In 1905, an application was filed for
permission for a $45,00 bond the Southern Bell (spelled without the
final e) group of gold mines by James W. Fellows, a wealthy New Yorker
who had an interest in mining near Oracle, Arizona. "Chief Engineer
Thompson of the Twin Buttes railroad is in the city from the grading camp
which is located near the mines. The roadbed will be completed to the
mines within a few days. It is expected that the rails and ties wil be
laid as fast as the material arrives." 6
An article in a Bisbee newspaper in
early January 1906 mentioned that the Southern Belle mining properties
reportedly "produced considerable gold in the past, the ore having been
run through a ten stamp mill located on the ground." 7
A week later, on January 17, 1906
it was reported that W. W. Ward has a principle interest in reopening
the Southern Belle mine. The property, it said, was worked from 1885 to
1897 by A. H. Fellows and later was in litigation over his estate.
Fellows died in 1897. There were seven patented claims in the group. To
resume work, only the possibility of retimbering of the mine shaft is
needed. The stamp mill would be used and new machinary added. Two
and a half miles of pipe line would have been finished by April. Also
named as an interest in the property was J. Knox Corbett and Roscoe
Dale. 8
A road was built by the Southern
Belle mine management and twelve men in 1906. The property was worked
about ten years before, but was shut down recently. As a known gold
producer, about 100 men were soon expected to work in the mines. 9
By 1908, it was reported in the
Bisbee newspaper that "Also the Southern Belle gold mines, six miles
from Oracle, which have produced over one million dollars in gold. None
of these mines have been worked in truth, it may be said, but through
the vicisitudes of accidents or mismanagement have been temporarily
closed down." In 1908, the price of gold was $18.95 per ounce. It would
mean that 52,770 ounces or over 3,298 pounds of gold was extracted. 10
By the end of the year in 1909, an
article stated the "Southern Belle group in Pima county is to resume
operations with a ten stamp mill. This property is an old gold
producer." 11
A few days later, it was announced
that "The Southern Belle, a rich gold property in southwestern Pinal
county, has been taken over by practical mining men of California and
Nevada." The property was closed 15 years ago after the former owner's
death and had since been held in his estate. 12
In February 1910 an article titled
"Pinal County rich in Gold and Silver" reported that the "old Southern
Belle mill, situated near Oracle, this country, after ten years of
idleness, began crushing ore, this week, from the old dumps of the
Southern Belle gold mine, and a force of miners have been put on duty at
the mine. The property produced a large amount of gold in the distant
past, and will duplicate that record in the future." The paper credits
Hugh J. McIssacs and assoiciates of San Francisco who had gained control
of the property. 13
By 1910, the Southern Belle mine became the property of the Cody-Dyer M & M
operations, then was passed on to Capt. Jack Burgess. The property was
made up of nine mining patents and four unpatented claims. There was a
mill and a ten stamp mill on the site. 14
The new owners of the Southern Belle mine ordered a 100-ton mill in early 1912. 15
"Additional names which apply to this
location: Southern Belle MS587 patented claim; Dolphin MS 1837 Patented
claim; Cross Town MS 2155-A Patented claim; Careless MS 4090 Patented
claim; Apache Girl MS 1837 Patented claim; Apache Peak Consolidated
Mining Co. property; Ewing property; Careless; Gold Bug; General
Hancock; Fortuna; Happy Thot. Mineralization is a tabular ore body
hosted in Dripping Springs Quartzite and Bolsa Quartzite." By 1960,
there were 12 patented mining claims. The mine produced scheelite,
galena, pyrite, dolomite and calcite. 16
Land records show that a Mineral Patent
Lode (14 Stat. 251) was awarded on July 26, 1886. James W. Fellows
received a patent in 1888 and 1904 for the section. In 1931, Elizabeth
L. Wood, daughter of E. O. Stratton, recorded a certificate of receipt
for the Careless Mining Claim lode mining claim. The Campo Bonito Mines
acquired the property in 1945 with several other neighboring sections.
17
Pinal County public records 18 and the
BLM mining claim records document a long string of claims and affidavits
of labor through 2010. Evidence of annual assessment work for mining
claims/mining sites must be filed and recorded yearly to keep labor and
mining claims current. The claims, which are on private property are not
valid since claims are not needed to be filed by the property owner.
There was also a Southern Belle mine near
Tombstone, one in Yavapai and others throughout the country, but they
are not connected with this Southern Belle in Campo Bonito.
Southern Belle History
The Southern Belle mine is one of the
few in the Santa Catalina Mountains "which has produced any significant
quantity of auriferous ore," according to a study published by the U.S.
