36
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 1, 1902.
the Central Western Oregon division is
flrst encountered at the Santlam district.
This district Is reached from Albany, the
county seat of Linn County, situated on
the line of the Southern Pacific Railroad
SO miles south from Portland. At this
city are ample banking- facilities, ex
cellent newspapers, hotels and commercial
houses, carrying- all lines of miners sup
plies. The City of Lebanon Is situated at
the terminus of a branch railway running
In the direction of the mines, to which
wagon roads extend.
The Santiam district lies In- the foot
hills or the "Western slope of the Cas
cades, and "west from Mount Jefferson.
The town of Anidam Is located centrally
in the district, which is In townships 11
and 12, south, ranges 5 and 6. east. The
elevation Is about 2000 feet. The country
Is heavily timbered with the finest hem
lock, cedar, sugar pine, red flr, etc., all
useful for mine timbering and structural
purposes. The formation is chiefly por
phyry, slates and quartzite. The veins of
quartz are strong and well denned, some
of them traceable- by outcrop for 10
miles. The values lies In free-milllng-gold
ores, generally associated with, sil
ver. In some localities the ores carry
lead, zinc and copper, but always asso
ciated with gold, which constitutes the
chief product, averaging in ores hereto
fore milled $5 to $12 per ton in gold. "With
depth it ls probable base ores will be
encountered, requiring concentration, pos
sibly smelting. :tfany claims have been
located, of which fully 50 are being
develtoped by annual "assessment" worit
and a few more rapidly, as means of the
owners admit. There is one 20-stamp and
one 10-stamp mill In the district, and two
more projected for next Summer.
Large quantities of gold have been
taken from placers- lir the gulches heading-
In the ranges where quartz Is found,
and any still being- worked In several
localities. The dust Is of high grade and
fine. No hydraulics have heen Introduced.
The dense growth of timber Is a serious
Impediment to placer mining, as the trees
grow "as- thick as they can. stand," and
often are 300 feet In height. The district
ls reached by rail from Albany to Gates,
4i miles; thence by fair mountain road,
20 miles- tor the mines.
Development in Bloc River District.
Eugene, the cpunty seat of Lane Coun
ty, south from. Portland 123 miles and on
the lino. of the Southern Pacific. Is the
supply and departure point for Blue River
mines. This city has banking establish
ments, good hotels and mercantile houses
for all needs, as well as some of the
oldest and best local newspapers- in. the
state. '
This district lies In Lane, just Inside the
line- dividing Lane from Linn- The prin
cipal mines He in an uplift known as Gold
Hill, which is on the western slope of
the Cascades, and about 20 miles due west
of the Three Sisters. Public surveys
have not been extended over this- tract
The country ls mountainous, elevation
some 4300 feet, cut by deep canyons and
heavily timbered with fir, larch, cedar, etc
The formation consists chiefly of por
phyry, with-some syenite and occasional
showing of granite. The mineral veins
cut the formations as true fissures, and
so far as developed carry their values In
free gold. Beautiful specimens of wire
and shot gold are frequently found here.
The veins are of quartz from three to 30
feet thick and yield from 55 to $7 In free
gold. A small percentage of silver runs
with the gold, and there are local limited
showings of lead ana copper. The per
centage of iron sulphurets Is very low.
The greatest amount of development done
Is on the Lucky Boy claim, and a- 15
stamp mill is running on ore from It; bat
tery and plate amalgamations. Another
mill is being erected in the district
The mines are reached from. Eugene by
stage to Blue River postoffiee, a- distance
of 45 miles, thence by good wagon road
six miles. Hundreds of mining claims have
been taken up In this camp, all showing
free gold on the surface, but general de
velopment must be slow, unless the strug
gling prospectors have help for grub and
efficient tools.
Bohemia. I Oregon' Cripple Creek.
Take the train again at Eugene and get
off at Cottage Grove. This town is im
proving, has good, enterprising newspa
pers, commercial houses and hotels, fur
nishing fair accommodations. Until re
cently, it was a hamlet of no pretense.
Now, It is of importance as a supply and
departure point for the Bohemia district
and Black Butte. A good livery stable is
kept here, a necessary convenience for the
locality, end will be until the promised
railroad to the mines Is built
The Bohemia mining district, of 15 or
more miles square, is a very interesting
and very promising locality. The Ineritit
ble romance attends its early days. It is
exceedingly rough, mountains, gored by
canyons of great depth, and covered with
timber that seems aspiring to reach the
sun. It ls a wild, awe-inspiring country.
Its elevation is about 70Q0 feet but peaks
rise higher. It is 38 miles southeast from
Cottage Grove, by wagon road, though a
railroad connecting with the Southern Pa
cific at this town is being surveyed. Its
completion would be of great benefit to
the miners and to the State of Oregon.
Mines make markets. Mines mean money.
