History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I, Part 6

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1134

USA > Washington > Benton County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 6
USA > Washington > Kittitas County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 6
USA > Washington > Yakima County > History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I > Part 6

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"A number of quartz veins on Swauk, Williams, Boulder, and Baker creeks are being prospected at the present time, and in view of the richness of the alluvial gold which has been derived from the veins in this vicinity it would seem that the prospecting is well warranted.

COPPER AND SILVER

"In the Negro Creek district both copper and silver occur with gold in the veins already described. Many of the ores are essentially copper ores, but whether the bodies are extensive enough to warrant their development has not yet been determined. This copper belt extends westward along the headwaters of North Fork of Teanaway River and of Ingalls Creek, but at only one local- ity has any amount of ore been mined. The Grand View mine, situated on the east side of Fourth Creek about three miles southeast of Mount Stuart, has produced some native copper. The vein is in a zone of sheared serpentine,

(5)

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

and, as far as could be determined from an examination of the deserted work- ings, the ore body is very irregular. With the native copper is the red oxide, or cuprite, and the ore is reported to carry varying amounts of gold.

"There have been some prospectors at work recently in the vicinity of the forks of Taneum Creek, about five miles south of Cle Elum, and copper sul- phides are reported to have been found. The country rock here is the Easton schist and is everywhere more or less seamed with quartz.

"As has been noted above, the gold of the Swauk district is argentiferous, the percentage of silver varying with the locality. No other silver ores are known to occur in the Mount Stuart quadrangle.

NICKEL AND QUICKSILVER

"Nickel is a metal frequently reported in the assays from the Negro Creek district. Its presence in small amounts in the serpentine which is of such im- portance in this area is shown by the analysis given, and this ren- ders it probable that some nickel ores may be found. The peridotite and ser- pentine resemble closely the peridotite at Riddles, Oregon, where deposits of nickel ore occur. The green silicate of nickel, genthite, which is the ore at Riddles, was not detected, however, at any place within the area of serpentine in this quadrangle. The analysis of the 'nickel ledge' given on a preceding page, shows a smaller percentage of nickel even than that contained in the ser- pentine itself.

"Cinnabar has been found at a few points at the head of Middle Fork of Teanaway River. In a prospect on the western edge of the quadrangle the cinnabar occurs along a joint place in the altered rock of the Peshastin forma- tion. The richness of the ore is evident, but the fact that such bands of cinna- bar are very thin may prevent the deposit from being of economic importance.

COAL

"Roslyn Basin .- The most important mineral resource of Kittitas County is coal. The Roslyn Basin is one of the most productive coal basins on the Pacific Coast and it is included mostly within this quadrangle. The coal occurs in the upper part of the Roslyn formation, and the extent of this productive por- tion, together with the location of mines, is shown on the economic geology map. The upper beds of the Roslyn formation have been eroded except in the center of the basin, so that the coal field is limited to the immediate valley of the Yakima between Ronald and Teanaway. The outcrop of the Roslyn coal has been traced along the northern side of the basin, so that the outline here is accurately determined. On the southern side, however, the deep gravel filling of Yakima Valley conceals the rocks beneath, and this boundary of the basin as mapped is based wholly upon data derived from observation of the structure made elsewhere. As shown on the map, there are between ten and twelve square miles of coal lands in the Mount Stuart quadrangle.

"The structure of the Roslyn Basin is simple. The dip of the coal beds is low, ten degrees to twenty degrees, and no faults have been discovered in the basin. Its axis pitches to the southeast, and since the fold is unsymmetrical,

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

with low dips on its northern side, the axis of the basin is nearer the southern edge. Thus the deepest portion of the shallow basin is probably near the line of the Northern Pacific Railway at Cle Elum.

