The following is a statement by the Recorder of mines located up to August 30, 1870 STATE OF CALIFORNIA, County of San Diego.} CERTIFICATE OF MINING LOCATIONS. SS. I, M. S. Julian, Mining Recorder in and for Julian District, in the said County and State, do certify that the record books of the said district in my possession show that the following claims were taken up in pursuance of the laws and resolutions of the said camp, and that the names of the claimants are as given below, and that the quantity claimed and the date of the claim are as hereinafter given-that is to say: George Washington-400 ft.; February 22, 1870; H. C. Bickers, etc. Wall Rock-2,400 ft.; February 20, 1870; John Fetherstone, etc. Van Wirt-1,200 ft.; February 22, 1870; Calaway Putman, etc. Good Hope-1,800 ft.; March 7, 1870; Geo. W. Swain, etc. Owens-1,000 ft.; March 11, 1870; James Kelly, J. E. Pember, Barney Owens, Francis High Peak-1,400 ft.; March 4, 1870; S. Southerimer, etc. Aguadiente-2,000 ft.; March 21, 1870; H. E. Bingham, etc. San Diego, No. 1-2,200 ft.; March 2, 1870; John P. Chambers, etc. Pioneer Mill-1,400 ft.; May 1, 1870; James McMechan, etc. Owens, First Extension-1,000 ft.; June 15, 1870; G. V. King, etc. Crown, First Extension-800 ft.; June 29, 1870; D. Lipman, etc. San Francisco-1,200 ft.; March 21, 1870; J. P. Wealand, etc. Little Giant-2,000 ft.; April 12, 1870; A. P. Dodge, etc. Shamrock-1,000 ft.; April 23, 1870; John Madin, etc. O'Connor and Ryan-2,200 ft.; April 4, 1870; David O'Connor, John Ryan, etc. Owens' Ext. East-400 ft.; April 13, 1870; George McNier, etc. Sonoma-1,800 ft.; March 28, 1870; B. T. Williams, etc. Roanoke-1,400 ft.; March 28, 1870; Eli McDaniels, etc. Hayden, First E. Ext.-1,200 ft.; April 11, 1870; Eugene Kelly, etc. And I further certify, that the said claims are within the said Julian District, in the said county and State. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my private seal, there being no public seal for said district, this third day of August, A. D., 1870. [SEAL.] M. S. JULIAN, Recorder. The Present Julian District, called JULIAN MINING DISTRICT, consolidates Julian, Banner, and several other mining districts. The following com mittee reported March 27, 1881: D. D. Bailey, Robert Gardner, George V. King, Committee. The district is bounded as follows: commencing at the northeast corner of section four, township twelve south, and range four east, San Bernardino meridian, and running three miles west, to the northwest corner of section six; thence south three miles, to the southwest corner of section eighteen; thence east one mile, to the southeast corner of section eighteen; thence southwest along the line of the Santa Ysabel grant, to the southeast corner of said grant; thence along the line of said grant, in a westerly direction, four miles; thence in a direct line to the northwest corner of the Cuyamaca grant; thence along the north boundary of said grant, to the northeast corner; thence along the line of said grant, five miles; thence east five miles; thence north to the southwest corner of San Felipe grant; thence along the westerly line of said grant, to the place of beginning. MINING LAWS OF JULIAN DISTRICT IN 1870. At a meeting of the miners of Julian Mining District, held April 27, 1870, in pursuance of a notice given, by posting same in three public places, five days previous to said meeting, M. S. Julian acted as Chairman, and L. B. Hopkins, Secretary. The meeting being called to order, the committees appointed to revise and amend the mining laws of the district, reported the following: Substitute for Article IV of the present laws, and the following additional laws: ART. IV. All locations shall be recorded within ten days from the date of location, and shall have at least one day's work done on the claim prior to recording, and shall have at least one day's work done for each name on the notice or record within thirty days from date of record; and two days' work for each name so recorded done within sixty days from date of record; shall hold the claim and ledge free from relocation for one year from date of record, provided, said work be measured and recorded by the District Recorder. ART. VI. All persons locating claims in this district shall erect a stake or monument on a prominent point on his claim, at least two feet high, upon which he shall place a notice defining the extent and boundaries of his claim, with the name of the ledge, and each owner in the same, and keep the same up permanently; and the same rule shall apply to all claims now located; and, further, that all claims that shall fail to have a stake, monument, or notice for