The Shasta courier., 1865-04-29
Shasta County and Her s3inss'

and the inducements presented here for
miners to prospect is subject upon which
too little is said, and too little is known. As
public journalist, we have striven to ac
quire information on this subject, but not
with any motives of self interest, furtner
! than such information would make our paper
more desirable and interesting to our readers,
and if possible. add to our population and
wealth. To this end we have USED more
than ordinary efforts. We have even tramp
! ed over hill and dale that we might become
satisfied from actual observation, of the
,-,,h If What we have heard, and be enabled
| To tell what VIC had thus learned
| Everybody knows that the only really e1-
tepsiye hill diggings in this County are loca-
ted at and near Horsetown. Those diggings
induced the great enterprise which resulted
in the construction of the Clear Greek Ditch.
To bc sure there is much mineral ground
covered BY that ditch.-layins under it from
end to end,-but the main inducement for its
construction was in the hill disgings at
II,rsetovn. Notwithstanding the scope Iof
countrv known as the Horsetown mines is
very limited in extent, superfcally. work
st;ll continues there, and from those diggings
the nr;ncipal revenue of the ditch is derived.
Strange as it may appear, the miners of our
County seem to have rested there.-seem to
have adopted the idea that in lorsetown hill
diggings began and ended.
Some two or three months since n company
nrospected an isolated hill near that town
and found big pay. The hill was immediate.
Iv claimed up, afording but few claims.
simply because the hill was not large. A
very good reason, wo think. The fact,
though, that diggings had been struck out of
Horsetown, though 40 near, aroused the
miners,to action. Middletown formed com.
pany and began to prospect, and last week
results were obtained that surprised the most
sanguine. In a dividing ridge between Or
egon guch and Olney creek, and distant,
easterly from Middetown, about two miles,
the company above referred to ran in cut
on the bed rock until they got face about
ten feet high by five or six wide. The dirt
prospects from top to bottom. On top the
gold is fine, but lower down it is found to be
quite coarse and of most beautiful appear
ance As a final test in the cut the company
picked down from the top to the bottom dirt
that would average, and packed to the water
ten pans. The result of the washing was
two dollars and fifty cents, counting the gold
q. sixteen dollars per ounce. Many pans
have been washed from the cut at various
times during the process Of going in, and va
rious results were obtained, many pans
paying as high as hvc, six. and seven bits.
We are telling no story to create excite
ment, but are simply stating what we know
to be facts. And now as matter of informa-
ton to whom it may concern. we have to say
that there il a large amount of ground in the
same ridge or divide, that, from all external
appearances, promises as we'll as the cut re-
ferred to has proven !; nor is that ridge the
only one. There is a large extent of country
right in sight from the elevated grounds near
by that We know, in reason, must pay large.
ely. Why that country has not been worked
or more thoroughly prospected heretofore, is
simply this: There was no water to cover it
at Il sufficient altitude to work it to advan-
tage. The Ditch Company of course would
take no chances in putting water on ground
unproven when they could sell all they could
run Elsewhere. But things have changed
The old placers are nearly cleaned up, and
now both miner and ditcher are interested in
the new discoveries. We venture the asser-
ton, and our opinion is based on the general
appearance Of the country, and the fact that
the gulches have all paid largely, that right
there, within from five to eight miles of this
town, there are good mining claims for two
thousand men, and claims too, that will pay
largely over wages. We also venture the
prediction that this will be fully proven
within the year. If tho locality was only in
idaho, it would be fully prospected, proven
to be rich. and the news blown to the four
quarters Of the globe within ninety days from
date.