"The Roslyn seam as worked at Roslyn contains four feet six inches of clean coal, while the seam worked at Cle Elum has a thickness of four feet two inches. The correlation of the Cle Elum coal with the Roslyn seam has been somewhat in question. The Cle Elum coal differs in character slightly from that mined at Roslyn, and on this account chiefly it was thought that they are separate seams and that the Cle Elum overlies all of the five coal beds cut by the Roslyn shaft. There is evidence now, however, that the two coals belong to the same seam. In the distance between the two mines the coal might be expected to exhibit differences in character, especially in view of the fact that east of the Cle Elum shaft the coal changes rapidly. Recently the outcrop of the coal has been traced from the one mine to the other, thus definitely fixing the correctness of the correlation. The coal is 640 feet beneath the surface at the Roslyn shaft and 250 feet at the Cle Elum shaft, but there is so nearly the same difference in elevation of the two shafts that the workings of the two mines will ultimately connect at that level. At present the developments are not sufficient to enable the exact form of the basin to be determined, but on the map its area is approximately outlined. The 'Big Dirty' seam, nineteen feet in thickness, occurs 200 feet above the Roslyn coal, and represents reserve supply, although the quality of this coal is such as to render it practically valueless under present conditions.

"The Roslyn coal is a coking bituminous coal, well adapted for steam rais- ing and gas making. It is an excellent fuel for locomotives, and over one-half of the product of this field is sold for railroad consumption. The cleanness of this coal and its high percentage of lump make it well fitted for shipment. Naval tests have shown that the Roslyn coal ignites quickly, combustion being rapid and thorough, the coal swelling slightly on the surface of the fire. The percentage of ash is moderate, and the clinkers formed do not cling to the grate bars, except with forced draft. The amount of soot formed and the high tem- perature in the uptake are the only objectionable features of this coal.

"Analyses of samples of coal collected in the Roslyn mine have been made in the United States Geological Survey laboratory by Mr. George Steiger.

"These analyses indicate a remarkable uniformity throughout the large mine, and a noteworthy and valuable character of the coal is its low content of sulphur. Comparative boiler tests of Roslyn coal and of a high-grade Pennsyl- vania bituminous coal have been made by the Northern Pacific Railway Com- pany, and these show the former coal to have 90 per cent. of the efficiency of the eastern coal under a stationary boiler, and 78 to 80 per cent. in locomotives of the mogul and consolidation types, respectively. These figures indicate the value of the coal for steam-raising purposes. It is extensively used for gas making in Washington cities, yielding 43 cubic feet of 18-candlepower gas per pound of coal. The bright, clean character of this coal and the small proportion of fine coal make it well adapted for domestic use. The product of this field is largely used by the northern transcontinental railroads, and its market includes, in addition to the large cities of the state, San Francisco and Honolulu.

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

"The mines of the Northwestern Improvement Company at Roslyn and , Cle Elum constitute the largest colliery in the state. The shaft at Cle Elum has not been connected with the Roslyn shaft, four miles distant, and the inter- vening ground represents the reserve coal supply of these mines. The seam as , worked measures over four feet in thickness, and the coal is shipped just as it leaves the breasts. The daily capacity of this colliery with present equipment is estimated at 5,000 tons, and the management is now working with the pur- . pose of enlarging the plant to obtain a greater output. The output of the Mount Stuart quadrangle in 1902 was 1,240,935 tons.

"Coal has also been mined about two miles north of Cle Elum by the Ellens- . burg Coal Company at a point near the outcrop. Here the coal was four feet thick and dips south, 10° east at an angle of 16°.

"L. S. Storrs, geologist for the Northwestern Improvement Company, has made analyses of the samples of the Roslyn coal from a series of openings ex- tending from the Cle Elum mine through the Roslyn mine to the northwest- ern extremity of the basin. These analyses show the change in this seam from a lignitic, non-coking coal to a fairly good coking coal. The order of the samples is from the open part of the fold toward its more steeply inclined portion, be- yond the edge of the Mount Stuart quadrangle, and the change in the coal may be considered as an expression of the influence of the increasing dynamic action as the Cascade Range is approached.

"Work has also been done on a coal prospect on the west escarpment of Table Mountain where the Roslyn formation is represented by about forty feet of clay with a seam of coal and bone. This bed dips 32° to the east. Similar coal prospects are seen in the Roslyn formation at the head of First Creek. Here massive sandstone occurs with the shale, but the coal seams are very impure, and the surface displacements prevent any determination of their ex- tent.

