prospector s quill february 2010
TRANSCRIPT
The Prospector’s Quill Gold Prospectors of Colorado PO Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
INSIDELetter from Your President
Jan. Meeting MinutesArticle: “HOW SWEET It IS!!”
Word SearchField Trip to the Denver Museum
February 2010 Calendar
4th Board Meeting10th General Meeting Stephanie Carter BLM13th Denver Museum of Nature & Science 20th Deadline submission for Prospector’s Quill
THE PROSPECTOR’S
QUILLFebruary 2010 Vol. 37 No. 2 GOLD PROSPECTORS OF COLORADO www.gpoc.com
2010 Board of DirectorsPresident: Ben Higley [email protected]
Vice President: Wayne Wittkopp [email protected]
Secretary: Elise [email protected]
Treasurer: Helen Bennett
Webmaster; Stacey Smith [email protected]
Trustees1-year Patrick Hill
2-year Gary Beaderstadt3-year Bob Bennett
Alma King SWEET HOME MINE
For more pictures of rhodochrosite access www.gpoc.com
Buckskin Gulch
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT ! PAGE 2
The Prospector’s Quill Gold Prospectors of Colorado PO Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
Fellow Prospectors
Our mountain streams are frozen over and the rivers are low, the mountains have their snow pack, the temperatures throughout our great nation have been frigid. Weʼve all been hunkered down for the winter in front of our fireplaces and indoor activities. CABIN FEVER! Education time. Read a book? Better yet, Museums, a picture is worth a thousand words! On January 16th we had a club outing at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in which we had a good showing of our new members in learning how mining has been in the past in Colorado with a film shown in the theater. It included a tour up to the old mill house out back on the hill where our tour commenced in firing up the mill and seeing the big cams and all the belts in motion. They are the only working set left in Colorado from the Yellow Jacket Mine and two of the biggest shaker tables I've ever seen. The tour was fantastic and the staff really made our day memorable to the point where the event in June when they run the stamp mill and crush some gold ore should be seen by one and all. In February we have a fantastic outing set up at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Saturday the 13th. Further details will be announced at the General Meeting, or you can contact Bob Hale at 719-213-3383. Our outing this month was on our very own Fountain Creek that runs through Colorado Springs where Yam, the President of the Colorado Springs Gem and Mineralogical Society, who is also a member of GPOC, was our tour guide. There we walked the sand bars collecting specimens of agates and petrified wood while the kids panned for gold and actually found some very small traces of yellow color in their pans. In Colorado today there are 24,520 active gold mining claims of which 23,357 of them are lode claims, that means there are 1,163 active placer claims. Also in our State there are 15,231 abandoned gold mining claims of which 11,870 were lode claims,meaning there are a total of 3,361 abandoned placer claims out there. Fellow prospectors, the gold is accessible to us, the gold belt is within our reach all we need to do is go out there and uncover it and discover the hidden secrets Mother Nature has left for us to find. Good luck and we will see you out there after the thaw.
Big Ben
PRESIDENT’S LETTER PAGE 2
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES13 JAN 10
7:02 PM Meeting called to order by President Ben Higley with the Pledge of Allegiance
7:05 PM Newly elected board sworn in with “Oath of Office” by Gary Beaderstadt
7:07 PM Gold price today is $1,038.007:08 PM Big Ben asked membership if anyone had
gone prospecting the past month, one member went to “Point Bar” and found a little bit of small gold.
7:11 PM New members stood and introduced themselves to the club, all were given an extra ticket to “Gold Draw”, and welcomed to the club by other members.
7:15 PM Big Ben listed upcoming events: Western Mining Museum 16 Jan, Golden, CO Gem & Mineral show 26-28 Feb, Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 30 Jan-14 Feb
7:17 PM Title for green trailer sold at Nov. meeting given to new owner, James Harden.
7:18 PM Treasurer’s report given by Helen Bennett.7:22 PM Big Ben notified general membership of
board’s decision to add Past President Eric Vesterby and Dr. Steven Veatch to “Lifetime” membership for outstanding
contributions given to G.P.O.C. and the addition of Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society to “Honorary” membership.
7:23 PM Big Ben spoke of open positions in various committee’s, if any member wishes to volunteer please speak to Wayne Wittkopp.
