﻿CHAPTER 
  VIII. 
  

  

  ECONOMICAL 
  GEOLOGY. 
  

  

  The 
  greats 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  district 
  is 
  so 
  covered 
  with 
  sedimentary 
  

   formations 
  in 
  which 
  mineral 
  deposits, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  coal, 
  are 
  

   rare. 
  In 
  the 
  Unaweep 
  canon, 
  where 
  the 
  trail 
  crosses 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  

   from 
  the 
  south, 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  indistinct 
  mineral 
  veins 
  with 
  quartz, 
  

   carbonate 
  of 
  copper, 
  and 
  hematite. 
  The 
  Uncompahgre 
  mountains 
  are 
  

   penetrated 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  by 
  veins 
  of 
  mineral 
  matter. 
  These, 
  however, 
  

   are 
  properly 
  in 
  Dr. 
  Endlich's 
  district'of 
  1874, 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   mines 
  were 
  referred 
  to 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  for 
  that 
  year. 
  Since 
  then, 
  

   however, 
  a 
  new 
  mining 
  town, 
  " 
  Ouray," 
  has 
  been 
  located 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

   the 
  Uncompahgre 
  River, 
  and 
  promises 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  an 
  important 
  

   mining 
  region. 
  But 
  little 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  except 
  to 
  prospect 
  and 
  plan 
  

   the 
  town. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  situated 
  in 
  a 
  beautiful 
  little 
  park, 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  

   expansion 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  below 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  two 
  forks. 
  Below 
  the 
  

   town 
  the 
  river 
  passes 
  through 
  a 
  narrow 
  caQon, 
  and 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  Un- 
  

   compahgre 
  park 
  to 
  Ouray 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  follows 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  

  

  Lake 
  City 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  new 
  town, 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  Lake 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Gun- 
  

   nison 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Hensen's 
  (Goodwin) 
  Creek. 
  This 
  locality 
  is 
  

   described 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Endlich 
  (Report 
  1874, 
  page 
  236,) 
  as 
  a 
  mineral-bearing 
  

   region, 
  although 
  when 
  he 
  visited 
  the 
  region 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  town 
  there. 
  

   What 
  lodes 
  were 
  then 
  located 
  were 
  worked 
  for 
  silver. 
  The 
  volcanic 
  

   jocks 
  of 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  and 
  San 
  Juan 
  mountains 
  are 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  

   impregnated 
  with 
  mineral 
  matter. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  San 
  Miguel 
  River, 
  in 
  the 
  canon 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  and 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  

   mountains, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  claims 
  have 
  been 
  located 
  on 
  placer 
  bars. 
  Little 
  

   has 
  been 
  done 
  beyond 
  locating 
  claims. 
  Much, 
  and 
  indeed 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part, 
  of 
  our 
  district 
  is 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  reservation 
  for 
  the 
  Ute 
  

   Indians, 
  and 
  if 
  lodes 
  did 
  occur 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  lawfully 
  worked 
  at 
  present. 
  

  

  COAL. 
  

  

  Coal 
  is 
  more 
  widely 
  distributed 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  than 
  either 
  gold 
  or 
  

   silver. 
  The 
  sandstones 
  of 
  the 
  Dakota 
  group 
  have' 
  in 
  most 
  localities 
  a 
  

   band 
  of 
  bituminous 
  coal 
  or 
  lignite 
  below 
  the 
  massive 
  upper 
  portion. 
  In 
  

   many 
  places 
  this 
  thins 
  out 
  and 
  in 
  others 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  poor 
  quality. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Uncompahgre 
  canon 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  agency 
  

   this 
  lignite, 
  or 
  rather 
  bituminous 
  coal, 
  has 
  been 
  changed 
  to 
  a 
  semi- 
  

   anthracite. 
  For 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  change 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  have 
  to 
  look 
  far. 
  

   Below 
  the 
  coal 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  trachyte, 
  evidently 
  

   intrusive. 
  The 
  coal 
  is 
  distinctly 
  laminated, 
  is 
  black, 
  has 
  a 
  submetallic 
  

   luster, 
  and 
  cuboidal 
  fracture. 
  The 
  following 
  analysis 
  -has 
  been 
  made 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  F. 
  M. 
  Endlich 
  : 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Water 
  1. 
  8*) 
  

  

  Fixed 
  carbon 
  ■: 
  77.32 
  

  

  Ash 
  ^ 
  ]0. 
  12 
  

  

  Volatile 
  matters 
  by 
  difference 
  10,7(i 
  

  

  lOO.OO 
  

   Spcci'fic 
  gravity 
  .-..., 
  1.78 
  

  

  99 
  

  

  