Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 73

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 73
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 73
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 73
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 73

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veloped which afforded employment for many men. During these years the town reached a population of about six hundred.

Late in 1899 a scheme was put on foot to remove the town to a site about one-half mile north of its present location. The object of this manipulation was to secure a townsite where clear title could be had for the land. The land upon which Keller stands has never been patented, and consequently the citizens could claim only "squatters' rights," to the ground upon which they lived. To prosecute the new scheme the Keller Development Company was organized in which were interested A. C. Little, Seymore H. Bell, Thurston Daniels and others. This company secured a patented claim to the proposed townsite and December 9, 1899, the town of Keller was platted and dedicated. The business men of the town fell in with the plan, and decided to remove their goods and house- hold effects to the new site. A saw mill was built by the company in the new town, the streets were graded and many other improve- ments made. A number of town lots were sold to the people of the old town, and everything was in readiness for the "trek," when a dis- agreement arose between the new townsite com- pany and the business men of the old town ; the removal was never made.

The only fire of a serious nature that has ever visited the town of Keller occurred Au- gust 15, 1901. The general mercantile store of E. B. Maguire, which had been purchased from George W. Spence only a few days before, burned to the ground, entailing a severe loss but partly covered by insurance.

At present Keller is a town of about 350 inhabitants. It is handsomely located on a bench, about forty feet above the Sans Poil river, and is an ideal spot for a townsite loca- tion. Excellent wagon roads connect the town with Republic, forty-nine miles to the north, and with Wilbur, twenty-one miles to the south. Daily stages run between Keller and Wilbur, and three times a week Columbia river steam-

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

ers plying between Wenatchee and northern points stop at the landing at the mouth of the Sans poil river. This landing is known as Clark postoffice, and has an eating house for the accommodation of steamer passengers. There are now in Keller two general merchan- dise stores owned by W. L. Murphy and C. A. Gray, two hotels, two butcher shops, two sa- loons, and a saw mill. W. L. Murphy is post- master.

At Keller and in its immediate vicinity are a number of fine mining properties which have been developed to a considerable degree, and all of which have shipped ore to some extent. The principal properties are the group owned by the Silver Creek Mining & Milling Company, of which Gold Cord and the Summit mine are the best known. Other mines near Keller are the Manila, Iconoclast, the Byrne group, Justice, Black Crystal and properties owned by the Lor- raine Copper Mining Company.

The flattering mining prospects in this camp, and throughout the "South Half" coun- try have interested capital in the formation of a company which proposes to build a smelter, to be located one-quarter of a mile below the town. The name of this organization is the Keller & Indiana Consolidated Smelting Com- pany, capitalized at $5,000,000, with the fol- lowing officers: R. L. Boyle, of South Bend, Indiana, president; H. A. Denton, of Keller, vice president; J. F. Reed, of Indianapolis, secretary; B. M. Boyle, of Indiana, assistant secretary. Trustees of the company are R. L. Boyle, H. A. Denton, J. F. Reed, of Indianap- olis, H. Hildebrandt, of Indianapolis, and J. F. Badger, of Tacoma. Already the company has constructed a bridge and flume from the mouth of Silver Creek, three-quarters of a mile above the town, to the proposed location of the smel- ter below the townsite. It is expected that the erection of the plant will follow immediately.

ORIENT.

In 1902 a syndicate of business men formed

an oranization known as the Orient Improve- ment Company with the intention of platting and establishing a town in the Pierre Lake and Kettle River mining districts. The townsite was selected at a point on the Kettle River and the Washington & Great Northern Railroad, midway between Marcus and the International Boundary line, where the railroad company had established a station called Dulwich. The "station" consisted simply of a sign board.

The name "Orient" was selected for the proposed new town, after the Orient mine, which is in the vicinity. The first building erected was put up by P. H. McCarthy in the fall of 1902, and this was immediately followed by the Miners' Supply Company's store build- ing, R. H. Evans' store building, Mrs. A. Bryant's restaurant and the office of the Kettle River Journal.

