Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-09-25
Skaget River Mining District.

EDIlOh CIANDAhD. come time IN 1Au-
gust, party Of our citizens started on a
prospecting tour up the Skaget river, in
quest of silver-bearing quartz lodges. Af.
ter an absence Of two weeks they returned,
bringing some very good specimens Of
quartz rock, pronounced by those who
knew, as not inferior to the Nevada quartz
in appearance. One Of the party was dis
patched Immediately to Victoria with some
rock, to have an assay made on it. The
assayer, after examining the quartz, in.
formed the messenger, with all the candor
imaginable, that the rock was worthless,
and that he could go into the street outside
and from the cobble stones procure as good ;
concluding by advising him not to waste
his money by having an assay performed
on the rock, but return home in peace.
Our entcrprising discovcrcr could not,
however, be put off in this manner; SO he
Immediately ordered the assayor to pro-
coed with the assay, which he did, and to
the great surprise of that worthy gentle
man, the quartz yielded gold aud silrw at
the rate of s93 per ton.
In consequence of the above result, the
company Immediately resolved to procure
from their best lodges two tons of rock,
and send the same to San Francisco to be
crushed and put through the regular pro-
cess for extracting gold and silver from
quartz rock, SO that before going to any
further outlay of time and money they
could be able to determine just what might
be expected as an income for such outlay
Stimulated by the success of the first ex-
ploring and prospecting party, five others,
including the writer, after all necessary
preparations, started from Utsalady on the
Sth inst with the intention of locating for
ourselves good quartz claims, and also to
give that immediate vicinity a thorough
prospecting for placer digings. Starting
from Utsalady, busy milling town, beau
tifully situated on the north end of Cana
no Island, and sending to the world daily
average of forty thousand feet of lumber,
of all kinds and dimensions, from the slen-
der lath to the towering spar, at , o'clock
p. NJ. we arrived near the jam in the Ska
get river at q.
This jam is the only impeachment to the
navigation of this beautiful stream by
steamboats,, and is situated about ten miles
from its mouth. 1t extends for over one
mile up the river completely closing the
channel to all else but the fishes and the
water of the river which passes under the
logs. Most of the trees constituting this
great jam are of the largest size and so in
terlockcd and overgrown by small trees and
brush that it would be too great an under.
taking to ever attempt clearing it away. a
new channel for the river would be much
easier to form, around the jam, than through
it. Quite number of farms are being
opened on the rich bottom lands below the
jam, and we are told that no land in our
Territory is better for the production of all
kinds Of vegetables, also corn and tobacco.
&c. For thirty miles above the jam, the
river presents beautiful appearance. flow.
ing along as it does almost without rip
pie, nearly as wide as that pride of Ore
gon, the Willamette, bounded on both sides
by thousands of acres of rich level bottom
land, which is only awaiting the steady
tread of emigration to become beautiful
and happy homes for an industrious en-
tcrprising people.
After three days travel in our canoes,
We reached our destination, Holcokc creek,
on which is situated some of the newly
discovered quartz lodges. Tho necessary
materials for erecting our headquarters
not being obtainable at this place, We re-
moved one mile above. near Slate creek,
and campcd on IIangman's Point. Here
we erected our camp. The principal
creeks in this mining district are Grouse
creek, Shadscc, lIolcoke, Slate and Wig
wan, all of which flow into the river from
the south or right hand side going up.
We spent number Of days in cxamin-
ing the country adjoining these streams,
both for placer digings and quartz lodges.
In the former, We in measure failed, but
in the latter our success was equal to the
first discoveries Of the existence of silver
bearing quartz on these creeks. On Slate
creek, VIC discovered fine ledge of sup
passed rich quartz, on which We located
claim for each, posting notices and &c.
for the mine and watcr-powcr as required
by law and naming the ledge the " Brick"
This ledge is supposed to contain more
this stream, on Grouse creek, VIC discov-
cred, located and named Revenue" ledge
or lead, together with the splendid water
power close to it, Some persons who pro.
fcss to know, are confident that the Rcve-
nue. is very rich in silver and will far out
strip the rock assaycd in Victoria in value
per ton.
Concluding that we had enough quartz,
We with buoyant hearts started for home,
and at 6 o'clock the l4th inst, arrived at
the jam. Finding part of the former
prospecting company at this place we, on
the 10th, called miners meeting for the
purpose Of laying the mines over till next
Spring, at which the following resolution
was passed unanimously:
Resolved, That owing to the inclemency of
the weather, and the great difficulty of getting
supplies up the river during the winter season,
the miners in the Skaget river district be al.