Desert Messenger

14 www.DesertMessenger.com September 3, 2014 The adobe brick walls of the cabin were covered with rusted corrugated metal, cardboard, old newspapers, and several layers of wallpaper. There were wooden shelves built into the wall in one corner, and wood paneling along one wall. It was both classy and crude at the same time. Well, what was left of it anyway. Nearby was another crumbling structure made of the same adobe and metal, a cistern, and the remains of an animal pen. This little cluster of buildings about 30 miles outside of Kingman is just a reminder of the mining town that once was Mineral Park. At fi rst glance, Mohave County looks desolate with vast expanses of des- ert surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, canyons, and towering cliffs. But beneath the jagged formations of volcanic rhyolite and basalt, the Pre- Cambrian layers of granite and gneiss in the White, Black and Cerbat Moun- tains hold an abundance of mineral riches. Gold, silver, copper, lead, and a multitude of other minerals are found throughout the Weaver, San Francisco, and Gold Basin Mining Districts. Mohave County is the sec- ond richest gold-producing county in Arizona, with over 2,461,000 ounces being extracted until about 1951. Minerals & mining camps of Mohave County By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ The Gold Basin District, located about 60 miles north of Kingman in the White Mountains, has been produc- ing gold since 1870. The majority of Gold Basin's richest ores come from the El- Dorado Mine. The Gold Basin ores are also rich in copper, lead, molybdenum, and other second- ary minerals. These mines were worked periodically until 1942, but their development was in- hibited by their remoteness and the scarcity of fuel and water. Heading about 30 miles Southwest of Kingman, the San Francisco District lies in the Southern portion of the Black Mountains and contains mining camps such as Oatman and Gold Road. Here gold is the principal ore, and was fi rst discovered in the Oatman area in 1863. Since that time, the deposits of the San Francisco District have been worked periodically, with over 2 mil- lion ounces of gold being produced from 1897 to 1951. The Gold Road mine was reopened briefl y from 1995 to 1998, and produced 88,000 ounces of gold. Then in 2010, the Gold Road mine opened again, and the fi rst gold bar in over 10 years was poured from its ore. Gold Road remains open and in production today. In the northern Black Mountains, in the Weaver District, gold was discovered in 1904. The ore of this district is primar- ily gold with some native silver. The Pilgrim, Mockingbird, Pyramid, and Virginia camps of the Weaver District operated sporadically in this area until about 1959, with the greatest period of production being the decade from 1932 to 1942. Total gold production for this district was just over 63,200 ounces. The mineral-rich veins of the Wal- lapai District were discovered in the ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS early 1860's. The Wallapai District in the Cerbat Mountains, 30 miles north- west of Kingman, includes the mining camps of Chloride, Mineral Park, Cer- bat, and Stockton. Chloride was found- ed in 1862, with the discovery of a rich silver ore in the mountains behind the townsite. Mineral Park was founded in 1861. Unlike the other districts where gold is the principal metal, in the Wal- lapai District, lead, zinc and copper are the primary ores,and gold and silver are byproducts. Molybdenum is preva- lent here, and the rare mix of zinc and copper in the Min- eral Park area of this district creates the world famous beautiful Kingman turquoise. The Min- eral Park Mine still operates today, and produces over 37 million pounds of copper, 9.4 million pounds of molyb- denem, and 544 ounces of silver. Tur- quoise is still mined today from Ithaca Peak and Turquoise Mountain in the Mineral Park deposit. There is amazing beauty and an abun- dance of treasure hidden in the rugged mountains of Mohave County. The mountains around Kingman are full of old mining towns, mines, and his- tory. While in the Kingman area, in addition to visiting Chloride and Oat- man, take some time to explore the lesser known sites. Stop and explore for a while on your way to Quartzsite. It will be worth the trip. RocksInMyHead is on the road, and also open in Kingman through Sep- tember. We carry Kingman Turquoise and maps of the mining districts and ghost towns in Mohave County, as well as complete lines of rockhound- ing, gold prospecting, lapidary, and jewelry making equipment, tools, and supplies, plus rocks, fossils, min- erals, gemstones, gold, silver, copper and more. We will be open in Quartzsite at A37 in Rice Ranch by November 1st, but meanwhile, you can visit us online at www.RocksInMyHead.com and on Facebook, or call us at 605-376-8754. Fire restrictions lifted for BLM Colorado River District Lake Havasu, Ariz. - Effective Fri- day, August 22, 2014, at 8 a.m., fi re restrictions will be lifted for Bu- reau of Land Management (BLM) lands administered by the Lake Havasu and Yuma Field Offi ces. This includes public lands in the Yuma, La Paz, and Mohave coun- ties in Arizona and Imperial, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties in California. Due to the recent rainfall and decrease in fi re danger, fi re restric- tions are no longer necessary. "The BLM greatly appreciates the public's cooperation in helping to minimize the number of human- caused wildfi res this summer on BLM lands," said Roxie Trost, BLM Colorado River District Manager. "Even though restrictions are no longer needed, we're asking the public to be very careful when us- ing fi re. Under the right conditions our public lands still have potential for wildfi res to spread rapidly and become dangerous." Please be extremely careful and exercise the following precau- tions when using fi re. Make sure you have a ten-foot circle cleared around your campfi re, be sure to have a shovel and plenty of water on hand, and put the fi re DEAD OUT before leaving. Smokers need to make sure their cigarettes or cigars are put out when they are through smoking and dispose of them properly. Remember not to park motor vehicles where the exhaust system could cause grass or other vegeta- tion to ignite. DEADLINE : WED. SEPT. 10 for Sept. 17 TH edition Desert Messenger Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

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