April 22, 1903, the town of Orient was platted by the Orient Improvement Company, whose officers are Alex. A. Anderson, presi- dent, O. G. Barnard, vice president, R. C. Richardson, secretary and treasurer, W. J. Styles and D. W. Shea, directors. Although the youngest town in the county, Orient, owing to the natural resources of the country in the vicinity, has made considerable progress and to- day has a population of about one hundred and fifty. There are two general stores, a hotel, restaurant, newspaper, meat market, blacksmith shop, saw and planing mills. The town is situated in the midst of an auspicious mining and lumbering district, and agricultural pur- suits are carried on to a considerable extent. Exports from Orient are ore, lumber, hay, oats, wood and mining timber. George H. Temple is postmaster. There are excellent school facilities. With the development of the mines in the vicinity of Orient the prospects of the town will be the brightest. There are few places situated in the midst of a combination of mining, lumbering and agricultural industries, and it would seem that the three are destined to greatly favor the new town of Orient.

CURLEW LAKE. FERRY COUNTY.

SANS POIL FALLS OF THE SANS POIL RIVER, FERRY COUNTY. DURING HIGH WATER.

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

CURLEW.

Curlew is a small village situated twenty miles north of Republic, on the Washington & Great Northern and Kettle Valley railroads. It is, also, on Kettle River and Curlew Creek, the latter emptying into Kettle River at this point.

Many years prior to the advent of white men in the Colville reservation the Indians operated a flat-boat ferry at this place. Start- ing their craft at a point above the eddy of the Kettle river the red men would allow their boat to be carried down stream, and at a con- venient spot, by the use of paddles, would dextrously swing the boat to the desired land- ing. Beyond a doubt it was due to the fact of the location of the old ferry here that the site was selected for a town. In the autumn of 1896, a few months following the opening of the "North .Half" of the reservation to mineral entry, G. S. Helphry, a Spokane real estate dealer, and Mr. Walters, a merchant of Daven- port, Lincoln county, Washington, rented a log. cabin from an Indian on the present site of the town and established here a general mercantile store. Their stock of goods at first was limited, but the rush of prospectors to the reservation contributed to the upbuilding of a good business. From this store and others which were opened in the new town later merchandise was supplied to the prospectors on Eureka Creek, where is now the town of Republic, and to other prospectors' camps in the vicinity, Mr. Walters later disposed of his interest in the store to Mr. Helphry's brother in the east, and the pioneer business house of Curlew is now conducted under the firm name of Helphry Brothers.

In the spring of 1897 the first building was erected in the new town. This was put up by C. H. Lewis, who opened an eating house, and who has been engaged in the hotel business at Curlew ever since. During the year a cable ferry was constructed across the Kettle river

to replace the flat boat formerly operated by the Indians. This ferry remained in use until 1901, when a substantial bridge was thrown across the river at this point. In the early days of the town's history the mail was distri- buted from Curlew by means of a "private" postoffice, the mail being brought down from Nelson, the nearest office. In 1898, however, the citizens succeeded in securing the establish- ment of a regular postoffice, at Curlew, and G. S. Helphry, the pioneer merchant, was made the first postmaster. This gentleman has con- .tinued to hold the office ever since.

Curlew has suffered but one loss by fire. In the fall of 1903 six buildings in the town burned, causing a loss of about $3,000. Dur- ing the year 1902, owing to the construction of the two railroads, Curlew enjoyed most pros- perous times and many new business enterprises were placed afoot. The town gained a popula- tion of several hundred people; at present the inhabitants number about two hundred. Here are located two general stores, a gentlemen's furnishing and dry goods store, two livery stables, two saloons, a hotel and several other business houses. There is, also, a saw mill, but it is at present idle. In the vicinity of Cur- lew are Ferry county's richest agricultural lands. Along the small streams tributary to the Kettle river, near the town, are many fer- tile ranches which add materially to the pros- perity of Curlew. 'A valuable mineral belt is located in the country about Curlew, and within this area are a number of promising prospects. The Drummer mine is the principal property in this vicinity, and considerable development work has been done upon it.

The land upon which Curlew is located has never been patented consequently no townsite has ever been platted. For some time the property has been in litigation, and the case has been appealed from the Spokane land office, and is at present awaiting decision from the United States Interior Department. From Curlew the Great Northern Railway Company has sur-

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

veyed an extension to the coast, and doubtless some day this line will be constructed as pro- posed. The right of way from Curlew to Mid- way, B. C., has been secured.

DANVILLE.

About ninety rods south of the interna- tional boundary line betwen British Columbia and the United States, in the northern part of Ferry county, lies the town of Danville. This place has the distinction of being the first town establised in the county, although until the building of the Washington & Great Northern railroad the name of the town was Nelson. It was bestowed in honor of its pioneer merchants Peter B. and O . B. Nelson.

