684 IDAHO MINING DISTRICTS. 



THE QUARTZ VEINS. 

 THE IDAHO CITY GOLD BELT. 



In the immediate vicinity of Idaho City very few quartz veins occur, 

 and none of importance. Mr. Plowman states that a big quartz vein 

 was found on Wallula Flat, 2 miles east of Idaho City, on the northern 

 side of the creek. A narrow streak in this vein carries gold. About 

 1 mile due south of Idaho City the Keystone mine was located on a 

 large but apparently barren vein. 



Six miles northeast of Idaho City, on the ridge between Moore 

 Creek and Elk Creek, is the Gambrinus mining district. 



The Elaine vein is situated on the Moore Creek side of the ridge. 

 The developments are small, though some fair ore has been extracted 

 and milled. There is a 5-stamp mill on the property. 



The Chickahominy vein lies a little higher up on the ridge and a 

 few hundred feet south of the Blame. It was worked in the early 

 days, and a large mill was erected on Moore Creek 4 miles above 

 Idaho City. 



The Illinois vein. This important deposit, which can be traced for 

 If miles, is located three-fourths of a mile above the Blaine, and 

 crosses the ridge at an elevation of 5,100 feet. The vein has an aver- 

 age strike of a few degrees north of west and dips to the south at an 

 angle of from 45 to 50. It is inclosed in granite throughout, though 

 smaller dikes of porphyry occur occasionally in this granite. The 

 vein is one of the strongest in the basin, and it is very clear that it 

 has furnished a large portion of the placer gold in Moore Creek. It 

 contains a great deal of finely distributed gold all along, and some 

 good pay shoots besides. Illinois Gulch, draining this vicinity, is 

 reported to have been extraordinarily rich. 



The Eureka claim lies at the eastern end of the vein. Its production 

 amounts to $30,000, and besides much was taken from surface diggings 

 near the vein. A 10-stamp mill stands on the claim, which has not 

 been worked since about 1880. The vein is a large, composite one, 

 similar to the Illinois, to be described later. At the time of its 

 exploitation an ore shoot in this vein was worked down to a small 

 depth, where it is said to have been lost. The developments are 

 slight, consisting only of a tunnel and a shaft 60 feet deep. 



The Lucky Boy adjoins on the west. The developments consist of 

 only a few prospect holes. The strike is N. 81 W. and the dip 50 S. 

 The exposures show 8 feet of decomposed and sheeted granite, with 

 small quartz seams. Some pay ore is found on the foot wall. Two 

 parallel veins exist, one 30 feet south and the other 200 feet north of 

 the main fissure. 



The Illinois, consisting of two claims, is the principal producer of 

 the vein. It was located in the early days, as it was soon seen that 



