[J. M. Williams, Notes on the Mining Interests of Arizona, Alta California, August 2, 1864]

 

NOTES ON THE MINING INTERESTS OF ARIZONA.

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[From an Occasional Correspondent of the Alta California.]

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            Editors Alta:— In say last letter I gave a description of Arizona, showing the advantages the country has over mining districts north. Knowing the great mineral wealth of the country which is laying undeveloped for the want of capital, and wishing to impress on the minds of parties who have capital to invest in mines, that there is no place where the prospect is so great of realizing great fortunes for small investments, I now propose to give a fair and truthful account of the different districts and ledges, with the location from known points on the Colorado river, so that any one may take a good map, and, in a moment, know where any ledge or district spoken of is located.

As El Dorado Cañon.

Has more work done than any other district, I will begin with that district. The mouth of the Cañon is about five hundred miles from the head of the Gulf of California, and about forty-five miles from Fort Mojave, and situated on the west side of the river. The ledges Techatticup, Queen City, Illinois, Independence and several others, are located about three miles from the river, with a good road from them to a good landing on the river. The Techatticup has a tunnel two hundred feet, which pierces a ledge nine feet in thickness, the ore of which assays from four hundred to five thousand dollars to the ton. This ledge, I understand, has been purchased since I left the river, by a Philadelphia Company.

            The Queen City has a tunnel run eighty feet, which pierces a ledge sixty feet below the outcrop, seven feet in thickness, with rock assaying equal to any in the district. The Illinois, another ledge, fifteen feet in width, assays from three to seven hundred dollars to the ton. About two and a-half miles from the river is the Independence lode, from which about forty tons of rock has been taken and worked. It yielded fifty dollars to the ton in gold and silver, and for the want of proper machinery to separate the metals, the amalgam had to be sent to San Francisco to be separated. Then there is the Tornado, Colorado, Logan, Waitt, Adelaide and many others that have more or less work done on them, whose rock assays from three hundred to a thousand dollars to the ton. But set aside the assay of thousands, and let us suppose the ores will work one or two hundred dollars to the ton, and we have every right to believe that it will do so. I know of no mines that would pay better, owing to the facilities of getting supplies. So far, I have only spoken of mines immediately on the river, and those which have been partially developed ; but there are many unprospected veins of copper, west of the ledges named, that will pay large dividends in a little time, when companies buying copper ores will send agents down there to advance money to prospectors for their rock, or buy it from them on the banks of the river. Looking at it from a speculative point of view, I know of none better. Let the fact be generally known, that there are parties ready to advance cash and goods, one or both, for copper or any other kind of ore on the river ;  and it will be but a little time until there are hundreds of tons of valuable rock ready for shipment. Many men have been there, and left disgusted, at the same time knowing that had there been steamboats running regularly, or parties to buy their mineral, could have made, if not a fortune, at least a good stake, and many will return to work the ledges they discovered. Even should the veins give out after a few feet, which it is possible many of them will do, still every working man can make good wages while proving their claims to be good or good for nothing. All the ores, whether of copper or lead, are rich in sulphurets, and each ton is worth from sixty to one hundred and fifty dollars, and some of the rock will reach a thousand!

            But for all that, I advise all poor men to keep away from Arizona Territory until they know that there are steamboats to carry away their mineral or moneyed parties to buy it.

J. M. WILLIAMS.