These gentlemen began business at this place in 1889, several years before the opening of the "North Half" of the Colville Indian reservation. A stock of goods was brought in by the brothers and as no white people were on the reservation at that period, their trade was wholly with the red men. With the opening of the reservation the site of the present town was patented as a placer claim by William Clark and an associate. For many years the Nelson Brothers' store was the only business enterprise in the new town, but during the winter of 1896 and 1897 quite a thriving little town had sprung up. There was a butcher shop owned by William Clark; a saloon conducted by Woodard & Bellew, a hotel of which Mr. Downs was the landlord, and a number of eat- ing houses. In June, 1897, Nelson was given a postoffice and P. B. Nelson became the first postmaster. For a long time this was the only office on the reservation and mail destined for other camps was distributed through this office.

August 9, 1897, the first paper in Ferry county-the Reservation Record-made its appearance. Rube Hull and Earl McCarter were the proprietors. It was also during this year that Nelson Brothers erected a store build- ing on the International Boundary line, the north entrance being on Canadian soil and the

south opening in United States territory. The authorities becoming suspicious that goods up- on which there was a duty from Canada to the United States were being sold in the south half of the store without the goverment receiving any emolument therefrom, ordered the store closed, and it was taken back to Nelson.

In March, 1899, the Danville townsite was platted by the Danville Mining Company, through its secretary, C. S. Voorhees. An- other townsite, known as Nelson, was platted January 13, 1902, by Thomas E. Dulin, James Rosslow and Sarah Cooper. From the estab- lishment of the first store, in 1895, until the construction of the Washington & Great North- ern railroad, in 1901, the town was known as Nelson. The railroad officials brought about the change of name to Danville owing to the fact that the town of Nelson, B. C., was also on the Great Northern system. Danville has suf- fered from one disastrous fire in its history. Thursday night, August 9, 1900, the large gen- eral merchandise store of Nelson Brothers was totally destroyed, involving a loss of about $20,000, covered by insurance in an amount of about one-third of the loss. The K. P. lodge suffered a loss of $500; the United States Cus- tom House was damaged to the amount of $500.

At present Danville has a population of about 200 people. Surrounding the town is a rich agricultural country as well as a number of good mines and promising properties. The best known mine in. the vicinity is the Lucile Dreyfus, which has had considerable develop- ment and has shipped some ore.

The Kettle Valley line and the Washington & Great Northern railroads each have stations in Danville and an office of the United States Customs department is located here. The Canadian Customs office is just on the other side of the line, at Carson, B. C.

OTHER PLACES.

Laurier is a postoffice located on the Kettle

EUREKASIOLI

MEAT MARKET

THE

MIDWAY PLASAUNCE EUREKA WASH JULY 3011 1897

STORE

PHOTO BY SAMMEEL

OHO NAGAN

REPUBLIC IN 1897, THEN EUREKA.

GOLD BRICKS.

REPRESENTING A SEMI-MONTHLY CLEANUP OF THE REPUBLIC CONSOLIDATED GOLD MINING COMPANY, IN 1899.

FIRST STORE IN FERRY COUNTY. LOCATED AT DANVILLE, FORMERLY NELSON.

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

river and the Washington & Great Northern railroads, just south of the International boundary line. Here is located a United States custom house.

The only other places in Ferry county

claiming the distinction of a postoffice are Meteor, on the "South Half" of the reservation, near the eastern boundary of the county, and Boyd, a recently established office on the Wash- ington & Great Northern railroad, near Orient.

CHAPTER III.

MINES AND MINING.

It is frankly confessed by mining experts that in the superficial appearance of the coun- try included in the Republic Camp there is little to signify the presence of gold or any other mineral. There are surrounding mountains, of considerable height; there are deep ravines. But the rocks seldom come to the surface, there being almost everywhere a considerable depth of soil, or wash, from which springs. a most abundant growth of bunch grass. Still, a few of the primary facts touching the formation and mineral characteristics of the district have been made reasonably certain by careful ex- ploratory work. There is a contact between porphyry and granite on the western edge of Republic Camp. In this porphyry have been found most of the best mines carrying the highest values. The area of the porphry zone extends from the Golden Harvest, on the south, to the Tom Thumb mine, on the north, this end turning toward the east, thus forming the arc of the circle. Between these two mines mentioned the distance is about nine miles. Ore of a similar character has been found in both these mines as well as throughout the in- termediate country. Three miles will, probably, limit the width of this district and the entire mineral area in this immediate locality may be said to contain nearly thirty square miles.

