Additional drilling on the Upper group and on the Ellison and Burro claims, San Miguel County, Colo.

~~,!P;(>l:J;

I!!

!i::::.rl

~~1! n~11~~~i

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WASHINGTON 25, D.C.

,iliC-76/0

Dr. Phillip L, li!erritt, ,ssistant Director Division of Haw Materials

U., S<)

.ttomic

Lnerg;:v Conmisoion P .. Oc Box 30, i;.n::-onia Station f,ew York

23,

!Jew York

Dear Phil:

·•ugust '!, 1949

In further reference to the question of additional drillinp: on the Radiwn Group in the !'Jest Slick llocl( area:

--

1

lie have reviewed this matter in the li,sht of the Cor:til'J.se! on 1 _s

eeneral polic:v directions for conduct of the Plateau project .~s

expressed in Mr. Gustafson 1 _{s letter of November 4, 1948. 'l'hese}

directions instruct us to drill to n..;;. ·> ·::·discover nevl ore-bearing o:re.s.s rather than -:;.- ·J: -;;. close-spaced devGlopment drilling for

e:ct.ensions Of small knovm ore bodies¢ I! rrhe only G}:ception reco_gnized

was on Govermnent-ovmed clains, where dr::.lling nay be crrried to the point believed sufficient to interest private capito.l to extend t\1e development clrillin~: in the hopes of bringing the property i'nto production.

Our understandinG of tllese instructions was natoriHlly clarified at the recent conference vJith you at Grand Junction and

in a phone conversation of Au_:-;ust

3

between Hove:~ l~eiser, and liininger., In Trace 1 _{s preliminary report}

_t/3

_{nliesul ts of drilling on} the H.adium f'rroup and associated claims ncar Lgnar, San l,Jiguel County, ColoradoH (copy of wllich you ha-ve), and in n nenorandu.--:l to us sub-sequent to your Grar~d Junction conference, Trace points out three areas thett v:arro.nt consideration for further drilling which r1ieht davelop additior;ul sr:1ull ore bodiGn sinilar to those already found,

(l)

The letrgest of these

i5

on honeotead J20A owned by

F o i~o .Sit ton., Drilling done there last winter by the Survey indicated

some ore.. :-alilo v;e bolieve that further drilline b:t the .Survey would

.:lddlt~or.:;l orE; v;e bt:::lif:'JC- tlinL the ir:clic::t,::>1 o:c<; {':,ty be

T,. hl+ Le,

\Nn G i'our.d

-:~nd Cono

t tu

to induce the cnvncr to it und c:>:r:--lorc J\)r

f!X-nnd this area into p:·oduct:Lon~

( ~outh of Buckhorn Culch (in the

lt.,

:9

J~) arounct hGl"'sS ,

on clair1s

tiG beliGVB thi~j

SE:c~

30,

, and :';; cne ore

l3tH.:khon·~;; Ghru1ce,

to v:nrrunt

( 3)

occurs

O'

and between tho Hadium

d8(?)

and Ike til el<;ims ( ,Sec .. 8, T., fL,, H~ 19 :-,:")~ The owner c;f

lLadium tJ8('?) (F., .'t~ .__,itton.) has ttlrcad,y :1rillE:d ::r:J found additional OrB on 1!2.:.3 prope around OtLl~ hole J/19 V;l·,ich !J1_{~t t;·;;" ... /} " J -~"':xtr feet of ore~ ,Js think that the adjoining J..c.Lnd nay br::: sufficiently

::1ttractive to Sitton, or some other potcntiLl opcratur, to tr~; to

interest hi1:1 in ,:;n O!JD lease"

'\'e think thr~.t the dr1 th,:tt hcs been rlone un the rest of the: un Group hc:s hecn ader;uate to appr·2ise it~ ir:·toort;::mce as be at hest seni-fn_vorohl8 for snnll scntb::::rcd ore b,xlics thr:;t v;ould

lJe cost to find ..

cortclude t.ha: the dr·illine l'lC hnvc dGnt; on the IL:Jdiurn

.ts Lc in '.Vitb :l:r~ tlustafson 1_{0 policy}

statG-ncnt of Lo'.rcr:rbe.r L, 19L1B& ,.is :cecors:;,,:-:-r.:::-1 no further drillint?

C:ovornLcnL₉ but sup,:-;csL that tl'P:O OVJ!Kl'S of i.\K! lnnris nr;d

potcnti2l lessors of the rrolJ(ornnent la.nd b(: 'E'red tu devc their lands .::.nd cnrr:7 on :',cld::tionc.l exploration '-'S p:Yct of tL,-d.r opcratione

If the Cor:1rnission believes th:Jt the need for rapid and

9omplete ez:plorat ion and devc drillinr; of the Rrtdiwn

l which is tri:Jutary to tho t~ord:iccllo nill) is 3Uch thuL c:_:mnot

\Yait for the 0\':JT;er-s .;.::nd "<fate CHpit21 to carry out the

, t h<: C<-.n su bm:i t

of <tbout l·),COO to

::o

feet,.

Ci bO,JG

drillin_L~

sr_.;r,_ll to node '<::te tvuruges of additlonnl or'Oc -vc do not con.siJt:.r- it our r0srono Oil to docide ~vhethcr or rot the urfu:e:y uf' o:"C for the 1-lc:>ntice lo rlill .L.s ( l"'eat to \\'arrant the 2b:tr1donuent of ths

'sinter i.i

dril

your or· be dG:f't:::rt'cd wrti1 in thl:3 rllit.U:;r., $ nr,d fJb:r1 Lpper, c:tc~) lws hecn Ln 'cuu,c,,~t t(:CL, :J:Lnc:erc li<> J.o f\(lf]ttJrL!f:llJ "',r.;:::;'i<Htnnt D:L rec-tor

U.

s.

Department

of the Interior

Geological

Survey

0

I.

I

UPPER GROUP

San Miguel County, Colorado

i l

-N

1 0 0 EXPLANATION

U.S.G.S. Drill hole

barren

(visual

estimate)

U.S.G.S. Drill hole

ore-bearing

(visual estimate)

U.S.G.S. Drill hole

n

weakly mineralized

(visual estimate)

fr:n

.

.

weald.y mine!"alized

U.S.G.S. Drill hole

(radiometric

count

•ot.:o~o~--~~~~so~o~---''Loo

______

\

_'

\

--\

0

"

U.S. Dept.

of

Interim•,

Geological

Survey -:c

_\

:;; -,-s_ ~ --< o> ELLISON

,,

,/ I!

"'

Q Burro

Colorado Plateau project

Memorandum Report l'lo. 8.::l,

Ju~y

1949

EXPI.Al'<A TI0!\1

'LH>J;;" ~

g

UoSoGoSo

Drill hole

0

o

barren

(visual

estimate)

U.S.G.S.

Drill hole

e

oN-bearing

(v~Bual

estimate)

U.S.G.S.

Drill hole

weakly mineralized

(visual estimate)

U.S.G.S. Drill hole

weakly mineralized

(radiometric count only)

\\""""'