Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 22

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992

USA > Washington > Chelan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 22
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 22
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 22
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 22

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ganized the Old Dominion Mining & Concen- trating Company, with a capital of $1,000,000, with G. B. Dennis as president and general manager; Cyrus Bradley, secretary; John Hanly, superintendent. The Old Dominion mine was at once transferred to the ownership and control of this corporation. No sooner had the company been organized than the capi- tal stock was all subscribed and it was recog- nized as one of the most substantial institu- tions of the kind in the country. Many thou- sands of'dollars were at once expended in the construction of the largest concentrating plant in the state of Washington. The machinery is of the best and of the latest improved pattern. An 80-horse-power compressed air plant was built, and heavy hoisting machinery placed in position. A shaft is now being sunk to the 600-foot level to meet the face of a 1200-foot tunnel, and in all about 5,000 feet of develop- ment work has been done. Regardless of the low price of silver during a long period of un- precedented financial depression, and the con- dition of distrust that has prevailed through- out the country, this mine has kept a large force of men employed continually, and under its present management has produced over $600,- 000 of high-grade ore from its vast deposits near the original discovery that have been worked from a depth not to exceed seventy-five feet from the surface of the ground at that point. The value of the ore is carefully esti- mated at 450 ounces of silver per ton, and 33 per cent lead. Large reserves of rich ore are in sight. The company will not ship ore at pres- ent for the reason that it possesses the capital to push development, and considers it a prefer- able investment to store the product in waiting for better times and higher prices in the future.

"The Old Dominion Company now owns, in addition to the Old Dominion mine, fifteen other properties adjoining and is pursuing a ju- dicious, systematic and vigorous policy in their development. Mr. Dennis was the first to in- troduce heavy capital in the Coeur d' Alene

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mines of Idaho, and has been a great factor in the development of the mining of the North- west, and will continue to direct the same force in the upbuilding of the mining interests of Stevens county, which he recognizes as the richest field in which he has had the good for- tune to interest himself."

The mining interests of all districts have been marked with alternate prosperity and de- pression. In this respect what is known as the Colville district has not differed materially from others. Yet the fact remains that it has · reached a more advanced stage of development and produced more ore than any other silver district in the state of Washington. It forms the southern half of a belt extending about ten miles east from the Columbia river across the Colville, and from the headwaters of Cedar and Deep creeks, which debouch into the Pend d' Oreille river near the National Boundry line, southward for seventy-five miles, terminating in that direction in the Cedar Canyon District. Like all other pioneer discoveries it has had its successive periods of activity and torpor.

The formation of this belt of country is granite, lime, slate and quartzite, and is veined with a belt of bodies of silver-lead ores, run- ning sometimes north and south and others east and west. These occur either in contacts between granite and lime, slate and lime, or slate and quartzite, or in fissures in the slate or lime. Where they occur in the lime formation the ledges show a good deal of surface disturb- ance, but at depth settle into permanent bodies of ore either in chutes or veins. In the slate formation the ledges are almost invariably in place.

Although there are hundreds of claims and prospects throughout Stevens county in various stages of development the following is a list of the patented mines, the person or persons in whose names the property is assessed and the full value of each mine, as assessed with im- provements, taken from the 1903 assessment roll :

Capitol Lode-H. A. Armstrong, $250; Bonanza Mine-Deer Trail Consolidated, $5,000; Cleveland Mine-Cleveland Mining Company, Olympia, $5,200; Triangle Fraction, $200; Stuart Fraction, $200; Lucky Boy, $200; Copper King, $200; Copper Queen, $200; Etta-Northwest Development Com- pany, $200; Tom Sawyer-ditto, $200; Cop- per Bell-ditto, $200; Ona-ditto, $200; Cream Tint Kaolin M .- E. S. Graham estate, $250; Bella May-R. B. Merrill, $100; Dia- mond R .- R. B. Merrill, $100; Blue Bucket- R. B. Merrill, $100; Friday-F. W. Billings, $1,500; Saturday-ditto, $1,000; Friday Fraction-ditto, $500; Grand View-ditto, $1,500; Monta Quartz-ditto, $500; Mill Site -ditto, $150; Lost Axe (Placer)-ditto, $200; Clifford (Placer), $200; California, $750; Daisy Lode, $600; Buckeye Mine-D. P. Jenkins, $100; Eagle Mine-Eagle Cop., G. M. & M. Company, $200; Reeves-Old Do- minion M. & M. Company, $50; Old Dominion -ditto, $1,500; Ophir Boy- ditto, $50; Ella- ditto, $250; Tillie P., $50; Spaulding-ditto, $50; Buda-ditto, $50; Airline-ditto, $50; Walter-ditto, $50; Tres Pinos-ditto, $50; International-George J. Goodhue, $177; Sil- ver Crown, $125; Northern Light, $125; En- terprise-Scotia M. & M. Company, $150; Morning Star-ditto, $150; Elephant-Cedar Canyon C. M. Company, $10,000; Defiance, Victory and Challenge-F. G. Slocum, $1,000; Crescent , and Deadwood-Orient M. & M. Company, $2,500; First Thought, Homestake and First Thought, Fraction and Annex Lodes -First Thought Mining Company, Limited, $50,000.

