83 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA 



or less productive at various periods of free gold, little 

 or no experienced handling practically having ever been 

 given to the sulphurets. 



Although some of the largest and best mica ever re- 

 covered in Alabama came from Cleburne county, com- 

 paratively little prospecting for it has been done, appar- 

 ently owing to attention having been largely centered on 

 the occurrences of gold and other minerals considered 

 more profitable. 



There is much evidence of mica occurrences wholly 

 undeveloped to justify such competent and experienced 

 mica prospecting. 



It is a curious fact in this connection that in the grave 

 of a Cherokee Indian which the writer saw opened up, 

 the skeleton was found completely enclosed in a stone box 

 made altogether of large blocks of mica, forming the 

 floor, top and sides. These blocks, or sections of split 

 crystals, were most of them amber muscovite mica of 

 good grade, extremely light in color, and necessarily of 

 very unusually large size for the purposes stated. The 

 precise origin or source of this mica is of course purely 

 conjectural, but as its color, crystallization and all of its 

 characteristics are in precise conformity with mica since 

 recovered in that particular section of the Cleburne mica 

 field w r here the grave was located, it is a fair presump- 

 tion that its origin was in all probability not far distant. 



While there are a great many outcrops and small old 

 dog-hole prospects scattered through the belt, attention 

 has been called to recent attempts at development only on 

 the Morris and on the Jim Flemming properties. 



Morris Mica Mine. The Morris mica mine is located 

 near the center of the N. E. % of the N. W. % of Section 

 21, Township 17 S., Range 10 E. 



The pegmatite body exposed by outcrops, lies on the 

 summit, and follows closely the upper edge of the north- 

 ern escarpment of a steep high ridge, of N.E.-S.W. exten- 

 sion, having a summit elevation of 1,000 feet tidal datum, 

 and a rise of over 200 feet above the Tallapoosa River, 

 the run of which is along the foot of the ridge, N. of the 

 mine, and about *4 mile distant therefrom. 



