132 GEOLOGY AND GOLD . DEPOSITS OF THE CRIPPLE CREEK DISTRICT. 
day Stratton went down to see the vein and tried to make the course of it accord with the line of the ridge. 
This led him down the hill to a big outcrop of granite. It was the Independence vein, which had already 
been seen by many, including nearly all of those whose names have been mentioned. The path from one 
ranch to another went close by, and all the cattlemen who had any idea of prospecting had looked at it. ' 
Every one had condemned it as worthless granite. Fernay pointed it out to Stratton, but he also did as the 
others had done. On examining the outcrop he remarked the absence of any metallic mineral and of vein 
quartz such as he had been accustomed to in the San Juan region, and therefore concluded that it was an 
unlikely looking rock. And so it really was, for it was granite without the ordinary gold-bearing minerals 
visible in it, differing indeed from the granite of the dome of Pikes Peak in being less fresh in appearance, 
brown instead of pink, and marked by dark spots where the mica had been decomposed. Some of it yet 
remains in place, inviting the observation of those who may wonder why the great lode was so long disre¬ 
garded. Stratton overlooked it, but not irretrievably. Two days later John R. McKinnie, who was one of 
the first prospectors in the district, came to their camp, and so did Charlie Love, a ranchman from Beaver 
Park, who had pointed out the big outcrop to many of the prospectors. The latter asked McKinnie if he 
had seen it, but the matter was allowed to drop. Stratton remembered the incident when, on the morning 
of the Fourth of July, he was at Colorado Springs, whither he had gone with five samples for assay. The 
assays gave only $3 or $4 per ton at the best, notwithstanding that he had obtained good results by panning 
It suddenly occurred to him that the granite outcrop must be the lode. He had found gold in the loose frag¬ 
ments of porphyry lying upon the south face of Battle Mountain near the granite outcrop, but he had been 
unable to trace its source to any vein in the porphyry formation. Acting on the impulse, he took a horse 
immediately, and on arrival found Troutman ready to leave in order to celebrate the Fourth at Colorado 
Springs. Stratton made two locations, the Washington and the Independence. I doubt if any man ever 
celebrated the Fourth of July to better advantage. Some pieces of the outcrop of granite ore were broken, 
and Troutman took them to be assayed at the Springs, while Stratton awaited the result. Troutman returned 
on horseback next day with the assay certificate, proving the ore to be worth $380 per ton. The rest of the 
story is simple. It records the steady development of one of the richest mines ever uncovered by the miner’s 
pick. 
The development of the district, notwithstanding the fact that many mining 
men of capital and experience looked askance at what they regarded as another 
Cripple Creek bubble, was extraordinarily rapid. Before the opening of spring in 
1892 the hills swarmed with prospectors, and on February 26 the town of Cripple 
Creek was incorporated. Adjoining it on the southwest sprang up the town of 
Fremont, afterwards absorbed by Cripple Creek. The main route into the district 
at this time was by wagon road from Florissant. 
In October the Anaconda, Arequa, Blue Bell, Buena Vista, Deerhorn, Eclipse, 
Gold King, Matoa, Mountain Boy, Ophir, Pharmacist, Plymouth, Strong, Summit, 
Sweet, Victor, and Work mines were shipping ore, and railroads were under con¬ 
struction from Canyon on the south and from Divide on the north. 
In the autumn of 1893 the list of producing mines had become a long one 
and included the Blue Bird, C. O. D., Dead Pine, Doctor, Eclipse, Elkton, Gold 
Dollar, Granite, Ingham, Logan, Mary McKinney, Moose, Morning Glory, Portland, 
Raven, Stratton’s Independence, Strong, Tornado, Zenobia, and many other well- 
known properties. 
The Midland Terminal Railroad, connecting Cripple Creek with Colorado 
Springs by way of Divide, was completed December 16, 1893, and the Florence 
and Cripple Creek Railroad was opened to traffic July 2 of the following year. 
The year 1894 is memorable on account of a strike during which the miners 
resorted to arms, property was destroyed, and lives were lost. A large force of 
deputy sheriffs was finally enrolled to restore order, but at this stage the governor 
of Colorado called out the militia and put a stop to what threatened to become 
