ft;
7
1
... -ft
HARD HOCK MINE Examining ore from a
rock mine at Jackpot are, left to right, Walt
(Bud) Norton, Rhea (Sis) Norton, two of the
three owners of the mine, Sherman Rudd and
his wife. Vickey. The Rudds, long time friends
of Rhea's, have been helping with work at
Twice
With
By ROSIE BOLEY
:, Mail Tribune Staff WriUr
A twice lost gold mine on the
fop of. Blizzard mountain, up
Sardine creek beyond Gold
Hill, has once again been found
nd its contents promise to be
among the richest ever discov
ered in the Rogue valley
The claim, named "Jackpot
Placer mine," is owned by Rhea
Norton, her brother Walt Nor
ton, (everyone calls them "Sis"
and "Bud ") and another brother,
Charley Norton.
VtnturMomi person
Most of the credit in finding
tti elusive mine apparently be
longs to Rhea, a venturesome
individual who dislikes being
"cooped up" and attracts friends
like a magnet attracts metal.
Bhea. who will be 57 in August
and has been "messing with min
ning" in the Texas and Calif
ornia region for the past 20
years, one day .happened to rneetj
a fellow prospector named
"Casey."
Casey, whose real name was
K. C. (Kit Carson) Beree, was in
trouble. His wife was ill and
he needed money. When she sees
a friend in need of money, Rhea
has a habit of hauling out her
wallet, emptying it and casually
remarking, "Oh, Well, Brother
has a pay-day tomorrow." Thus
it was that she provided Casey
with vitally needed funds am
mounting to $1,600 during his
wife's illness and subsequent
death.
During the course of their
friendship, Casey told her the
tale of a mine in the Gold Hill
area that was discovered in 1906
by three Alaska prospectors. The
trio filed a common miner's
quartz claim for 20 acres. They
gave $1,000 to a local rancher,
known now only as a "Mr. Eld
ridge," to build a road from his
cabin in the valley near Sardine
creek to the bottom cf Blizzard
mountain. From there, they
planned to run an ariel tramway
to the mining site.
Lvave for Alaska
Having given the money to the
rancher, they left for Alaska,
planning to sell their claims
there and return to Gold Hill.
Their ship, however, hit an ice
berg en route and all three were
drowned. Eldridge, the only liv
ing man who knew the mine's
location, had no interest in de
veloping it and it stood aband
oned for decade after decade.
dm.-
SHOWS STRINGER Rhea Nor
ton points to a "stringer," a
crevice in the rocks containing
mineral. Jackpot Placer mine is
full of the stringers, Rhea said.
The mine has been assayed to
contain at least 19 different min
erals. Strapped around Rhea's
waist is a .38 caliber revolver
with which she wards off snakes
and wild animals.
1
'1
fa
.' K.Jw Bl . ill ! ! in i '7- fc
Lost
Rich
In 1922 Casey ran across the
rancher while panning out creek
crevices, or "sniping in that
area. Elridge grew fond of Cas
ey, who made his home with him
a short while. In time, he led
Casey to the "lost" mine
Casey removed a few pieces
of ore still standing outside the
tunnel the Alaskan miners had
closed, but was apparently un-
enthusiastic over the find. He
carried the ore with him for a
time, but failed to have it assay
ed and eventually tossed it into
the creek.
Rhea, who had spent half her
life chasing similar "lost mine"
sagas, listened with interest.
Track Down Rumors
She had been in the "mining
game" long enough to know,
"You's got to track down all
these rumors. The one you think
is fantastic and don't investigate
it sure to be the real thing."
-Thusvsh and-Casey-set off for
Gold Hill. Casey's memory was
good. After five hours, they spot
ted the pile of ore from which
Casey had taken his first sample
and the tunnel, which the Alaska
miners had hidden. The dirt in
the tunnel had settled and the
top of the fill was eight inches
below the roof. Rhea removed
some ore from the pile, panned
it and it appeared "lousy with
gold."
On June 24, 1955, Rhea filed
a claim. Although prospecting
had led her into more than 100
exploits, including searches for
Jesse James' buried loot and
hidden Spanish treasures, she
had never before made a
"strike.". The Gold Hill discov
ery seemed a reward for all her
past futile efforts, so she called
it "Jackpot Placer mine."
