NORTH PARK, COLORADO. ' 201 



are similar. Ores from this mine are a dark gray with sulphurets evidently rich in 

 silver. 



From the New El Dorado to the Josephine the gneissic rocks show numer- 

 ous beautiful foldings with bands of light and dark laminje, and between these 

 two lobes these rocks can be continuously seen. These gneisses were also found 

 to abound in red garnets. 



The "Josephine" is probably a continuation of the " Endomile," but they 

 are i,ooo feet apart and the former several hundred feet higher on the mountain. 



The " Endomile " appeared to be the richest vein and information since re- 

 ceived confirms the opinion then advanced. The course of the vein is north and 

 •south, depth worked June, 1881, was thirty-nve feet, and width at that depth 

 four and one-half feet dipping slightly to the east. [Recent letters give a width 

 •of forty-five feet to the lode at 300 feet depth with distinct walls and rich ore]. 



At the centre of the vein a soft opening appeared, six inches to one foot wide, 

 and carrying ore. A soft ore yielded by assay $217.80 per ton. West of the 

 centre the ore-mass does not appear rich, but contains a good deal of pyrites. 

 East of the centre the gangue is rich in sulphurets for two and one-half feet, the 

 richer portion carrying ruby silver. 



Fluor spar, both of violet and green tint, is abundant in the vein, occurring 

 in vertical vein masses. Where the fluor chiefly abounds the ore is not so rich. 

 A mass of ore thirteen inches wide shows fifty per cent, of ore thickly disseminat- 

 ed, yielding probably ten per cent, of ore which would assay over $400 per ton. 

 A banded schist appears on the eastern wall, the western wall including much 

 pyrites. Assays from this vein range all the way from $80 to $800 per ton. 

 [The assays were made by DevHn and Shelton]. 



A number of other less important mines were visited, but the work was yet 

 in its infancy. No smelting or machinery then. The deeper the rock has ex- 

 tended on the Endomile, the richer the ore has appeared. The geological rela- 

 tion of the rocks seems favorable, the strike and course of veins about the same, 

 nearly north and south. The Endomile, the Constellation and Gaslight and some 

 -others show evidence of being true fissure veins. We need look here for no car- 

 bonates. Most of the mines are owned by the North Park and VandaHa Mining 

 Company, Dr. G. W. Bassett, of Vandalia, Illinois, being President, and D. C. 

 Holcombe, of Peoria, Illinois, Secretary. 



About the year 1870 some mining was done on Independence Mountain by 

 Jno. Lefevre and others, probably forty to fifty men in all. The Utes notified 

 them to leave and not to remain over two sleeps; Lefevre and one other left, 

 the others remaining were all killed. The Indians resided in the Park until 1878. 

 In 1879 Antelope and his band were in the Park, remaining but a short time, but 

 did not come up into the mountains where the miners were. They burnt the 

 woods, doing great damage. 



The first ranch started in North Park was Pinkham'sin 1876, Walden's next, 

 on Michigan River, in 1879, and Mendenhall's on the Canadian in 1880. In 1881 

 there were fifty or sixty ranches in the Park. 



