THE 3I0RXING OREGONIAX, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY
190S.
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No State
in Union
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Variety of
Mineral
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Neill, PreHldrnt Kumpter Derenop-
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A, the. close of the year 1907 the con
dition of the mining campe in
Kastern Oregon, the district em
bracing Baker, Grant and Malheur coun
ties. i much more satisfactory than at
any time in the past three or four years.
One of the facts verifying this conclu
sion is that the smelter in Sumpter has
been able to run for a period of several
months longer than any time since it was
established. .The ores which have made
this possible came, very largely, from the
districts contiguous to Sumpter.
Over on the east side of Baker County,
through what are properly known as the
Eagle Valley and Snake River districts,
tributary to Baker City, the metropolis
of Eastern Oregon, a number of copper
properties have undergone partial de
velopment during the past Summer,
which indicate that a very large number
of vast deposits of low-grade ores exist
In those sections. Further south, in the
Mormon Basin country, one big property
has reached a stage of permanent pro
duction. The property is known as the
Rainbow, and is operated by a close cor
poration, composed of Portland people.
From general accounts this mine is now
producing at a rate of about $26,000 a
month. The success of this property ha
caused much development work in that
vicinity.
Still further south, in the Malheur sec
tion, desultory development on quarts
holdings has progressed; but most of
the attention bestowed on mining by the
people of that district has been devoted
to the shale lands where oil and gas
Indications have caused surprising re-
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Is owned by Portland people, and for
many vejr steady work has been carried
on. developing immense deposits of cin
nabar ore. experimenting with the procest
of extraction and building equipment.
Mr. Dennis, the manager, has worked out
a special process of his own for treating
this ore. and has perfected what Is con
sidered the most successful method of
cinnabar treatment In .the world. The
company is now putting the finishing
touches on a large-capacity plant of this
kind, complete with all accessories, -including
modern electric-power plant, etc.
Brief! v. the mineral values of Lane
County may be summed up as having
been already "discovered-develoued-and -demonstrated.'
We have minerals in
wide variety, including many not named
In this article- Among the more im
portant, and we might say staple ones,
practically every one is "in sight" In
our mines in enormous quantities, there
being now blocked out, ready for Moping,
hundreds of thousands of tons of ore,
which will pay. and pay well, with the
extension of proper transportations fa
cilities to the different localftiei.
NEW MINES OPENED
IN SOUTHERN OREGON
Gold Plaeeni Flrt. Worked SO Year
At, Still Yield Well Fntnre
I.Ira 1m- Quarts.
Br H. 1.
Andrews. ferretHry Grants Fas,
Commercial Club.
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INCE the early 50s mining has been
carried on to a very considerable ex
tent In Southern Oregon. Placer
mining at its Inception In Oregon was
confined to the methods which were In -
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LANE COUNTY MINES ..
T3IVE RICH PROMISE
Blue River and Itoliemla Distrieta
IVlbulary to turc Scene of
Great Activity Iturlne IIKIT.
Bf H. C. Mahoa.
THE mining Industry in T,ane and
the early 60s. when prospecting for
Linn Counties had its beginning in
placer gold whs carried on along sev
eral of the smaller streams tributary to
the Willamette and Mc-Kenzie rivers.
Colors were to be found, ano anil may be
found, for that matter, in the sands of
almost everv stream throughout the foothill-
and mountain regions in both tne
Cascade and Coast ranges, but placer de
posits of any consequence were never dis
covered. A small sluice-box equipment
was put into operation, some 40 years ago
in the now well-known Blue River mining
camp, and for a number of years parties
of men were engaged in washing gold
from the beach sands aiong the Western
border of Lane County. This enter
prise yielded quite handsomely at times,
considering the small outlay necessary,
but lias now been abandoned.
This early exploitation served a two
fold purpose: It furnished a satisfactory
t opportunity for operation to that pioneer
I of the mining industry, the prospector
Iand old-time placer miner, and also dem
onstrated to future operators that the
mountain region of this entire county is
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latter 25 miles southeast of Cottage
Grove, on a fork of the Willamette River.
A branch railroad Is being built from
Cottage Grove to the camp," some 18 or
20 miles of which is now in operation.
60-ton plant on the Great Northern in
the same district, the very .extensive
equipment and power-plants of the Ore
gon Securities Company in the Bohemia
district, and others. In all the larger
Several hundred different claims have ; properties in these two camps, many of
been staked and are being developed in
each of these camps, nearly every one
of which yields free gold on the surface.