Braak Trail To Mine
Rhea and Casey brought
Rhea's brother, Charley, in on
the deal and the three of them
hacked a rugged trail to the
mine. Jackpot lies at the peak of
a series of 45 to 75 degree up
grades. One day it took Casey
and Charley five hour and 30
minutes to push an empty
wheelbarrow to the mine . . .
"And it had ball bearings and
rubber tires," Rhea added. She
says the trip from the beginning
to the end of the trail is about
three and one-half miles, "And
sometimes longer, depending on
whether you're walking or rid
ing." Perhaps a restless spirit, or
more likely the difficult climbs,
were instrumental in Casey's
subsequent withdrawal from
partnership in the mine. He had
defective lungs and a weak
heart, Rhea explained.
"Charley and I figured if the
mine was big enough for two,
it was big enough for three so
we brought our brother, Walt,
into the deal."
At length, the three of them
arranged with a logging outfit
working in that vicinity to have
a bulldozer clear a road to the
mine for a "fair" price. Nortons
purchased a jeep solely for trips
to the mine.
It seems doubtful that even
jeep could surmount the hurdles
of gravity without such verbal
encouragement from its owners
as. "Come on. baby! Just a little
farther! We know you can make
it!" At the end of the journey,
bruised and skinned occupants
hop out of the jeep with such
exclamations as, "Yip-e-e! We
made it!"
Not Without Hardship
The Nortons' disaoverr of
Jackpot was not to be without
hardship. During torrential
rains last winter the walls gave
way and Jackpot Placer mine
was again lost.
Meanwhile, a close friend of
Shea , Mjl Sbarman Budd,
Hi.
Jackpot. Standing in front of the prospectors
is Bob, Rhea's six-year-old mining companion
said to be half wolf. Third partner in the
mine, Charley Norton, is currently working
In Hoopa, Calif.
Gold Mine
Ore Found
whose acquaintance she had
j made in 1942 while working in
a California shipyard, arrived
with her husband. The Rudds
joined Rhea and Walt (Charley
had returned to his home in
Hoopa, Calif.) and another
search for the mine got under
way. About two weeks ago the
four rediscovered Jackpot and
their efforts reaped two-fold re
ward. From the mine the prospec
tors chipped huge chunks of ore
that were speckled with gold
visable even to the naked eye.
"The rocks we took out of the
mine a year ago were assayed
to have 10 ounces of gold and 14
ounces of silver to the ton and
the gold didn't even show," she
said jubilantly.
Two Tunnels Made
The Nortons have dynamited
out two tunnels each about seven
feet high and 25 feet wide. In
both tunnels, countless., ".string
ers are evident. Stringers are
mineral-filled crevices of vary
ing sizes found in the rocks.
"Some people mine stringers
six inches wide," Rhea said.
"We have some stringers more
than a foot wide." Assays show
that Jackpot contains at least 19
different minerals and is es
pecially rich in gold, silver, cop
per and quartz.
Jackpot's owners plan to set
up a processing mill about a
mile and a half from Gold Hill.
Rhea says they have already pur
chased a "ball" type mill, which
will separate the gold from the
ore by a series of electrically
powered balls. More work on the
road will also be necessary be
fore the ore can be brought from
the mine to the proposed mill.
Return to Horns
Meanwhile, the Rudds are
leaving soon for Louisville, Ky.,
where they will remain for a
few months before returning to
work in their friends' mine, and
Rhea and Walt left Wednesday
for their home in Hoppa.
"Hoppa is an Indian reserva
tion where we have many
friends. If you're ever down
there and want to look us up,
don't ask for Rhea and Walt Nor
ton because no one will 'know
who you're talking about. Ask
for Sis and Bud and they'll lead
you right to us," Rhea said.
The reason for their return to
California, she explained, is
mostly for the sake of finances.