The total full value of improvements on these mines assessed is $900. The full value of these mines as assessed is $86.377. The last named mine had its assessment reduced to $25,000 by the county board of equalization, leaving a total of $61,377.

The original silver-lead discovery was made in 1883, at the Embry camp, two miles

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east of Chewelah. It was made by a party of prospectors sent out by John N. Squire, of Spokane. In that section the ore carries gale- na, sulphide of silver, some carbonate of lead and chloride of silver, mixed with iron and cop- per pyrites. Within two years this was fol- lowed by a rush of prospectors. Explorations continued northward. Following the location of the Old Dominion came discoveries at the heads of Deep and Cedar creeks, and along the range east of the Columbia to Little Dalles. This territory was included in the Northport District. The Young America, at Bossburg, is fifteen miles south, the ore being entirely lead and silver. The Big Bonanza lies five miles from this, southeast. Here the ore is a mixture of heavy galena and iron pyrite's, car- rying about forty per cent lead and ten ounces of silver. Still traveling southward we come to Gold Hill, two miles east of Marcus. The ore here is copper pyrites carrying gold. Five miles more to the south is Rickey mountain where there is a large quantity of gray copper ore. This, however, is very much broken and no solid bodies are found. Summit Camp lies fifteen miles onward where the ore carries galena and lead carbonates, and this same class of ore is found at the Wellington five miles to the southwest.

One of the most important mines in Stev- ens county is the Cleveland, discovered in June, 1894, by Messrs. France, Finsley and Lingen- felter. It is situated five miles south of Wel- lington. The ore is galena carrying about thirty ounces of silver. The Cleveland is in the western portion of the county, in what is known as the Huckleberry range. Here is a rich deposit of silver-lead from twelve to fif- teen feet wide incased in a well-defined contact of lime and granite. Within two months of the date of its location the Cleveland was sold for the round sum of $150,000. George B. McAuley, a well-known Coeur d' Alene min- ing man, James Monaghan and C. B. King, two Spokane capitalists, were the purchasers

at the price named. So early as 1895 they had thoroughly tested the value of the property and closed all doubt respecting the ore deposits, and at that period the property was not for sale at any price. In addition to the silver the ore runs 40 per cent lead to the ton. Although a large sum of money has been expended in de- veloping the ore bodies, little of it has been spent that has not been taken in value from the mine. Nearly thirty miles of roadway have been constructed, and shipments have been large. The ledge was tapped by a 200-foot cross-cut, from which a drift was run 150 feet, a winze sunk 60 feet and an upraise made for 20 feet, the ore then being stoped out. The ledge occasionally pinches to two feet. The main ledge was struck forty feet higher up the mountain and carries 25 ounces of silver and 59 per cent lead.

On what is probably an extension of the Cleveland ledge Dr. J. P. Turney, A. W. Turner, C. G. Snyder, H. H. McMillan and C. E. Richard, of Davenport, located the Bland. It is six to eight feet between lime walls, as shown by a cross-cut and carries antimonial sil- ver, carbonates of copper and azurite, assaying 52 ounces of silver, 5 per cent lead and a trace of gold.