Although the character of the rock varies greatly in this area, both in texture and appear- ance, the porphyry formation is found throughout. So soft is it that much of the work may be prosecuted with a pick, and especi- ally true is this in the case of the famous Re- public mine. At the remarkable rate of thir- teen feet per day the Republic company ran a 1,400-foot tunnel, the No. 3. The country rock is found remarkably easy to work, as a rule, which fact, as will readily be appreciated by the miner, has exerted great influence in the rapid development which has already eventu- ated in this district. In a northerly and south- erly direction run the mineral bearing lodes, although a number of cross-veins have been struck. Despite the fact that the usual iron cap of British Columbia is not found in this locality, leads are indicated by out-crops of decomposed quartz, often mingled with por- phyry; for the latter does not confine itself to the "country," but everywhere invades the veins and generally carries a modicum of gold.

The veins of this district, known as the Eureka district, strike at various angles from nearly due north to 50 to 60 degrees east or west of north, the whole system showing fis- sures following the lines of contact and struc- ture; while others run transversely. Occasion-

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

ally showing a slight westerly pitch, the veins, as a rule, dip eastward, varying from a few inches to 60 or 70 feet in width. Throughout their entire length, apparently, none of them run on a straight course. By intrusions of porphyry they are usually more or less fault- ed, or split. However, little trouble is experi- enced in following them underground where the planes of strike, or dip, are known. These ores contain as high as 93 per cent silica.

Republic Camp has to some extent, been unfortunate in losing, temporarily it is hoped, several valuable industries. The Republic Gold Mining and Milling Company, in 1898, erected a 35-ton experimental mill, employing the Petalin-Clerici process. This proved a very expensive method, and was abandoned. Dur- ing the fall of that year the Mountain Lion Gild Mining Company built a 100-ton mill using plate amalgamation to save what free gold there was in the ore-about 35 per cent -and the straight McArthur-Forest cyaniding process for recovery of the balance of the values. This, however, fell considerably short in grinding capacity for fine pulping of ore, and in the leaching capacity for coarse crushed material. This ore, also, required roasting and for this no adequate provision had been made. So much below the percentage guaranteed by the company did bullion recovery fall, and railway transportation to distant smelters be- ing assured, that this mill was closed.

Two years ago the Republic Consolidated Gold Mining Company, successors to the Re- public Gold Mining & Milling Comapny, shut down the large and elaborate 500-ton sampling and 200-ton cyaniding, mills. This, also, proved a serious blow to the camp. Following the abandonment of the Petalin-Clerici process the new company had cast about for a meth- od by which the low-grade ores of Republic Camp could be successfully treated. D. C. Jackling was commissioned to build the present magnificent, though silent, cyaniding plant. but the Republic mine reached a point when

it could no longer supply its promised quota of ore without additional exploration. Ores which had been sent to this mill from other mines had been merely experimental lots. By the time tests were completed and the mill was in condition to contract for a guaranteed sup- ply of custom ore, sufficient to run it to its full capacity, and on a revenue basis, two railroad companies were in the field talking construc- tion. To encourage these railroad companies to build, thus giving competitive rates, the mill charges for the experimental shipments, with wagon haulage added, being considered too high-the mine owners found it inadvisable to contract with the new milling company un- til more economical transportation from the mines and lower rates for treatment would be established. This mammoth mill, however, was in operation several months, during which period it handled ore from the Sans Poil, Lone Pine, Surprise, Ben Hur, Black Tail, Quilp and Tom Thumb mines. It was erected with the expectation of treating ore to its full capa- city ; the Republic mine to provide one hundred tons per day ; other mines of the camp com- bined the same quantity. This the Republic could not do; the others refused for reasons specified. It is hoped, and sanguinely, that all these difficulties may be adjusted in the future and the splendid property on the outskirts of the camp come into its own in the way of ample supply of ore for treatment.

