316 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



sustain the conditions of the American creeks. The richest claims 

 on the Eldorado are, starting from its mouth the junction of the 

 Bonanza 4, 5, 12, 13, 29, 30, 31, 36, with other claims abundantly 

 rich between these. Number 30 is, I believe, generally considered 

 to be the banner claim, and it is situated about three miles up far 

 enough, perhaps, to sustain in a superficial way Professor Spurr's 

 generalization as to location and above it 36 is not unlikely to show 

 up as well as any of the other creek claims below. But the valley 

 of Eldorado, whether constricted or open, continues for miles be- 

 yond either of its two head forks that which is known as Eldorado 

 proper, and the one, Chief, or Chief Isaac Gulch, which is geograph- 

 ically the continuation. So little has been found above 36 or 37 

 that the stream in that part is ordinarily spoken of as being barren. 

 Again, so far as the tributaries on either side of Eldorado are con- 

 cerned, and the possibility that they are responsible for the gold 

 that is contained in the main stream between 37 and 1 rather than 

 the Eldorado itself a condition in no way impossible or improbable 

 it can only be said for them that up to this time they have, with 

 the possible exception of Oro Grande (tributary to Eldorado abreast 

 of Claim 31), yielded very little gold themselves, and have hardly 

 given indication of containing much of a supply. I have used the 

 words " up to this time " advisedly, because I am aware upon how 

 little the evil reputation of a gulch rests, and how prospectors de- 

 ceive themselves by the character of their defective prospect holes. 

 Hence, while my argument is drawn from existing evidence, it can 

 not be assumed that this evidence is by any means sufficient to war- 

 rant a conclusion. It is by no means unlikely that some of the lat- 

 eral gulches will really be found to be largely gold-bearing, and of 

 such Gay Gulch and the left-fork ascending of Eldorado (Eldorado 

 proper above 47) appear to me the most promising.* 



The condition of the Bonanza is very similar to that of the Eldo- 

 rado. Its greatest wealth, as so far determined, is concentrated in 

 its middle course, beginning about five miles above its mouth and 

 terminating some six miles below its source. But very little gold, 

 if the information given to me is correct, has been taken out from 

 or determined to exist in the tract lying above Claim 42 above Dis- 

 covery, or the mouth of Victoria Gulch (left-hand tributary, whose 

 source is found on a ridge from the opposite side of which Gay 

 Gulch descends to the Eldorado), and yet the valley continues open 

 and without material change for at least two miles, and with a cer- 

 tain contraction for four miles more. Barring the Eldorado and 

 the streams coming in from the same side nearest to it Big Skoo- 



* Since writing the above intelligence has been received of the location of a rich pay 

 streak on Gay Gulch. 



