About the author: Mark Ivan Jacobson is a geologist with a BS degree in ... John Alden Smith came to Central City in 1864 as the agent for the Noble Gold.
Pioneer Colorado Minerals J. Alden Smith and his Minerals of Colorado: 1866 to 1882
Mark Ivan Jacobson 2014
Published by Batuan Biru Productions 1714 S. Clarkson St. Denver, CO 80210 Printed in Englewood, Colorado by Denver Copy: Wholesale Printing and Binding. Pioneer Colorado Minerals – J. Alden Smith and his Minerals of Colorado: 1866-1882. Copyright © 2011 by Mark Ivan Jacobson, All rights reserved. First printed February 2011, Revised second printing July 2011 Revised third printing, January 2013 Revised first USA printing, January 2014 ISBN 0-9635296-2-5 The cover photograph is of the American Mine, Sunshine mining camp, Boulder County, Colorado, circa 1874. This is the mine purchased by Hiram Hitchcock in 1874 with J. Alden Smith as the mine superintendent. The original photograph is owned by the Boulder Historical Society 219-1-8, picture number S-1740, and stored and administered by the Boulder Public Library, Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Wendy Hall, manager. Used with permission. About the author: Mark Ivan Jacobson is a geologist with a BS degree in mineralogy from the Pennsylvania State University and a MS degree in geology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of Antero Aquamarines (1993), Guidebook to the Pegmatites of Western Australia (2007) and republisher of R. T. Cross’s Crystals and Gold (1903), and J. S. Randall’s three mineralogies as three separate booklets, Glossary of Colorado Minerals (1873), Mineralogy of Colorado (1877) and Minerals of Colorado (1887).
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Preface John Alden Smith wrote five catalogs entitled the “Principal Minerals of Colorado.” The first was published in the Black Hawk Mining Journal in November 1866. In 1867, this catalogue was slightly revised and published as a partial chapter in O. J. Hollister’s Mines of Colorado. In 1870, possibly just prior to the St. Louis Fair, Smith had printed at the Central City Daily Register, where he worked as a mining editor, a revised version of “Principal Minerals of Colorado.” At the end of 1880 and 1882, Smith submitted to the Governor of Colorado his biennial report on the mines of Colorado. Within each report was a section that provided successively revised listings of the principal minerals of Colorado. These two reports were published in 1881 and 1883, respectively. This book provides for the first time a reprinting of all of Smith’s Principal Minerals of Colorado. In addition, a biography of J. Alden Smith is included with his catalogs to provide perspective into how he gained his mineralogical knowledge. Each catalog is paginated with the original page numbers located on the top. The page numbers located on the bottom are those related to the current book. The double pagination system allows any citation that refers to the original works to be located in this book. Acknowledgements The staff of the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado cheerfully allowed access and photographing of the out-of-copyright original catalogs. Bruce Hanson, Martin Leuthauser and Wendel Cox in the department assisted in locating newspaper copies and suggesting additional data sources. History Colorado, formerly the Colorado Historical Society, is acknowledged in providing the source microfilm and internet database of the newspapers used to create this book. In addition, their J. Alden Smith correspondence file in the Hart Library is extensive. Wendy Hall, at the Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Boulder County Library, Boulder, Colorado is also acknowledged for allowing access and use of the J. Alden Smith papers collection. All these organziations are critical facilities protecting many rare publications and manuscripts. They are very much appreciated for their help. Mark Ivan Jacobson Chengdu, China February 2011
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The seal of the State of Colorado
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Table of Contents John Alden Smith and his “Minerals of Colorado” catalogues....................... 3 J. Alden Smith Mineral Sale offering, January 1, 1885. ............................... 57 Catalogue of the Minerals of Colorado: November 1866............................. 61 Catalogue of the Minerals found in Colorado: 1867 .................................... 73 Catalogue of the Principal Minerals of Colorado: 1870 ............................... 95 Catalogue of the Principal Minerals of Colorado: 1880 ..............................111 Catalogue of the Principal Minerals of Colorado: 1882 ............................. 145
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John Alden Smith circa 1880. From Baskin and Millett (1880).
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John Alden Smith biography
John Alden Smith and his “Minerals of Colorado” catalogues Mark Ivan Jacobson John Alden Smith came to Central City in 1864 as the agent for the Noble Gold Mining Company. The climate was so healthy with economic opportunities that he stayed. Soon thereafter, he published his first “Minerals of Colorado” in 1866 and revised it several times until 1882. During later years he became an assayer, mineralogist, mining engineer, mining geologist, printer, and newspaperman. He was the only Territorial Geologist of Colorado, the mine superintendent for reputedly the richest gold mine in Boulder County and lastly the first Colorado State Geologist. The mining interests of Gilpin county, Boulder County or Colorado at fairs and expositions including the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, were represented by him. His world-class mineral and ore collection, of over 6,000 specimens, was donated to the University of Colorado in 1880. It was exceptionally rich in tellurium minerals of Boulder County, with excellent coverage of other United States localities. Unfortunately only two specimens from his collection have been recognized at this time. John Alden Smith was born a Mainer, just north of Lewiston, probably in Monmouth, Kennebec County, Maine, on May, 19, 1830. He was the oldest child of six to James F. Smith and the former Miriam W. Adams (Adams 1900). At the age of 14, after having acquired a “very thorough education” representative for that era, he was apprenticed in the printing business, entering the office of the nearby Hallowell Gazette, Kennebec county. He spent three years with them, mastering all the details of the printing trade. At the end of this time, he was then apprenticed to a woolen manufacturer, with whom he served the same period of time. “At the age of 20, being convinced that for a young man without capital the opportunities for advancement commensurate with his aspirations, were not to be found in either profession, he took up that of stone cutter,” which in Maine meant granite quarrying for building stone. “He pursued this occupation for four years, when he drifted back to the printing business (Boulder Daily Camera 1896a, Baskin and Millet 1880).” None of these careers by themselves were satisfactory, especially since he was soon to be married and needed a better source of income. On November 29, 1853, he married Amy Elizabeth Wiggin who was born in July 1833. Amy was soon pregnant but unfortunately their first child died in infancy. He moved to Lewiston and established a commercial printing office at No. 1, Jones Block, which was quite successful for three years. He printed stationary, advertising circulars and books. One example was a religious philosophy book entitled “The Dew of Hermon” by Martha A. Daniel (Daniel 1858) that he printed in 1858. During this time Amy Elizabeth had their second child, Emma Carr 3
