Cache Creek placers, The

JOHN H. MARKS

HYDHAULIC,~rr.NING Ncrvn;

ENG-]~NEEn

S04J3A.c-"'-KnLOCI~

PHONE MAlN 24'70 DENVEH.Co.LO.

NoveIlIber1,1945.

'rll.,. pl .. ," fom a part of th. '1'wlnLako. placor ar,a,loca1; •• in Il'op. mining 'btde1;, ,

Chaflo. eount .•C~orado.Thi. p1&Oorrog1en.on. ot tho oldoot in the statrwa. vory aetive -, yearo ago. I>!' Use hy.raulic mothodo wero ll..od,high lill. I!1tellll•• i,1po !in •••• luicflO,

gi&llte .to.

'oO',.otail. are diftioll.lt if not impo.aibl. to obtain regarding the volu$ of the gold obtained by the •• pioneerlllineFO. Very In of thelll are left to tell tbe story of their 11ve. an' "vent\lre •• mlUlY Cll which QIl.teback to th8 California gold roob • "The daye of ol',the dayool gold. the daYo ot lortynino".

Hayd.n'. AUa. of Coloraclo.publbhed in 18'17 by the United States Geologicaland Go08rapll- leal Survey ohow. the reg:l.on around Grantt. ,Cache Creek IlIld 'i'win Lakes tc be pllleor land.

'hi. ^{at1a. (copy in lily olfice) i.} very comprehenaive and reliablo • one of tha beat record.iol ita time.

lIuoh lnlol'llllltion 11 tl.lund in library copie. of magaainee and nne pa~er. pubUehed during\ the , .. t '15 yeare. Prominent among the.e publiclIIltion. are the !,Ii.ning and So:I.enU'Uc Pr •••• Eng1n8if.ring and Mining Journal.Collier Engineer,Rocky Iiountai.n

atld Leadville papare. 'typioal of thUG write upSlllany or ^which

the D"nvarPublic Library. I quote from the Collier Engineer published in 199o. "An ~g1:l.ah oompanyhaa b.en working tho groll.Ddfor .ome year. with hydm&ll.lioa,th' output ;O~ aoma 8eaa~ns uOlUlting to ovor feo ,000 :in gold duot and nuggetll • scnlll 60 lIIenwere clmployad...

Exton. he plaoero lie to the lIort\'! inoluding terrace mofrulle bordering tha Twin Lakea".

.. ..

a progre .. 1ve pioM.r who .ttel"ll&rd •.... one of the firot

introduca gold dredging

in Colorado,inetalling a dredg. at Breokenridge about the year lVOO.

In 1915 a gold dredging oompanyb.gan operation. in tbi. vioinity. It wa. knowna.

tb. Derry Ranob Gold Dredging COlllpeny. Thi. dr.dge op.rated for dlt year. - paid anI' 501.lIividend. eacb year. Thll dx foot b\lok.t lin. dr.dg., working about 8 IIGntb.

pel' year mined approxillately two and on. balf mUllan o\lb10 yard. of Bravel,baving a valu. of fUty Gentl ,er o\lbio yar4 - - valuing 101d at it. pr •• ent pric. of .85.00 p.r ounce.

OlO10g10a11ytb. Twin Lak•• - Granit. lIi.triot appear. a. a glacial flow,or flow., .upp1.ented by .rodon. It ba. been d•• cribed a. follow •• - "Th. T*1n Lak.. p1aure On Caohe oreek hA.,e long been knowna. one of the mo.t .xton.h. writ.roue gravel

d.poeite in Colorado. Th.y lie at the foot of to.t Canon mountain in a level ....

bl'll.b plan •• ome tbr •• all •• long and On' and one half mile. 'I'1d.- C\lt by .hallow and narrow arroya. b.t".en Clear ore.k and Lake creek morain.. wh.icb ar. p11.d aoro ••

theArtanea • .,alley. Porpbyry dike. out tbe dl.triot 1n varloue directione.On. dike .how. a 'I'1dth on IUrface of 300 fe.t and oarri .. in .poil tll.5O to tlO.oo in gold per ton. On. of th .... dik •• ia traced aero .. the Arltanea. river and Caob. oreell park into to.t Canan mountain and pay dirt hA. b•• n found in tb. IIlloh •• 0f Le.t Canon mountain".

I

r.liably informed that on. of the large.t-mining and o.lting oompani.. in tb.

mining world - op.raUng the Artan.a. Val1.y .nelt.r at Leadville, hal recently aoquir.d a 1arg. tract of plao.r land n.. r lIalta adj01ning Leadville and up tb.

Arkan... riv.r rit•., to t.nn •••• Pa.. and thai> they ar. te.ting the ground by drilling.

It would thu .... that ext.nd.,e ar ... in tb. Arltan... river drainage .y d.velop

into a large gold dredging di.triot, the boundarie. of whicb have not yet been d.termined.

I1.S.bighway #14 and the D.nver and Rio Grande We.tem fail road ar. one balt mile MIt of tbe Cacb. Cr•• k group of c1aim•• A1titud. about '000 f •• t above .ea level. Hotel. at Leadvill. 18 II1le. nortb.A Uall .umm.r hotel 11 at tb. town of Twin Lake•• om•• ix lIlilee north " •• 10and one m1le nortb I(r.Id.H111 b.. a IUpp1y etore and a number oof

.ummer cottage ••

Th. near .. t .lectric power 11 at Malta about 15 1Il1l1llnortb. I u infol'llled tbat power for op.reting tbe Derry Rancb dr.dg. wu obtain.d from tbie point. The Public S.rv10 ..

.... pany have .J!Pr.... d a rillingn .. e to co-op.rate and eupply power for dredge work.

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I have per.onally knownor thUt l"egion lor years,but have nu", tested tohe ground.

I made a brief in.pection of this dl.trict on June 14-15 of the present year.

I oonsider that this px-ojeet ahow. evidenoe of pay value. and recommendthat thorough sllAll!inaUon be made.

Sincerely,

~~I-...u...-~~._