40

region, but upper carboniferous have been found in many places during the present season, associated with the copper bearing rocks and clays.

The copper lands extend from the western part of Montague county westward into Haskell county, and probably much farther westward and southwestward. In the southwestward part of Montague county, near the residence of Mr. Pevler, at his spring, is a bed of copper ore, about four inches thick, extending into the bank between sandstone. It is a green copper, (crysocolla and malachite), associated with cuprite or red copper ore. Mr. Pevler also showed us this same form of ore in a bank about one mile south of his house, and again, in small seams, in sand rocks, about half a mile northward from his house. Mr. Pevler, who has an interest in the copper mines of Archer county, and who has worked there in getting ore six months, now owns the copper lands near his residence. The hills and rocks of the Montague copper, are very similar to those of Archer county, and indeed of the whole copper region, where a red clay often and generally prevails. This clay is impregnated with the red oxide of copper, to which it probably owes its color. In it, copper concretions occur, which are frequently washed out, and lie at the base of the hills. Clays often form a large portion of either the base or middle of the hills. Rains and other causes wash the clays from beneath the rocky strata above, and give the hills a jagged and ruined appearance, often covering their sides with broken rocks. Sometimes large masses of rocks stand out alone on clay supports.

In the northwest part of Clay county, are some of these copper hills, at the base of which we found green, blue and black copper ores. These are near the mouth of the Big Wichita, and not far from the Red River. The black copper ores are generally overlooked by copper hunters, who are wide awake in their search for the green and blue ores.

In Wichita county, on Gilbert's creek, about three miles from its junction with the Red River, there is a deposit of green, blue and red copper, in a clay bank at the edge of the water. A few years ago, a considerable quantity of ore, from this place, was sent to Philadelphia, where it was smelted and said to yield more than sixty per cent. of copper. A company was formed for the purpose of working the mine, but the war came, Mr. Gilbert died, and nothing more was done with the copper mine, which now