The Young America group of claims is a quarter of a mile northeast of Bossburg, on the Spokane Falls & Northern railroad, 110 miles from Spokane. The entire property is covered with float and a ledge cropping from twelve to twenty feet wide runs' across all four claims. The Bonanza is also reached from Spokane by the same railway, to Bossburg, and from there five miles in a southeasterly direction. Trav- eling southward from Bossburg we come to the Summit group of five claims, owned in 1897 by the Summit Mining Company. These claims lie ten miles by wagon road from Addy station, on the Spokane Falls & Northern rail- road. The group is on a series of five parallel ledges of sulphide and galena ore, one of which is in the contact between slate and diorite, while

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the others are in fissure in the slate. All are dipping into the mountain at such angles as en- courage the belief that they will unite in a great contact vein at a depth of 600 feet, or less.

Three and one-half miles by road, north- east of Chewelah, in the Colville Valley, is the Eagle group of six claims, at one time owned by I. S. Kaufman, C. D. Ide and C. W. Ide. The croppings show large deposits of galena and sulphides of silver in a limestone forma- tion. Development work shows ore chutes ranging from eighteen inches to eight feet in thickness, connected by stringers. The ore ranges in value from 25 to 100 ounces of sil- ver ; 40 to 70 per cent lead.

The Buck Mountain group of eight claims is controlled by the Buck Mountain Mining Company. It lies four miles north of Cedar Canyon and twelve miles by road from Spring- dale, which latter town is forty-seven miles from Spokane. One ledge is six feet wide in a 22-foot shaft, and in tunnels sixty and forty- five feet, which show eight inches of solid galena and bunches of that mineral throughout the ledges increasing in solidity with depth. One car-load returned 61 ounces of silver, 771/2 per cent lead and assays have averaged about that figure. Another ledge is seven and one- half feet between lime and granite walls, and in a 30-foot shaft shows chloride and gray cop- per ore throughout, assaying 64 ounces of sil- ver, $3 in gold and 8 per cent copper. An- other large ledge crops ten feet wide and carries chlorides which assay 36 ounces silver, 12 per cent copper and $5.20 gold. Three claims are along another ledge between slate walls which a 40-foot shaft shows to widen from three and a half to seven feet. Assays from samples taken at increasing depths showed 40, 52 and 64 ounces of silver respec- tively.

Two miles southeast of Springdale, by road, is the Honest Johns group of three claims, owned by the Honest Johns Mining Company. The croppings show a 60-foot ledge

containing iron carbonates. A cross-cut was driven 280 feet to tap the ledge 175 feet below the surface, which has since been extended. This cut a 30-inch stringer carrying 41 ounces of silver, 31 per cent lead and $2.20 in gold, besides 20 per cent iron, which makes it a good fluxing ore.

Aside from the Deer Trail mine to the south of the Old Dominion, there is the Deer Trail No. 2, the principal one of twelve adjoin- ing claims, all controlled by the Deer Trail No. 2 Mining Company. It consists of rich min- eralized quartz, decomposed and acted upon by- fire due to the slaking of the lime. The crop- pings carried 28 ounces in the form of black sulphurets and galena. The flakes of silver are sometimes as large as a silver dollar and thin as tin foil. The first car-load from near the mouth of the tunnel netted $237 at the smelter, the second over $600 and the third $1,000, in- creasing in value until one car netted over $2,900. The name of this mine is consistent with the circumstances of its discovery. In August, 1894, W. O. and Isaac L. Vanhorn were pursuing two deer in Cedar Canyon. W. O. Vanhorn stumbled over a huge quartz boulder carrying galena, and immediately he began prospecting down the mountain. They had pieces of the boulder assayed and found between 70 and 80 ounces of silver to the ton. W. O. Vanhorn panned down some of the red sand for gold. but found strings and flakes of native silver. He sacked two and one-half tons which he hauled to Davenport, Lincoln county. After enduring much ridicule he secured suffi- cient money to pay the freight and received a payment of $150 a ton. He then shipped nine tons which netted him $1,360.

In an impartial mining review the Kettle Falls district must not be overlooked. The promising mineral belt on Rickey Mountain is a valuable attestation of the richness of the district. It is fully covered by locations, the stakers being men of wide experience in their line. Its low altitude, mild climate and light

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fall of snow afford it many advantages and en- able the properties to be worked all the year round. It has excellent transportation facili- ties with ample timber and water closely con- tiguous. The Acme mine, six miles south of Kettle Falls, on the Columbia river, is a gold property with a little silver and lead as by- products. It has a vein of sixty-four feet with no walls, assays from which run from $60 to $88 a ton. The original owners of the Acme were Sig. Dilsheimer, of Colville, and some Portland and New York capitalists. They bonded the property to San Francisco parties and the new owners are eminently satisfied with their purchase.

