The mines, although consolidated after the

settlement of the litigation, were shut down

about 1877, mainly, it would appear, because

the large .bonanza bodies of argentiferous ga-

lena had been worked out. In the early eight-

ies the Carson & Colorado Railroad, a narrow-

gage line which connected with the Central

Pacific Railway at Reno, was completed to

Keeler and was expected to revive the mining

industry at the Cerro Gordo. The mine, how-

ever, was worked spasmodically by lessees until

it was acquired by the Great Western Ore

Purchasing Co. in 1905. A small production

was made by this corporation in 1907. Sub-

sequently the property was taken over by the

Four Metals Mining Co., which erected a 200-

ton smelter just east of Keeler and connected

it with the mine by an aerial tramway. This

company attempted to smelt the old slags from

the Cerro Gordo and to work the mine but

went into insolvency. L. D. Gordon and as-

sociates, who had obtained from the Four

Metals Mining Co. a lease to extract the zinc

ore of the mine, then took over the property

by purchase of the bonds of the insolvent cor-

poration. During 1912 the property was in

litigation, and in April, 1913, it was sold by

marshal's sale under foreclosure of mortgage.

It was bought by L. D. Gordon and associates,

but in 1914 in order to obviate any further

litigation a rebrganization was effected and

the Cerro Gordo Mines Co., which now op-

erates the mine, was incorporated.

To whom belongs the credit of recognizing

the zinc ores at Cerro Gordo is not certainly

known. Its discovery in important quantities

and its profitable exploitation are due to L. D.

Gordon. The first shipment of zinc ore under

the management of L. D. Gordon was made in

May, 1911; previously, however, the Great

Western Co. had made a shipment of two cars

but at a loss of $800.