Location
Near Maud Hill and south end of Gleeson Ridge in low group of hills east of the south tip of the Dragoon Mountains, T.19 S., R. 25 E.
Topographic Map
Gleeson 15-minute quadrangle.
Geologic Map
Gilluly, 1956, Geologic map of parts of the Benson and Pearce quadrangles, Arizona (pi. 5), scale 1:62,500.
Access
Gleeson is accessible by light-duty roads leading 11 miles south from U.S. Highway 666 at Pearce, or from a light-duty road leading 8 miles west from U.S. Highway 666 1 mile north of Elfreda, or 16 miles east from U.S. Highway 80 at Tombstone.
Extent
During the 1930's minor gold placers were worked in gulches and on pediments east of Gleeson. Most placer mining was concentrated in an area i/2 mile long by i/8 mile wide located \y4 miles east of the Gleeson Post Office (sec. 33, T. 19 S., R. 25 E.) The placer is a thin mantle of auriferous gravel and soil on a limestone pediment at the base of Maud Hill. Coarse gold was washed from the gully leading west from the Copper Belle mine (sec. 32, T. 19 S., R. 25 E.) half a mile north of Gleeson.
Production History
The placers were worked in 1910 and again during the period 1932-35. At the base of Maud Hill, tests on 100 cubic yards of placer ground indicated that the gravels averaged $1.12 per cubic yard.
Source
The placer is said to be derived from gold-bearing quartz veins. The literature relating to the Gleeson ore deposits does not describe gold-quartz veins but does describe gold in the lead-silver deposits. Gold was also recovered as a byproduct of copper ores from the Copper Belle mine.
Literature
Gilluly, 1956: Discusses the age of mineralization in the CourtlandGleeson district(p. 62, 160).
Wilson, 1927: Discusses mineralization and types of lode mines; no placer description.
1961: Location; size of gold particles; characteristics of gravels; average gold content per cubic yard; minerals in placer gravels; production.
