Gold Mines of San Bernardino County, California

In the Holcomb valley, some thirty miles from San Bernardino, are found gold and silver in considerable quantities, and also valuable lead mines.

In Lytle creek canon, thirteen miles northwest of San Bernardino, gold in considerable quantities has been mined for some years past, and later workings, with improved facilities, give promise of good results. American miners are working twenty or thirty placers here at present. The Bear valley mines, four miles east of Holcomb valley, have gold-quartz free-milling ores in large quantities. At the Alvard Mine, 100 miles northeast of San Bernardino, gold is found in a quarry of hard quartz agate. Calico mining district, forming the northern boundary of Silver valley, is the richest silver camp now in operation in the county. The approximate estimate of silver bullion shipped during the first two years of work here was $2,500,000. There are 170 stamps here all told, of which 125 run day and night. The processes here include much chloriding. The silver bullion extracted amounts to from $75,-000 to $100,000 per month. Since 1881 over $14,000,000 have been taken from this camp; and the best mining experts pronounce it to be stilt in its infancy. To the north of Calico there are the following districts: Avawatts, Granite, Wells, Panamint, Ibex, Saratoga, Salt Springs, Goode Springs, Tecopa, Resting Springs and Potosi, all containing gold, silver, copper and lead. To the west are situated the Grapevine, Black’s Ranch, North Camp, Oro Grande, Galena and Crema districts, which contain gold, silver, asbestos) iron, and large quantities of marble. To the south are the Dry Lake, Holcomb, Bear Valley, Black Hawk, Morongo, and Old Woman Springs districts, containing gold, silver, iron, copper and galena. After Calico comes Victor, with ten stamp mills already running, and another in prospects, The Ord Mining District is situated seventy-five miles northeast of San Bernardino, within ten miles of the established course of the thirty-fifth parallel railway. Ord Mountain has an altitude of about 2,500 feet above the adjacent country, and 7,500 feet above the sea level. It covers an area of twenty-five square miles. This entire mountain is “laced” with gold-bearing veins from two feet to 200 feet in width. Next, Pioche & Co. bought the San Jacinto grant, and tried to “float” it over the tin mines. In short, the litigation over this property has never been quieted, and these mines, famed and important as they are, have brought in no revenue to the county. The only practical result from them took the form of a box made of the tin from them, which was presented to ex-Secretary William H. Seward, all the newspapers of the United States chronicling this as a remarkable item. About thirty miles east of the Ord district, is the Dry Lake district, with a promising gold mining camp. Still eastward some forty miles farther is the Trojan district. In the Mojave district is a large number of mines under Los Angeles control-the Soledad, Sanchez, Champion, Noble, Empire, Chieftain, etc. In the same district Pasadena companies are working.

The Oro Grande mires on the Mohave river, are about fifty miles from San Bernardino There are six principal mines, from which hat been taken an immense quantity of ore. There are other districts south and west which have been purchased or bonded by capitalists; and north and east lie rich sections whose development will follow upon the building of the Utah Southern Railway. Each of these mining districts covers a space of about thirty miles square.

At Gold Valley a large English company is expending much money in tunneling, etc. Hydraulicking was begun this spring in the placers here.

Source: An Illustrated History of Southern California: embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of lower California.

3 thoughts on “Gold Mines of San Bernardino County, California”

  1. Is order Mt off limets to prospctors and where may I find a forestry map that might show where present clames are so not to take any ore from them.

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