A telephone line. Just completed, connects
the camp with Cottage Grove and the rest
of the world.
Bohemia district lies in the Calapooia
Mountains, partly in Lane and partly in
Douglas; it laps over the range into
Douglas. Two wagon roads lead to it
Over 3000 minlng'locatlons have been made
in it The formation is eruptive and vol
, canlc, and the section has been greatly
disturbed and broken. In places lava flows
have been hurled by a later sheet of brec
clated matter to a depth of 50 feet or more.
.(.The section is geologically new; its pres
ent condition Is of relatively late forma
' tion. The veins are numerous and heavily
mineralized, as ls usual In much broken
localities, "and some surprisingly rich ores
have been found. The veins cut the ridges
in parallel groups, and can In some in
stances be traced for three miles across
ridges and valleys or gorges. Cross veins
intersect these, and the general formation,
which Is of andesltc, an eruptive rock.
The valuable ores, as usual, occur In pipes
or chutes, and carry free gold, pyrites,
copper, lead and sometimes a little zinc
The upper zones of ores of some of the
mines have been successfully and very
profitably worked by the free-milling pro
cess, but it Is probable that they will be
come base or refractory with considerable
depth, and require smelting. Great depth
has not been attained, less than 500 feet,
but the depth so far shows general in
crease of values and strength of veins.
The most extensive workings have been
on the Helena, Mustek, Champion, Noon
day, Vesuvius and Star. The Helena mine
has ,10 stamps, with concentrators; the
Musick, 10 stamps and concentrators: the
Noonday, 20 stamps and concentrators;
the Champion, 10 stamps; the Stocks &
Harlow, five stamps, and the George Long
two stamps.
Very great energy Is being displayed In
this great district, ad prospects are being
rapidly developed Into mines. The veins
lie in very precipitous mountains, and
can be worked to great depth by tunnel
ing. The district covers townships 22 and
23 S , R. 1 E., and Townships 22 and 23 S.,
R. 2 E., W. M The Willamette Meridian
extends through It
Black Bntte Clnnnbnr Mines.
The Black Butte cinnabar mines are
situated on the north side of the Cala
pooia, in the southern part of Lane Coun
ty, about two miles from the Douglas
County line, on the west fork of the Coast
Fork of the Willamette River, In township
23 S.. R. 3 W. They are reached by an ex
cellent wagon road, on water grade, from
Cottage Grove, 1C miles, and about 3S
miles due south from Eugene. The eleva
tion of the mines is about 2750 feet above
sea level, and 1700 feet above the general
level of the Upper Willamette Valley. The
general formation Is sandstone and rhyo
llte. The ore occurs in a contact between
sandstone for hanging wall and a rhyolite
foot wall. Originally, the rock now con
stituting the country was a sandstone.
Subsequently, a rhyolite dike cut through
and upturned a portion of the sandstone,
forming a fissure between the two at the
plane of contact, the sandstone being al
tered along this line This Assuring has
been filled by the fractured rhyolite and
sandstone along- the line of contact, and
caldte and scone dolomite, mainly by cal
clte; the original rocks arc much altered
and brecciated. along the line of Assuring.
The lode ls about 200 feet wide, which by
secondary action has been further altered,
and the valuable ores are found along the
planes- of contact, between these older and
later formations in the original Assuring:
The mineral is in the form of sulphide of
mercury, known as cinnabar.
About 7030 feet of underground develop
ment work has been done in the last two
years. A wire rope tram of 7000 feet of
two-inch cable connects the present workings-
with the reduction works, which con
sists of a. furnace having a dally capacity
of 40 tons of ore
The surroundings of this mine and plant
are very attractive, and pretty cottages
f and well-kept grounds add greatly to the
environment It Is the property of. the
Black Butte Quicksilver Mining Company,
of Seattle, W. B. Dennis, manager.
SOUTHERN OREGON MINES.
Gravel Deposits 5 to CO Feet Deep
aad Quartz of Great Valae.
A few miles south from Cottage Grove
the summit of the Calapooia Range, the
line between Lane and Douglas Counties
and demarcation of Central-Western and
Southern. Oregon mining- sections, ls
reached. No organized mining districts
are known and localities must be desig
9MMMMMMMl4MMtittMMMMMt.tMftMtMMMMMMMMMtftMUMntl
nated by reference to supply points for
each as they are found on the line of
the railway.
Jioseburg, county seat of Douglas, is
situated amour, the rolllnj: hills which
characterize the greater part of the
county, distant &outh from Portland 13S
miles. Here is the United States Local
T ... rvffir "RrMSAVjurtr land fiistriel"-
A portion of Bonemia district lap3 over
the Calapooias Into this country, out t
with this exception but little mining busl-
ness is done in the northern portion of
the county. No mines of importance
are fcibutary to Roseburg.
Riddles, a growing town on the line of
the railroad. 26 miles south of Roseburg.
