from https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1355/report.pdf
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, DEPT. OF INTERIOR (1972)
56. HASSAYAMPA RIVER DRAINAGE AREA
Location: West Hank of the Bradshaw Mountains, Tps. 8-13 N., Rs.
2-5W.
Topographic maps: Congress 30-minute quadrangle; Wagoner NE
15-minute quadrangle (covers only NE ~ of quadrangle); Kirkland
E. 15-minute quadrangle (covers only E Y2 of quadrangle); Mount
Union 15-minute quadrangle.
Geologic maps:
Arizona Bureau of Mines, 1958, Geologic map of Yavapai County,
scale 1:375,000.
Anderson and Blacet, 1972b, Geologic map of the Mount Union
quadrangle, scale I :62,500.
Access: U.S. Highway 89 leads south to Congress from Prescott west
of the placer areas along Hassayampa Creek. Dirt roads lead east
from U.S. Highway 89 to the different placer areas along the
Has sa yampa.
Extent: Placers are found along most of the Hassayampa River and
in many tributaries from Groom Creek near the headwaters, downstream to Blue Tank Wash, a tributary near Wickenburg.
Upper Hassayampa River (Hassayampa district): In the headwaters of the Hassayampa River, placers are found along Groom
Creek, the Hassayampa River, and small side gulches (T. 13 N., R. 2
W., Mount Union quadrangle). I have found no description of the
gold-bearing gravels in Groom Creek and nearby parts of the
Hassayampa River.
Central Hassayampa River (Wagoner, Walnut Grove, and Tiger
districts): The central part of the Hassayampa drainage area, near
Walnut Grove and Wagoner, includes the Hassayampa River, tributaries on the west side (Placerita and French Gulches), tributaries on
the east side (Blind Indian, Milk, Minnehaha, Cherry and Oak
Creeks). The gravels in the river near Walnut Grove contain
many boulders but no clay; the gold is described as flake gold. The
Hassayampa River was most actively worked between 1885 and 1890;
during that time a dam was built (near the junction of Cherry
Creek with the Hassayampa-sec. 23, T. 10 N., R. 3 W., Wagoner
quadrangle) to permit hydraulic mining in Rich Hill (10 miles
west) and large-scale operations on the Hassayampa downstream from
Wagoner. The dam failed in 1890, killing 150 people and flooding
the downstream section of the Hassayampa.
Gravels were mined along the upper parts and side gulches of
Placerita Gulch (approximately sec. 14, T. II N., R. 4 W., Congress
quadrangle), near the junction of Placerita and French Gulches
(sees. 7 and 18, T. II N., R. 3 W., Kirkland quadrangle), and on
French Gulch, 1 mile southeast of Zonia (sec. 17 or 18, T. II N.,
R. 3 W.). Much of the gold in these gulches is fairly coarse and
many JA- and Y2-ounce nuggets were recovered.
Placers have also been found in Blind Indian and Milk Creeks
on the east side of the Hassayampa (Tps. 10 and II N., Rs. 2 and 3
W.), but these were not worked so extensively as the placers in
Placerita and French Gulches. Placer gold was reportedly found on
Slate and Milk Creeks in beds of volcanic agglomerate that were
hydraulicked before 1905.
South of Blind Indian and Milk Creeks, small placers were
worked in Minnehaha, Cherry, and Oak Creeks. Placers were found
near the headwaters of Minnehaha Creek in Minehaha Flat (unsurveyed sees. 19, 30, 31, T. 10 N., R. I W., Crown King quadrangle) and on Oak Creek, I mile below Fentons Ranch (sec. 3
or 9, T. 9 N., R." 2 W., Crown King quadrangle).
Lower Hassayampa River (Black Rock and Blue Tanks districts):
Small placers are found in the Black Rock region in T. 8 N .,
R. 3 W. (Congress quadrangle) and on the Hassayampa River near
the mouth of Blue Tank Wash in T. 7 N., R. 5 W., near the
Maricopa County-Yavapai County boundary.
Production history: Upper Hassayampa River (Hassayampa district):
The placers in Groom Creek were discovered in the 1860's and
actively worked in the 1880's. Sparks (1917) estimated $3 million
production in placer gold from Groom Creek, but this estimate is
probably grossly high. During the 1930's this northern region was
placered on a small scale by many individuals, and from 1939 to
1942, a dragline dredge on the Hobbs property (unlocated) on the
Hassayampa River recovered several hundred ounces of placer gold.
Central Hassayampa River (Wagoner, Walnut Grove, and Tiger
districts): Most placer mining in the central region was done by
individuals using drywash machines.
Lower Hassayampa River (Black Rock and Blue Tanks districts): Minor amounts of placer gold were recovered intermittently
from this region and from the Hassayampa River in Maricopa
County.
Source: The tributaries of the Hassayampa River drain a wide area
of mineralized terrain. The ore deposits that contributed the gold
found along the Hassayampa and its tributaries are . of both Precambrian and Tertiary age, and it is difficult to demonstrate which
vein or vein systems provided the source of the placer gold. Lindgren
(1926) summarizes the physical characteristics and probable age
of many of the veins in the area.
Literature:
Allen, 1922: Location; names placer-bearing tributary creeks.
Blake, 1899: Notes presence of placer gold.
Browne, 1868: Describes discovery of placers on the Hassayampa
River.
Burchard, 1882: General history of placer mining along the Hassayampa.
---1883: History and placer-mining activity at Placeritas.
Church, 1887: Reports progress on Walnut Grove Dam.
De Wolf, 1916: Reports plans to rebuild Walnut Grove Dam.
Engineering and lVIining Journal, 1933c: Results of sampling placer
ground at Minnehaha placers.
---1890: Reports failure of Walnut Grove Dam.
Girand, 1932: Describes drywash machine used at Walnut Grove;
characteristics of gravels; size of gold recovered.
Jagger and Palache, 1905: Reports gold in Blind Indian and Milk
Creek.
Koschmann and Bergendahl, 1968: Placer-gold production.
Lindgren, 1926: Notes placers in Minnehaha Flat; locates placers
on upper Hassayampa.
Raymond, 1872: Location; extent; placer-mining techniques.
Sparks, I9I7: Production estimates for Groom Creek.
U.S. Bureau of Mines, I926-3I: Names claims and creeks where
placer mining is active.
---1934: Names claims and creeks where placer mining was active.
Wilson, I961: Hassayampa placers-location; production history;
placer-mining activity during the period 1932-33; source. Groom
Creek-location; production estimates; source. Placerita placers early history; placer-mining activity during the period I932-33;
size of nuggets.
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