Ch. 1: Gold and Silver in 1919

Page of 72

Text size:



	678	MINERAL RESOURCES, 1919—PART I.

	Nevada, $1,702,297 in South Dakota, $789,699 in Utah, and $875,176 in Montana. Every State that yielded more than $1,000 in gold except California, Idaho, Philippine Islands, and Tennessee had a decreased output in 1919. The principal silver-producing States in 1919 were Montana, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, and Arizona, and these six States together produced more than 91 per cent of the total for the United States. The only comparatively large increases in 1919 were in New Mexico and Missouri, and only seven States had an increased output. There were decreases of 3,137,019 ounces in Nevada, 3,593,284 ounces in Idaho, 4,256,298 ounces in Montana, 320,522 ounces in California, 1,305,544 ounces in Colorado, 1,419,547 ounces in Arizona, and 1,805,636 ounces in Utah. About $30,925,000, or more than 52 per cent of the entire output of gold in the United States in 1919, was produced by 25 companies, none of which yielded less than $500,000. The largest producer was the celebrated Homestake mine in South Dakota. Nineteen of the larger properties produced gold from dry or siliceous ores, three produced it from gravels by dredging, and three recovered the gold in the treatment of copper ores. Nine of the largest producers of gold in 1919 were in California, and six in Colorado. The decrease in Nevada is shown by the absence of the Goldfield Consolidated and other famous Nevada mines from the list.



	Exclusive of the output of gold of the large producing operators, about $27,300,000 came from the operation of more than 3,500 placer and deep mines, many of which produced between $100,000 and $400,000 each. Hundreds of mines, especially placer properties in California, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Arizona, and the Appalachian States, yielded very small quantities of gold, and the average production of the smaller mines was less than $5,000.

Page of 72