MOHAVE COUNTY, ARIZONA

Ranking second among Arizona's gold producing counties, Mohave County produced 2,461,000 ounces of lode and placer gold through 1959, with about 50 per cent coming from the San Francisco district at Oatman.

At Alamo Crossing of the Bill William?s River about 40 miles north of U.S. 60 at Wendon, in Yuma County there are many regional old mines, such as, the Little Kimball, which is located 5 miles back of the crossing with its Jim Rogers Mill now abandoned at the crossing. North of that 16 mile, at ghost camp of Rawhide straddling the "Owl Hoot" outlaw trail and temporary stopover where desperadoes could dig raw gold from adjacent Rawhide Butte you will find free milling gold.

Chloride is located about 60 miles northwest of Kingman in east part of the White Hills, the Gold Basin district: This area has many mines which produced lode gold. If you go west 9 miles, you will find the Pilgrim Mine which produced lode gold. If you go northwest by 25 miles, you will find the Mockingbird Mine and on east side of the Black mountains, 30 miles from town, you will find the Gold Bug Mine which lode gold. In the Cerbat mountains, the Cerbat Mountains district produced gold, lead, silver, zinc. If you go east 1.5 miles from Chloride, near middle of west slope of mountains, you will find the Pay Roll Mine, and if you go west 1.5 miles, on the pediment, you will find the Tintic Mine. If you go east 2.5 miles, you will find the Rainbow Mine, and if you go east 3.5 mile, you will find the Samoa Mine which was the most active and constant producer through 1908 for lode gold and silver in the county.

East of Hackberry by 9 miles, in north part of the Cottonwood Cliffs plateau, you will find the Walkover Mine. If you go north 25 miles, in foothills of the Grand Wash Cliffs, in the Music Mountain district, there are many productive mines such as the Ellen Jane, Mary E, and Southwick all produced lode gold.

In the Hoover Dam, area downstream from mouth of the Grand Canyon, river bars, benches, and terraces produce placer gold which is finely disseminated in the gravels.

Southwest of Kingman by 3 miles and .5 miles northeast of McConnico, on property of the old bimetal Mine, in area draws and gullies, you will find the Lewis Placer which produced very coarse placer gold. If you go southeast 6 miles, in the Maynard district, you will find the Lookout Placer, along bed of a shallow gulch, and hillside gravels contain coarse wire gold. If you go south in the Lost Basin Range, the Lost Basin district, had numerous mines that produced lode gold. If you go northwest 15-18 miles on U.S. 93, you will find the Wallapai district, near center of the Cerbat mountains, including the old camps of Cerbat, Chloride, Mineral Park, and Stockton, very many old lead silver zinc mines that from 1904-56 produced 125,063 ounces of by product go. If you go 10 to 25 miles west and northwest from Chloride, the Weaver district in north part of the Black mountains, divided into 3 sections: (a) on west slope, the Virginia camp; (b) on east slope, the camps of Mockingbird, Pyramid, and Pilgrim; (c) a few mile north of Pilgrim, the Gold Bug camp, tot. prod., 1900-59, of 63,200 ounces of lode and byproduct gold. If you go northwest 56 miles, at north end of Red Lake place, a 9 mile by dirt road branching north from U.S. 93, in township 28 and 29 north range 17 and 18 west, you will find the Gold Basin placers, rather extensively worked by dry wash equipment. If you go northwest 72 mile via U.S. 93, in township 29, 30 north range 17 west and 8 mile from the Colorado River, you will find the King Tut placers which is in an area 8 mile long.