Is a point of considerable importance as I
supply-point fcr neighboring mines.
particularly the placers lyinsr to the east,
on Coffee Creek and its tributaries. On
Cow, Ash and Bollenbaugh Creeks tho
farmers engage in washing gold out of
their lands during the rainy days or "" " "s nuuucum uu . i-i-Wlnter.
For nine months of each year Jng the discovery of the Gold Bug mines,
they cultivate their land and for three Mount Reuben: This locality Is as one
months they work at the edges for the I Just discovered. The genuine quartz pros
.. u ... i .. Ann n te m nector was late In coming, but 'found a
to be a very profitable business.
On 1
Cow Creek, 15 miles from Riddles, several
placers, one having a gravel bed 50 feet
deeD. are belns operatea oy nyarauncs
under ICO-foot head with excellent results.
Three miles west from Riddles is a
group of claims producing nlckeL They
occur in a range or mountain locally
known as "Old Piney," having an altl
tude of 3500 feet The formation is an
eruptlvemagneslan rock technically known
as saxonlte. A series of veins Intersect
this mass, which covers an area exceeding
1200 acres. Since tho formation of the
ore veins a subsequent movement has
tilted them from their original position
and they now lie at a dip of about 20
degrees from horizontal. Apparently the
hanging wall has been eroded, leaving
great ore bodies exposed as a blanket
The ores are In form of a silicate of
nickel and magnesia, averaging about V&
per cent, and the veins vary from IS
Inches to 80 feet in width, the gangue be
ing silica in various forms. Cretaceous
sandstones, altered slates and serpentine
comprise the general structure of the
county.
East of Riddles S3 miles, on the head
of Elk Creek, the Rainbow Company has
five claims on copper and gold-bearing
veins, of eight five and 30 feet respect
ively; the ores going about 10 per cent
of metal. Elevation, 3500 feet; formation,
andereite, feldsite and schists. Numer
ous other claims are being developed in
that neighborhood.
Glendale. south from Riddles 35 miles
bv rail, ls near the southern line of
Douglas County, which follows the sum
mit of the transverse range of the Rogue
River Mount ilns. The mines tributary
to Leland consist chiefly of placers. On
Tennessee Gulch, 12 miles northeast are
about a dozen placers, one well equipped,
the others on a small scale. On Ball
Run. a tributary of Qulnes Creek, aro
several, getting coarse gold. Eight miles
farther up in the mountains, and on
Hogem and Starvcout are numerous oth
ers; three hydraulics on Hogem. On
Stewart are two fairly extensive hydraul
ic mines. Six miles farther up, on White
Horse Creek is another group, and 10
miles still farther, cinnabar float has
been found on the hillsides and In stream
beds. The veins which threw off the
float have not been found.
On Qulnes Creek, 12 miles northeast
from Glendale, ls the old Union quartz
mine, recently taken over by a Califor
nia company. The veins He In contact
run parallel, carry free gold and pyrites;
formation, diabese and serpentine; elec
tion, 2500 feet
On the headwaters of Stewart Creek
and above the placers on that stream, !
a group of quartz claims known as the
Green Mountain. They are reached by
wagon road of 22 miles, from Glendale.
A considerable amount of work has been
done on these mines, and profits realized.
The quartz eln Is large, carries free
gold and sulphurets, has a strike nearly
due north and dip 00 degrees oast The
hanging wall of slate, footwall of(por
phyry. A depth of 200 feet has been
reached. A small stamp mill Is on the
property. Elevallon. 4500 feet.
Northwest from Glendale seven miles,
on -Cow Creek, are the Victory hydraulic
placers, with very extensive workings.
Four to five giants are kept steadi'y in
operation during the water season. The
Southern Pacific Railroad passes through
this property and the operations in the
nates can be seen, from the car windows.
The gravel deposits are extensive and
from five to 50 feet deep. Just below this
are the Fuller, Dewey and Valk. placers;
and about three miles below the Victory,
at what is known as Railroad Camp B,
is. another hydraulic placer, to be seen
from the car windows.
On the headwaters of Shlvely Creek, a
tributary of the South Umpqua River,
Some rich placers, producing- heavy gold,
have recently been, discovered, and a hy
draulic plant ls being Installed to work
them. Lying near tho line. In Josephine
County, are the Gold Bus: and Benton
groups of quartz mines, but telegraph,
postal and commercial relations are had
with Glendale
Excellent hotels are maintained at Glen
dale. and fair commercial establishments.
Being in a picturesque, healthful moun
tain region, the charm, of Summer resort
is added to the attraction of the mines.
JOSEPHINE COUNTY.
Hundreds of Mil of Placers Ramify
the MoHRtain. Baaex.
