Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-09-14
Cen. Mcclellan. M,nlnu rn,crprl.,

The following appears IN the Flnancial
aud Mining Record edited by Gen, Thorn
as Jordan, formerly of the United States
army, aud more lately chief of stan to
Gen. Boauregapt;
Gen. Mcclellan Is utilizing In his old
age some Information which he acquired
in his youth when In this part of the
country as an officer In the regular army.
In the spring of 1852 Gen. Mcclellan, who
was then brcvet captain, was ordered
by Jefferson Davis, the secretary of war,
TO accompany AN expedition that was sent
1 to explore the Red river of the south, the
waters of which above Cache creek were
unknown. From the Indians the war de-
partmcnt had learned that the river flowed
beneath the sauds of what was then
known MS the Great American desert
Capt X. Is. Marcy led the expedition.
On the morning of May IL the party
were encamped whore the Wichita river
flows into the Red After cutting down
the banks of the stream 10 allow the
wagons to get down into II and make u
ford, the expedition passed ON mp the Red
river until they reached Cache creek.
During the day they found the surface oi
the ground covered in places with dc
tached pieces of copper ore which had
been washed out of u gully Specimens
of this ore were saved and afterwards
analyzcd In Washington. They were
found to be very rich In metal. At
Cache creek which flows through the
southwestern part OF the Indian Territory
the expedition remained In camp until
the morning of May 10 and then proceed
ed fifteen miles up stream. More copper
ore was found, which proved To be, OF
chemical analysis ut Washington, new
species, and which averaged 0fty-iour and
,, onc-thlrd parts OF copper to the 100. Tn,
Red river actually flowed through bank
, of almost solid copper ore at that place
After thirty years, Gen. Mcclellan ma
organized company, patented 5000
l. acres of land and begun to work this ricl
!, deposit of ore. His representatives her
; say that the company can break even Tia
= present low price of copper by four cents
u and yet have bonanza richer than tn
Comstock. While copper Is APPARENT
:, all the company proposes to mine for,
u was not the only valuable find of the eN
petition. The 2ath OF May found thcr
on the bank of otter creek. In the hill
's through which this creek runs were ioun
II specimens of collaborating quartz, whlc
u led Capt. Marcy to make a casual exam
y nation of the wushngs OF the creek. Sc,
- eral particles of pure gold were found
= a few minutes. The soldiers had no tim
y TO 20 washing for gold, and eycrybod
else in the country was Just then trylh
to ret 20 California, so TIL
discovery passed mDotlccd As the gol
u is in Indian Territory and no one has bee
r; near the place since except the lndinr
I, aud cowboys, no rediscovcry has bee
l. made.
B Perhaps a less important, but not les
\ interesting, discovery was made on u
=; return trip, when passing through u
IT, Wichita mountains, as they are called, q
j though the highest rises only about u
h, feet above the plains. That discoyc
N was the finding of petroleum, IL W
V found Oozing from the foot of prccipi'
6 and was described very accurately by q
y; geologist of the expedition
ID, II Northern Texas aud Southwestern
en- Indian Territory should become a mini
a. region, one of the most beautiful par
IL of this country would bc ruln'
I'd in the eyes of hcrdsmcn Al
4; sportsmcn. Prairie and woodlaI
IL and rolling hills and fertile valleys alto
nd nate. Herds OF deer and antelopes ron
n, almost undisturbcd over the fiowe
s dceked carpets OF grass that are green q
most the year round, while drovcs
e Wild turkeys and swarms Of prairle-chlc
m, ems, quails and pigeons abound ever
c where TO give zest TO the chase, an
Is, casional cougar is found Ia the thickci
w The air Is bracing. Springs OF cool, pu
%; water bubble from the rocks among u
rs hills The soil Is Of wonderful fertllit
H. and in every way this is the ideal hap
a; hunting ground of the red man. II on
tt, needs a railroad or two and the influx
y; enterprising people to change II into u
,n- richest farming community as wei
Y mining district in the states.