North Oatman, in the San Francisco district, including the Vivian, Gold Road, and Boundary Cone localities in an area about 10 mile long by 7 mile wide on west slopes of south part of the Black mountains, with Union Pass sometimes included, discovered in 1864, had a total production through 1931 of 2,045,400 ounces of lode gold. In the area, you will find the Tom Reed Property ,extremely rich, including the Pasadena, Aztec Center, and Big Slim-Aztec mines all which were rich lode gold mines. Beneath town, the Tip Top ore body can be found. 1.5 miles northeast of the Tom Reed, the Gold Road Mine, discovered in 1900, very rich lode gold. There are very many other rich lode mines, e.g., the Gold Dust, Ben Harrison, Leland, Midnight, Sunnyside, Iowa, Lazy Boy, etc.. The Moss Vein reputedly produced $240,000 from a pit of 10 cu. ft.. North 1 mile, at Goldroad, in Katherine, rich mines produced lode gold. If you go southwest .5 mile, you will find the Pioneer Mine. If you go Northwest 5 miles or 6 mile downstream from U.S. 66 in valley of Silver Creek, there are many placers. If you go northwest 7 miles and 2 miles north of Silver Creek, you will find the Moss Mine, which was probably the first mine discovered in this district. I you go North by Northwest 12 miles, extending from Union Pass northwest in the Black mountains, summit of route 68 to Bullhead city, west to the Colorado River, in the Union Pass or Katherine district, Go 2 miles east of the Colorado River, in section 5, of township 21 north and range 20 west, you will find the Katherine Mine, discovered in 1900 and was a very rich producer 85 per cent lode gold, 15 per cent silver. If you go 4 miles east of the Gold Standard mill, you will find the Roadside Mine which produced lode gold and silver. If you go 3.5 miles southwest of the Roadside, in section 20, you will find the Arabian Mine which produced lode gold, with twice as much silver. Other rich area lode mines are the Tyro, Sheeptail-Boulevard, Frisco, Black Dyke Group, Pyramid, and Golden Cycle all of which produced gold and silver.

If you go 6.75 miles southeast of Chloride you will find Mineral, In the area you will find the Tyler Mine which produced lode gold, with silver and lead. If you go southeast 1.25 miles, near west foot of the Cerbat Range, there were numerous area mines that produced lode gold and silver. The Golden Gem, Flores, Cerbat, and Oro Plata mines are lode gold, lead, silver, zinc mines.

In Pierce Ferry, which is accessible from U.S. 93 north of turnoff to Chloride, go south 8 mile from the Colorado River, in township 28 and 29 north range 17 and 18 west you will find many placer deposits. If you go south 9 miles, in same township and range, there are some more placers reported.

Southeast 18 miles of Topock, in southwest part of the county, in foothills of the Chemehuevis or Mohave mountains, the Chemehuevis placers can be found. At southwest foot of the mountains, in area of the Red Hills, the Mexican or Spanish diggings were the most productive placer gold diggings in the area. On the northeast side of the mountains, in Printer's and Dutch gulches, also rich placers can be found. Southeast, in the Mohave mountains, area placer and lode gold mines are also very rich. Southeast 55 miles, you will find the Best Bet (Kempf) Mine which produced lode gold. A few miles north of the Best Bet, the Gold Wing Mine, with other area prospects had some rich lode gold. On the opposite side of mountains, you will find the Dutch Flat Mine which was a rich lode gold mine.

Colorado River

Along the Colorado River downstream from mouth of the Grand Canyon in all river bars, you will find placer gold. In all elevated bars and benches formed by tributary streams, there are also many placers. At Willow Beach ,65 mile northwest of Kingman north to near Hoover Dam Highway, an ancient river bar near outer bow of the Colorado River ,250 acres, you will find the Sandy Harris Placer. Also; 2.5 miles north of Pyramid Rock, Colorado River benches contain placer gold.

Mohave Wash

Reported by: Dave Breitweiser

Standard wash east to mojave wash southwest to Bill Willams National Wildlife area many claims sites and 1 active mine maybe about 22 miles into the park area.

Wright Creek

In northeast part of the Cottonwood Cliffs, in upper reaches and tributaries of Wright Creek, there are many small placer areas.

• ADD INFORMATION ON A GOLD BEARING LOCATION