Sonoma County CA Archives History - Books .....Mines And Mining Interests 1877
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Book Title: Historical And Descriptive Sketch Of Sonoma County, California

MINES AND MINING INTERESTS.

   As early as 1852 there were reported discoveries of gold on Russian river.
One of the Kelseys led a prospecting party as far as Eel river. This party
discovered and named Eden valley, and Bound valley, in Mendocino county, then a
part of Sonoma. They, too, first crossed and gave the name Sanhedrin to the
grand mountain which overlooks all the beautiful valleys of Mendocino. They met
with no great success, and returned, but some members of the party still live in
that part of Mendocino county, then first seen by white men. In 1854 reports of
gold discoveries on Russian river were revived, but soon died out.

   After the discovery and occupation of Geyser springs, the abundant
indications of cinnabar in the neighborhood attracted attention. The price of
quicksilver at the time was low,—fifty cents a pound; the cost of reduction was
great, and the Almaden mine was producing a supply adequate to the demand. For
these reasons no especial attention was paid to the indications of mercury
everywhere visible on the surface near the Geysers.

   In 1859 Colonel A. C. Godwin, then the owner of the Geyser springs, organized
a mining district, located a number of claims himself, and a number of others
were also taken up. These claims were afterwards consolidated into one or two
companies, and some work was done upon them. The low price of quicksilver, the
scarcity of labor, and lack of skill in manipulating the ore, led to loss, and
finally put a stop to all work on the mines. In 1861 Colonel Godwin, who had
given the enterprise most of its life, sold his interest in the springs and
mines, and returned to the East. The stock of the consolidated companies went to
zero, and the mines were sold at sheriffs sale to satisfy the demand of
creditors. Professor Whitney, with a corps of scientists, came along soon
afterwards, and, with his "no vein theory" in the coast range, extinguished the
last spark of life in mining enterprises in Sonoma, for the time.
From 1861 to 1872 no work was done on the quicksilver mines. In the latter part
of 1871, and early in 1872, a lively interest in the mines revived,— quicksilver
having advanced to one dollar a pound. Claims in the old district were
re-located, roads were built, a mining town sprung up, and at least five hundred
men were at work in the district. A lawsuit was commenced between the old and
new locaters, which brought to the county-seat of Santa Rosa a number of the
most distinguished mining lawyers of the Pacific coast, and learned and eloquent
arguments were made, which engaged the court for a prolonged session, creating
for the time more excitement than was ever before witnessed in any case in the
courts of Sonoma.

   Just after the case was settled, quicksilver again fell in the market to
fifty cents a pound. This at once checked the work of development, as most of
the claimants were prospectors, hoping to pay their way from the products of the
mine, and it cost them as much to get the metal out as it would bring in the
market. Of the number of claims taken up, two have proved very valuable,—the
Oakland and the Cloverdale. The Oakland mine is situated near Geyser peak, which
we have elsewhere mentioned. It is at the head of a deep gorge, on the north
side of the mountain, known from its wild and sombre depths, as the "Devil's
canon." The Oakland, from the opening of the mine, has had good ore, and more
than paid its way. It is now working in the three-hundred-foot level, in a
seven-foot seam of exceedingly rich ore. The furnace at the mine is a small
one,—the product, about two hundred flasks a month, is up to its full capacity,
and metal for at least one hundred and fifty flasks more per month is left upon
the dump fur a time when a larger furnace will be built. The ore is cinnabar,
sulphate of mercury, and specimens are found which will retort seventy-five per
cent of metal. The average of the ore worked is about four per cent.; lower
grade ore is laid aside for the reduction at some future time.

   About seven miles from the Geysers, on Sulphur creek, four miles northwest of
the Oakland, the Cloverdale mine is situated. The hill in which this mine is
located has all the appearance of an extinct geyser. The metal is diffused
through the hill, and is found in the country rock, and in fine dust. There is a
furnace at this mine, made with the view of working the latter kind of ore,
which is rarely found. The Cloverdale is working two hundred flasks of metal per
month, with very limited furnace capacity, and its production might be largely
increased. It is regarded as one of the most promising mines on the coast.

   In a different part of the county, near Guerneville,—the reader can locate
the place on the map,—two other valuable mines are located: one is known as the
Great Eastern, and the other as the Mount Jackson. They are four miles north of
Guerneville. The Great Eastern and Great Western mines were located in the
spring of 1874, by Messrs. Gum, Zane and Lewis, of Healdsburg. The two mines are
separated only by an intervening canon, through which a small stream has cut a
deep channel. The Western was sold by the locators to a company of Healdsburg
gentlemen, and the name was changed to Mount Jackson.

   The Great Eastern was leased by the owners to Messrs. Parrott & Co., of San
Francisco, who are wealthy merchants and deal largely in quicksilver for the
Mexican and South American trade. Their lease was for six years, commencing
August 1, 1874. Operations were commenced in September following, and have been
steadily continued up to the present time. A bench of retorts was erected in the
summer of 1875, which were used to burn the selected ore. The retorts were kept
running until the building of the Eames furnace was commenced in 1876. There are
ten thousand feet of tunnel in the mine, and five shafts, mainly for prospecting
purposes. The ore now worked is taken from a body ten by forty feet in size, in
which a shaft has been sunk to a depth of eighty feet into ore averaging about
four per cent, mercury. The ore is brought to the furnace at a cost which does
not exceed ten cents a ton, on an incline one hundred and fifty feet long. The
monthly production of the mine with an Eames fine-ore rotary furnace, is about
two hundred flasks of metal a month. Total amount produced, about one thousand
flasks. The mine looks well, and in a few years will produce metal in large
quantities.

   The Mount Jackson is also a very promising mine. Work was commenced on it in
1873, and has not stopped for a single day. There are two thousand two hundred
feet of tunnel in this mine—four furnaces have been built, and four hundred and
forty-three flasks of metal have been taken out; of this amount three hundred
and fifty have been produced in the last four months. A new tunnel is now under
way, which will be six hundred feet long, giving one hundred feet in depth on
the ledge. Since first commencing work eighty-five thousand dollars have been
expended on the mine. The Mount Jackson will one day fully equal the
expectations of its owners.

   We have mentioned specially only the four leading mines—there are a number of
others which can be worked to advantage whenever the owners are ready to develop
them. If the demand would justify it, the quicksilver mines of Sonoma could be
made to produce from three to five thousand flasks of mercury a month.

   There are a number of very promising viens [sic] of copper ore in this
county, but none have been sufficiently worked to prove their value.

   In many parts of Sonoma county coal indications have been found, but none
have been fully developed. There is a ledge near the town of Santa Rosa, in
Cotate or Taylor mountain, which is opening with most flattering prospects of
success. Coal has been taken from this mine, which is not surpassed by any yet
discovered on this coast. The coals of the Pacific are all inferior to the
Eastern coals. They are rather a lignite than a true coal. They do not coke but
burn to ashes like wood; for domestic and steam use they answer admirably. A
company composed of the wealthiest citizens of Sonoma county, with ample
capital, has been organized to work Taylor Mountain mine, and there is every
reason to believe that we are on the eve of opening up a deposit of coal which
will be more valuable than any gold mine in the State. Should coal be added to
our products it would soon put Sonoma county in the first rank of manufacturing
counties, as it is now first in wine, fruit, dairy, lumber and other products of
the soil.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORICAL
AND
DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH
OF
SONOMA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
BY
ROBERT A. THOMPSON,
EDITOR OF "THE SONOMA DEMOCRAT."
PHILADELPHIA:
L. H. EVERTS & CO. 
1877.


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