the space of fifteen days consecutively, shall be subject to forfeiture, unless the party owning shall be able to prove sickness or other inability to comply with said law. ART. VII. These laws can be altered or amended by a general meeting of the miners, called by a notice posted in three public places in the city, naming time, place, and object of the meeting, and signed by ten miners of the district. ART. VIII. These laws shall take effect and be enforced from and after their passage. On motion, the above report and laws were received and adopted for the future government of the district. April 27, 1870. M. S. JULIAN, Recorder and Chairman. Julian City, once a thriving town, was at the time of my visit somewhat dilapidated; some of the houses were empty, but a new brick building had just been erected, a ten-stamp quartz mill was being built at the Owens Mine at the edge of the town, and other signs of renewed prosperity were manifested. The town is nearly at the summit of the Santa Ysabel Mountains. On a clear day, Point Loma at San Diego, and the Coronado Islands may be plainly seen. From the Oriflamme Mine, a short distance east, the desert, sloping away to the east, is in full sight. The principal street in Julian bears N. 63° west, magnetic. In 1871 the town had a population of five hundred, and there were one hundred occupied houses. In 1873 the excitement which followed the discovery of the district began to subside. The cause was said to be prejudice against the lower country, and threatened litigation as to the boundaries of the Cuyamaca grant. This was eventually decided in favor of the miners. In 1870 there were two quartz mills, of fifteen stamps Washoe pattern, at work. The gold was richer on the surface. Placer mines were worked in the low hills of the Santa Ysabel Valley, but they did not pay very well. Bullion began to be shipped from Julian in April, 1871. Up to the middle of September $10,341 had been sent forward by Wells, Fargo & Co., and $5,580 by others. The gold was worth $18 per ounce. The following table, from the report of Rosseter W. Raymond for 1870, will give a good idea of the character of the district at that time: MILLING RESULTS OF LOTS OF ORE FROM VARIOUS MINES IN JULIAN At the time the prosperity of this mining district was at its heighth, the San Diego Union estimated yield of gold for 1871 at $175,919, and for 1872 at $488,670. After a careful examination of Julian Mining District, I am led to the following conclusions: The quartz veins are generally rather narrow but remarkably rich. First and last there has been an important output of bullion from the district. I have not had time to arrange statistics obtained, in shape to be of much service. Wood and water are scarce; none of the mines have yet been opened or explored sufficiently to prove their capacity to yield gold. Considering the present condition of things in California, these mines can be worked to greater advantage than when first opened. Milling near Julian City cannot be conducted without very considerable difficulty, owing to the altitude, and consequent scarcity of fuel and water, but at Banner, six miles distant by graded road and twelve hundred feet lower in altitude, there is a beautiful valley through which a considerable stream of water-the San Felipe River-flows, affording sufficient water-power to drive several small mills or one large one, during the year; the water is more abundant during the winter months. If first class reduction works should be placed at Banner, with ample capital, and all the ores from the district be worked in them, an era of prosperity would probably be the result which would exceed any before experienced in this district, employment would be given to many miners and tributors to the advantage of the district, the county, and State. locality is a delightful one, and a desirable place for residence, which is not always the case where gold mines are found. The Julian City lies in sections five and six, township thirteen south, range four east, S. B. M. BANNER DISTRICT Is situated on sections two and three, township thirteen south, and range four east, and joins Julian on the east. It was discovered in August, 1870, by a party of men from Julian who were looking for wild grapes. A mine afterwards called the Redman was discovered on a sloping mountain side in San Felipe Cañon. BANNER DISTRICT was soon afterward organized. The district now incorporated with Julian has many advantages, the most important being the presence of water in abundance for milling and sufficient for limited water power, limited to season only, for in the winter and spring, I was