112 



COLOKADO. 



storage of water when it is abundant, for use in sea- 

 sons of scarcity, is one of very great importance, 

 and should be encouraged and protected by careful 

 legislation. 



The mining interests of the State have been 

 greatly developed within a short time. Colo- 

 rado is now the third State of the Union in gold 

 and silver production. The yield of 1878 is 

 estimated at $10,000,000. The mines gave a 

 much larger production and higher percentage 

 in 1877 than in any previous year. The value 

 of gold and silver exported in that year, to- 

 gether with a small amount of lead and cop- 

 per, was $7,696,771.60. As compared with 



former years, the yield of gold and silver has 

 been as follows : 



1872 $8,785,000 



1878 4,070,000 



1874 5,362,000 



1875 $5,454,387 02 



1876 6,191,907 82 



187T 7,365,283 83 



The total yield of Colorado, since the first 

 discoveries of 1859, exceeds $71,000,000, of 

 which about three sevenths came from Gilpin 

 County. The following table shows the yield 

 by counties and sections in each of the valu- 

 able metals, and the total yield of each metal 

 and county. But little copper is saved from 

 the ores, outside of those treated at the Boston 

 and Colorado Smelting Works : 



PRODUCTION OF COLOKADO MINES IN 1877. 



As during the two preceding years, Colora- 

 do now ranks next after Nevada and California 

 in the production of gold and silver, leading 

 Utah nearly a million dollars in those metals. 

 Every county or section shows an increase 

 over any former period except Summit, which 

 did better in 1876, and that county and Lake 

 in the earlier years of Colorado, when their 

 gulches were producing bountifully in gold. 

 The combined product of gold, silver, and lead 

 from these counties would, it was estimated, 

 foot up a larger sum total during the year 1878 

 than was ever obtained before. Boulder County 

 has been credited with a larger product for 

 1875 than for either succeeding year, but it is 

 said that the figures were above the actual out- 

 put. The yield for each county or section of 

 Colorado for 1875, 1876, and 1877 is given as 

 follows, reduced to coin or gold value : 



A multitude of distinct lodes and veins are 

 worked in almost every county, many of them 

 constantly and others at intervals. Their pro- 

 ductions vary greatly, some having produced 

 almost nothing during the year, others a few 

 thousands, and from such sums upward. Some 

 very extensive placer-mining operations have 



been inaugurated, supplied with many miles 

 of ditches and flumes, and with Little Giant 

 hydraulics. The figures which embrace all 

 the returns of any importance of gold dust 

 from the streams and gulches of Summit Coun- 

 ty represent the amount at $150,000. The 

 total expense of getting out this amount, ex- 

 clusive of permanent improvements, is esti- 

 mated at only 40 per cent., leaving 60 per cent, 

 of the gross receipts as net gain. The average 

 yield per cubic yard of placer ground is given 

 at 25 cents. 



More coal was mined and sold in 1877 than 

 in any previous year, and possibly double the 

 usual quantity. The estimates of the amount 

 of the total output vary considerably. It is 

 safe to say that about 200,000 tons of coal were 

 mined, and that the sales footed up a total of 

 $800,000 or more. Most of this coal came from 

 the vicinities of Erie, Canon City, and El Moro 

 or Trinidad. The Golden and Cucharas coal 

 measures were also quite profitable. Many new 

 deposits have lately been discovered and opened 

 more or less ; among them are several veins in 

 Boulder, Jefferson, Park, Ouray, El Paso, and 

 elsewhere. This article is coming into very 

 general use for smelting, milling, mining, and 

 domestic purposes. 



^ A most important decision relating to the 

 side lines of mines was delivered by the Su- 

 preme Court of the State during the year. It 

 is the first that has ever been delivered on the 

 subject. The case is entitled Wolfly and Skin- 

 ner vs. Lebanon Mining Company, being an 

 appeal from the District Court of Clear Creek 

 County, in an action of ejectment brought to 

 recover possession of eight hundred feet of the 

 Ben Harding lode. The Court held that the 

 title of the plaintiff was founded upon the 