Bureau of Mines in 1994. 2
1870s: Prospecting started around the Santa Catalina-Rincon mountains, including the area of the Southern Belle gold deposit. (2, p. 6)
1885: Opening of the Southern Belle Mine by a New York firm and two to three years of subsequent gold production.
1885 to 1888: The Southern Belle
mine reportedly produced at least 9,000 oz of gold from about 19,000 st
of ore at an average grade of 0.5 oz I Au/st.
1910: Acquisition of the Southern Belle Mine by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody and company.
1930-1932: Leasing and development of the Southern Belle Mine by Molson and Co.
1934: the main stope area of the Southern Belle was mined out.
1990: Newmont Exploration Company
acquired options on 15 of the mineral patents in the area of the
Southern Belle Mine and also staked 38 new mining claims on the National
Forest, which were locate as far east as the eastern slope of Apache
Peak. The interest was in investigating deep gold targets with diamond
drilling (2, p. A43).
Today: The Southern Belle is an abandoned mine.
This article is from the book from "Treasures of the Santa Catalinas." Read the original newspaper articles digitized by the Chronicaling America
Newspaper Project, a National Endowment for the Humanities project of
the Library of Congress. Select a link to open the newspaper page in a
new window. Choose from several viewing formats from PDF to JPG.
1. History of the Lower San Pedro Valley in Arizona by Bernard W. Muffley, 1938. Page 26, 69. uair.arizona.edu/system/files/usain/.../azu_e9791_1938_41_w.pdf
2: "Mineral Appraisal of Coronado
National Forest, Part 5" Mineral Land Assessment, 1994. U.S. Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Santa Catalina-Rincon District. uair.arizona.edu/system/files/usain/.../azu_e9791_1938_41_w.pdf.
3 Daily Tombstone Epitaph, January 26, 1886. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96060682/1886-01-26/ed-1/seq-3/;words=Southern+Bell
4. Daily Tombstone Epitaph, February 20, 1886. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96060682/1886-02-20/ed-1/seq-3/;words=Belle+Southern
5. Tombstone Epitaph, August 13, 1887. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95060905/1887-08-13/ed-1/seq-3/;words=Belle+Southern
6. Arizona Silver Belt, November 30, 1905, page 3. . http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84021913/1905-11-30/ed-1/seq-3/;words=Southern+mines+gold+Bell
7. Arizona Silver Belt, Gliobe City, AZ January 11, 1906, page 2. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84021913/1906-01-11/ed-1/seq-2/;words=Mining+Gold+gold+Bell+Southern+mine
8. Bisbee Daily Review, January 17, 1906, page 2 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1906-01-17/ed-1/seq-2/;words=Southern+Bell
9. Bisbee Daily Review, May 25, 1906, page 3 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1906-05-25/ed-1/seq-3/;words=Belle+BELLE+SOUTHERN+Southern
10. Bisbee Daily Review, February 16, 1908, image 9 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1908-02-16/ed-1/seq-9/;words=Belle+Southern+gold
11. Bisbee Daily Review, December 2, 1909, page 8 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1909-12-02/ed-1/seq-8/;words=Belle+Southern
12. Daily Arizona Silver Belt, Globe, December 5, 1909, page 12 second section http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87082863/1909-12-05/ed-1/seq-12/;words=Belle+Southern
13. Bisbee Daily Review, Bisbee, Arizona, February 2, 1910, page 6. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1910-02-02/ed-1/
seq-6/;words=Belle+Southern+gold
14. Bisbee Daily Review, Bisbee, Arizona, May 14, 1912, page 5 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024827/1912-05-14/ed-1/seq-5
/;words=Catalinas+Southern+Bell
15. Mohave County Miner, Mineral Park, A.T., January 13, 1912 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024828/1912-01-13/ed-1/seq-5/;words=Belle+Southern
16. Mindat.org mineral report on
"Southern Belle Mine (Southern Belle gp; Morning Star property/claims),
Apache Peak area, Campo Bonito, Oracle District (Control District; Old
Hat District; Santa Catalina District), Santa Catalina Mts, Pinal Co.,
Arizona, USA" http://www.mindat.org/loc-63390.html
17 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/results/default.aspx?searchCriteria=type=patent|st=AZ|cty=|twp_nr=10|twp_dir=S|rng_
nr=16|rng_dir=E|sec=20|m=
14|sp=true|sw=true|sadv=false
18. Pinal County Recorders Office http://pinalcountyaz.gov/Departments/Recorder/Pages/DocumentSearch.aspx