"After all, we've got a mine to
support now," they said. Walt
will work in a sawmill until they
have enough money on hand to
continue' development of Jack
pot. The Nortons put their money
in a safety deposit box instead of
a checking account as many peo
ple do. The reason for this, they
say, is that a checking account
makes funds too readily avail
able. "We can't always just go
to the bank and get money when
we want to, like on a weekend..
This way we have a cooling off
period before we blow every-
Army Pares Reservists
Washington !U.R) The Army
announced plans today to trans
fer 500,000 reservists from the
ready to the standby reserve,
freeing them from any call to ac
tive duty except by act of Con
gress. Mostly Korea Veterans
An additional 475.000 reserv
ists will be discharged al
together. They are men who
served prior to June, 1951, most
ly Korean war veterans, whose
tour as reservists would soon
end anyway.'
The Army announced the
shakeup in its reserves as a move
to buiid up a truly ready re-
l-serve force'' of 132,000 reserv-
Eisenhower Clears
Way lor Visits by
Russian Officials
Same Kind of Visit
Would Be Arranged
Washington U.PJ President
Eisenhower has opened the way
to a series of high-level visits
between U.S. and Soviet offi
cials if the Russians want them.
Indications are the Soviet
bosses would like nothing better.
The result could be eventual
visits to the United States by
Marshal Georgi K. Zhukov, Pre
mier Nikolai Bulganin and Com
munist Party boss Nikita
Khrushchev.
Mr. Eisenhower gave the green
light to such exchanges when
he told his news conference
Wednesday that he would ex
tend invitations to Soviet offi
cials "on a completely reciprocal
basis."
Be Ready Soon
That apparently means the
United States will be ready soon
to invite to this country the
Russian counterpart of Air Force
Chief of Staff Nathan F. Twining.
Twining recently accepted an
invitation to attend a Moscow
air force show June 24.
The invitation apparently will
go to Marshal V. D. Sokolovsky,
chief of the Soviet chiefs of staff,
who issued the invitation to
Twining. However, the United
States appeared to be waiting
for the outcome of Twining's
trip to see exactly what kind
of a visit should be planned for
the Soviet leader.
, The President said he knew
when he agreed to Twining's ac
ceptance of the Russian invita
tion that he would be expected
to reciprocate.
Will 'Do Exactly That'
"I will do exactly that," he
said.
Mr. Eisenhower added that
he would extend "the same cour
tesies, on the same conditions
and conducted in the same way."
Asked if Zhukov, Russia's de
fense minister and an old war
time friend of the President's
would be invited to the United
States. Mr. Eisenhower repeated
that the United States will act
"on a completely reciprocal
basis."
Baseball
AMERICAN
, Cleveland . .,...2 5 . .2
Baltimore 7.r....t!...T..5 10 1
McLish. Fller (5) and Atct
ill: Wight. Zuvernik (8) and
Triandoi.
Chicago 7 13 1
Washington 5 11 1
Donovan, Wilson (7), Pollet
(8) and Lollar, Moss (8); Stone.
Chakales (8), Ramos 8), Weii
ler (9) and Berberer.
Kansas City 1 4 2
New York 9 14 I
Kellmer. Shanix (4), Ls
sorda (7) and Thompson! Tur
ley and Berra. Home runs:
Berra. Bauar, New York.
thing we have on some spur-of-the-moment
deal," Rhea ex
plained. Interest Grows
Rhea's interest in mining grew
gradually from a childhood love
for the outdoors. She quit school
at an early age because sitting in
a classroom made her nervous.
Instead, she rode horseback all
day in the open air, a practice
doctors said was good for her
weak lungs and nervousness.
A childless divorcee, and a
barber by trade, she dislikes any
form of confining housework
and feels most comfortable in a
loose fitting shirt and overalls.
For jaunts to the mine she car
ries a .38 caliber revolver and,
when necessary, coldly "cuts
down" any wild animal or rattle
snake that threatens her safety.
She claims her best protector
however, is her six-year-old ca
nine companion. Bob, which is
said to be half wolf.