"The black shales in the Swauk formation have been prospected somewhat for coal on Camas Creek, but without success. More extensive exploration has been made in the Manastash formation, which contains some carbonaceous beds. On Taneum Creek coal seams occur, but the work done here has not shown them to be of sufficient value to warrant further development. The conditions are similar on Manastash Creek, where prospect tunnels have been opened on the coal at several localities. The quality of the coal is very poor and quite unlike that of the Roslyn coal. One of the larger seams thus pros- pected is in close proximity to a large basaltic dike, which would cut off the extension of the bed.

BUILDING STONE

"Building Stone .- The sandstone of the Swauk and Roslyn formations is fairly well adapted for construction work. The Swauk sandstone is more thoroughly indurated than the Roslyn sandstone, but the more massive beds occur in localities which are not accessible. Sandstone from the productive portion of the Roslyn formation has been used somewhat in building, but no quarries have been opened. The tuffaceous sandstone of the Ellensburg forma- tion has been used in buildings in Ellensburg, being obtained from a quarry a

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

few miles beyond the southeast corner of the Mount Stuart quadrangle. Usu- ally this stone is too soft and friable for use as a building stone.

"Road Metal .- The alluvial gravels of the valleys have in many cases favored the construction of good roads in this region. In some localities, 'on the other hand, the clay beds in the valley deposits have rendered the road's almost impassable through part of the year. Except in rare cases no attention has been given to the use of better material for road construction. The best of road metal, however, is close at hand in much of the area. The Yakima basalt which forms the escarpment of the upper Yakima Valley and bounds. the western edge of Kittitas Valley is a rock which, owing to its hardness and close texture, makes excellent material for this purpose. This basalt is too high above the floor of the upper valley to be easily obtained, but the small areas of Teanaway basalt which project through the alluvial gravels would furnish similar material. The exposure of this rock at 'Deadmans Curve' on the railroad three miles south of Roslyn, is well situated for a supply of road metal for the country road between Cle Elum and Roslyn, a road which is more traveled thar any other in the county. A place where this basalt may be obtained already pre- pared for use is near the upper road on the south side of the valley about two and one-half miles southeast of Cle Elum. A pit has been opened in this crushed basalt near the schoolhouse, and some of the rock seems to have been used on the road in the vicinity. This exceptional deposit of road material can be very easily worked, and at comparatively small expense the roads of this vicinity could be greatly improved.

"In Swauk Valley two sources of material are available for fitting the" roads for heavy teaming. The basalt through which the road is cut below Liberty is well adapted for road construction, when broken into small frag- ments, while above Liberty dikes of similar basalt outcrop at several points' by the roadside.

"The Northern Pacific Railway Company has operated a rock crusher in the canyon under Lookout Mountain. The cliffs above furnished a supply of broken basalt which was converted into a high grade of ballast for the railroad."

While the foregoing extracts are from the Geologic Atlas of 1904, and hence old, the general views given are of permanent accuracy and value. Changes have occurred in details.

It may be added that the other folios dealing with the quadrangles adjoin- ing the Mount Stuart quadrangle on the south give similar details with the same minute and technical accuracy, the general history being similar. The author is incorporating the part dealing with the upper Yakima as being a valu- able illustration of the general nature of these reports. As it is manifestly im- possible to go into further detail, the reader is referred to these Geologic Atlases of the United States Government as the only complete body of references upon this very interesting and important subject.

ARTESIAN WATER

To the above data we desire to add a valuable contribution to the State Geological Report for 1902, pertaining to the artesian supply of the Yakima Valley, by C. A. Ruddy :

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

In this state the greatest progress in developing the artesian water supply has been made in the Yakima Valley.

