﻿138 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  and 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  importance 
  to 
  separate 
  the 
  two 
  if 
  possible. 
  Following 
  the 
  

   main 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  usual 
  accompaniment 
  of 
  river 
  

   drift 
  and 
  alluvial 
  soil, 
  much 
  of 
  which 
  latter 
  is 
  turned 
  to 
  goad 
  account 
  

   by 
  the 
  industrious 
  hand 
  of 
  the 
  settler. 
  

  

  MINERAL 
  DEPOSITS. 
  

  

  At 
  one 
  time 
  the 
  " 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  mines" 
  created 
  quite 
  a 
  sensation 
  

   amonp: 
  the 
  prospecting 
  and 
  mining 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  community. 
  They 
  

   are 
  located 
  in 
  and 
  near 
  Greyback 
  Gulch, 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  tributary 
  of 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Creek, 
  joining 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  pass. 
  At 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  our 
  visit, 
  June 
  17, 
  1875, 
  but 
  little 
  work 
  was 
  being 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  

   the 
  gulch, 
  although 
  deserted 
  ditches, 
  old 
  sluice- 
  boxes, 
  and 
  cradles 
  spoke 
  

   of 
  former 
  activity. 
  Placer 
  mining 
  had 
  yielded 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  satisfactory 
  

   returns, 
  but 
  before 
  long 
  the 
  locality 
  was 
  abandoned 
  for 
  others. 
  Meta- 
  

   morpbic 
  drift 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  near 
  station 
  6 
  fills 
  the 
  narrow 
  

   valley 
  and 
  its 
  branches, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  from 
  this 
  that 
  the 
  precious 
  metal 
  

   was 
  obtain^^.d. 
  Want 
  of 
  water 
  during 
  some 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  led 
  to 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  ditch, 
  turning 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  

   Cristo 
  into 
  the 
  valley. 
  These 
  placers 
  were 
  discovered 
  in 
  186L5* 
  but 
  

   soon 
  after 
  abandoned, 
  during 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  excitement 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  

   ill-fated 
  Baker. 
  Lodes 
  have 
  been 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  metamorphics 
  of 
  

   the 
  vicinity, 
  but 
  no 
  active 
  mining 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  there 
  at 
  present. 
  They 
  

   are 
  said 
  to 
  show 
  very 
  favorable 
  indications, 
  and 
  the 
  ore 
  to 
  yield 
  assays 
  

   that 
  would 
  warrant 
  working 
  them. 
  The 
  close 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan 
  

   mines 
  has 
  had 
  the 
  eii'ect 
  to 
  draw 
  prospecters 
  and 
  miners 
  away 
  from 
  this 
  

   region, 
  and 
  therefore 
  the 
  development 
  that 
  otherwise 
  might 
  have 
  taken 
  

   j)lace 
  was 
  not 
  reached. 
  

  

  While 
  exploring 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Eange, 
  

   numerous 
  veins 
  crossing 
  the 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  metamorphic 
  rocks 
  were 
  noticed. 
  

   From 
  surface 
  indications 
  — 
  for 
  no 
  work 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  done 
  there 
  — 
  I 
  

   should 
  suspect 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  considerable 
  bodies 
  of 
  ore 
  in 
  the 
  quartz 
  

   veins. 
  A 
  lack 
  of 
  time 
  did 
  not 
  permit 
  of 
  any 
  detailed 
  examinations, 
  but 
  

   the 
  conclusion 
  was 
  reached 
  that 
  in 
  case 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  ore 
  of 
  a 
  paying 
  

   quality 
  and 
  quantity 
  should 
  be 
  established 
  in 
  those 
  veins 
  their 
  geolog- 
  

   ical 
  character 
  will 
  warrant 
  their 
  persistency 
  to 
  any 
  depth 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  

   reached 
  by 
  mining 
  operations. 
  After 
  reaching 
  Trinidad 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  a 
  

   discovery 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Ci/isto 
  Range, 
  which 
  was 
  creating 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  excitement 
  and 
  was 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "Trinidad 
  Gold 
  Mines." 
  

   From 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  discoverers 
  I 
  learned 
  that 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  lodes 
  was 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  Culebra 
  Peak. 
  They 
  run 
  in 
  the 
  metamorphic 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  that 
  mountain 
  and 
  have 
  merely 
  been 
  opened. 
  " 
  Ked 
  Mountain 
  

   mining 
  district" 
  the 
  locality 
  has 
  been 
  named. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  pyrite 
  

   and 
  chalcopyrite 
  were 
  brought 
  from 
  there. 
  Should 
  these 
  mines 
  event- 
  

   ually 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  valuable, 
  no 
  doubt 
  numerous 
  other 
  discoveries 
  will 
  be 
  

   made 
  farther 
  south. 
  The 
  easy 
  transportation 
  to 
  abase 
  of 
  coal-supplies 
  

   (Trinidad), 
  and 
  the 
  proximity 
  to 
  railroad 
  connections, 
  would, 
  if 
  ore 
  

   exists 
  in 
  pacing 
  quantities, 
  facilitate 
  a 
  rapid 
  development 
  of 
  mining 
  

   industry 
  in 
  the 
  entire 
  region. 
  

  

  Resume 
  of 
  chapter 
  I, 
  — 
  The 
  area 
  treated 
  of 
  in 
  this 
  chapter 
  comprises 
  

   about 
  1,500 
  square 
  miles. 
  With 
  it 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  

   Cristo 
  Range 
  is 
  completed. 
  That 
  was 
  commenced 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  ot 
  1873. 
  

   Being 
  able 
  to 
  survey 
  adjoining 
  diftricts 
  each 
  succeeding 
  year 
  has 
  great 
  

   advantages, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  both 
  topographer 
  and 
  geologist 
  are 
  prepared 
  

   for 
  what 
  they 
  shall 
  find, 
  and 
  both 
  time 
  and 
  trouble 
  will 
  be 
  saved 
  thereby. 
  

  

  * 
  Report 
  United 
  Jstates 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  l!:?U7 
  to 
  1869, 
  page 
  J7'J. 
  

  

  