, 1877-03-16
Gsld In The olympic Range.


covery Of gold on Morse's creek,
Port Angeles, but thus far we have
made no mention Of the matter, pre-
ferring TO wait until We could obtain
some dcfaite and reliable informa-
tion. One day last week, Mr.. VIM.
Delsnty, of Port Discovery, a man
well known in this county as reliable
and trustworthy, came to our office
and stated that he had been to Port
Angeles and had seen some Of the
gold, which was very pretty; that
there are some old California miners
at work on the creek, and they think
when the water gets lower that they
will find good digging on the bars.
The existence of gold in the foot
hills Of the Olympic range has been
known for several years, as we'll as
the fact that valuable deposits of
gold, silver, cinnabar, copper, lead
and iron exist in quantities in that
range of mountains, but as yet there
never has been any organized expe-
dition to explore the snowy range.
1t is true that parties have been fitted
out from time to time but they never
went further than the foothills which
are mountains of themselves, al
though not snow-covered. But be-
yond these foothills is the great val
ley we mentioned in our last, and by
the time q party surmounts the diff
Guilty of the foothills their patience
or provisions generally give out, and
they return without any practical re-
suits.
The proper route to approach the
Olympic range is by the way of
Hoods Canal, making Seabeck the
base of supplies, and the mountains
can thus be approached either on
their northern side by way of the
valley we refer to, or by the Skoko-
mish river, by way of Lake Cushman.
But our citizens have been too
ready to extend their mining inter-
ssts to other points-to Cariboo, to
Colville, Cassiar, and other localities
in British COlumbia-and to leave
the exploration Of the Olympic noun
tains, so close at hand, to be yet
commenced.
Gold was discovered on the south
ern slope of the Olympic range as
early as 1889. When Hon. F. A.
Wilson was Collector of Customs
here, he informed several gentlemen
who are still living in Port Town
send, that in 1861 Capt. Williams of
the ship Leonidas, then in port, told
him that in the summer of 1859 be
crossed the country with four others
from the mouth of the Columbia riv-
er to Hoods Canal via Shoalwater
Bay, Gray's Harbor and the Chehalis
river. Passing up one of the tribu-
taries of that river-probably the
Satsop nearly to its head waters in
the snow mountains, in one of the
canons of creek be found gold, a
specimen of which he showed Mr..
Wilson, who stated that it was we'll
washed gold and weighed "a. Capt.
Williams, who gave Mr.. Wilson the
small specimens, each of the size of
halfla pea, which he showed to gen.
tlemen here on various occasions,
also discovered fine deposit of Gin
nabar ore in the same region. There
are many personsi in this town as we'll
as on the Sound who we're acquainted
with Capt. Williams who was here in
1867 in command of ship Georges
which loaded with lumber for Hong
Kong. The late Edward Lii has on
several occasions stated to parties in
this town his belief of the existeSce
OF rich deposits Of metals in the
Olympic range and the ease with
which these mountains can be reach
ed. He stated on one oooos;oot