524 MINING INDUSTRY. 



any others in the Territory. The lodes inclosed in this hill have generally a 

 nearly east and west course, with a nearly vertical dip, but inclined slightly 

 toward the south, closely resembling the Bobtail lode in these respects. The 

 country-rock of the hill is essentially the same as that already described fur- 

 ther east. It generally has the features of gneiss, though often quite granitic 

 in character. The veins average perhaps somewhat less in width than those 

 that have been already described, but they are regular, well-defined, and 

 equally promising as to permanence. The ores have the same general char- 

 acter, with some differences that will be noticed below. Among the many 

 lodes that have been opened and partially developed the best known are the 

 Burroughs, Kansas, Gardner, and Illinois, on that part of the hill that has 

 been longest known and worked to the greatest depth, while further west are 

 the Flack, American Flag, California, and others, which are of increasing 

 importance. The ores of these latter are distinguished by the large propor- 

 tion of argentiferous galena, zincblende, and silver sulphurets that are associ- 

 ated with the iron and copper pyrites, giving them sometimes a high value in 

 silver, but rendering difficult or practically impossible the extraction of the 

 gold by any simple process yet available. Some of the more prominent lodes 

 of Quartz Hill will be described in the following pages, selecting for pur- 

 poses of illustration one or more of the leading or characteristic mines that 

 are located on them. 



Illinois Lode. — The Illinois lode is traced along the north side of the 

 hill, not far from its crest. The principal developments on it have been made 

 in the North Star mine, owned by a company in Chicago, and managed by Mr. 

 George Mitchell. This mine was worked by the company referred to until 

 1869, when it became involved in financial difficulties, and operations were 

 embarrassed, if not suspended. The mine was opened by two shafts, one of 

 which was sunk to a depth of 234 feet, and at 160 feet below the surface a level 

 was driven over 700 feet in length. Earlier owners, who had taken off the 

 "top quartz" and obtained a good deal of gold from the surface diggings, had 

 sunk three shafts to the 160 foot level, but as the ground passed through was 

 not particularly rich, and the ores found were more refractory than the sur- 

 face product, the work had been abandoned, until again resumed by the new 

 company, who carried the level eastward, and sunk the eastern shaft to the 



