Legal Tender, Hidden Treasure, Golden Dollar, Ophir, Only Chance, North and East Pacific, Grand View, Mystic, Victor, Indiana, Alababa, Little Wonder, Grand Duchess, Mark Twain group and Aristocrat.
The most important group of lode claims in the Moreno district is the Red Bandana. The names of the leads composing the group are the Red Bandana, Empire, Moreno, Centennial, Galena, and American Flag.
This property is extensively developed with over 2,000 feet of work, with 5-foot Huntington mill, engines, boilers and shaft-house. Since the property lies on the ridge which separates Grouse gulch from Humbug gulch, it is quite evident that the Red Bandana lodes contributed a very great part of the gold found in those gulches. The formation con- NEW MEXICO MINES AND MINERALS. 151 sists of slate, quartzite, porphyry, granite, serpentine and limestone; the strike of this series being east and west. The veins of the group run approximately northeast and southwest, cutting all formations; hence, they would be of the true fissure type. Near the surface the ore is free milling; but changes to a sulphide at depth. Other prominent properties are the Abraham Lincoln, Heart-of-the-World, Iron Mask, North Star, The Baldy Mountain Tunnel group, Bob-ta 1 Senate, Penuckle group, Imperial No. 2, Sheridan, Golden Era, Gold Leaf, and Admiral Dewey in Big Nigger gulch.
'West Moreno (Hematite) District.
Lying northwest of Elizabethtown about five miles and to the left of the road in going toward Red river, is the west Moreno or Hematite district.
This district lies in the extreme western part of Colfax county and took its name from the highly colored formations and veins, due to the red oxide of iron. The Archean nucleus is well represented along the lower part of Hematite creek, having an exposure of more than a mile in width. Many mining claims have been staked out along this gulch and especially further to the west, where the country is crossed by a parallel belt of por- phyritic eruptives, and highly altered slates. Some placer gold is found along the gulches, though not enough to justify profitable working.
Development has not been very extensive; the ores being refractory and usually low grade, the excitement which attended the first discoveries has now died out completely. The camp was practically deserted during the writer's visit in June, 1903; notwithstandng, a number of very favorable prospects are kept alive by outsiders who do their annual assessments.
The most favorable properties are the Black Wizard group, Iron Bird, Challenge, Kentucky, Last Chance and Gold Belle.
Hematite creek flows east into West fork and thus aids in forming the west prong of Moreno river.