informed, it is ample for any future requirements of the district. As mentioned before, Banner is twelve hundred feet lower than Julian, from which it is distant three and a half miles by trail and six miles by graded wagon road. To work the mines of the consolidated districts to the best advantage all the milling and concentration should be done by water power in San Felipe Cañon, and the ores from all the upper mines brought down by a tram road for reduction. By this plan all the present difficulties would be overcome. From appearances, ores could be supplied to such general reduction works for many years to come. There is more silver and less gold in the bullion produced in Banner than that taken from the Julian veins. In 1870, when many mines were being worked in both districts, bullion from Julian sold at the stores for $16 per ounce, while Banner bars brought only $12 to $14. The following table shows the condition of the principal mines in Banner during the early mining excitement. The information is compiled from various publications and reports: At the time of my visit only one mill was running on the ores of the Ready Relief or Bailey Brothers' Mine. Some other mines were being prospected in a small way, but with what success I was not able to learn. In 1874 there were seventy-five stamps running in Julian and Banner. When I was at Julian City there was no mill running, but at the Owens Mine, almost in the Town of Julian, a new and good ten-stamp mill was being built. The vein in this mine is small, but the quartz is rich in gold. A pile of ore has been accumulated which contained several hundred tons, and looked and prospected well; from which it is fair to predict that enough gold will be taken out to pay for the mill and leave a surplus. While the new mill is running the mine will be well prospected, and there is reason to hope and expect that considerable bodies of ore will be found. There is no special or well defined croppings to be seen on the surface. The old workings have fallen in. There is a shaft down one hundred and eighty feet in depth, well timbered, through which the ores are hoisted. The mine lies three hundred feet above the town, and very near the summit of the ridge. To the left is a gap through which the road to Banner runs. On a hill near the town, and to the left of the road, may be seen some old workings in which there are some splendid quartz croppings, but in small detached fragments, in a schistose formation dipping at a steep angle. I was struck with the resemblance of this formation to that in Findley Ridge, at Dahlonega, in Georgia, and was led to the inquiry if it would not pay to pipe it down as they do there. A full description of the methods employed in Georgia may be found in the fifth annual report of this office, folio 142. The Owens Mine was located March 11, 1870. The old workings were quite extensive. There was a shaft two hundred and seventy-five feet, from which levels ran east and west. The first level, one hundred feet below the surface, ran east two hundred feet and west one hundred feet. The second level, two hundred feet deep, ran two hundred feet east and one hundred and eighty feet west. Third level, at bottom of shaft, ran east two hundred and sixty feet and west two hundred feet. In eight months, ending June, 1873, gold to the value of $42,319 50, was taken from nine hundred and twenty tons of quartz. The company was incorporated with a capital stock of $500,000. In 1873 there were fine hoisting works at the mouth of the shaft-now removed. READY RELIEF MINE, BANNER. The Ready Relief Mine, the only one now being profitably worked in old Banner District, was discovered in August, 1870, immediately after the Redman, of which it is an extension. It is generally known as the Bailey Brothers' Mine. The southerly extensions of the Ready Relief Mine are the Hubbard and the South Hubbard. The claim is one thousand by two hundred feet. The ledge is from eighteen inches to eight feet in width. The vein is interstratified with the clay slate formation. The slaty cleavage of the country rock is undoubtedly due to lateral pressure, which has also distorted and plicated the vein so that it is found in folds, which are technically called "rolls." I am inclined to the opinion that the vein was formed by solfataric action in a plastic mud before the mountains were elevated, and that the vein has become plicated by its own weight while still in a soft condition. After visiting the mud volcanoes in this countyand not many miles distant-now in action, it is not difficult to conceive such an idea. These mud volcanoes are described in the second annual |