7:24 PM 15-minute break7:48 PM Gold drawings: *Volunteer Gold for demo at Phil Long Expo
Center: Meg Vigil & Danny Jernigan *”Parrot Nugget”: Terry Marshall *Australian Gold:
Harry Dove 10.4 grainsDonovan Greene 8.9 grainsBob Owens 8.8 grainsRichard Stockton 7.6 grainsJulie Lonorie 7.1 grainsDon Bray 7.1 grainsPhyllis Bray 6.3 grainsLinda Smith 6.3 grainsAndrew Sandberg 6.0 grains
8:04 PM Big Ben introduced guest speak for meeting: John Ames with the U.S. Forest Service
8:53 PM Big Ben presented John Ames with “Nugget” for club’s appreciation of him coming to speak to the membership.
8:57 PM Motion to Adjourn, Gary & Phil 2nd, meeting closed
FOOL’S GOLD BY LIN SMITH PAGE 3
The Prospector’s Quill Gold Prospectors of Colorado P. O. Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
The Sweet Home Mine fascinated me when I ran across an article about “The Alma King”. Mr. and Mrs. Rice, friends of my folks, had originally purchased the “Alma King.” Their mineral collection has been turned into the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Oregon. You will frequently see display cases of some of their specimens at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show. When the Sweet Home Mine reopened, Mineral’s Edge developed new techniques for extracting the valuable rhodochrosite specimens. They were innovative in the mineral world in new specialized mining techniques and restoration of specimens. As a result of their efforts, the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado is recognized as having some of the highest quality rhodochrosite known. Individual Sweet Home rhodochrosite specimens have been sold for more than $1 million.
Rhodochrosite from the Sweet Home Mine are gem-quality crystals because of their translucent cherry-red color, which is due to the relatively low amount of iron, magnesium and calcium impurities. When calcium, magnesium, and especially iron ions substitute for manganese, a pink color will result. The spectacular red crystal of rhodochrosite (MnCO3), known as the “Alma King” measures 5½“ X 6½“. The perfect rhombohedron was discovered in a vug named the “Rainbow Pocket”, on a matrix of white, needle clear Quartz, blue Fluorite, black Sphalerite and Tetrahedrite, brassy Chalcopyrite and pale yellow Calcite, with an additional 1½” rhombohedron. Sweet Home Mine was originally opened as a silver mine in the 1870s and was mined intermittently until the 1960s. Throughout the mine’s lifetime, rhodochrosite specimens were found along with the silver ore, but they had not been mined solely for their commercial value until 1991. The “Alma King” can be seen in the permanent display in the Coors Mineral Hall at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, Colorado. Rhodochrosite became the Colorado State Mineral in 2002.
The Sweet Home Mine is located in the Colorado Mineral Belt in the Alma mining district on the Eastern slope of the Mosquito Range in Park County. It is not the only recognized location in the Mosquito Range where rhodochrosite has been found. Rhodochrosite is found in eighteen of Colorado’s counties associated with gold, silver, lead, zinc, and molybdenum ores. The Russia, Tanner Boy, and Moose also contained rhodochrosite crystals. The old Climax Molybdenum Mine near Leadville and the Mary Murphy Mine near Saint Elmo have all produced rhodochrosite, however the Sweet Home Mine has been the only known producer of museum quality specimens of cherry-red, transparent, rhombohedral rhodochrosite. While rhodochrosite may be the most valuable mineral that has been mined at the Sweet Home Mine there have been more than thirty other minerals identified at the Sweet Home Mine.
Glacial action in the Mosquito Range cut through its Cambrian and Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks, which are overlaid over Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks forming part of the Mineral Belt of Colorado. The faulting that occurred in this area shifted many of the veins. Geological studies place the formation of the crystals in the Sweet Home Mine from 25 to 30 million years ago.
The Colorado Mineral Belt (CMB) is an extensive area stretching northeast from the San Juan Mountains in Southwestern Colorado to the Colorado Front Range near Boulder, Colorado. It is an area where most of the historic mining areas of Colorado are located and it is famous for its gold. The gold deposits were first discovered in 1858, and over 1.25 million ounces of gold were produced in eight years. By 1874, most of the significant deposits in the CMB had been found.
Rhodochrosite formed at the Sweet Home Mine when hydrothermal fluids filled fractures in the granite rock and in the narrow cracks solid veins of quartz, sulfides and silver ore formed. In phase one there were very hot fluids at the temperature of 662ºF where quartz, huebnerite, and pyrite were deposited. In the second phase fluids cooled to 482º-572ºF. Sulfides like sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and silver-bearing tetrahedrite were deposited, closely followed by fluorite and rhodochrosite.
The name rhodochrosite comes from the Greek word “rose colored.” The Incas believed rhodochrosite was the blood of their former rulers, turned to stone; therefore it is sometimes called “Rosa del Inca” of “Inca Rose.” The first known description of rhodochrosite was in 1813 in reference to a sample from Maramures, present day Romania. It is used in jewelry, for carving, as quality mineral specimens and for spiritual healing.
Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate, MnCO3. It is not considered a gemstone, even though fine examples of the large, red, rhombic crystals have a value of several thousand dollars. Gems are valued for their use in jewelry; because rhodochrosite has a hardness between 3.5 and 4.0 its use in jewelry is limited. Although it is most commonly pink and opaque, Colorado’s translucent red variety is prized the world over, bringing prices in the thousands of dollars because the Sweet Home rhodochrosite is relatively free of impurities. If it had been combined with calcium, magnesium and iron it would have been pinker. Some of the earliest operations in the district took place around Alma. They consisted of panning, cradling and sluicing in the alluvial soil along the Platte River. In 1861 gold-bearing quartz veins were located in the bedrock of Buckskin Gulch and the town of Buckskin was laid out west of Alma. “Gulch mining” in this area was responsible for the very first load mining discoveries of rich gold deposits creating a gold rush in the area. The Phillips was the first lode claim and produced approximately $300,000 in the first two years of operation.
“HOW SWEET IT IS!” by lin smith PAGE 3
FOOL’S GOLD CONTINUED PAGE 4
The Prospector’s Quill Gold Prospectors of Colorado PO Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
Buckskin grew to over 1,000 residents. The rich veins were quickly exhausted and by 1864 few miners remained. The census of 1870 showed fewer than 500 residents in Park County. Interest was renewed again in 1871 when silver was discovered on Mount Bross and the Moose Mine was established. Government records in 1878 reflected over $3,000,000 in the production of silver. Outcrops of silver mineralization were discovered during this same period, which later became the patented Sweet Home Mine.
The first gold was easy to recover with simple tools, but it was soon exhausted. Miners searched for the origins of the gold but their experience and knowledge in hard rock mining was limited. Early mining methods were primitive. The introduction of arastras to process the ore was inefficient and it is surmised that there was a large loss in ores up to 70%. Rhodochrosite was considered a gangue mineral. Manganese carbonate (rhodochrosite) was destructive in the amalgamation process used in silver ore mining. The miners were encouraged to throw out the rhodochrosite on the mine dumps in order to avoid penalties at the mill. Ironically, miners working in the Sweet Home Mine recalled the ore carts glowing red! If only they had been aware of the scarcity of the gemlike, red, rhodochrosite they were paid to throw away things might have been different for them. Some miners traded the rhodochrosite in local bars in Alma for drinks so some specimens made it into museums. The specimens are usually labeled Alma or Colorado, but their chemical make-up is the same as those from the Sweet Home Mine. In an N.Y. State Museum report in 1901 by Frederick Merrill and Eprain Porter Felt, it was stated that: “rhodochrosite is often found associated with gold and silver ores. As yet it has no commercial value.”
As investors in the mines increased their demand for higher returns on their investments it required more proficient methods of recovering the minerals. There were high costs involved in trying to discover more efficient refining. By 1873, at about the same time the Sweet Home Mine was being developed, a Panic occurred. Investors had borrowed heavily to buy stocks in the Colorado mines and banks called in the loans. The resulting panic caused investors to sell their stocks for whatever they could obtain. The U.S. entered a period of severe economic depression and the market crashed. The Coinage Act of 1873 changed the United States policies on silver. Before the Act, the United States had backed its currency with both gold and silver, and it minted both types of coins. The Act moved the United States to a 'de facto' gold standard, which meant it would no longer buy silver at a statutory price or convert silver from the public into silver coins (though it would still mint silver dollars in the form of Trade Dollars). Lack of knowledge, poor recovery and refining methods, lack of record keeping and over investment eventually created a decline in mining and investment in the mines of Buckskin Gulch.
In the Federal Mineralogical Report of 1876, Endlich states: “rhodochrosite, Sweet Home Mine, Park County, very beautiful specimens.” In 1878 a Federal Mineralogical Report noted there were “very beautiful” rhodochrosite specimens. An 1880 Rocky Mountain News article states: Colonel Finley Anderson of New York is the owner of a famous group of mines. It further states: “this is regarded as a very valuable property…There is a very well defined source vein on the Sweet Home Mine.” The Statistics and Technology of The Precious Metals, S. F. Emmons and G.F. Becker note rhodochrosite in the Sweet Home Mine and the Tanner Boy Mine in beautiful specimens. In the American Journal of Science July-December of 1887, George F. Kunz, a noted gemologist, describes rhodochrosite in the same area of the Sweet Home Mine. George Kuntz was a gem expert for Tiffany’s and was a leading advocate in the establishment of the international carat as a unit of measure for precious gems. He stated that: “rhodochrosite in rich, red, transparent crystals has been found in the John Reed Mine. This is the first locality that has yielded crystals of such magnitude and transparency.”
