Mine History
BROMIDE BASIN MINE HISTORY
The Bromide Basin mines are located 30 miles south of Hanksville, Utah in the
Henry Mountains. Bromide Basin is the location for at least four mines, Kimble
and Turner, Crescent Creek, Henrietta, and the Bromide Mine. The main metal produced
was gold, however, silver and copper was present in most of the ores mined. The
Bromide Mine is an underground mine with northeasterly striking veins with breccia
pipes (structural intersections) containing ore as high as 26 opt Au the overall
average of the vein material is 7 opt Au. This structure can be traced on the
surface for over 1,800 feet averaging 2 feet wide with several gold enriched outcroppings.
The Crescent Creek Mine is adjacent to the Bromide Mine and contains mostly oxide
ore averaging over 0.25 opt Au with minor copper. The workings are all underground
but very close to the surface situated on a northeasterly striking vein averaging
4 feet wide which has been traced for over 400 feet. The Kimble and Turner Mine
consists of some underground workings along a northeasterly striking vein with
associated breccia pipes. The vein is 4 feet wide and contains ore averaging 2.0
opt Au with some copper. The vein is mostly oxidized with some remnant pyrite
and chalcopyrite. The vein dips west back into the mountain and extends northeast
towards the Bromide Mine. The Henrietta Mine is a mineralized exposure on the
surface containing mineralization that has assayed as high as 3 ounces per ton
gold. The overall average of this ore will be much lower, however tonnage will
be high. Unico produced a 2,500 ton bulk sample from the mines in 2001 which is
being shipped to the Deer Trail Mill for processing and tests. The ores produce
free gold and a high-grade gold concentrate.
History of the Henry Mountain Mines
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Excerpted from the USGS Professional 111
“Ore Deposits of Utah”
B. S. Butler, 1917
The first lode deposit to be discovered in the Henry Mountains that proved
of any consequence was the Bromide vein, which is said to have been discovered
in 1889 or 1890 by the partners, J. C. Sumner and Jack Butler (no relation to
author)*. Active development of the mine was carried on in 1891, and a stamp mill
was built and operated intermittently till the following summer. The mine was
closed in 1893 and remained idle till 1902, when it was reopened and made a small
production. In 1913 it was idle and had been for some time. The finding of the
Bromide vein stimulated prospecting in the region, and several small veins were
discovered and prospected to some extent. Next to the Bromide the most extensive
development has been the Oro prospect (Kimble and Turner). A one-stamp mill was
erected and some ore treated. ( average grade of the ore was reported to be 2
opt Au).
The Bromide mine produced approximately 7,500 ounces of gold in 1892 mining
season.
The mine has been opened by a tunnel about 380 feet long connecting with a shaft
at a depth of about 125 feet. A winze has been sunk 60 feet below the tunnel level.
The vein has been developed on the tunnel level for perhaps 200 feet and has been
stoped on different levels from the tunnel level to the surface. It is reported
that ore is present in the bottom of the winze, but at the time of the visit this
was filled with water and could not be examined. A cross cut tunnel (El Padre),
started from Crescent Creek near the mill, will, if extended, intersect the downward
extension of the plane of the vein about 400 feet below the present tunnel. The
face of the present crosscut tunnel was about 900 feet from this objective point
in 1913.
*Parenthetical comments by WD Proctor, UNICO Chief Geologist
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