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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1903)
mMKLM&SZ ft VOL. IV. SUMPTER, OREGON, JUNE , k;oj. NO. 39. REMOVE HANDICAP ON JOHN DAY VALLEY. Electric Railway Being Built From Baker To Prairie City Fabulously Valuable Min ing Properties Road a Great Money Maker. The John Day country it 0110 of the most bountiful aud fertile valleys on tho globe. A Minor representative wua over nt Prnlrlo City hint week, rodo up mitl down tho bunks of tho John Dny riror for 11 dozou mi lot), and wits moro forcibly nnd fnvorubly 1 in pressed thim over before with tho innumornblo attractions of that favored region. To tho eye it 1h now ut its best. Aftor tho rido of forty odd 111 11 oh from- Sumpter, through pino forests thut shut out it view of tho surround ing laudseapo, over roads that are 11 cruelty to niuti uud beast, It is 11 splritunl delight to pituso on tho high ground two or threo miles roni Prairio City, at tho timber lino, ami survey with unobstructed vision tho unrolled panorama, doubtloss somothlug akin to that experienced by tho children of Israel as thoy emerged from their forty years wandering in tho wilderness aud saw the promised laud of Caunan. At this seasou of tho year, up and down tho valley, Mother Naturo is nourish ing into ivgorous lifo young vegota tiou. Tho air is laden with tho fragranoo of fruit blossoms and flowers, wild and cultivated; which constitute a color scheme entrancing to the sight, aud this perfumed picture is framed in snow capped mountain ranges as grandly pictures que as any Alpine scene. Thus the poet and painter would estimate tho proposition. But tho utilitarian, that commanding figure of our present practical age, while conceding that there Is something pleasing to the sconces in all this, recognizes something of greater value, according to his standards. lie sees profits in fruit culture, be knows that tho meadow lands are fattening cattle for the beef trust, that thoso green Holds on the benoh lands are producing wheat and other grants, and speculates montally on the worth of tho precious metalls in the surrounding mountains to him it is all au allurlug prospect of acquir ing gold, literally and (lguratlvoly speuklng. For tho edification of thoso materialistically Inclined, it Will perhaps bo well to go somewhat into dotail ou this subject. Tho John Day valley and contiguous territory of arable land, is about seventy-five miles loug and varies from two to six miles in width. Tho soil is rinh any foot of it would fertullzo tho most valubalo piece of laud In New F.uglund. From tho mountain ranges in to tho river that drains the valley tlow hundreds of shallow streams, fed by sprlngH aud melting snow. Thoso supply moro cheaply aud conveniently water for Irrigation thau is found anywhoro else ou the continent, rendering unnecessary either tho construction of loug, costly ditches or expensive pumping plants, in order to got tho water on high ground. J lore all that Is neces sary is to plow a furrow from one of those streams naoross tho Held with tho trend towards tho lowor lovols and tho water follows on the plowman's heels. Tho aovrage altitude of the valley above sea level Is about 11000 foot, fully SOOO lowor than that of Sumpter. Thoso com bined conditions render this tho ideal, perfect agricultural country, giving it au almost llmtless raugo to its products. For thoso reasons, during tho thirty years slnco farming operations were inaugurated thore, there has never boon a crop failure; cattlo have not died thore for lack of food, as on othor ranges. Tbereforo, the farmers and stock men of the John Day valley are rich. Thoir wealth is dsplayed in tho substantial Improvements seeu ou every farm, really handsomo dwell ings, elegautly furnished; not the plain houses found In the prairio states to the east, the cheap shacks on the ton-aero fruit orchards in California, or tho log cublus of tho bomesteadors In tho coast timber 1 region. They remind one moro of tho luxurious plantation homes of the South. And yet, this section has labored under 0110 handicap imposed upon no other equally favored In America, the lack of railroad transposition, Prairie City, tho nearest point to tho O. It. A- X., Ih seventy-six miles from Maker City, us they may, when they read this from which place all freight Is hauled ! statement. It outcrops for 11 distance Clearer. Ho bought both groups, aud is now acquiring othor properties. The former Is tho largest gold hearing ledge ever discovered ou tho globe. It Is positively 000 foot wide let tho tiresome skeptics scotr in wagons. It is true that tho Sumpter Valley could cut olf forty or llfty miles