Though the Sweet Home Mine had rich silver veins they proved to be sporadic and by all accounts they were marginal. Records are minimal and at times nonexistent, they were not considered nor preserved by early operators. Mining was ongoing but expensive and with little profit.
With the formation of the Territory of Colorado each county formulated its own laws pertaining to mining claims and rights. In the Alma District claims were 300 feet wide. With a recorded patent #106, the Sweet Home Mine was an early patent claim. Land patent details on the Sweet Home Mine are:
Patentee Frederick E. Graham issued date 3/20/1874, BLM serial number COCOAA 058775 Patentee Benjamin Spiney, title transfer 6/30/1886 BLM serial number COCOAA 18529. Further information on land patents are available at the Bureau of Land Management website
“HOW SWEET IT IS!” continued PAGE 4
Sweet Home Mine
FOOL’S GOLD CONTINUED ! PAGE 5
The Prospector’s Quill Gold Prospectors of Colorado PO Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
Boundary disputes were prolific where mining laws failed to address horizontal veins. The Mining Laws of 1866 & 1872 were a combination of the Chaffee law of 1866 and the placer law of 1870. The laws were created to protect the miners, to help with the development of public lands and they allowed horizontal mining. Numerous disputes arose and Park County developed a reputation for being unruly. Disputes were settled by official surveys, which were conducted by the U.S. Deputy surveyors, and U.S. Deputy mineral surveyors. Deputy U.S. Surveyor Benjamin M. Whittemore in 1873 surveyed the Sweet Home area. This work became part of the Public Land Survey System. These old monuments were important in brining civility to an otherwise ineffective system of identifying claims. Edwin Spary the owner of the Sweet Home Mine by 1929 purchased additional claims totaling 19 claims and 195 acres. Gene Kooper, a geologist and land surveyor, in 2001, needed to retrace Whittemoor's steps by retracing 19 claims above the old town site of Buckskin. Kooper was able to relocate the old surveyor monuments.
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act created a collapse in the silver market and many mines in the Alma district were closed. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was passed by the U.S. Congress requiring the U.S. government to purchase nearly twice as much silver and threatened to undermine the U.S. treasury’s gold reserves. It was enacted on July 14, 1890, and increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase. The mines hoped that by artificially increasing the demand for silver the price for silver would increase. Because of an oversupply in silver, the mines found it was not profitable to produce silver. As a result of these actions the price of silver declined and notes were traded for gold rather than silver thus leading to a depletion of the U.S. gold reserves. Because Colorado was producing 60% of the nations silver when the Sherman Act was repealed it caused a drop in the value of silver, mines were closed and thousands of miners were unemployed. Silver further dropped in value with the Gold Standard Act of 1900 causing an end to an era of silver mining in Colorado. It wasn’t until the Pittman Act that the price of silver was restored.
Mining activities were renewed in the Sweet Home Mine in the 1990’s, not for silver, but for rhodochrosite. Due to the lack of hardness and tendency to cleave, explosives were used to extract rhodochrosite and, progress was only a few feet at a time. In order to remove the rhodochrosite crystals from the Sweet Home Mine, miners used tools such as spreaders, and hydraulically cooled diamond chainsaws. In 1966, the specimen dubbed the “Alma Queen” rhodochrosite was found at the Sweet Home Mine, and it now resides in a museum in Houston, Texas. In 2002 the “Alma King” was discovered, and is on permanent display at the Denver Museum of Natural History, along with a recreated pocket from the Sweet Home Mine, which contains over 3000 crystals of rhodochrosite! The GPOC will be taking a tour on February 13th at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to view the Sweet Home Mine rhodochrosite.
The mines in the Buckskin Gulch area went through numerous transitions; from placer mining to hard rock mining, geological formations that left fractured veins which were difficult to follow, the numerous laws enacted affecting the market, stock declines, etc. Through all of this there have still been revived successes 130+ years later. The Sweet Home Mine is now closed but there are rumors about reopening it and discovering additional locations for the gem quality rhodochrosite.
There are always a few basic tools you need to gold prospect. Included in this list should always be research. When researching mining history one needs to be aware of alternate spellings. As we saw in Cache Creek it was at times spelled Cash Creek. With the Sweet Home Mine you will run across the Home Sweet Home mine, Sweethome Mine, and other localities such as the Sweet Home Lode in Gilpin County, the Sweet Home Gulch and another Sweet Home Mine in Montana. A Colorado State Geological Bulletin in 1912 referred to the Home Sweet Home Mine and the Sweet Home Mine. Researching old mines will give you a wealth of information on geology, methods of mining used, methods and amount recovered and locations. As with the Sweet Home Mine a mineral considered worthless was tossed into tailings and dumps only to be more valuable than the original minerals that were mined. Armed with information you can begin your own prospecting. Gold and other minerals are still being found today in the Colorado Mineral Belt and can be collected by panning many of Colorado's streams and rivers.
