TIPTOP GOLD DISTRICTS OF ARIZONA:

TIPTOP DISTRICT: is in the southern foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains in southeastern Yavapai County, about 45 miles north-northwest of Phoenix. The history and production of the district is mainly that of the Tiptop mine. This mine, located in 1875, yielded about $2 million probably all in silver and gold, before 1883, when it was closed. The mine was reopened from 1886 to 1888, but apparently it has been closed since that time. A small amount of tungsten ore was mined, probably during World War I. Since then the district has been dormant, except for minor activity during the 1930's and early 1950's. Total gold production through 1959 was about 10,000 ounces.

• WEAVER-RICH HILL DISTRICT: is in southwestern Yavapai County along the southwestern front of the Weaver Mountains, 5 to 8 miles east of Congress. Both lodes and placers have been important sources of gold in this district. An accidental discovery of gold nuggets on top of Rich Hill in the early 1860's kindled interest in the area and before long gold placers along Weaver and Antelope Creeks and the lode deposit at the Octave mine were found. By 1883 the placers had yielded $1 million in gold, but thereafter the deposits were worked sporadically and were idle from 1952 through 1959. Little development of the Octave mine was at- tempted until the perfection of the cyanide process in the 1890's. Between 1900 and 1905 gold and silver ore worth $1,900,000 was mined. Activity declined after 1905, and the mine was closed in 1930. Under new ownership of the American Smelting and Re- fining Co., the mine was reopened in 1934 and was worked until December 1942. Lode production of the district declined sharply in 1943 and was negligible through 1959. Placers in the district are credited through 1959 with about 104,000 ounces of gold and lodes with about 204,000 ounces, a total of 308,000 ounces. All but about 1,500 ounces of the lode gold came from the Octave mine.

YUMA COUNTY

Yuma County is in the southwest corner of Arizona, ranks fourth among the gold-producing counties of the State. The terrain includes many mountains of the fault-block type that trend north-northwest and are separated by broad desert plains. The bedrock of the mountains consists of schist, gneiss, and granite of Precambrian age, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Tertiary age, granite of Tertiary age, and volcanic rocks of Cretaceous to Quaternary age. Nine mining districts, mainly in the central and western parts of the county, have had a total output of more than 10,000 ounces of gold each. The mines of Yuma County produced a total of about 771,000 ounces of gold through 1959.

• CASTLE DOME, DISTRICT: is in south-central Yuma County in the southern Castle Dome Mountains, about 20 to 25 miles north of Wellton. Organized in 1863, the Castle Dome district has produced about equal amounts of placer and lode gold. The first discoveries were of silver-bearing lead ore; gold placers were found in 1884, and gold- quartz veins, although known for some time, received little attention until 1912. Activity in the district has been sporadic, and from 1942 through 1959 the mines were dormant. Total gold production through 1959 was between 9,500 and 10,500 ounces.

• CIENEGA DISTRICT: is in northwestern Yuma County, 5 to 8 miles northeast of Parker. Some mining was done as early as 1870. Gold-copper lodes developed during 1909-20 had small sporadic yields. Intermittent activity continued through 1957. The district produced ore worth $415,000 (about 20,000 ounces), from 1870 to 1933, most of which must have been mined before 1908 because recorded production from 1908 to 1933 was only 4,271 ounces. Total gold production through 1959 was at least 10,000 ounces.

• DOME DISTRICT: (Gila City) is at the north end of the Gila Mountains, about 15 miles east of Yuma. Discovered in 1858, this placer district attracted a horde of prospectors who worked the rich gravels of Monitor Gulch and other gulches and benches near the newly founded settlement of Gila City, just west of the present town of Dome. By 1865 the high-grade placers were worked out, but spasmodic activity continued to 1950. Total gold production through 1959 was about 24,765 ounces, the bulk of which was mined before 1865.

