Jefferson County Montana Gold Production |
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WICKES DISTRICT
In the Wickes (Colorado) district, in north Jefferson County, about 20 miles south of Helena, gold has been a byproduct of rich silver-lead ores.
Lode mining began in 1864 with the discovery of the Gregory lode. Four mines - the Gregory, Alta, Comet, and Minah - have been the sources of nearly all the metals produced in the district. The most active period was from 1880 to 1893; however, the district was active almost continuously through 1959.
Gold production from 1864 to 1928 was estimated at $4,325,000 (about 210,000 ounces) from lodes and $25,000 (about 1,200 ounces) from placers (Pardee and Schrader, 1933, p. 186). Total production through 1959 was roughly 264,000 ounces from lodes and 2,200 ounces from placers.
The oldest rocks in the district are andesites and latites of Cretaceous age, which occur as roof remnants in quartz monzonite of the Boulder batholith. The quartz monzonite is intruded by large masses of aplite.
The ore deposits are in quartz veins in altered andesite or sericitized quartz monzonite or aplite. The principal ore minerals are galena, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and arsenopyrite. In the oxidized zone are cerussite, anglesite, bournonite, and covellite. Tourmaline is abundant in the wallrock and in the veins (Pardee and Schrader, 1933, p.234-235).
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