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King Solomon's Hill
King Solomon's hill is that portion of Bonanza, left limit, lying between
Monte Cristo and Boulder "pups," or from Nos. 29 to 33 below discovery, and
merits note as one of Bonanza's richest "ancient channel" placer deposits, both
for depth and richness of pay dirt, and not a blank claim on the hill.
This bench was being prospected as early as March and April, 1898. But the
melting snow in spring time filled the shafts with water, and the discouraged
miners abandoned the field, little dreaming of the immensity of the hidden
treasurer they left behind. When the snow had left the hills, other
cheechakos tried their luck on the steep hillside by prospecting for the outer
rim of the old channel, but pay was not located till about the first of June,
when a landslide occurred opposite No. 30 below, which induced several
prospectors to pan the dirt along the slide, where colors were found which
encouraged one man, Henry W. Brown, an old Montana prospector, late of Custer,
Washington, to go above the slide and search for the river. To his great
pleasure and surprise the first little hole at a depth of 18 inches showed five
cents to the pan, and a second hole struck pay at one foot deep, the first pan
going 10 cents, and the second 19 cents.
A claim 250x100 feet was staked off on lower limit of Nos. 31 and 32 and a
pit stripped that yielded from 15 to 40 cents to the pan. Soon after, a
stampede followed and those who secured claims may be considered among the few
lucky Klondikers.
Tunnels have penetrated the hillside at intervals to a distance of 200 to 300
feet, until the succession of large dumps look like a long stretch of railroad
grade from the gulch over 200 feet below.
The second and many of the third tier benches are developed by shafts from
100 to 114 feet to bedrock with excellent results. The great depth to
bedrock has discouraged prospecting beyond the third tier, hence the worth of
its hidden treasure is yet unknown, although it is well known that the "ancient
channel" gravel is over a mile in breadth. The hill, which was a forest a
year ago, now has the appearance of a long village of cabins and tents. A
few of the original locators have sold out and energetic men have taken their
places. Among the present mine owners we can give the names of Myers,
Bradley, Kirk, Gaines, Sibbet and Bemis, Caligan and Kelly, Brown, Lewis,
Cockburn, Goheens, Morrissey, Harry Ash and others whose names we do not know.
We can speak with certainty of but one mine and of it we can say that the gross
output for the month of April, 1899, was $2628.20; May, $5277.24; June,
$6737.77; July, $6506.05; aggregating, $21,149.26 for the four months, and had
it not been for bad air in the mine during the warm weather the output would
have far exceeded these figures. The ground had to be "burned" as usual,
and the pay rocked out on the dumps by the use of the little water that exists
in the mine. The above is the result of from eight to twelve men's labor
and mostly but four or five days a week, owing to bad air. The mine
referred to is but begun to be prospected and improves with development.
The slight falling off in July as compared with June, was due to the extreme hot
weather and consequent bad air. Regular pay rather than big pans are the
rule in his hill.
Source: The Klondike Nugget,
November 1, 1899.
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