Rhea and her brothers are
members of no particular church,
yet religion is ever-present in
their thinking. Of their appar
ent good fortune in finding Jack
pot, Rhea says: "It's like bread
on the water. We've had lots of
hard times, but always some
thing good has happened to off
set them. Maybe finding gold in
this mine was the good God
made come to us for helping
Casey when he needed that
money."
ists and national guardsmen
available for immediate call in
war or other emergency. Ready
reserves can be called to active
duty by presidential order
whereas standby reservists are
liable only if Congress declares
war or a national emergency.
Not Active Participants
An Army spokesman said
most of the men affected by the
Army plan, which will be car
ried out during the year starting
July 1, have not been actively
participating in reserve units.
The Army said the aim of the
new screening program is to
keep in ready reserve units
l men who ar physically fct. have
Medford
51st Year 28 Pages
Russian
Lower Columbia
Dikes Worry To
Flood Watchers
Smith Inspects
Critical Areas
Portland (U.R) Dikes in the
Clatskanie and Puget Island
areas along the lower Columbia
river "weathered the night very
well" but they continued to be
the focal point of attention as
the mighty stream inched down
ward slowly.
A combination of high tide
and 20 mile per hour winds
caused concern last night in the
lower Columbia area but Army
engineers said this morning the
dikes held. There was some seep
age but "no significant increase,"
a spokesman said.
Protect Farmland
Dikes protect rich farmland
on Puget Island where from
1,500 to 2,000 people live. The
island is downstream from Clat
skanie, where not so many fam
ilies were threatened.
Gov. Elmo Smith flew over
the flood by helicopter yester
day and termed the Clatskanie
Puget Island area the most crit
ical. "We might lose a dike or
two down there in the next two
weeks," he said.
The governor called a special
meeting of civil defense officials,
National Guard officers and oth
er agencies to determine what
powers the state could exercise
to help floodfighters and the
possibility of raising funds for
distressed areas.
Forecaster Optimistie
River Forecaster Elmer Fisher
was optimistic today. "The situa
tion is improving and we are
getting mere sure all the time
that the crest already has
passed," be said.
The Columbia today was down
another .1 of a foot at Vancou
ver, Wash., to 26.6 feet. It
dropped .2 at Umatilla to 25.8
and at Clarkston, the Snake river
dropped 1.5 feet in. less : than 24
hours. Adding to' the "encourage
ment was a report from the Soil
Conservation Service that snow
packs have been depleted enough
so that it would take a double
factor of hot weather and a warm
rain to cause more peak floods.
Annual Meeting Set
For School Districts
The annual meetings of all
Jackson county school districts
will be held on Monday. June
18. when school directors for the
1956-57 school year will be
elected.
The name of any qualified
elector may be placed on the
ballot as a candidate for school
director of a second or third
class district. He must file with
the district clerk by June 11 a
petition of nomination signed by
at least 10 persons, or 3 per cent
of the number of qualified elec
tors voting for the office of
school director at the last an
nual school election in the
district.
An acceptance of nomination
must be filed with the district
clerk by the person so nominat
ed on or before June 13.
Those interested may obtain
petition forms from the office of
the county school superintendent
or from the clerk of their school
district.
Application Filed for
Radio Station Here
Application for a permit
to
operate a 1,000 watt clear chan
nel radio station has been made
to the federal communications
commission by K. C. Laurence of
Chez Real Estate agency. Loca
tion of the station is not defin
ite but will be south of Medford.
The station will serve south
ern Oregon and northern Calif
ornia during daylight hours.
Construction is to begin in about
six months with completion
within another six months,
Laurence, who will be owner,
said today.
necessary military qualifications
and will be available for imme-
iate service in emergency. The
screening process will remove
from the ready reserve men who
would be needed vitally in in
dustry, research and activities
necessary to national health and
safety.
No Volunteers Dropped
No men volunteering for re
serve service will be dropped,
the Army said.
The . Army said the new
screening process will be auto
matic and persons being trans
ferred will be notified in due
course.
is
3 a
MEDFOR'
Pc
Employment in County
Increases Last Month
Unemployed in Jackson coun
ty as of May 31 was estimated
about 39 per cent less than in
April and 37 per cent less than
a year ago, John J. Patton, man
ager of the Medford unemploy
ment office, said today.
An estimated 590 persons were
unemployed at the end of May,
he said.