• ELLSWORTH DISTRICT: (Harquahala) is in the Little Harquahala Mountains, 5 to 10 miles south of Salome. Small placer deposits in Harquahala Gulch were worked in 1886 and 1887, and the lodes of the Bonanza and Golden Eagle mines, from which most of the gold of the district has been mined, were found in 1888. The period of greatest activity was from 1891 to 1897, after which the ore bodies were considered to be worked out. Small production by lessees continued at intervals through 1957. Total gold production of the district through 1959 was about 134,000 ounces; nearly all production was from lodes.

• FORTUNA DISTRICT: is on the west flank of the central part or" the Gila Mountains, 21 miles south- east of Yuma. Discovered sometime between 1892 and 1895, the Fortuna mine has been the only profitable gold- mining venture in the district. The first period of operation was between 1896 and 1904, during which 123,050 ounces of gold was produced. The mine was closed in 1901 after several fruitless attempts to locate the continuation of the vein beyond a fault. There was minor production in 1913, 1926, 1939, and 1940; but apparently no substantial segment of the vein was found. Total gold production of the district through 1959 was 125,332 ounces.

• KOFA DISTRICT: is in the central part of the county, on the southwestern flank of the Kofa Mountains. Nearly the entire gold output of this district came from the King of Arizona and the North Star lode mines, discovered in 1896 and 1906 respectively. The King of Arizona mine was operated until 1910 and the North Star until 1911. A brief flurry of production occurred in the late 1930's, but during most of 1942-59 the district was idle. The total gold production of the district was about 237,000 ounces.

• LAGUNA DISTRICT: is immediately north of the Gila River and east of the Colorado River, at the south end of the Laguna Mountains. The important mineral deposits are gold-quartz veins and placers in the Las Flores area in the southeastern part of the Laguna Mountains, placers in the McPhaul area along the southern foot of the mountains, and placers in the Laguna Dam area on the west side of the mountains. Mexican and Indian placer miners were busy in the Las Flores area in the 1860's, and some activity was reported in gold- bearing veins before 1870. Efforts were made in 1884 or 1885 to dredge gravels in the Laguna Dam area, but the dredge was destroyed in a flood. In the early 1900's small amounts of gold were re- covered from potholes in gulches along the Colorado River. More recent operations were desultory, and the district was inactive from 1941 through 1959. Total gold production through 1959 was roughly 10,500 ounces, mostly from placers.

• LA PAZ DISTRICT: (Weaver) in west-central Yuma County, is 9 miles west of Quartzite and 6 miles east of the Colorado River, along the west side of the Dome Mountains. Gold has come chiefly from placers, but a small amount has been mined from quartz veins. Indians gave a few nuggets to a trapper in 1862 and guided him and his party to the rich gold-bearing gravels. News of this spread quickly, and several hundred miners rushed to the new area. By 1864, however, the higher grade placers were exhausted. The district was dormant until 1910, when plans were made to mine the gravels by hydraulic methods. These operations were thwarted when the land was included in an Indian reservation. Several later plans for large-scale mining were never carried out. Lode deposits, probably discovered at about the same time as the placers, were worked intermittently and yielded about $100,000 worth of gold through about 1933. The placer gold production was estimated at about $2 million (96,800 ounces) in the first 5 years. Total production from placers through 1959 was about 100,000 ounces, and total output from lodes was about 4,000 ounces.

• PLOMOSA DISTRICT: is near the town of Quartzite on La Posa Plain, between the Plomosa Mountains on the east and the Dome Rock Mountains on the west. This is mainly a placer district; however, gold, copper, and lead have been produced from lode mines. In 1862, prospectors on their way west to the rich La Pat gravels found placers on the east side of the Dome Rock Mountains, at Oro Fine, La Cholla, and Middle Camp. These were worked intermittently until the 1950's, and several unsuccessful attempts were made to mine the gravels on a large scale. Gold, copper, and lead veins were exploited after 1900 but their yield was small. Total gold production of the district through 1959 was about 24,570 ounces: about 19,400 from placers and 5,000 from lodes.

• See more articles by Michael Webster: https://journaldesk.blogspot.com