A detailed description of the mining: in
dustry of Josephine County would he like
reporting the resources- of a common
wealth. There are hundreds upon hun
dreds of. miles of placer mines ramifying
the mountain ranges. Some of them are.
of marvelous formation, of vast depth,
and a few are being; operated, on a large
scale and with modern, contrivances. What
ifollowa In the way of description, like
THE MCSICK MINE, BOHEMIA DISTRICT, PROPERTY OP THE IIEI4EX.V CONSOLIDATED MINING CO.
what precedes it. Is greatly abbreviated,
and is in no case, consciously exaggerat
ed. Very much is omitted.
The exalted bed of an ancient ana
I mighty river, now filled with prodigious
deposits 01 iossiis. auruerous graveis ana
sand, covered with rich soil and the vege
tation of centuries climaxed in trees 200
feet high, and paralleled In part by a
great mineralized zone, which has been j
uj iouuuw. ia uao ui iu uoicjici. i
thii wonderful country. Strength for the
ordinary avocation of life falters in the
presence of the work which is to despoil
tho cravel hills and rob the mountains of
elr golden stores,
Mount Reuben, terminating In a eurmnit
somewhat higher than the surrounding
elevations, is a part of the general uplift
where the Rogue River Range intersects
or joins the Coast Range. It ls situated
just south of the line between" Douglas
and Josephine. Romantic history here
virgin country for exploration. The moun-
' A...l f ..f vnl.V. t.Aln. .Hd ... fUkCtllT
so far attained are satisfactory and en
couraging. The Gold Bug group, before referred to.
lies on the western slope bf the hill. IS
miles by wagon road from Glendale. The
general formation of the county here Is
hornblende andeslte. The veins of quartz
THE HELENA MINE, BOHEMIA
ar frrrm 1G to 25 feet wide: strike west
of south, and lie in chlorltlc chutes in-
teroecting the general formation.
Vcini Neither Pockety Nor Blankety.
The ores are free gold, with sulphur
ets carrying values. The savings on bat
tery and plates are about 75 per cent of
assay returns; the sulphurets are savea
by vanners In the usual way. The veins
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have gouge on well-defined walls and dip j vein Is 700 feet; ores free and in sUiphur- j strong banking institutions, heavy com
vertically about 70 degrees from horl- eti A 15-stamp mill ls kept in fuh op- i mcrcial houses, splendid hotel nccommo
zontal. The Gold Bug vein has been i eratlon, and 25 stamps are to be added, j datlons, and well-stocked IK cry etablcs.'It
c.p red to h vertical depth of 7C0 feet, the The property Is reputed to be paying j fs favored with good newspapers, and the
vein increasing in strength and value to j handsomely with ores averaging $1S per Oregon Mining Journal, a weekly publlca-
the deen. Conditions here and at other
mines in Southern Oregon prove that the I In this locality many other properties
veins are neither "blankets" nor "pock- j are being developed, several giving ex
ety." There ls a five-stamp mill on this j cellent promise of future mines. A two-
property and a cyanide plant being in
stalled, for treatment of the sulphurets.
Altitude of mines, 3000 feet.
The Benton group lies one-half mile due
west of the Gold Bug at an elevation of
2G30 feet. A serpentine dike traverses the
country here and this group lies in a
magnesium trap. Workings nearly 500 feet
deep, walls well defined, dipping uiform
ly 70 degrees east
Tho California group joins the Gold Bug
on the cast in the same character of
formation, and has a two-stamp mill.
Farther around the mountain, to the
southeast, some two miles from tho B'en-
ton. Is the Ajax of four claims; formation
schists and porphyry. Two parallel veins
Qt quartz, about 400 feet apart and from
two to 18 feet wide, return gold averag
ing 55 per ton A two-stamp mill ls on
the property.
From the Ajax west of south three miles
f la tha Copperstaln, a group of four claims.
Here an Incline shaft follows the vein
S20 feet A. Tremain mill ls to be sup
planted by the orthodox stamp.
Adjoining tho Copperstaln on the south
west is the John Lewis property, consist
ing of a group of claims which are be
ing developed systematically.
Adjoining the Gold Bug on the north
wast is the Ramesey group of six claims.
A tunnel cuts the principal vein at a
depth of 500 feet It is well defined and
shqws H feet of ore. An upraise is be
ing made to the surface. The ore ls sim
ilar in character to that of other mines
in the district
Across Whisky Creek, which runs at
the base of Reuben and on the eastern
slope of the opposite mountain, are four 4000 Inches of water are brought to the
claims, known as the Palmer and Kramer, mine under head, or pressure, of from 1
A croaa-cut tunnel cuts the vein 200 feet foot to 1000 feet, as, the various needs re
deep. This vein Is strong, has four feet quire. The Impact of a stream of water
of high-grade ore- carrying free gold and J under a presure of 700 feet through a six
tellurlne. - 1 Inch nozzle H terrific. It Is very like
On the northeast slope of Reuben that of a solid bar of iron moving
three miles from tho Qold Bug, and almost like a rannon shot. hen sucli
on the wagon road from Glendale. iq a stream Is diverted upward through a
the New Hope group of seven claims. Tha pipe constructed properly, everything that
foimation Is porphyry and schists. The j will enter the pipe must pass through it
veins run northeast, and are Intersected
by an Iron dike nearly at right angles.
