CROOK COUNTY JOURNAL'S ANNUAL NUMHER.
King mine is rich in gold, silver, copper,
and lead, and has been prospected to the
depth of 350 feet, with extensive drifts at
each 100-foot level, and everywhere show
ing abundance of high grade ore, and is
unquestionably the greatest discovery in
Oregon up to date. Many other veins
have been found in the vicinity showing
good prospects; and the surface now being
the original apex, a prospect on the sur
face indicates a paying vein deeper down,
and this field is certainly now worth the
capitalist's investigation, and a place of
probable great gain by a reasonable money
venture. The fact is, the stock men with
their herds and flocks have trod over
this ground for the last thirty years, little
suspecting the wealth that lay beneath.
Farther east and south we have the Ochoco
mines where gold was first discovered 30
years ago. The writer has no way of esti
mating the amount of placer gold that has
been taken from these mines in the time
eastern boundary of this county, upon the
headwaters of Beaver creek, a tributary of
Crooked river, are many hills made up of
a great gravel wash. No boulders being
larger than a man's head, and the boulders
and gravel are either quartz or quartzite,
and are hard and smoothly worn, showing
that they have been subject to great
erosion. All of this gravel carries some
gold and perhaps would pay for washing
with an abundance of water and a sufficient
dump. It is evident that the formation from
which they were detached was of the prim
itive rocks and were mineral bearing. In
places these gravel beds seem to have been
heaved up from the bed of a sea or ocean
which, judging from the character of the
fossil shells lifted up, apparently coming
under the gravel in the first deposit of silt,
which is now formed into a secondary slate
deposit, said by professors to have been co
incident with the formation of the chalk
bluffs of England and France.
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FARM RESIDENCE OF S. R- SLAYTON-
past. In .more recent years exploration has
tended to the development of vein or lode
mines and many thousands of dollars have
been spent in tunneling and sinking
shafts which have led to the uncovering
of large bodies of low grade ore as well
as some ore of high grade. Here is a prop
osition that only waits cheaper means of
transportation to constitute to some man
or body of men an inexhaustible source of
revenue. In this formation there is no great
amount of quartz, but great beds of por
phyry carry lead, silver and gold. These
mines are surrounded with one of the best
bodies of timber known to Eastern Oregon,
adding to the opportunity of successful
workng of the mine. South of this point,
on the north side of Lookout mountain, re
cent discoveries indicate another body of
ore carrying precious metals to some ex
tent, but at this date the development work
has not been sufficient to demonstrate that
the prospect constitutes a mine. Near the
Who will find the bed rock from which
the gravel at the head of Beaver creek
had its origin? When he does he will
find a second Klondike. Along the source
of Crooked river are many dikes differing
in character and perhaps differing in origin.
Many of the dikes show the presence of
gold and silver in small quantities, but now
deemed not sufficient to constitute a paying
mine, so far as now explored.
To the south of Crooked river is the Bear
creek and Powell buttes, which in connection
with Grizzly butte, Gray butte, and Baldwin
hills, evidently once constituted a low range
of mountains or hills that are very ancient
in their origin and are porphyritic in char
acter. Their ancient character is proven
by observing the butting against and over
lap of the lava against their base. One
of the reasons why the richness of the coun
ty in mineral resources has not been dis
covered long ere this is that the nature of
the ore is not common to other parts of the
state, and the average prospector, not being
familiar with its character, has usually
been looking for something different and
did not realize the amount of wealth over
which he walked. That the surface of the
earth in this county has been torn and rent
by volcanic action is evident to the eye
by the over lap and upheaved surface in
places, and the over layer of volcanic ash
and lava in others. Near Hay creek we
find a large tract of country where the sur
face rocks are slates and in which are found
fossil leaves, and under which we might
reasonably look for stone coal and perhaps
coal oil. Directly upon the head of Beaver
occurs blue lime stone in ample quantities
to supply the wants of the people of this
county, for all time to come, when trans
portation is cheapened and demand is suf
ficient to warrant working. Near this place
soine coal has been found, but the locality
nas not been explored sufficient to demon
strate quality or quantity. In many places
between Hay creek and Trout creek opals
have been found in abundance that were
very beautiful, but none as yet that will
stand the operation of polishing, but are in
clined to crumble and slack after exposure
to the air for some time. Moss agate is
found in places in abundance, and probably
would possess some commercial value by
careful selection of the specimens for the
jeweler's use. Upon the head of the
Deschutes are found great blocks of pumice
stone, like great masses of honeycomb, of
even texture and fine grit suitable for
polishing purposes for either wood or iron.
In the southeastern portion of this county
are many indications of great borax fields.
The mining probabilities cf which I have
written, will at no distant day constitute a
part of the riches of this, one of the most
wonderful countries comparatively un
touched, south of the frozen regions of the
north. WM. C. WILLIS.
FARMING AND STOCKRAISING
To write up the farming industry of Crook
county, and do it justice, at this particular
time, is a somewhat difficult task. So far
in our history we have simply lived through
the experimental stage in the matter of
farming, at least in the production of cereals.
Large portions of Crook county are now
just crossing the line passing from the
old to the new era in the matter of rais
ing grain. Take, for instance, what is
known as the Haystack country. It has
been but a few years since it was known
that even the choice lands of that section
of country would actually produce wheat,
oats and barley. Gradually, year by year,
the experiment has been broadened until
the past season that entire expanse of
rollling hills and valleys where a few short
seasons ago there roamed vast herds of
cattle, horses and sheep, were striped and
checked all over with yellow fields of grain.
That particular section of Crook county is
already across the line. It is essentially
a farming community even now. It is
ready and waiting for a railroad. The
slow toiling gang plow, the keen rattle of
the traction engine as it drags its cumber
some self and separator from farm to farm
have taken the place of the once rough and
proud vaquero. The meek and mild-mannered
shepherd, noting the sure encroach-