By the courtesy of the publisher of the Re- public Pioneer-Miner, Mr. Fred Barker, we are permitted to give the following descriptions of the leading mines of the Eureka District. written by Mr. M. H. Joseph, one of the ablest mining correspondents in the west :

The Chico mine is bounded on the west by the Butte & Boston and Jim Blaine, and partly on the north by the Jim Blaine claim. It carries at least 1,200 feet of the Republic vein. It is opened by a prospect tunnel and a two-compartment shaft, suitable for hoisting and pump- ing, and a manway. At a depth of two hundred feet a cross-cut intersects the vein which, by a right angle measurement, is twenty-five feet wide on that level. A

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

drift runs 200 feet south, and another 100 feet north, on this level, each following a part of the respective dis- tances on the vein. On the 400-foot level a cross-cut from the shaft intersects the vein, which is fol- lowed south with a short drift. There is some very fine looking quartz on this as also on the level above, and the assays given have run from $19 to about $224 per ton. The exploratory work in the mine covers about 1,000 running feet. The surface improvements consist of a shaft and boiler house, blacksmith shop, office, a 50-horse-power boiler, an air-compressor, a steam hoist, good for 800 feet, a pump and blacksmith and timber framing tools.

The Butte & Boston mine, adjoining the Princess Maud and Jim Blaine, on the south, has 1,700 feet of exploratory work. Many samples of ore in each drift have assayed very high, running from $10 to $40 per ton. The mine is equipped with a 35-horsepower boiler, a hoist good for 500 feet of depth, and a No. 7 Knowles sinking pump, all well housed.

The Princess Maud mine joins the Jim Blaine on the west, and lies but a short distance southerly from the Republic mine. It has a remarkably fine vein, which, through all its exploitation, shows an average width of five feet between its walls, with the filling mostly of excellent appearing quartz. A pocket of ore very rich in gold was found 30 feet down the winze, and a pay shoot, the ore averaing $40 per ton in gold and silver, was discovered 90 feet in on the No. 5 level, three and one-half feet in width. Samples from the cropping have assayed as high as $360. The mine is equipped with a Leyner 3-drill air compressor and a 60-horse-power boiler, which furnish air for an 8-horse-power hoist at the head of the winze.

The Republic mine has been regarded as the rich- est in Ferry county, with $625,000 in dividends to its credit, of which $120,000 was paid by the original com- pany. . One section forty feet long and 25 feet wide carried average milling values of $180 in gold and $5 or $6 in silver to the ton. Although it is thought that this shoot is worked out, there are still rich breasts of ore remaining, which when followed, may lead to rich paying deposits, particularly as the vein is from 60 to 70 feet wide between the walls. The year ending the fall of 1898 the Republic mine produced 4,000 tons of ore, that was broken down in exploratory work. About 1,200 tons of that averaged eight and three-quarter ounces gold and seven ounces of silver per ton, as shown by the smelter returns. On the seventh floor, where the pay shoot was fourteen feet wide, the ore sampled five days consecutively, averaged $445.80, the highest assay running $687.17, and the lowest $303.40 per ton. Rough- ly estimated the present company must have produced not less than 37,000 tons of ore-high and low grade- some of which was sent to the smelters, but the most of it was mixed, to run about $20 per ton, a grade suitable for cyaniding, and that was treated at the mill.

The Quilp mine, remarkable for its bold outcrop,

which overlooks the wagon road near the mouth of Eureka Gulch, was one of the earliest locations of Re- public Camp. It shows promise of development into one of the most valuable mines in the neighborhood. It is shipping ore daily and there is every prospect of fav- orable development.

Of the Quilp mine The Mining World of August 15, 1903, says :

The only mine in Republic undergoing systematic development on a liberal scale is the Quilp, which em- ploys one shift only to break the ore, having an output of 80 tons per day which, of course, is limited, there be- ing no market for a larger quantity. A perpendicular shaft was sunk to a depth of 400 feet below the tunnel level. From this cross-cuts have been driven to the ledge, at the 100, 200, 300 and 400-foot levels, all showing much work done. The vein is from ten to forty feet in width. As greater depth is attained the ore bodies in- crease in width and values. From surface values of equal parts in gold and silver the ore character changes in the lower level to two-thirds in favor of gold. Tech- nically in sight, blocked out, are 80,000 tons of ore. During the first half of the year over 8,000 (16,000 tons for the whole camp) was shipped to Tacoma and Granby smelters, and during the month of June ship- ments increased to 2,500 tons.

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 73

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