The Vulcan and the Fannie are two prop- erties in the Kettle Falls district in which min- ing men have great faith. They are owned by the Vulcan Gold Mining and Milling Company, and comprise forty acres of ground located on the west slope of Rickey Mountain, two and one-half miles south of Kettle Falls. The Mayflower, adjoining the Vulcan is, also, a promising property. The Mascot adjoins the Acme mine on the east. It is developed by a tunnel on the vein which is from three to ten inches thick, assaying 40 ounces of silver and a trace of gold. There is a road across the foot of the property making it easy of access. The owners of the Mascot were N. B. Wheeler and A. Curry, of Kettle Falls.

Perhaps the most promising property in this district is the Silver Queen group of mines, the property of the Silver Queen Mining and Milling Company. The mines consist of three full claims and are situated about two and a half miles south of Kettle Falls on the Colum- bia river. The claims are known as the Silver Queen, Last Chance and Populist. Develop- ment work has been principally done on the Silver Queen. Very high grade ore has been extracted, some selected samples assaying the marvelous values of 3,000 ounces of silver to the ton and no assay from the lead runs less than IOI ounces, this carrying some lead. One

half mile east of Kettle Falls is the Blue Grouse, consisting of five claims. It carries lead, silver and copper, and assays 63 ounces of silver, 45 per cent lead and a large trace of copper.

The Columbia River Gold Mining Com- pany owns five claims lying six miles southeast of Kettle Falls. The ledge is twenty-four feet in width and is a milk-white quartz carrying silver, gold and copper. Rich values are shown by assays. The Blind Discovery is a property that is but two claims removed south from the Silver Queen and Vulcan mines. This con- tiguity to these excellent properties is a most favorable indication for it. But it could easily stand on its own merits as the average values from various assays is 72 per cent lead and four ounces of silver. J. F. Sherwood, P. Larson and others are the owners.

It is the opinion of many of the best min- ing experts that the Metaline District is the coming great galena camp. That this is ap- preciated by the national government is attested by the fact that a large sum of money has been expended in blasting at Box Canyon, on the Pend d'Oreille river, widening and deepening that stream to make it navigable for steamers to Metaline, in order that its rich ores may be shipped to the smelters without the great ex- pense entailed in hauling to Box Canyon. Ore, however, has been packed from John Betten- court's mine with a twenty-horse train to Box Canyon, a distance of eleven miles, over a de- plorable road, and notwithstanding this ex- pense, smelted at a profit. The following are some of the most promising properties in the district : John Bettencourt, three claims, strict- ly galena ; Doc Done, two claims; Enoch Carr, three claims; Tom Murphy, one claim.

The Flat Creek sub-district, for it is lo- cated within the Northport District, is really a district by itself. It is in that portion of the reservation lying east of Kettle River, and may be termed the Rossland of Stevens county. The character of its ores is identical with that of

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the great British Columbia camp. There are over forty good properties in the Flat Creek District, the prevailing character of the ore be- ing gold and copper. One of the most promis- ing properties, and the one upon which has been done the most development work is the Badger Boy, a group of claims on Fifteen Mile creek. The present workings assay $56. Aside from this is the Lottie, the Poorman, the Triumph, the Lucky Find, the Buckhorn, the X Ray, the Silver Star and the Mckinley. Carlson & Colender have several claims on Flat creek, and the Badger State Mining Company's mine is another Flat Creek property. The Bullion Mining Company's properties are on Bullion Mountain, between Crown and Rattle- snake creeks, and consist of several claims. This is a rich property, surface ores running $20.

The vast area of the Piere Lake District is almost covered by mineral locations. Through- out the entire district the formation is granite and porphyry, indicative of true fissures. The great mineralized belt on Sulphide Mountain, in the heart of the district, has been the potent medium in bringing fame to this locality. That it is rich in the precious metals is known to every prominent mining man in Washington. the Sunday Morning and Little Giant are very valuable properties, and their officers prominent in mining and other industrial circles.

