While mining continued into the 1860’s and beyond along the Klamath River, gold bearing quartz wasn’t discovered until the 1870’s in Rocky Gulch and the hills west of Henley in Siskiyou County. The best known of these quartz mines was the Jillson, owned by the Hazel Gold Mining Co.
Mike Bram was the first to work the area, but after taking on a partner, Hayes Hazlett, Bram left the company. Hazlett worked out an agreement with Jehu Jacobs who constructed a mill to mill the ore that Hazlett located.
The property became subject to a lawsuit when the owner of surface rights, Sam Clary, refused to let Hazlett, owner of the underground mining rights, construct a dump for the waste rock from his operation. The matter was settled in 1897 by I. O. Jillson buying out Clary, Hazlett, and Jacobs.
Jillson found ore in three of the mine’s veins: the original Hazlett vein; the Potato Patch vein; and the “C” vein. He set up a five-stamp mill and began processing gold. He added a second five-stamp mill and operated the mine until the gold played out in 1902.
Source: Jacobs, Gordon. "Mines of the Henley-Hornbrook Area." The Siskiyou Pioneer and Yearbook, Vol. Two, No. 10 , 1957, pp. 48-50.