This feature has proved an especially
favorable one, in that it makes return
which have never, as yet, installed value-
saving machinery, deep development work
has been enrried on, with the. result that
magnificent bodies of rich ore have been
exposed, and are being blocked out, the
ports to bo brought from there by men
formerly prominent in the Sumpter dis
trict. The mining regijn from which comes
the greater portion of Oregon's output
of gold is that which is popularly de
scribed as the Sumpter district. It takes
Its inception at Rock Creek, extending
on a line south 40 miles to the old placer
streams In Grant County out near Susan
ville. John Pay and Tralrie City. Em
braced In that territory are four or five
big producing mines and some 30 or 40
smaller ones, all of which in 1907 made
shipments to the smelter at Sumpter.
Notable among these are the North Pole,
Columbia, Imperial, Pyx. Present Naed
and the Standard. The smaller prop
erties In the agnresate have produced
probably as much as the large ones.
In round figures this territory probably
produced JTiO.OOO in gold during 1907-. The
number of men employed in the mines
In this district will approximate 1000.
On of the causes of contldence in the
future, an attribute that is peculiar to
this zone, has been the almost startling
return of values in the old Red Boy.
late in November, after months of work,
at a depth on the level that Is knows as
the Blacksmith tunnel. Since that time
work has progressed to such an extent
as to demonstrate a remarkable value In
the " vein which is from seven to eight
feet wide and will give backs of i00
to M0 feet. From comprenenslve tests.
It Is indicated that the values run from
J3S to 110 a ton. The facts concerning
this property indicate that it will go to
a state of permanent production which
means much to the entire territory. The
parties in control are also the ones
chiefly interested in the Fremont Power
Plant which was completed In October of
this year and represents an investment
of probably J30O.O0O.
The power generated by this great
plant will be distributed over the entire
Sumpter district. This means mucb econ
omy In all future development work,
wherever it goes. It has been demon
strated by the use of a small portion of
It In the present work at the Red Boy
mine. The electric drills employed there
went through rock at a cost of $10 a
foot, which otherwise costs from 135 to
.". The introduction of electricity will
do away very largely with the extensive
equipment
also permit prospectors to tap the wires
and get their properties into shape with
out the necessity of heavy expenditures
for machinery. It will also settle a very
Important question in the matter of fuel.
The Fremont power plant was evidently
designed very largely lo furnish the
"Juice"- with whlch to drive the jved
Boy's machinery. The transmission line
has been extended into the Bourne dis
trict, however, and contracts have been
made with several managements, notably
the North Pole, which will result In the
electrification of their entire plants. Next
season, I am Informed, the company will
probably extend its transmission line Into
the Greenhorn, Cablevllle and Quartz
hurg districts. Several managements in
those territories have asked for the pow
er, and with the return of confidence in
their sections It will probably place them
In the position to make contracts.
During the year 1907 more legiti
mate, honest, labor was expended on a
number of properties that were on a flota
tion basis than was expended during
the coin-gathering period. The result
is shown In several sections, particu
larly at the Standard mine. In the
Quartzburg district. From present In
dication this property jvill now be
equipped with the machinery that will
give it a very heavy output of concen
trates for the smelter and keep Its
large mill busy for some years to
come.
And further evidence of the return
of confidence In this section was made
manifest a few weeks ago by the pur
chase of property in the Cablevllle
section, adjoining the imperial, by
Portland people who are "planning at
the present time for extensive devel
opment work early In the Spring. Sev
eral miles south in the Greenhorn sec
tion another sale of what Is known as
the BI-Metallic has been made to Cin
cinnati parties. The development work
on this property has exposed a body of
ore containing uniform values for
which milling: treatment was necessary
to put It on a profitable basis. The
owners are now Intending to Install a
plant on this property early next
Spring.
it Is now quilfi certain that the fiumpier
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Valley Railroad wijl be extended from its
present terminus some 20vor so miles to
Susanville. during the coming Summer.
It can be seen that this move on their part
their part wu.1 have a very wholesome
effect on the mining industry, as in the
vicinity of Susanville "are a number of
partially developed and one of two proven
properties which contain Iron ores much
desired at this time by the smelter and
which have hitherto been unsuccess
ful owing to the great expense In
Vflvrd Is lone wagon ba,uu-
mineralized to a greater or less extent.