"The oldest rock which outcrops in this valley is the Columbia lava, of Miocene Age. It forms part of the great lava field which covers south- eastern Washington and Oregon and extends southward and eastward into Idaho, Nevada and California. In Yakima County it is made up of a succes- sion of flows varying in thickness from a few feet to a hundred or more, the line of contact between the layers being usually very well marked. Some layers show a marked difference in jointing from those above and below. The rock is a very dark basalt, usually quite compact, but often more or less vesicular. In many places beds of volcanic tuff are found between the basalt flows. Basalt, in its molten state, is one of the least viscous of lavas. When in its liquid state it is poured forth from a vent, and instead of building up a cone it spreads far out as a nearly horizontal sheet. For this reason we find no volcanic cones in the Columbia lava field. Each flow found its way to the surface through a fissure which was afterwards covered up by succeeding flows. The interval of time between successive flows in this region must have been in some cases many years, and even centuries. Sufficient time elapsed for soil to form and forests to grow thereon, before being overwhelmed by the next overflow. This is shown by the presence of charred wood between the flows of lava.

"During the long ages in which the older rocks were becoming more and more deeply submerged by the molten flood, there was little folding or tilting of the rocks in this region. The Cascade Mountains were very much lower than at present, especially in the southern part of the state. When the outflows of basaltic lava had almost ceased, there came a change, so that the region now forming the valley of the Yakima formed part of the bed of a great fresh-water lake. This lake existed so long that sediments more than a thousand feet in thickness were deposited on its bed. It was a time of great volcanic activity, as shown by the character of the sediments. These are largely volcanic ash and broken fragments of pumice. The eruptions which furnished this material were largely of the explosive type, rather than the quiet outflows which char- acterized the formation of the Columbia lava plain. Along the ancient shore line conglomerate beds occur, made up of boulders of light-colored andesite and other volcanic rocks. The great variations of the beds show that the oscillations of the land were comparatively rapid and irregular. Sometimes the water of the lake would recede and the streams would cut rapidly into their soft sediments; then the waters would encroach again and new sediments would be spread out, leveling off the old irregularities.

"At intervals throughout the period in which the lake sediments were accumulating, there came belated outbreaks of basaltic lava which spread out over the soft sediments. These were the last convulsive signs of life of those great volcanic forces which were active throughout a great part of the Miocene period, and which caused the formation of the Columbia lava fields, the greatest body of lava in the known world.

"After the lake was finally drained the greater part of the sediments were carried away by erosion, but remnants still remain. They form the light- colored sedimentary beds outcropping in places in the Yakima Valley and

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

about its borders. These are the rocks in which artesian water has been found. They form what is known as the Ellensburg formation, and are of Miocene age, as shown by the fossil leaves preserved in them. The most extensive outcrops are seen along the Natches River and at White Bluffs on the Columbia.

"At the close of the period just described, the region to the westward was gradually uplifted so as to form the Cascade Mountains. At the same time or later, a series of low east and west folds were formed between the Columbia River and the Cascades, nearly at right angles to the axis of the mountain range. The ridges are not due to faults, as formerly supposed ; they are all anticlines, while the valleys between them are synclines, and the Naches River another. The crests of the ridges have been almost entirely denuded of the Ellensburg beds, so that only the basalt is left. One of these, known as the Selah Ridge, borders the Yakima Valley on the north, and another, the Yakima Ridge, borders it on the south. The Yakima River has cut gaps through the ridges and crosses them at right angles. It evidently had its course established before the folding began; then as the folds arose slowly the river kept pace with them, cutting down its channel.

"At some period later than the Miocene, a great stream of lava came flowing down from somewhere between the headwaters of the Naches and Tieton rivers, covering the hills and obliterating the valleys. It reached as far east as the mouth of the Cowiche Creek and then stopped. The rock is a very dark andesite. It forms a conspicuous landmark, standing as bold cliffs on the lower Tieton and at the junction of Cowiche Creek with the Naches River. It is safe to say that nowhere on the surface of this lava can artesian water be found. It stands at too high an elevation, and any water contained in the beds below would find a readier outlet by means of springs along the base of the cliffs where the andesite meets the underlying rocks.

"As shown by the geological map, the Ellensburg beds extend westward a mile or two beyond Tampico Postoffice and occupy practically all of the valley below that point. The city of North Yakima stands at an elevation of about 1,067 feet above sea level. Ellensburg beds have been traced twenty miles west of that point to an elevation of 2,350 feet. On the hills north of Tampico Postoffice they outcrop as beds of conglomerate, sandstone and volcanic ash, dipping slightly to the eastward.