This locality Is intersected by veins run-
nlng at various courses and from one to
16 feet In width, approximating stock.
weeks. A cross-cut tunnel ls to open the
principal ore chute at a depth of 210 feet
The foregoing details arc summarized
to show that this very newly discovered
quartz zone ls receiving active attention.
Many unmentioned prospects In- this moun
tain are being exploited.
Leland, another point on the Southern
T!ifxlfl T?-Orn?? 7R mllM niifh from
Portland, is the departure point for the
upper or northern portion of the Immense
placer fields of Josephine County, and
some Important quartz mines are being
operated In the adjacent county.
Ten miles east from Leland, by good
road. Is a quartz mine generally knawn
as tho Greenback. The property consists
' of seven contiguous claims, which are lat-
j terly known as- the Victor, Jr. They He
in a spur of St Peter's Mountain The
I general formation Is metamorphlo trap,
DISTRICT, PROPEE.TY OP THE HELENA CONSOLIDATED MINING CO.
The strike of the veins is nearly due east
1 and west A serpentine belt or dike,
striking north and south. Intersects this
entire section, and the veins abutting
it, as against a wall, cease entirely.
The veins are in true fissures, aver
aging threeand a -half feet, dip 40 de
grees north, at an elevation of 2SC0 feet
i The depth attained on the Greenback
l ton. Telephone connection witn j-ciana.
stamp mill at the foot of the mountain
does sample and custom work.
Placer claims of various areas, depths,
deposits and methods of working- are trlb
utary to Leland. but rely on Grant's rass
for large supplies and local bank fadll
ties. Grave Creek and Wolf Creek, flow
ing from the North and East unite near
Leland. The beds and banks of these
streams above and b:l3w the pcint of junc
tion and the beds and banks of their trib
utary streams and gulches form an al
most continuous chain of placer mines.
In the aggregate these auriferous gravel
beds cover a large area of country. -A-short
description of one modern plant
must suffice.
The Columbia Mines Company, an. Ore
gon Corporation, has an extensive prop
erty and up-to-date plant thereon, on
Grave Creel?, eight miles from Leland by
wagon road of easy grade a delightful
Summer drive. This plant has, it is
claimed, the largest hydraulic gravel ele
vator ever constructed A half-tone cut
from a photograph of this elevator, with
description of Its construction and opera
tion, appears on another page of this pa
per. It Is locally called the Hampton
elevator, Professor Hampton having, in
its construction, made improvements on
the original device of another by adjust
ment of numerous parts on closely cal
culated scientific principles.
The holdings of this company cover an
area of about 2500 acres. Water is sup
plied the giants and elevator through 23
miles of ditches, all four feet wide on the
bottom, seven on the top and three feet
deep. When the plant is In full operation
and to a height determinable by the cal
culatlons of the engineer.
The ground is piped In the usual way
Into sluices lilted with rlflles, where the
gold is saved. The taillr.s; recks, gravel
and earth fall from the tail of the sluice
j into the pit at the base of the elevator.
wucru iuu ujii usiui; micuiii ui nit- cic-
vator forces all the mass up the pipe to
the desired elevation for "dumping."
A small stream of water drivts a Pelton
wheel and dynamo, which furnish arc and
Incandescent lights to the wordings, or-
Hr nnil roslrti nre nnrl nunrtrrn for (m
ployes. Telephone lines connect the oltlco
with distant points on the ditches and
surrounding camps and with Portland, It
I Is an ideal plant.
Eight allies above the plant of the Co-
J lumbla Mines Company Is an ancient chan-
1 nel following, or lying in. the summit
of a low range of foothills. This old chan.
r.cl Is the bed of a prehistoric river, nnd
now lies at an elevation of nearly 200 feet
above the bed of Gravey Creek. It has
been traced at this point for nearly a
; mile, and Its gravels are being washed in a
i small way.
Grant' Pass.
This city Is the county scat of Josephine,
and the commercial and financial center
of this great mining country, which ex
tends into Del Norte County, Northern
California. Its location Is berutlful and
healthful. The streets are wide, and bust-
ness blocks arc of brick and stona. It has
uon aevoiea x.o me interests or inai inaus
try, and the oldest journal of Its kind in
the state, is published here. A Mining and
Commercial Club has a strong and active
I
organization with permanent rooms In this
city.
A 5-stamp custom ouartz mill is lo
cated here. The elevation above sea level
ls about 10CO feet
Gold la Timber-Clad Hills.
