Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-03-01
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TER.
SATURDAY, MARCH l, 1879.
Have we Gold!

surrounded on all sides by valuable
minerals, and nothing save a little
ambition on the part of our citizens
is wanting to bring them to the
light of day. Men are prone to cred
it reports of rich discoveries far away
in some almost inaccessible region,
while they invariable ignore and
scout the idea of mineral wealth ex-
listing at their own doors. We new
er look upon Mt. Rainier or proud
Olympus, of the Coast Range, with
out associating with our gaze visions
of just such placer and quartz bon
anzas as have made California what
it is to-day. Impulsive adventures
will easily muster up courage enough
to go thousands of miles on money
obtained by mortgaging their farms,
while they would ridicule the idea
of prospecting the volcanic upheav-
ais upon which they are permitted
to gaze every day.
If the Coast Range has been
thoroughly prospected for gold, sill
yer or other valuable minerals. we
have yet to hear the details of such
an expedition. These mountains,
like the Cascades on the East, are
within less than one hundred miles
OF the tide-water of Puget Sound.
The WESTERNS slope of the one, and
the eastern slope of the other,
are pouring their thousand streams
of living waters, and, for aught we
know, sands of gold into our rich
alluvial valleys, and yet, like swine
amidst the shower of acorns, we
have neither the ambition nor en-
terprise to follow up those streams
to their Alpine fountain-heads and
satisfy ourselves what may have been
deposited there by all pervading
nature for our CONVENIENCE and
luxury. That rich deposits of gold,
silver, and perhaps hard coal are
ensconced in those pent-up fast
nesses, we never had the shadow of
doubt. The two ranges of noun
tains in question are but a continue
ton of the same grand upheaval of
fine Sierra Madre of Mexico, and the
Sierra Nevada and coast ranges of
California. The topography of the
Pacific coast, as delineated by the
latest surveys and explorations, de-
ponds upon this assumption, and
few moments examination of the
subject will convince anybody of its
truthfulness. The unerring deduc-
tions of geology are meaningless,
and totally without weight in the
matter, if We do not assign home
to the precious metals throughout
the entire length of these ranges.
OF course. the problem is not solved
to the satisfaction of the million
until we show them the glittering
metals, portion of the work which
We do not propose to do. Theory,
like faith in the moral world, is
good for nothing without works to
develop it into practical application.
Toeome still nearer home, our neigh
boring Black Hills, within an easy
days tramp of town, have long been
known to contain certain admix-
ture of placer gold in the yellow
sands of their deeply scored gulches.
But then, of course, it would be
glaringly unromantic for O full
dedged prospecting party to go
thither, so long as Cariboo, Wrangel
and Cassiar remain above ground, to
be lionized by the newspapers. Ju-
Illus Caesar declared that he had
rather be first in a barbarous city
than second in Rome. Afflicted
with similar human weakness, nine
out of every ten gcld-bunters had
rather go thousand miles on Wild
goose chase ard come home dead
broke" than 30 five miles from town
comforts and meet with comparative
success. Like as the child must
draw the life-sus'aining principle
from the maternal fount, so it is
mans province to bring forth from
the bosom of the earth the wealth
which, FROM the foundation of the
world. has heen stored up there for
hisespecial good and well-being. To
say that our mountains and hills
have been thoroughly explored, is to
U1ffor ,aao&