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gold values in the gravel ridge are probably very small. The question
whether a buried channel exists does not appear to have been definitely
settled and in any case so little coarse gold has been found in the basins
of Fountain creek and the headwaters in general of Swift river that the
occurrence of a rich pay-streak in the buried channel seems improbable.

Upper Swift River

Upper Swift river is reached by the trail from Stanley which extends
up Last Chance creek to the head of Peters creek and down Fountain
creek. The trail comes to Swift river at a point one-eighth mile below the
junction of Little Swift and Swift rivers. Fountain creek joins Swift
river about one-half mile below the trail crossing, and Porter creek, coming
from the south, about 6 miles below. The positions of these tributary
streams are shown incorrectly on existing maps. The alluvial flat of Swift
river below the junction of Little Swift is about one-half mile wide and
extends downstream for several miles. It is only sparsely timbered. Near
the junction there are a few low hills of glacial drift rising above the valley
flat. Upstream from the junction the valley flats of the two streams
continue for several miles, but gradually narrow upstream. There is a
rock canyon on Little Swift river near the mouth of the tributary Foster
creek. Little Swift heads in Bald Mountain plateau near the sources of
Antler creek, flowing in the opposite direction, and Swift or Big Swift farther
south near the sources of Keithley creek. Below the junction, the stream
at low water averages about 30 feet in width and 1 to 2 feet in depth and
has a flow of 30 to 40 cubic feet a second. It flows over a bed of fine gravel
with few stones over 6 or 8 inches in diameter. Flood-plain silt 1 to 3 feet
thick overlies the gravel along the sides of the stream.

Some gold was obtained in the early days on Little Swift river just
below the canyon, and one or more shafts were sunk in the deep ground
of the creek, but it is stated that nearly all the gold was fine and was
confined to the surface deposits. Parts of the valleys of Little Swift and
Swift rivers have been staked once or twice in recent years as possible
dredging ground. In 1919 a number of borings with rods were put down
by Captain Edgar for an English company, to test the character of the
ground. One cross-section of four holes was made across the valley near
the junction of Little Swift and Swift, and another of four holes at the
junction of Beedy creek, coming from Milk Ranch pass, and Little Swift
river. The deepest hole was 24 feet deep and most of the others were 16
to 18 feet deep, at which depths cemented gravel is said to have been
struck. Colours of fairly fine gold, some of which, however, is as coarse
as 5 to 10 to the cent, can be obtained by panning on the bars of Swift
river below the junction, but the average gold value and thickness of the
gravels, and the extent of cementation, are not known.

Lower Swift River

_ Lower Swift river, above the junction with Lightning creek, below
which the combined streams are known as Cottonwood river, flows in a
broad, flat-bottomed valley for about 2% miles. The valley flat in this