Gila River placers (Dorothy B claims; Gold Spot claim; Red Bird claim; Bonny claim; Gold Nugget claim; Banner claim; Neel placers), Gila River, Graham Co., Arizona, USA

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An Au-Fe prospect/occurrence located in T5S, R29E, and in T6S, R28E, along the Gila River between Eagle Creek and Bonita Creek, chiefly upstream from the mouth of Bonita Creek (at the Graham-Greenlee County line), in eastern Graham Co. on private land. Claims extend into sections 17-19, 21, 23 & 28 of the Guthrie and Safford Quadrangles.

Here the curved course of the Gila River is deeply entrenched between terraced bluffs of Gila Conglomerate. Within the area of certain curves, these terraces are mantled with ancient river gravels which carry placer gold. Gravels generally contain a large proportion of boulders ranging from several inches to 3 feet (1 meter) diameter. Ferruginous chert pebbles are fairly common and black sand is very abundant.

Assay data: 15-50 cents/cubic yard; the Neel placer averaged 60 cents/Cu. Yd. (1933-1938).

References

Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 135 (1933), Arizona Gold Placers and Placering: 81-82.

Wilson, E.D. (1952), Arizona gold placers and placering (Fifth edition revised)): Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 160: 65.

Johnson, M.G. (1972), Placer gold deposits of Arizona, USGS Bull. 1355: 18-20.

USGS Guthrie Quadrangle map.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management Unpatented Mining Claims Lead File #42716.

Arizona Department of Mineral Resources Neel placers file.

MRDS database Dep. ID #10108995, MRDS ID #M001421; and Dep. ID #10234342, MAS ID #0040090128.

Mineral List

Gold	Quartz var: Chert

2 entries listed. 1 valid mineral.