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In the Holcomb valley,
some thirty miles from San Bernardino, are found gold and silver in considerable
quantities, and also valuable lead mines. In
Lytle creek canon, thirteen miles northwest of San Bernardino, gold in
considerable quantities has been mined for some years past, and later workings,
with improved facilities, give promise of good results. American miners are
working twenty or thirty placers here at present.
The Bear valley mines, four miles east of Holcomb valley, have gold-quartz
free-milling ores in large quantities.
At the Alvard Mine, 100 miles northeast of San Bernardino, gold is found in a
quarry of hard quartz agate.
Calico mining district, forming the northern boundary of Silver valley, is the
richest silver camp now in operation in the county. The approximate estimate of
silver bullion shipped during the first two years of work here was $2,500,000.
There are 170 stamps here all told, of which 125 run day and night. The
processes here include much chloriding. The silver bullion extracted amounts to
from $75,-000 to $100,000 per month. Since 1881 over $14,000,000 have been taken
from this camp; and the best mining experts pronounce it to be stilt in its
infancy.
To the north of Calico there are the following districts: Avawatts, Granite,
Wells, Panamint, Ibex, Saratoga, Salt Springs, Goode Springs, Tecopa, Resting
Springs and Potosi, all containing gold, silver, copper and lead. To the west
are situated the Grapevine, Black's Ranch, North Camp, Oro Grande, Galena and
Crema districts, which contain gold, silver, asbestos) iron, and large
quantities of marble.
To the south are the Dry Lake, Holcomb, Bear Valley, Black Hawk, Morongo, and
Old Woman Springs districts, containing gold, silver, iron, copper and galena.
After Calico comes Victor, with ten stamp mills already running, and another in
prospects, The Ord Mining District is situated seventy-five miles northeast of
San Bernardino, within ten miles of the established course of the thirty-fifth
parallel railway. Ord Mountain has an altitude of about 2,500 feet above the
adjacent country, and 7,500 feet above the sea level. It covers an area of
twenty-five square miles. This entire mountain is "laced" with gold-bearing
veins from two feet to 200 feet in width.
Next, Pioche & Co. bought the San Jacinto grant, and tried to "float" it over
the tin mines. In short, the litigation over this property has never been
quieted, and these mines, famed and important as they are, have brought in no
revenue to the county. The only practical result from them took the form of a
box made of the tin from them, which was presented to ex-Secretary William H.
Seward, all the newspapers of the United States chronicling this as a remarkable
item.
About thirty miles east of the Ord district, is the Dry Lake district, with a
promising gold mining camp.
Still eastward some forty miles farther is the Trojan district.
In the Mojave district is a large number of mines under Los Angeles control-the
Soledad, Sanchez, Champion, Noble, Empire, Chieftain, etc. In the same district
Pasadena companies are working.
The Oro Grande mires on the Mohave river, are about
fifty miles from San Bernardino There are six principal mines, from which hat
been taken an immense quantity of ore.
There are other districts south and west which have been purchased or bonded by
capitalists; and north and east lie rich sections whose development will follow
upon the building of the Utah Southern Railway. Each of these mining districts
covers a space of about thirty miles square.
At Gold Valley a large English company is expending
much money in tunneling, etc. Hydraulicking was begun this spring in the placers
here.
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