Placers and quartz mines extend from
within a mile of the town Into the moun
tains and gorges of the Rogue River,
Coast and Siskiyou ranges, all clothed
with flr, cedar, pine and oak. The prod
uct of the placers has been enormous In
the past and continues to be very large;
the exact amount la not ascertainable.
Quartz mining has received scant atten
tion until very recently. Heavy plant
growth has been a hindrance, though
available timber ia of great importance
to a mine when opened. The discovery of
one quartz mine serves as a finger board
on the road to others; so the opening of
mines aids the prospector In his search
for others in the same locality. Some
where in these hills He the velna that fed
the rough, quartz-bearing dust into the
placers.
West from Grant's Pass, 23 miles by
wagon road, and rising abruptly from the
south bank of Rogue River ls Peavlne
Mountain. Apparently this mountain at
one time joined Mount Rueben as a range
or chain, and tho accumulated waters
cut through this formation, carving out
the canyon through which Rogue River
now gets Its outlet to the sea. Intersect
ing Peavlne on its eastern slope. In a
nearly north and south course, and con
tinuing on through the mountainous coun
try ls an immense lode or zone, something
ovor 300 feet wide, made up of a series ot
highly mineralized veins, lying parallel,
carrying gold, silver, copper. Iron and
various other metals. This lode was flrst
discovered where the Rogue River had
cut U to a depth of over 1000 feet From
this point it has been traced south 20
miles, and north 15 miles, to and beyond
the Victory placers on Cow Creek, and
through the Cow Creek range. It ls sur
prising that very little exploration has
been made upon this remarkable lode.
Only one company Is now actively and
carneatly at work on it. and this ls being
done at a point on Rogue River. It is
generally known as the Bte Yank ledge.
Prehistoric River.
A great river surpassing Rogue River
50 fold or more once flowed northward
through this country. It was a mile or
more in width, and has been traced at
Interval of Ita course. Rogue River has
cut through it at tho mouth of Galice
Creek and from this point northerly for
a distance of 25 miles or more this ola
channel holds Its course through the
mountains, and cut across by the present
streams of Rogue River, Grave Creek and
Cow Creek. The northern end so far as
traced passes into the placors of the Vic
tory Company on Cow Creek In DougIaj
County. South from the mouth of Galice
Creek the old river bed paesea through
the Rrigg's Creek placer district, on
across the lower Illinois River to the
Waldo placers on the west fork of the
Illinois, a distance of 45 miles. In Its
aouthcrly courso it has heen cut across
by Brigg s Creek. Illinois Klver, josepnme
Creek and the west fork or the Illinois.
On its course south this o'd stream ap
pears again In Northern California.
Wherever encountered the gravelly bed of
this prehistoric stream has been found
rich in gold, and considerable quantities
of platinum have been found In It. A
vory small portion ot the bed of this
ancient rjver has been opened in Oregon.
The general elevation of its hed above
those of the present streams la about
400 feet, and where modern streams have
cut It their beds or banks haye been rich
lr. gold.
Peavlne Mountain haa many quartz
veins; several projects being opened; ores.
frce-miUlngOld' The output of some ot
these claims Is being reduced by the old
arastras mule powor.
Copper Vein Nearly a Mile Long.
A copper vein. 15 miles northwest from
Grant's Paes. 15 feet wide and 5000 feet
long. Is being prospected; and In the
southwest portion of tho county is an ex
tensive section of country which extends
Into California,
The ancient placer towns of Waldo,
Kcrby, AUhouso and Browntown are In
this locality. Energetic work is In prog
ness here on big" copper prospects, all of
which carry well in gold, trappings ap
pear in nearly every bill, and the surface
showings are excellent. This country Is
reached from Grant's Pass by daily stage
through Kerby and Waldo to Crescent
City, Cal. A dally stage also con
nects Kcrby with Browntown, a distance
of 13 miles. Telephone lines connect
Grant's Pass with Waldo, Sclraa, Kerby,
Shelby Creek and Crescent City.
South from Grant's Pass U Williams
Valley, a garden spot of orchards, alfalfa
fields and flowers. 10 miles by three mUes
It Is surounded by Imposing mountains.
Looking up from tho valley one sees holes
ranged In the mountain aides aboe like
plgeon-holea in a concave desk, apparently
almost In reach. These are mouths of
tunnels, opening to quartz veins of copper
and gold. The ores are of high grade and
extensive operations are being pushed.
Three of these mines have a 5-stamp mill
each, and another- mine is procuring a
mill. The formation is limestone and
porphyry.
A wonderfully beautiful and massive
mountain or purest marb'e overlooks this
vail". This hill has all the variegated
marble? in colors and tints, and from
purest whit to onyx-like black. It Is un
appropriated and almost untouched.
On Baldy Mountain, southeast, and
four miles from Grant's Pass, la the Jewett
quartz mine of free gold, and calaverlte.
!n n large vin. It has a 5-ntamp mill.
