Western Sierra Signs Agreement to Acquire the Blue Bell and De Soto Mines in Arizona
Western Sierra Mining Corp. announced that it had signed a contract for a two-year lease with a fixed price option to purchase both the Blue Bell and De Soto mines, located near Crown King and Mayer, Arizona. Both mines have historically produced large amounts of silver and copper; the production cons also carried some gold. The two mines rest on approximately 550 acres of patented property.
Both the Blue Bell and De Soto mines produced substantial amounts of copper through the 1930s. The gold produced was a by-product of mining activities. The Blue Bell produced some 53 million pounds of copper during its operating lifetime.
The Blue Bell also produced silver from the late 1880s, with operations suspended in 1946. Exploration has continued through 1990 by outside mining companies. Both mines have shaft exposure below the 1300-foot level with in excess of 30,000 feet of lower workings.
Commenting on the agreement, the Company’s president, Michael Chaffee, said, ”We will shortly initiate a complete geological evaluation of the two mines beginning with a review of all existing historical data. During this period, we will also evaluate the merits of constructing a small hard-rock-free gold recovery plant to act as a test facility for both the De Soto and Blue Bell mines and to provide a local testing facility for other mines the Company owns in the area such as the Sun Gold, Oro Cache, Eagle and Treasure Gulch.”
Western Sierra Mining is an aggressive gold and silver exploration and mining company focused on the historic mining districts of the Bradshaw mountains of Arizona, with additional areas of interest within Nevada and Mexico. Current projects include the SunGold, Oro Cache, and the Big Chief mining group, all of which have demonstrated high-grade mineralization with previous histories of production. Long-term Company goals are to create maximum shareholder value by continuing to build a strong base of properties and advance these projects toward production.
