12 GEOLOGY AND MINING INDUSTRY OF LEADVILLE. 



though abandoned, would still be in force for another year covered all the 

 ground adjoining the gulch. Meanwhile he studied the occurrence of the 

 mineral and the outcrops of the limestone on either side of California gulch. 

 In the spring of 1875 he took Mr. Stevens and Professor H. Beeger, the latter 

 then in charge of the Boston and Colorado Smelting works at Alma, to 

 Iron and Dome hills, and showed them in the forest that then covered the 

 slopes the outcrops, respectively, of the Lime, Rock, and Dome claims. Dur- 

 ing this and the following summer the principal claims which constitute the 

 valuable property of the Iron Silver Mining Company were located by 

 Messrs. Wood and Stevens in the interest of Detroit parties. The first ore 

 was extracted from the Rock mine, where a large mass of hard carbonate 

 formed a cliff outcrop on the side of California gulch. This ore was rich 

 in lead, but ran very low in silver. During the summer of 1876 ore was 

 first taken from the croppings of Iron and Bull's Eye claims, and some rich 

 assays, as high as 600 to 800 ounces to the ton, were obtained from it. 



The first working tests of Leadville ore were made by Mr. A. R. Meyer, 

 a graduate of European mining schools, who first came to California gulch 

 in 1876 from Alma, acting as agent for the St. Louis Smelting and Refining 

 Company. In the fall of that year he shipped 200 to 300 tons of ore, princi- 

 pally taken from the Rock mine, by wagon to Colorado Springs, and thence 

 by rail to St. Louis. The freight to Colorado Springs cost $25 per ton 

 and the ore averaged only seven ounces in silver to the ton ; it contained, 

 however, 60 per cent, lead, and in spite of the high cost of freight yielded a 

 profit, owing to the high price of lead (seven cents a pound) then ruling. 

 It having thus been proved that Leadville ore could be worked at a profit, 

 prospecting was vigorously carried on, the next discovery being that of the 

 Gallagher Brothers on the Camp Bird claim, supposed at that time to be the 

 northern continuation of the Iron-Lime outcrop. This discovery was made 

 late in the fall of 1876, and the claim now forms part of the property of 

 the Argentine Mining Company. During this winter the Long and Derry 

 mine was discovered by two prospectors of these names, who still own the 

 mine and have become wealthy from its product. During the spring and 

 summer of 1876 discoveries were made along what was then known as the 