Placers exlat on Jump-off -Joe, Louse and
Jones Creek, The Dry Diggings are with
in three miles of Grant's Pass, and cover
100 acres. There aro extensive placers In
the Williams Valley country, and on Oscar
Creek, the latter noted for big nuggets.
Two properties merit special mention as
typical of the formation .and methods of
operation In this county: one lying east
and the other weat of Grant's Pass. On
Louse Creek, eight miles northeast by
good road, Is a group of placer and quartz
claims known as tho Granite Hill prop
erty, where 500 acres have been covered
under one title. The entire tract Is cov
ered by splendid timber, and to murder
those trees, oven In the pursuit of gold,
seems a sacrilege and a crime. The ele
vation of the tract la 2200 feet The mid
dlo, north and south forks of the creek
converge at one point, and the placer
claims aro laid here, extending up each
fork and below the junction. Just below
this junction a movement of the earth, or
slide from the adjacent mountain on the
north, long ago, filled the former
channel of the stream, forming a huge
basin which has been filled with gravel
and subsequent soil to a depth of 50 feet,
so that an area of 60 acres has been
formed In what formerly was a mountain
gorge. Prospect shafts sunk at various
points show the gravels rich In gold, re
puted to average 75 cents per yard of the
entire deposit.
To open this bed of gravel and gain
a tailings dump in tho canyon below, a
tunnel which will tap the bedrock under
the gravel at its lowest pplnt ls being
run. It requires 1400 feet of tunneling,
which will be utilized by placing sluice
boxes firmly on Its bottom, this conveying
away the washings of the gravel deposits
above to the canyon below. The body
of the slide ls of material too compact to
be removed. The total pay gravel area of
this property 13 fully 250 acres, the aver
age depth being 25 feet A few acres
of the upper deposit have been worked
profitably. 6 acres returning J0O.CO0 in
dust.
An excellent feature here Is the ab
sence of large bowlders. Water for the
hydraulic pipes and giants is brought
eight miles by ditch, which are to be,
or ought to be, enlarged.
Five quartz veins cut the mountain
sides above the placers. They are from
one to 13 feet wide and carry free mll.ing
ore. The ores from these claims was
formerly worked by four arrastras. The
mules, being of the slow-galted variety,
were turned out the arrastras abandoned
and a 5-stamp mill now reduces the prod
uct of the mines, which have been onened
' in some 1200 feet of workings. The own
ers are R. A. Booth. J. O. Booth and C.
L. Magnum, of Grant's Pass.
Several lesser properties He below on
this creek, one of which is using the
Ruble elevator.
Galice Creek and Bine Gravel.
Placers.
Here chronic geologist and practical
miner can find mental and bodily sus
tenance; the one in these marvelous
mines, the other at Manager Harvey's
unpretentious but ample board. Tho t
property lies on Galice Creek, 25 miles
northwest from Grant's Pass. Tho de
posit lies in a section of the bed of the
ancient rhcr before mentioned, which
parallels Galice Creek at this point The
bed of the old stream, which Is the bed
rock of the placers, is about 450 feet high
er than the bed of the present stream.
This bedrock consists principally of
shales and slates, with occasional thin
strata of sandstone, all with strata up
turned and in places much con
torted and twisted. On extensive areas
of this old rler bed. recently mada clean
by the placer washings, the polishing.
rippling action of prehistoric waters 13
distinctly visible -At one place a sheer
fall In the old river of 20 feet appears,
disclosed by recent removal of the filling
of gravel and sand, which had hidden it
for centuries. The width of this chan
nel ls supposed to be from one-half mile
to one mile; but at this point, though
thousands of feet have been uncovered,
the western rim has not been reached.
The workings havo been carried on from
tho east side nearest Galice Creek and
the bedrock, or river-hed, is still "pitch
ing into the hill," Indicating that the
center of the channel has not been
reached. This old channel was filled
with the gravels, rocks and sands of
long ago. and with them the gold. It
is a marvelous deposit, in places execed
lng 200 feet in depth. Its course ls due
magnetic north. The placer claims laid
along It, and now owned bv one company,
extend for a continuous distance of four
mile. The general elevation Is 1500 feet.
Of those mining claims 050 acres have
been patented and COO acres are he!d un
der the usual possessory title. Savcn
small tributaries of Galice Creek hae
cut through this deposit and down
through tho bed of the older stream, m
rlchlng Galice Creek with the gold which
mnde men rich and that creek famous In
the early days of placer mining here.
At 12 points along the eastern rim of
this old chnnncl, and within the four
miles mentioned, the seeral original
owners worked into tho deposit and the
amount of gold obtained was very great,
but the depth of the banks becamo so
great that operations with divided sup
plies of wator became impracticable.
More water was indKpensable, but various
owners could never agree on means of
getting it so titles finally were concen
trated In J. R. Harvey and his Chicago
associates. During the year past Mr.
