| Summary: | Correspondence to Alfred H. Jones from Arthur C. Waller discussing such topics as: the changes in construction and engineering methods and equipment; the machinery and process of separating oil from sands in Alaska and Canada; the potential of surface oil deposits in Mexican Hat; the modern changes that have taken place at Lee's Ferry; Arthur's trip to Flagstaff and stay at the Weatherford Hotel; and the modernization of Navajo dress and jewelry making. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Born in Denver, Colorado in 1884, Albert H. Jones, Jr. worked with Charles H. Spencer and his mining party, staking placer claims on the San Juan and Colorado Rivers from 1908-1911. Spencer thought that gold could be sluiced from the Colorado and he convinced investors that his plan was worth funding. Jones was a skilled engineer, surveyor and route finder. He ran baselines and triangulated prominent topography in the area. He recorded the first measurement of the discharge of the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry. With a fleet that included an excursion boat formerly used on the Mississippi River, Jones and others went upriver to stake claims. After leaving Spencer's operation, Jones continued to survey for mineral resources in Como, Colorado. In 1916, he became the Superintendent of the Denver Water Supply Reservoir and remained in that position until 1926. Jones was registered as a civil engineer in 1920 and graduated from the Colorado School of Mines and the International Correspondence School in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1934, he purchased land in Elizabeth, Colorado where he operated the Silver J Fox Ranch for over 15 years. He died in 1979 in Castle Rock, Colorado.
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