Business continued on a steady
seasonal rise during May, with
most firms reporting business
good and getting better, Patton
said. Occasional stormy weather
interfered with outdoor work,
he said, particularly in logging
operations at higher elevations:
Patton said hiring last month
was not concentrated in any par
ticular industry,- but was, . scat
tered through varieus local in
dustries throughout the county.
There were no serious and pro
longed shutdowns, he added.
Construction and logging ab
sorbed the greatest number of
people going to work during the
early 'part of May, he said, but
hiring slowed down with fre
quent rains in the latter part of.
the month.
Apparent Weak Spot
Patton said the only appar
ent weak spot in the lumber in
dustry was a drop in plywood
prices which caused a few lay
offs. In agriculture, most of the
activity was haying and orchard
spraying, and there was no extra
workers required, he said.
"The general outlook for em
ployment during the next 60
days is very good," Patton said.
In some skilled occupations, he
said, help already has become
scarce, and no new source of
workers is immediately in .sight
in the local labor market.
Agricultural migratory work
ers are beginning to appear, he
noted, and college and high
school students will be seeking
work during summer vacations.
Pear thinning will get under
way this month and probably
will require considerable help,
he said, and lumber mills prob
ably will require additional help
when second shifts are started.
Professional, managerial and
clerical jobs accounted for 12
per cent of the total number of
job placements during May, Pat
ton said, and skilled jobs ac-
Late News Briefs
ACCUSATION HURLED
Washington (U.B House
Democrats today accused the Ei
senhower administration of aid
ing private utilities in a fight
to destroy public power and re
move all opposition to "a com
plete private power monopoly
in the United States."
H-BOMB TEST DUE
London U.R) Britain an
nounced today it will explode
its first hydrogen bomb next
year.
The decision was announced
by Prime Minister' Anthony
Eden in a statement to the
House of Commons.
TITO NOT BOTHERED
Moscow U.R' Marshal Tito
shrugged off as "not important"
Wednesday night a congres
sional move to cut U.S. aid to
Yugoslavia and hinted he would
like to visit Washington.
POAGE SEES PAYMENTS
Washington U.R Rep. W. R.
Poage (D-Tex.) said today there
is "no doubt at all" that the
new farm law provides for soil
bank payments to farmers who
lost all or part of their 1956
crops to drought, floods or other
disasters.
.1
JRSDAY, JUNE 7, 1956
Seize
. Got Your Ball, Kid"
counted for an additional 25 per
cent. Industry-wise, he noted,
the largest employing group was
wholesale and retail trade which
accounted for 38 per cent of all
jobs. .
Southwest District
Prepares for Fire
Season this Summer
The southwest district of the
state department of forestry is
just about ready for the summer
forest fire season, according to
District " garden Curt Ncsheim.
All fire wardens are now on
the job. he said this morning,
and several of the 15 lookouts in
the district have taken their
mountaintop posts. More are
going up each day, and all will
be on duty by .June 15. he re
ported. There are 12 lookouts in
Jackson county and 3 in Jose
phine. The district includes both
counties and a small corner of
Douglas county.
Fire suppression crews will be
ready for action by June 18,
stationed at district headquar
ters on Table Rock rd., at Lin
coln, McLeod and Pleasant
creek near Wimer, Nesheim
said.
Some 70 persons will be em
ployed during fire season by
the district in Jackson county,
and 30 in Josephine county, for
a total of 100.
Fire hazard is at a minimum
at present because of recent gen
eral rains, the warden said, but
continued warm, dry weather
could dry them out rapidly. All
recent lightning-set fires that
have been spotted have been put
out, he said, but there remains
the possibility of a few "sleep
ers" showing up as the woods
dry out.
Leukemia Fatal
To Admiral Joy
San Diego, Calif. (U.R)
Vice Adm. Charles Turner Joy,
chief U.N. delegate to the Ko
rean truce conference, died
Wednesday of leukemia at the
San Diego Naval Hospital. He
was 61.
The soft-spoken admiral had
been ill since he retired two
years ago from active duty and
last Monday entered the hospital
in a final attempt to defeat the
incurable disease.
