Adventure 2
Monte Christo Mine

"Towering above Meadow valley and Buck's valley, and nearly midway between them, stands the bold, rocky mountain known as Spanish Peak, of special interest now as being the location of the Monte Christo gravel mine, of which so much is expected in the coming years.

Running through the mountain is one of those ancient river channels that formed the drainage of this region long before the convulsions of nature changed the face of the hills and the streams that form our present water-courses began to wear through the mountains those deep channels in which we see them running to-day. For ages the channel of gravel, rich with its deposits of gold, has been hidden away in the earth, waiting for the hand of the prospector to uncover it. The mine was first located sixteen years ago, and the tunnel was run into the hill a distance of 600 feet, when the claim was abandoned. In the spring of 1879 the ground was again located by Dr. W. Allstrom, C. Atwood, who died in August, 1880, and A. L. Patterson, of Chicago, and the Monte Christo Gold Mining Company organized. The location consists of four claims-the Spanish Peak, Tip Top, Hard Pan, and Wide Awake-each of which is a mile long. A United States patent has been secured for the first two, embracing 2,500 acres of ground. (take me to patent discussion)The company has a tunnel into the Monte Christo a distance of 2,540 feet, and cross-cuts every few feet from rim to rim of the channel, which varies from 500 to 800 feet in width. In the Tip Top claim a prospecting shaft is being sunk. No gravel is being taken out, except that loosened in running the tunnel and drifts, and this is being piled up to be washed in the coming summer. It is the policy of the manager to run the tunnel and drifts as far as it is intended to extend them, and then to commence breasting out the gravel from the extreme end. In this way there will be less danger of loss of life and danger and expensive delays occasioned by any caving of the mine. A ditch two miles long on the west side and one mile on the east side, fed by permanent springs on the mountain, furnishes abundant water for washing the gravel, and facilities have been prepared for washing 1,000 cars of gravel per day. The mine is so high up that water cannot be brought to it with fall enough to use the method of mining with hydraulic machines, but all the gravel has to be drifted out and conveyed in cars to the mouth of the tunnel."

"Channel Peak Mining Company. Owner, Channel Peak Mining Company, 518 Grant Building, Los Angeles; A. J. Gootschalk, Los Angeles; P. E. Daniels. This property consists of 820 acres, part patented, and part locations, situated on the top of Spanish Peak. The company has been working for seven years and has driven 1500 feet of tunnels in lava and granite without developing any pay gravel."