of this wagon haul, but Its rates are so exorbitant that it cheaper to pay the teamsters 0110 dollar a hundred pounds to bring freight through from linker City. Further down tho valley the wagon trains go to Shaulko, tho terminus of tho Oregon Southern, from seventy live to moro thau 100 miles. Until three years ago, when this branch was built, they went to lleppuer aud othor towns on the O, It. .V X. Columbia river line. Hut it now looks as If this handicap Is about to bo removed. In that event, thoso interested In observing tho rapid development of 11 region, tho sudden springing iu'o Ifo of towns aud cities, will Hud tli ere an interesting object lesson. While in I'rairlo City last week tho writer chanced to meet Major ). W. Ilonta, tho geiitelniau from Philadelphia who is going to build tho road, and talked with him. Ho is a well poised, self contained mini, who does not take the public Into his confidence, futher than to stato confidently that tho lino will be constructed and rushed to early completion. Ho Is asking for 110 bonus, no faruchlso or anything else, therefore, ho very naturally feels that it Is not encumbent upon him to issue bulletins to tho public regarding his movements. Tho origin of this enterprise makes a briof, interesting stery: For four years past Cleaver Hrot tiers have been working on two immense mining propositions in tho Straw borry rango, known as tho Oregon Wonder and tho Will Cleaver groups. They aro both big things aud large capital is absolutely necessary to put thorn in shape to yield up their rich treasure of gold and copper. Thoso hustlers, Cleavr Brothers, havo takou several mining men into tho mountains aud showed them these properties. While all havo seen aud recognized thoir inestimable valuo, they acknowledged that they aro not strong enough Hnauclally to handlo so gigantic a proposition. Filially, after two years of corres pondence, on tho strenght of a favorahlo roport from his own min ing expert, who spout sixty days on the ground exploiting tho ledges and maklug assays, Major Jionta last summer made a personal ox- amnatlon of tho mines. Ho saw that cheap transportation would bo necessary to profltablly work tho Wonder, aud would eventually add hundreds of thousands of dollars to tho profits to ho taken from tho Will of live miles, In places standing above tho country rock full 100 feet. The most prominent of these can is be distinctly seen with a spy glass from Prairio City, six miles away. Three years ago the writer took a snap shot at (his ledge with a cheap kodac, while standing ou a peak 1000 feet below, which can be seeu very distinctly in the photograph. Assays of this rock run from ti!.7fi to H.00 In gold, while picked samples have gone as high as t. Colors aro frequently found by panning. Values contained in this Inimmeuso deposit can therefore bo estimated only by many millions. If Major Ilonta carries out his plans to erect great reduction plants for tho economical treatment of tlilH ore; lie will lay the foudnatlon for the greatest mining fortune know 11 to tho modern world of bonanza kings greater than thoso taken from tho Tread well, the Hoiiiestnko and tho Comstock combined. Tho Will Cleaver is 11 high grade gold-copper proposition that could bo worked loony 111 a prom 11 reusoiiiinie trans portation cliaigcs to the smelter at Suiupter could be secured. Well, tho Major soon learned two facts; first, that he couldn't realize quickly ou his rich mineral holdings without 11 railroad; second, that such 11 railroad, in Itself, will lie 11 money maker belter than (he "gold mine" of symbolic wealth. Ho decided to build it and is now at work on the enterprise. Not In the west before has a road been built under similar favorable conditions. Other Hues have been pushed Into new, unsettled regions, relying upon their own cirorts to build up the country and create it business for Itself, lint this 0110 goes Into au old settled, prosperous country, with the tonnage anxiously, Impatiently waiting for Its advent. These rich farmers have the price and are liberal spenders. Tho merchants up and down the valley carry great, expensive stocks of goods. With markets for their products, on every side within a radius of 100 miles, these farmers restrict produc tion to tho lowest point and nil bo hay ou rich fruit ml grain lands, becauso there Is a ready home market for tho former. Stockmen pay high cash prices for hay, for winter feed, and drive stock fioin 75 to lf0 miles to reach rail connection with tho markets of the east. In this long drive twoiity-llvo per cent of tho cattle's value is Inst. This road will do a vast business In stock trans- (CONTINUCD ON PAGE TOUR.)