Later exploration of a more thorough and
scientific character have revealed in sev
eral localities extensive mineralized
zones, carrying scores of large and well
deflned ledges, rich In gold, silver, cop
per ar.d lead.
The principal camps so far developed
are the Blue River and Bohemia, the
former located 30 miles east of Eugene,
on the watershed, between the McKenzie
and Calapooia rivers', and reached by
.Sd -KBgon load Jfsup ugeaa. and the
possible almost from the start, and with a
small outlay for equipment, thus enabling
the different owners to open up their
properties largely with the returns from
their own ground. .
Aside from the small equipments above
referred to, there are several large and
more complete plants, chief among which
are the Lucky Boy, 40-stamp, -mill in
Blue River district, with a modern 503
horsepower electric power plant on the
McKenxie River. 7 miles away; the 100-ton
plant on the Treasure property, and the
extent, richness and permanent character
of which is already demonstrated.
'The ore In these deeper workings is,
of course, base in character, and cannot
readily be treated on the ground .but Is
ot sufficient value to Justify shipment as
soon as transportation facilities are pro
vided. The Black Butte quicksilver mine, a
property of which Lane County may well
be proud. Is located 12 miles southeast of
Cottage' Grove, near the head of the
Coast Fork of the Willamette River. It
vogue in the early days, viz.: . Washing
in pans, then the "rocker." later the
"Long Tom," and still later the sluioe
box. We now have the hydraulic
"Giant." with Its powerful stream, boriusr
Into the foundation of deposits of gravel
which lie in the beds of ancient river
channels, thus causing them to cave off
in huge masses, when they are torn apart
and passed on through the flumes and
sluices, leaving the precious yellow metal
In the riffles to be gathered up, -melted
Into "bricks" and shipped to the mint for
coinage.
Many millions of dollars have been
taken from the. gravel beds of Southern
Oregon. The principal districts which
have contributed to this enormous wealth
are the Waldo district. In Josephine.
County. In which the Old Sailor diggings
were located, which produced as high
as $500 a day to the man. and the Sucker
Creek and Althouse districts. In the same
county, which include the famous
"Briggs strike" of two years ago, and
which have added millions of dollars to
the wealth of the country. At the pres
ent time placer mining is successfully be
ing carried on at Galice Creek, Grava
Creek. Louse Creek, Williams Creek,
Wolf Creek and on the Applcgate, Rogue
and Illinois Rivers.
The large placer mines in operation at
the present time are the Logan & Sim
mons and Deep Gravel Mining Com
pany's properties. In the Waldo district:
the Columbia, at Graves Creek: the Old
Channel Mining Company, at Galice. and
the Sterling mine, in Jackson County.
Quartz mining Is now jtaking the lead
In Southern Oregon. Rich gold and cop
per mines are- being opened up in nearly
every section of the two counties men
tioned.. The copper mines are attracting
the attention of capitalists all over th
country. In Josephine County, the Waldo
Smelting Company has been operating
100-ton smelter for the past three years,
employing 150 men and 20 six-mule teams
in hauling in coke and bringing back
matte.
The Alameda Mining Company, at Ga
lice. Josephine County, Is opening up
what 1s destined to become one of tha
largest copper mines In the world. Dur
ing tire past year upward of 100 men have
been employed In the mine in addition to
several large crews who have been en
gaged in building a wagon road up to
the mine. This road Is now being ex
tended down toward the mouth of Rogua
River by the United States Forestry Serv
ice, thus opening up a country rich In
minerals and timber. There are several
rich gold and copper mines being devel
oped In this district, including the Gold
en Wedge, Oriole (which is at present In
litigation) and the Pickett Creek copper
mine, all in the same mineral belt, which
includes the rich Chetco section, which is
verily a prospectors' paradise.
Jackson County was the scene of very
extensive placer mining in the early
days, Jacksonville, the county seat, be
ing the only town In those days In
Southern Oregon. The Blue Ledge cop
per mine Is now the chief center of at
traction at this point, being situated
just across the state line In California.
. In the Gold Hill district are many
promising quartz mines In course of
development, notably the Tin Pan,
Br&den and the Bill Nye, as well as the
plant of the Champialn DredElne Com
pany, which is being very profitably
operated in the Foots Creek district.