Valley View, Varyville Districts

Publication Info:
Nevada Mining Districts (Compiled Reports)
The Districts Described in This Section are from the following publications:

Mining Districts of Nevada - Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 (updated 1998); Placer Gold Deposits of Nevada - USGS Bulletin 1356 (1973)

Table of Contents

Valley View District

Overview

Other Names: Dawley Canyon, Hankins Canyon, Ruby Range, Ruby Mountain Range, Southern Ruby Mountains, Harrison Pass

County: Elko

Discovered: 1913

Commodities: tungsten, beryllium, uranium, mica

Comments

Located in T39N, R48E. The Valley View district includes Mica, Dawley, Hankins Creek, and Road Canyons north of Harrison Pass on the east slopes of Green Mountain, the southernmost of two peaks by that name along the crest of the Ruby Mountains. Valley View is sometimes included in the larger Ruby Range, Ruby Mountain Range, and Southern Ruby Mountains areas. Schilling (1976) included the separate Harrison Pass district within Valley View.

References

Hill, 1916, p. 59; Hess and Larsen, 1921, p. 305; Stoddard, 1932, p. 34; Granger and others, 1957, p. 166; Garside, 1973, p. 44; Schilling, 1976; Bonham, 1980; Wong, 1982, table 1; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 65; LaPointe and others, 1991, p. 218

Varyville District

Overview

Other Names: Columbia, Pine Forest, Cove, Cove Meadow, Bartlett Creek

County: Humboldt

Discovered: 1870

Organized: 1875

Commodities: gold, silver, copper, lead, tungsten, antimony, molybdenum

Comments

The Varyville district covers the area generally around Bartlett Peak, between the Black Rock Range to the southwest and the main Pine Forest Range to the northeast, and immediately west of Quinn River Valley. The original name was Columbia (1875). The district is located on and near Bartlett Creek, and sometimes includes the Leonard Creek district to the east. The Cove area is on Cove Creek, north of Bartlett Peak.

References

Raymond, 1875, p. 263; Whitehill, 1875, p. 53; Angel, 1881, p. 452; Hill, 1912, p. 215; Lincoln, 1923, p. 104; Stoddard, 1932, p. 47; Lotz, 1934, p. 19; Vanderburg, 1938a, p. 19; Willden, 1964, tables 7, 20, 21; Lawrence, 1963, p. 78; Bonham, 1976; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 76

Varyville (Leonard Creek) Placer District Description

Location

On the west side of Leonard Creek Valley at the south end of the Pine Forest Range, north of the Black Rock Desert, T. 42 N., Rs. 28 and 29 E.

Topographic Maps

Duffer Peak 15-minute quadrangle.

Geologic Maps

Willden, 1964, Geologic map of Humboldt County, Nevada (pi. 1), scale 1:250,000. Smith, 1972, Geologic map of the Duffer Peak quadrangle, Humboldt County, Nevada, scale 1:48,000.

Access

From Winnemucca, 33 miles north on U.S. Highway 95 to junc- tion with State Highway 140; from there, 40 miles west on State Highway 140 to junction with dirt road leading 20 miles southwest to Leonard Creek Ranch. Dirt roads lead north into mountains and placer area.

Extent

Small placer deposits have been worked in gravels of various tributaries of Leonard Creek and in the gravels along the lower par of the creek, particularly in the area on the west side of the creek be tween Snow Creek on the north and the Pine Forest Range. But some men worked the gravels of Teepee Creek, a tributary on the east side of Leonard Creek. Most of the activity was concentrated in the vicinity of New York Canyon and the slopes and valley bottom of Leonard Creek (sees. 11, 14, and 23-25, T. 42 N., R. 28 E.).

Production History

Production from the Leonard Creek placers, which were discovered in 1914, has been small. Descriptions of the gravels and estimates of average value of gold per cubic yard seem to indicate that production was much lower than expected, or that actual production was rarely reported.

Considerable attention was given in the late 1940's to placer gravels higher on the slopes of the Pine Forest Range than those worked near Leonard Creek; no production is known from the operations of the Eureka Hamburg Mining Co., which expended much effort in developing a placer area along the upper part of New York Canyon in a tributary locally called Fish Gulch, (sees. 13 and 14, T. 42 N., R. 28 E.).

Source

Unknown.

Literature

Clark, 1947: Describes pilot plant for placer-mining gravels in Fish Gulch, tributary to New York Canyon; discusses topography of area where gold-bearing gravels are found; future plans of Eureka Hamburg Mining Co.

Vanderburg, 1936a: Repeats Smith and Vanderburg (1932). Brief history; placer-mining developments in 1931; average depth of gravel and average value of gravels; placer-mining activity in 1932. 1938b: History; production; placer-mining operations in 1937; width and depth of gold-bearing gravel channel; values per cubic yards; size and fineness of placer gold.

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