KAMAS GOLD STRIKE
[published May 16th, 1899
Salt Lake Herald Republican]
Rich Discovery Reported Near the Lost Josephine
LEDGE FOUR FEET WIDE
ORE IS FAIRLY FILLED WITH FREE GOLD
Tea Bingham Claims to Be Placed at Boston For a Quarter of a Million
Experienced Miners Needed In Tintic District – Development of Massachusetts
News of a sensational discovery of gold reached the city last evening from Summit county. William Bird, who is extensively interested in the Lost Josephine mine, near Kamas, is also the owner of a number of mining claims adjoining that property. Mr. Bird believes he has a big bonanza and exhibited ore which he believes will run at least $5,000 to the ton in gold.
He says he has struck a ledge four feet in width, and the values are found in a red quartz. The samples Mr. Bird has with him are certainly beauties. They are filled with fine free milling gold, and if the ledge Mr. Bird speaks of has very much ore like the specimens he brought down, he undoubtedly has a big thing. He will have the ore assayed, and will probably know the results today.
Captain Egan is interested in the Lost Josephine, and has great faith in it eventually becoming a great producer.
THE OLD JOSEPHENE
[published October 28th, 1898 in the Springville Independent]
an Ancient Spanish Mine Found in
Summit, Worked a Century Ago.
A few weeks ago The Herald made mention of the fact that William Bird and William Bird, jr., of Salt Lake had discovered in Summit county, 12 or 15 miles above Kamas, what was believed to be an old Spanish mine, and the article aroused considerable interest in mining circles in this city and elsewhere, Since that time, Mr. Bird and his son have been hard at work in the exploration of the old workings of this seemingly ancient wealth-producer, which they state, was found by them by following the instructions contained in a map and drawing which was furnished them by parties living out of the state in the west and south, it being stated that this is the old Josephine mine, the location of which is recorded in Santa Fe, N.M., and that it was extensively worked by Spaniards over a hundred years ago; and the extensive workings in the old mine would seem to bear out the latter assertion, as the junior Bird states that after the finding of the mouth of the tunnel, which was walled up with rock, it was found that an incline tunnel, dipping at an angle of 30 degrees, had been run into the mountain for over a quarter of a mile, and presumably much further, but that it had been followed to where it was partially choked up with debris, which denied further exploration until cleaned out. Further on, on the strike of the ledge for a quarter of a mile or more, there is an old shaft which has been explored for a depth of 300 feet, where continued descent was again stopped by rocks and soil, although there are crevices in the bottom through which smoke arises when a fire is built in the tunnel, which leads to the belief that the shaft was constructed for the purpose of making air connections for the mine, and as there is no dump at the top of the shaft, it is fair to presume that it was made by upraising, the dirt being taken out through the tunnel.
At the mouth of the tunnel there is an immense dump, which has been carefully examined by experts, who have made tests as to its metallic values, their verdict being that the dump is worth all of $100,000.
Another interesting feature connected with this important discovery is the finding of an old arastra near the shore of a little lake about a half a mile from the mine, the lake and the mine being connected with an ancient trail which, a portion of the way, is cut through solid rock, and one mining man who has examined the mine and the mill at the lake expresses the opinion that the lake bottom itself would pay to work for the tailings which it must contain, as the mine was presumably worked for years, and the primitive process of milling must have resulted in rich tailings.
While large ore bodies have not been uncovered as yet in the mine, plenty of rock has been taken out which shows assay values of from $10 to 700 to the ton in gold, besides some silver, the richest quartz showing gold plentifully in its native state. The Herald being informed that the first time the ore was panned by an old miner it was estimated that the mineral went 10 cents to the pan in the yellow metal.
The Messrs. Bird will leave for the mine this morning with the intention of continuing exploration, while a number of men will be employed in the cleaning out of the old workings so that mining can begin in earnest where the former operations left off.
The Birds have located 15 or 20 claims at the re-discovery of what they confidently believe to be the old Josephine, besides which they have platted a beautiful town-site at the old mine, which will be entitled Hoyt's Peak, and as there are two fine springs of water on the town-site, which is located on one of Uncle Sam's timber reserves, it is the expectation that a thrifty and progressive mining camp will soon spring up there, and especially so as the country is over-run by prospectors, who have made hundreds of locations since the discovery of this ancient mine was chronicled in these columns. Indeed, the new camp is assuming so much importance that a four horse stage line is being put on to run from Park City, which is about 25 miles from the Josephine, and if this is really the old Spanish mine known a century ago by that name, and the Birds claim it to be such according to the map which had been handed down from father to son for two or three generations, the directions it contained being too explicit and clear to allow of any mistake in the matter, this promises to make one more addition to the list of Utah's wealth centers.
A company is being formed for the working of the Josephine, which will be styled the Josephine Gold Mining company, the incorporation papers of which will be filed within the next few days.
[Footnote: the tailings pile mentioned above, picture shown here for reference, in the 1899 article gold was $20.67 a troy ounce. At today's value (Feb. 2020) of over $1595 an ounce, is about $7.731 million dollars lying on the surface at our claim.]