Since his retirement in 1954,
the four-star admiral had been
living at nearby La Jolla, which
overlooks the vast naval installa
tions in and around San Diego
Bay.
Although he spent most of his
life at sea, Joy won his greatest
fame for the months of exhaust
ing negotiations with the Chi
nese Communists during the Ko
rean peace talks. He served as
chief U.S. negotiator in Korea
from July 8, 1951 to May 22,
1952 when he was assigned to
his last job as head of the U.S.
Naval Academy at Annapolis,
Md. ,
Five Fishermen Believed
Drowned in Snake River
American Falls. Ida. !U.R)
Five fishermen were believed
drowned when their small boat
capsized on the Snake river
downstream from the big Ameri
can Fails dam today.
Tribune
Price 5
No. 67
Georgians
Independence
Posters Cause
Of Soviet Action
First Demonstration
Heard in 14 Years
Vienna U.R Soviet secret
police seized more than 100 per
sons in Josef Stalin's home re
public of Georgia last week.
Western diplomatic sources said
today. The seizures were made
when posters appeared in the
capital city of Tiflis proclaiming
an "independent" Georgian Re
public. The sources said that cn th
morning of May 26 factories,
plants and official buildings of
the city were plastered with
posters reading: "Long live the
independent Georgian Repub
lic." May 26 was the 37th anniver
sary of the proclamation of
Georgia's independence in 1919.
Workers Seized
The reports reaching Vienna
said more than 100 workers
were seized by the Secret Po
lice in a search for members
of an underground organization
believed to have distributed the
posters.
An additional, but under
mined, number were picked up
in a second police raid the next
day, the reports said.
The sources said the May 28
demonstration for Georeia's in
dependence was the first beard
of in the West in 14 years. Sim
ilar independence demonstra
tions were reported from Tiflis
and other Georgian towns when
the German army approached
the Caucasus during World War
II.
The volatile Georgians also
demonstrated violently last
March over another issue, the
Communist collective leader
ship's decision to downgrade the
memory of Stalin, who was born
in Gori, near Tiflis, in 1879.
Killed in Riots
Reliable sources estimated that
up to 100 Georgians were killed
in the riots last March 9 when
troops opened fire on waves of
pro -Stalin demonstrators wh
tried to storm the Tiflis post
office.
The trouble started March 5,
the third anniversary of Stalin's
death, when Georgians poured
into Tiflis to hold a quiet memo
rial service.
However, because of the bit
ter speech at the 20th Soviet
Communist Party Congress in
Moscow in February in which
Nikita Khrushchev violently de
nounced Stalin, there wag con
siderable confusion.
Propagandists had been sent
into Georgia to spread the new
party line vilifying Stalin. But,
caught between the people's de
sire to honor their native son
and orders from Moscow not to
permit any homage to the dead
dictator, officials hesitated and
the crowds grew in number.
Federal Court to
Resume Monday
Federal court sessions here
will resume at 9:30 a.m. Monday
in the court room in the post of
fice building. Court was ad
journed late yesterday afternoon
by Federal Judge Gus K. Solo
mon. Two cases were decided by
juries during the past two days.
One decision favored Sears Roe
buck and company in a suit
brought by Mrs. Alvera E. Mc
Donald. Yesterday afternoon, a
jury decided in favor of Mont
gomery Ward and company. Inc.
in a suit brought by Nancy J.
Copeland.
Both suits asked damage for
personal injuries.
On Monday, the court will
hear the cases of the U. S. vs.
James V. Adamek, Wilbur Mer
chen and Noble Standley, all
concerning internal revenue vio
lation charges.
Weather
FORECAST; Increasing cloudi
ness LonlrhU Chance Of occa
sional liiht showers Friday.
Low tonight 48. High Friday 72
Temp.
Highest Ysf rdav .. 73
Loweri this Morning 47
Our: Skies Tonight
8unrte
4:3 aja.
7:46 p.m.
4:24 a m.
Friday
Sunset
Moonrlse Friday
fw .noon
PROMINENT STAR
Regulus, In the west 19:17 p.m.
The lanet. Jupiter, continues
to move nearer ReguJus this
month and will pass to the east
of that star in Jniy.