"North Yakima had a total precipitation in 1900 of 7.22 inches. To the westward as the mountains are approached the precipitation increases. It seems probable that most of the water which finds its way into the strata falls upon the western border of the Ellensburg beds, and gradually finds its way down into the lower part of the valley.

"The two synclines occupied respectively by the Naches River and Ahtanum Creek in their upper valleys gradually merge into one as they approach the Yakima River. Where the Yakima has cut its way across the valley there is only one syncline. On both the north and south sides, parallel to the longer sides of the valley, the beds dip towards the valley at a steep angle. On the eastern and western sides they dip more gradually. The valley is underlaid by

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

Ellensburg beds to a depth of over a thousand feet, while along the elevated edges it has all been eroded away, leaving the bare basalt ridges.

"A large part of the rain which falls on the ridges is absorbed by the rocks as soon as it reaches the porous beds at the base of the hills. Along the western border of the basin the tops of the hills are at such an elevation as materially to increase the rainfall. Ahtanum Creek flows over the Ellensburg beds for a number of miles, and from measurements made of its volume at different places along its course, it is evident that a considerable part of it is absorbed by the rocks.

"The part of the valley east of the Yakima River is known as the Moxee Valley. It is here that nearly all of the artesian wells are located. There are now more than thirty wells within an area of six square miles. The following table, taken from the report of Mr. George Otis Smith, on the Geology and Water Resources of a Portion of Yakima County, Water Supply and Irriga- tion Papers of the United States Geological Survey, No. 55, gives most of the important information concerning these wells :

"It is estimated that the total area irrigated by these wells amounts to about 1,650 acres. Some of them are said to be decreasing in volume, and in some instances even to have ceased flowing altogether. This may be due to caving of the wells due to improper construction. It is quite possible, of course, that the basin may now be developed to its full capacity, so that the drilling of more wells would not increase the total flow. If such were the case, the water which would flow from new wells would simply decrease by that much the amount which flowed from the other wells. Heretofore the wells have been allowed to flow freely throughout the year, but at the last session of the State Legislature a law was passed compelling owners of wells to keep them closed from the first day of October in any year until the first day of the following April. This does not prevent the use of water for stock or for domestic purposes. The effect of this law will be salutary in preventing the waste of water during the season when it is not necessary for irrigation, and will greatly increase the capacity of the basin. The amount of land in this part of the valley which can be brought under cultivation is limited only by the supply of water.

"On the western side of the Yakima River the demand for artesian water is not so urgent. A number of canals bring water from the Naches River, and supply all the lower part of the valley. Other canals utilize the waters of Ahtanum Creek. Up to the present time only one artesian well has been drilled west of the Yakima. This is on the farm of Mr. George Wilson, in Wide Hollow, and irrigates about fifty acres. It is important as showing the pres- ence of artesian water in this part of the valley, so that the problem is simplified for anyone who in the future wishes to sink a well in the same locality.

KITTITAS VALLEY

"In the Kittitas Valley, in which the city of Ellensburg is situated, the same geological formations occur as in the Yakima Valley farther south. Its basin-like structure, however, is not so clearly marked. The valley is underlaid

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73.

HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

by the Ellensburg formation to an unknown depth. On every side of the valley the enclosing hills are of basalt. The Yakima River flows through the valley from northwest to southeast and escapes through a deep notch cut in the enclosing ridge. A well was sunk in the valley a number of years ago, and is said to have reached basalt at 700 feet. Water came up within forty feet of the surface. Mr. Smith, in the report previously referred to, is of the opinion that the chances of obtaining artesian water are sufficiently favorable to justify the drilling of another well." (Mr. Ruddy's report, while also outdated, pos- sesses permanent value and hence we preserve it.)

For the sake of accuracy, it should be added that, since Mr. Ruddy's report was made, artesian water has been discovered in Walla Walla of such copious supply as to make it far exceed any other region in the Northwest for artesian water.

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History of the Yakima Valley, Washington; comprising Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties, Vol. I, Part 6

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920 Publication date: 1919 Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1134

Author: Lyman, William Denison, 1852-1920
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: [Chicago] S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1134