Click on pictures to enlarge  NORTHWEST GOLD PROSPECTORS

Orogrande Mill and Pit 1938

Orogrande Frisco 1937

Orogrande - Frisco 1934

By Mike Crooks
The Orogrande Mine lies just north of Orogrande on the west side of Crooked River.
Unlike the forest service handout for the gold loop tour that says the mine is an example
of the destructiveness of hydraulic mining, this was a hardrock mine and most of the
excavation was done by blasting and the use of power shovels. The ore at the mine was
low grade, like the large mines in Nevada, where much of the nations gold is currently
mined. There were some rich quartz stringers in the dyke here that carried small but
visible gold, but these veins were to small to make a mine by themselves. So the mine
was an attempt to extract gold from a large volume of rock and tried to use economy of
scale to become profitable. The rock removed from the existing pit probably averaged just
about 1/20 of an ounce of gold per ton of rock. Like all the th lode mines hereabout, this
mine could never pay for the equipment to run itself, and every company involved here,
eventually floundered under in a sea of debt.
The mine was originally claimed and located by Ed Hanson as the Buffalo Queen.
William Hogan came into possession of the property and began his longtime association
with what every one called the Hogan Mine for the next 30 years. He organized the
Crooked River Mining & Milling Co and set about to mine. By 1899 a 10 stamp mill was
on the property. In 1901-2 the mill was run and amalgamation, recovery by mercury, was
used. Only 10-15% of the values could be saved on the plates, as the gold was too fine
and was carried down the tail race.
Next, in 1902 a 20 stamp mill was built, and they tried thinning out the pulp over a large
plate surface using double discharge mortars. For the 20 stamps they had 1200 ft² of plate
surface outside the batteries, and also riffled plates inside the mortars. This increased the
gold savings to about 20%, this was not considered a success. The gold left in the
tailings, led the management to experiment further. Next was a series of cyanide tests,
from small laboratory tests to 4 ton test lots. The cyanide plant was partially completed
in the spring of 1904 and an experimental run of 3000 tons was made. In 1905, the
building for housing a cyanide plant was fully erected. In June of 1905, the mill was
handling 300 tons/day. In 1905 power was supplied by four Pelton wheels running on
water ditched and flumed to the mill. A boiler fueled by wood provided heat in the winter
and power during low water The buildings are snugly enclosed and heated by steam.
On the 11th of December 1905, in the main glory hole, a new ledge was discovered after
blasting. Specimens had been taken out that were literally covered with coarse gold. As
this gold could not be recovered by the cyanide process, the mill was shut down and the
whole crew placed to work installing amalgamation plates at the outlet of the sand tanks.
Twelve mesh screens replaced the four mesh screens in the batteries. The plant had been
handling 250 tons/day.
Through 1906 about $500,000 had been expended on the mine up to this time trying to
develop the property. The stockholders fell to quarreling among themselves and the lode
mine closed. During 1902-09, production was 29,487 tons, from which 2,530.40 oz of gold
and 170 oz of silver were recovered. This was about $50,000 at that time. The Butte &
Orogrande Milling Co Ltd was then incorporated in 1907.
In 1914 the mine operated for one month. In 1918 a new 300 ton cyanide mill was
installed and 10,000 tons of ore was processed and 167 ounces of gold ($3400)
recovered. The run demonstrated the need for mechanical and other changes in process.
The Orogrande Gold Mining Co, William Hogan president, was organized in 1918 and
incorporated in 1919. Roasting of concentrated sulphides was and added capability in
1922. In 1930 a number of suits were filed asking the company be placed in receivership.
Indebtedness was more than $75,000. The mine was acquired by Empire Metals
Company, controlled again by William Hogan. Empire Metals went belly-up in turn and
Orogrande Gold Mining Co leased the mine to the Frisco Gold Mines, which promptly
changed its name to the Orogrande-Frisco Gold Mines 1934. This ended Hogan’s
association with the mine.
A 500-ton per day cyanide mill was promptly installed and placed in operation. Through
1937 the mine operated on mostly oxidized rock from the upper pit but by the end of the
year the mine had nothing but sulphide ore to process. This ore had less value and even
worse, the proportion of gold recovered dropped. In 1938 the mine opened a small second
pit across the river and to the south on Knob Hill on the Friday claim. The mine pushed
production to 700 tons a day in an attempt to be profitable but it was all in vain. The mine
shut down for the last time on November 22nd, 1938. Production from 1934 to 1938 was
about 6500 ounces. In 1969 the US Bureau of Mines sampled a 105 ft section of bedrock
in the main pit and found it averaged .04 ounces of gold and .02 ounces per ton of silver.
Total recorded production of gold from 1902 to 1938 was just under 10,000 ounces of gold.

NORTHWEST GOLD PROSPECTORS
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CLEARWATER CHAPTER
22077 GIFFORD-REUBENS RD
CULDESAC, IDAHO 83542
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APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
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standing rules
1. the USE OF ALCOHOL ON association OUTINGS SHALL BE LIMITED AND PRUDENT.
2. smoking IS NOT PERMITTED AT INDOOR association FUNCTIONS.
3. members SHALL FOLLOW THE association ¢ODE OF ethics WHILE MINING.
4. members SHALL CONDUCT THEMSELVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE LAND AND REASONABLE MORAL BEHAVIOR.
5. VIOLATION OF STANDING RULES MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION AS DETERMINED BY THE executive board OF officers.
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2. RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY, MINING CLAIMS, AND LEASES OF OTHERS. GET PERMISSION FIRST!
3. PREPLAN AND CONDUCT YOUR MINING ACTIVITY IN A MANNER THAT MINIMIZES DISTURBANCES TO OTHER PEOPLE, MINERS, AND
THE ENVIRONMENT.
4. reclaim THE AREA OF YOUR MINING OPERATION WHEN FINISHED. LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT. WHEN TEMPORARILY
LEAVING A SITE, TIDY UP, AESTHETICS ARE EVERYTHING!
5. NEVER DISRUPT OR DAMAGE WILDLIFE BREEDING SITES, EVEN IF IT IS LEGAL TO DO SO.
6. REMOVE ALL TRASH FOUND ON STREAM BANKS, IN STREAMS BEDS AND BOTTOMS, EVEN IF IT IS NOT YOURS.
7. KEEP YOUR EQUIPMENT MAINTAINED AND IN PEAK OPERATING CONDITION.
8. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN USING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AROUND WATERWAYS.
9. MINE SAFELY! NO AMOUNT OF GOLD IS WORTH YOUR LIFE OR THE LIFE OF OTHERS!
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