The Springdale District embraces the southern portion of Stevens county. Notable among the mines of the district are those in the southern portion of the Huckleberry range of mountains lying between the Colville and Co- lumbia river valleys. Mention has been made of the principle mines in this district, notably the Cedar Canyon, Cleveland and Deer Trail No. 2. The property of the Wells-Fargo, Min- ing Company consists of three claims situated three miles northeast from the celebrated Cleveland mine, in the Huckleberry Mountain, and twelve miles from Springdale, the princi- pal place of business of the company. While

originally prospected as a precious metal mine, development work has adduced the fact that it is a pure antimony property, perhaps the only one in Stevens county. It has a three-foot solid ledge of this valuable metal which con- tains no lead or any other product that would be detrimental to the successful working of the antimony metal. The value of this property may best be judged front the fact that anti- mony is largely used in type-castings and al- loys, and for which there is a steady and per- manent demand. It is worth in the market at all times from nine to ten cents per pound. The Wells-Fargo Mining Company is capital- ized at $1,000,000, in shares of $1 each. Its officers are all prominent in industrial circles.

The Chewelah District, of which the thriv- ing town of Chewelah is the center, has a con- siderable number of mining claims which are among the most promising in Stevens county. Embraced in the Northport District are numer- ous properties of undoubted great worth. Pre- dominating ores are galena, gold and copper in the order named. Red Top Mountain, situated about equally distant from Northport and Boundary, and east of the Columbia river, is the scene of a great amount of active develop- ment work. West of the Columbia river, and on the reservation, Sophia Mountain properties are taking a front place. Considerable capital is being invested in the Northport District and many mining men are expressing great inter- est in its future.

Aside from quartz operations placer min- ing is prosecuted profitably for miles on Sulli- van creek which empties into the Pend d' Ore- ille near Metaline. The largest operations are conducted by the Pend d' Oreille Gold Mining & Dredging Company, a syndicate of capital- ists of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The largest stockholder in this company is Daniel Geary, one of the leading factors of the Standard Oil Company. The company controls seven claims, is stocked for $100,000 at $1 a share and the stock has been freely sold at par in Oil City. It

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is now withdrawn from the market. Concern- ing the question of placer mining Mr. John B. Slater wrote, in 1895 :

"Mining for gold in quartz in Stevens county has not been followed with success, and search in that direction for the yellow metal does not attract much attention. But placer gold is abundant on the shores of the Colum- bia river, where it is deposited in the sands of the beaches and bars along the stream. For years the Chinese plied their quest for the prec- ious substance with great profit, but the white population have driven them out from the field and more substantial work and improved gold saving machinery has brought gold-mining out to an admirable degree. Along the river at Boundary City may yet be seen the washed

lands that were worked by the placer miners of 'forty-nine.' These lands are still rich and give up a goodly supply of wealth under the appli- cation of improved machinery. All along the river from Northport to Fort Spokane, a dis- tance of 100 miles, are hundreds of men work- ing the bars and flats with profit. It is esti- mated that one man with a rocker can take out from $25 to $50 a week. The gold is usually coarse, ranging from the size of a mustard seed to that of a few cents. A fair average of the pay dirt is forty cents to the square yard, but it is more likely to be more than less. During the year 1894 there was taken, in a round sum, from the placer grounds of Stevens county nearly half a million dollars."

CHAPTER V.

CITIES AND TOWNS.

The present territory comprising the coun- ty of Stevens contains no city entitled to rank as a. metropolis. Some of the territory which she has lost, however, particularly Spokane county, is not far behind the coast in the matter of handsome cities, with imposing buildings and grand perspectives of substantially paved streets. But it can be truthfully said that with ·one or two exceptions, and those exceptions dis- mal failures, there is not a "boom" town within the present limits of Stevens county. Of the twenty or more platted towns within her terri- tory each one has enjoyed a healthy growth de- void of anything approaching the abnormal, feverish or sensational. Though small at present, so far as concerns population, the towns of Stevens county will range up along- :side those of any other county in eastern Wash-

ington, outside of Spokane county. The ma- jority of them lie along the line of the Spokane Falls & Northern railroad, between Clayton on the south and Boundary to the extreme north. One cluster, including Scotia, Penrith, Camden and Newport, lie along the few 'ntiles of Great Northern trackage in the southeastern portion of the county. A few others are located on the banks of the Pend d'Oreille and Columbia rivers, between which is the inhabited district of Stevens county, with its vast wealth of mar- ble and mineral deposits.

A brief statistical record of the platted towns of Stevens county, giving the dates of their dedication and by whom platted, will not be out of place here :

Colville - February 28, 1883, W. F. Hooker.

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 22

Author: Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History Number of Pages: 992

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992