The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-02-09
Official Report on the Geological Fea.
lures Of Douglas County. Valu-
able facts Rela Ing to It's Hin
eraI Deposits.


The annual report of Prof. T. c.
Chamberlain, State Geoloeist Of
Wisconsin, just issued, contains
some specially interesting facts rel
ative to the geology of Douglas
and Bayfield, counties, from the pen
Of Prof. e. T. Sweet who examined
those counties, first in 1873 and
again last year. Since the earliest
settlement oftItis country it has been
claimed that Douglas county con
tained many valuable copper bear
ing veins, and it viii be seen from
Prof Sweets report, that these
claims have considerable foundation
in fact It has been asserted time
and again by mining ncn that the
Indications for copper on the "South
Range in this county were fully
rqual to those on the Upper PENN
sula Of Michigan which hls pro
iucrd thousands OF tons Of the
native mineral, and that in the
hands Of experienced miners with
capital this section wouid soon de
valcp into one of the richest copper
fields on Lake Superior. The sur
face "shows" are certainly pronlis-
NO; we, onrselG know Of numbers Of
places on the range where speci-
mines fully equal to the rock profit
ably mined down the lake may be
dug cut vi Il al axe. Itis q V on
der that mining men and capitalists
have not pail more attention to
this county. The copper bearing
lands can in many cases be secured
now for trife, and the cxpendi-
ture Of a few hundred dollars IN ex-
pIoring might result in developing
a bonanza. We give the report OF
Prot. Sweet III tat:
PRoF. I. c. CHAMBEEL1y, Stqte
GeologiSt..
DEAR >Ie.-I have the honor TO
submit, according 10 ycur request,
ihe following brief summary Cf the
principal facts connected viii, and
observed during ny late geological
examination Of a portion Of Doug
iaS ard bayfield, counties.
Starting f'om AIldioon on the
j:h Of April. | arrived At Ashland
on t"e Oh toi'o#'Hg Here ea
gagged he services OF packer, and
Mt once proceeded to bayfield,,
wHefe provisions and necessary
>uFpiies were obtained t"F tlp OF
two weeks to Superior City. y
snort distance trtm bayheIl, ! en-
tered the uHbroGen forest and eS-
tabllshcd my first working camp at
>is -aWet lake, on See. p, l. 90. X
" from here oI>cawet river,
and other fel9hoorng smail streams
were followed 70 the shore OF lake
Superior.
Proceeding westward, Bark,
Cranberry, Tag and lrsn rivers
were followed, either up or down,
from near the source 70 the mouth
or near the NOUN OF each. Red
sandstone Is found within one or
two miles of Lake Superior, in the
banks OF these streams. Ledges Of
Tie same rock also often cross the
channels OF the streams near the
lake, causing falls of from two to
ten feet in height No exposure OF
any member Of the Copper-bcaring
series was found along these streams
nor IN tie highlands adjacent TO
them. At tie Brulc river in Sees.
% and q, i. As, r. 10 W., the
Coppcr-bearug rocks arc largely
exposed. \ hall a.mile east Of tie
nver there are cliffs from so to so
tcet nigh. The rock IS quite dis
uhct'y bedded, dipping to the
southeast at an angle Of 80. Fol
lowing the range east from this
point, II drops down from SO to 100
feet In the course of 4 mile, to the
general level OF he country, and is
not auaiu found prOtuiuent That