“HOW SWEET IT IS!” continued PAGE 5
Rhodochrosite crystal cave at Denver Museum of Nature & Science
FOOL’S GOLD CONTINUED page 6
The Prospector’s Quill Gold Prospectors of Colorado PO Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
Material from many sources is used in the Prospector’s Quill. While it is believed that these items are accurate, neither the editor nor the Gold Prospector’s of Colorado assumes any responsibility for their use. Advertiser’s claims are their own, and their products are not warranted by the Gold Prospectors of Colorado.
Some Wall Street Gurus Predict Gold Price will Fall
In an article posted Jan 22, 2010 by Aaron Task (an analyst for Tech Ticker), he says some analysts feel that the recent pullback in the price of gold (from about $1250 to under $1150) is just a temporary pause on way to well over $2000 an ounce. In a recent e-mail ad campaign promoting American Sierra Go ld Corp (a go ld p rospec t ing company). “If Washington keeps printing currency at this rate, gold prices hitting $5,000 within five years has become a real possibility.” But the gold fund managers have a d i f fe ren t take on the s i tua t ion . According to Thomas Winmill, manager of the Midas Fund (one of the larger gold mutual funds), "If we see fiscal disciple [and] monetary discipline in the U.S., I would say we might see gold go back to its marginal cost of production, which is about $800 per ounce." He believes gold will grow about $100 an ounce per quarter for the rest of this year until the Fed starts to impose “fiscal disciple [and] monetary discipline.” When that occurs, the price of gold will start to come back down. So from his perspective, go out and find lots of gold this summer and sell it soon before the price drops next
items of interest PAGE 6
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SWEET HOME MINEProspectors: prospect for these hidden words from the
article Sweet Home Mine.Solution found at www.gpoc.com
INFORMATION page 7
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If you have any questions about the club or its activities please call Bob at
(719) 213-3383
items of interest PAGE 7
Mail application to: MEMBERSHIP Gold Prospectors of Colorado PO Box 1593 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
Western Museum of Mining and IndustrySaturday, March 13, Women in Mining 10:00 AM – 3:00 PMJoin us at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry as we explore the life of women in pioneer / mining camp days. Edwardian tea and theatrical performance, local displays of miniatures, pioneer kitchen accessories, quilting and much more. This popular event fills fast so call to make your reservations soon. Customary admissions apply.
February 2010
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OFGOLD PROSPECTORS OF COLORADOPO Box 1593Colorado Springs, Colorado 80901
Gold Panning & Prospecting For Fun HOOKED ON GOLDFREE Gold Panning Tips
Build Your Own Bucket Classifier Instructions!Informative!
Read our equipment reviews and Prospectors Blog.
Which Pan?Answers to your questions: Finding Gold,
Metal Detecting, Dredging.Site changes weekly!
Visit often!www.hookedongold.com
DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE
2001 Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO February 13, 2010 Field Trip
Got your hard hat? In Coors Mineral Hall, follow the mine shaft into a Mexican silver mine, where a cavern glistens with milky white gypsum crystals
and stalactites. Then enter Colorado's own Sweet Home Mine
to discover a six-foot wall of blood-red rhodochrosite crystals. Colorado was founded on mining, and in the historical mining section you’ll
see more local finds, like Tom’s Baby, an eight-pound nugget of crystallized gold unearthed in
Breckenridge in 1887. You’ll also uncover Brazilian topaz, California watermelon
tourmaline, Australian opals, intense blue azurite, green malachite, and hundreds of other dazzling
specimens from around the world. Hands-on activities and videos help young explorers learn about mineral characteristics and how minerals form. Join GPOC club members for a day of fun!
Ben will be at the museum all day.
RUXTON’S TRADING POST
“Embrace the Old West”Cowboy & Indian Antiques
Contemporary Western & Indian ArtFrontier Antiques * Fine Weavings
Furniture * Western Books * KitschCollectibles * Novelties * Curiosities
GRETCHEN & MIKE GRAHAM(719)685-9024
www.oldwestantiques.com
22 RUXTON AVE. MANITOU SPRINGS, CO 80829MENTION YOU ARE A MEMBER OF GPOC
& RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT
THE PROSPECTOR’S QUILL