Harvey has improved the water supply
and consolidated the workings so that
three giants with 6-inch nozzles and un
der a head of 500 feet are thundering day
and night against walls of auriferous
gravela and sand over 175 feet deep, and
which persistently stand vertical till
knocked dow n in slabs of 10.000 tons each.
It is a thrilling. awelnsplrlng sight to
look from the verge of a vertical wall of
200 feet, down upon tho human atoms
as they direct the hill-dcstroylng streams
below. The giants are set on the bed
rock and tho water applied at the base
of the bank, and as the lower stratum is
washed out the upper ground breaks fpr
want of support and slides into the pit
to be washed away.
These great 'beds are composed chiefiy
of gravel from two to three inches in
diameter, graduating Into pebbles, grit
and sand, lying in alternating layers or
masses of quartz sand very compact, but
not cemented. The dcpot.lt is practically
free from bowlders, cement and clay, a
remarkable condition. A peculiar feature
of this deposit consists of numerous large
bowlders distributed irregularly through
the mass and of perfect form but so corn
plelely decomposed as to crumble at the
touch and dissolve In the water more eas
ily than does the material which sur
rounds them Manifestly, it was u slug
gish stream that made this deposit.
The gold runs from fine dust to nug
gots of $30 occasionally pieces are found
which weigh 5100. An abundance of
timber of great height has grown upon
and covered this deposit, and a saw mill
comprises part of the plant Water i3
supplied through 20 miles of ditches a
feet wide at the bottom, 7 feet at the top
and 3- feet deep. The climate is the
ideal one of Southern Oregon.
The Big Yank ledge, mentioned else
where, at this, point parallels the old
channel and its deposit, lying to tho west
at a distance of less than one-fourth of
a mile.
The Drv Diggings Hydraulic placers,
three miles east of Grant's Pass, havo
been operated for 30 years with scant
supplies of water and during short sea
sons. The property covers 400 acres and
is noted for production of coarse gold and
big nuggets. Preparations are being
made to increase the water supply by
pumping Into reservoirs from the adja
cent stream, ami to enlarge the ditches.
A mammoth vein was uncovered by these
placer workings and lay unappropriated
until November last It is 200 feet wide,
evenly mineralized, and preliminary test3
show an average of ?5 por ton in free
gold and pyrites. A mill run ls to be
made of ore taken entirely across the
vpln. Its strike is nearly due north,
dip not definitely ascertained.
JACKSON COUNTY.
Work Near Gold HIH Retarded T
Insufficient Water Supply.
Gold Hlllls a growing town on the
Rogue River, 313 milea south frc-m Portland
by rail. It ls Immediately surrounded by
a rolling country, the foothills of the
mountain ranges. It ls ably represented
by a good weekly newspaper. Two quartz
mills are maintained here for custom
work. There are two well-stocked livery
stables. The hotels, three in. number, are
not quite good enough to meet the de
mands. Miners. like other experienced
men, prefer comfortable quarters and
pretty good food. Even in rude cabn3
the American gold miner usually manages
to have good provisions, and on necessity
is a good cook. One of these, on placing
before his guests a splendid dinner of
bean soup, brook trout, grouse, potatoes,
lettuce, tomatoes, biscuits and Ideal cor
fee, all elegantly prepared In the ample
fireplace of his log cabin and served
smoking hot declared that "It ls better
to have good food on one's table than
napkins and silverware." Good hotels are
useful adjuncts to all Important mining
camps.
Development of placers tributary to Gold
Hill has been retarded by insufficient
water supply; and this district has suf
fered somewhat from ill-founded repute
that the quartz veins are "pockety." the
pocket hunter Is no true miner. Vegeta
tion ana soil cover the hills wherein He
tho quartz veins. The pocket hunter
methodically "pot-holes" the hillsides. He
digs a system of holes in the soil to the
rock-ard pans tho dirt, noting the pres
ence and quantity of gold dust taken from
each hole. Finding by this means a chan
nel or flow of gold In the soil, he follows
It. pot-holing as he goes, until he lo
cates or reaches the source in the quartz
vein upon the hillside. He sinks on the
vein here and often, secures several bun
dred dollars' worth of very rich free gold
quartz, which he crushes In a mortar or
in a dolly, nnd pans out the gold; or takes
It to the custom mill for reduction. It is
a fascinating busmers. But when depth
ls attained, compelling the use of candles
for light, or windlass for hoisting, the
work becomes slow and tiresome. Nothing
but the biggest of prospects holds him.
Ores yielding less than 5100 to the ton do
not pay for this atyle of mining. Twenty
dollar ore Is useless to him, so if the rich
streak from which erosion fed the hill
side doesn't hold out,; or the vein
"pinches," as all pay bodies do, this anom
alous miner goes to another point on the
same or a neighboring hill for renewal of
prospecting for pockets. A great deal of
this kind of mining has been done in this