Wild Cat Basin

The Wild Cat Basin is a mercury mine located in Grant county, Oregon.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Wild Cat Basin
Secondary: Mill

Commodity

Primary: Mercury

Location

State: Oregon
County: Grant
District: Canyon (?)

Land Status

Administrative Organization: Malheur Natioal Forest

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Site
Operation Category: Occurrence
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Year: 1927
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Columbia Plateau
Physiographic Section: Blue Mountain Section

Mineral Deposit Model

Not available

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Not available

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Comment (Location): N/2 OF TOWNSHIP, LOCATED AT CENTER OF N/2

Comment (Development): OPERATIONS WERE NEARLY CONTINUOUS DURING 1913-1924 AND 1935-1954

Comment (Deposit): CLAY BEDROCK IS PRESENT AT ABOUT 15 FT. MOST OF GOLD IS LOCATED NEAR BEDROCK.

Comment (Workings): ALL THE DREDGES COMBINED COVERED 2,603 ACRES AND HANDLED 60,625,514 YARDS OF GRAVEL. EARLY WORK WAS BY HAND AND HYDRAULIC MINING

Comment (Deposit): CONSV. RECORD ( M015025 ) HAS BEEN MERGED WITH THIS RECORD AND DELETED FROM THE OREGON FILE. ; INFO.SRC : BAILEY E H

Comment (Geology): BEDROCK IS ARGILLITE WITH MINOR GRANODIORITE. ON ADJACENT SLOPES OF UPPER PARTS OF CRACKER CREEK AND MC CULLY FORK ARE BENCH GRAVELS AND SCATTERED REMNANTS OF EARLY TERTIARY DRAINAGE SYSTEM WHICH HAS BEEN THE SOURCE OF CONSIDERABLE PLACER GOLD.

Comment (Deposit): RECORD M045457 HAS BEEN MERGED AND DELETED.

Comment (Location): DREDGED GROUND INCLUDES THE POWDER RIVER VALLEY FROM DEER CREEK TO SUMPTER IN ADDITION TO MC CULLY FORK AND CRACKER CREEK. ABOUT 8 MI OF VALLEY DREDGED. LOCATION GIVEN IS ON POWDER RIVER AT SUMPTER; PREVIOUS QUAD DESIGNATION = BOURNE 1:24000

Comment (Commodity): LARGEST NUGGET WEIGHED 1 PENNYWEIGHT

Comment (Production): PRODUCTION DATA INCLUDES RECORDED OUTPUT FROM ALL DREDGES. SUMPTER DREDGES PRODUCED MORE GOLD THAN ANY OTHER PLACER IN THE STATE AND EXCEEDED LODE OUTPUT MOST OF THE TIME. REPORTEDLY SMALL BYPRODUCT PT PRODUCTION

References

Reference (Deposit): BROOKS, H. C., 1963, QUICKSILVER IN OREGON: OREGON DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES, BULL. 55, 223 P.

Reference (Deposit): MERCURY IN OREGON, 1965, USBM IC 8252

Reference (Deposit): FREDERICK, F., 1945, STATE OF OREGON MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS: OREGON DEPT. OF GEOL. AND MIN. INDUSTRIES, SCALE 1:1,000,000

Oregon Gold

"Where to Find Gold in Oregon" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Oregon. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Oregon.