, 1889-11-10
Great Extent of Wyoming's Unde'
yeloped Mineral Resources.
Timber Area Is Estimated at Fully
I2,060 Acres.
Uses and Kinds of Mood With Pros
poets for Big Forests.

hiihiik LIZ S'SA
words:
The mining industry of Wyoming
presents perhaps the greatest possibilities
of any of its resources. The minerals
comprise not only the precious metals.
gold and silver. but ~Inexhaustible quanti-
ties of petroleum, coal, iron and soda.
Copper, lead, asbestos, tin, mica,
magnesium. sulphur. graphite. kaolin, fire
clay, glass and other valuable deposits
exist, and many of them in large quanti-
ties. Building stone is also abundant,
including granite. marble, slate, sandstone,
limestone. etc. 1t is shown in the report
made by Territorial Geologist Ricketts,
that the Wyoming area underlaid with
coal exceeds 30. 200 square miles. or equal
to double the coal area OF the great coal
state of Pennsylvania. More than 2,000.-
900 tons of coal are annually mined, and
the output is being constantly increased.
The coal product already exceeds s 5,O00,-
600 annually.
PETROLEUM.
The oil region extends over a country
more han 300 miles in length, aud in
districts varying IN width from sixty to
100 miles. 1t is said that 5000, 900 have
been spent within the past year in devel-
oping the petroleum industry. A num-
Der of flowing wells have been plugged
and only await better transportation facll-
tiles.
A sToREHoUsE OF wEALTH
Gold and placer mines are being profit
ably worked in several localities. and the
mining of copper has also been found
profitable; but, with the exception of
coal, the mining industry can
hardly be said to be developed. Wyo-
ming is a great storehouse of mineral
wealth, and it will not be many years be-
fore it will employ the highest skill of
capital and labor. More railroads are
needed to assist this DEVELOPMENT.
In al addenda to the governors report
is a letter from Geologist Ricketts, treat
ing of the coal fields and giving much val
liable information about other deposits.
TIMBER
Few people know that there is a great
area Of timber land in Wyoming, and
many are incredulous even when verified
figures are given. Governor Warren says
the United States laws prohibiting the
manufacture of lumber from forests on
the public domain except for the use of
actual settlers is not calculated to promote
the growth of this important branch of
industry. 1t is no doubt a fact that the
protection afforded by mill owners to for
ests from destruction by fire is greater
than the amount of timber which they
annually consume in the manufacture of
lumber. Legislation providing for the
leasing Of timber lands under certain re-
strictions would in the opinion of the gov.
ernor provide a remedy for many of the
existing evils now the subject of com
plant.
Fire is the great destroyer of the for
ests, aud the timber cut and used for all
purposes does not perhaps reach 5 per
cent. of the total amount consumed by
forest fires. The use of timber by settlers,
mill men and others under proper regula-
tons would in a great measure prevent the
spread of the fires which every year de-
vastate such great areas.
Wyoming's timber area is estimated at
l 2,060 acres, with forty acres for Ere
mont county and eighty for Laramie.
The forests are confined mainly to the
mountain ranges. Some of them are
wide in extent and the timber dense and
heavy. The best timber is found in the
southern part Of the Big Horn moun-
tains. tine central portion of the Laramie
range, Medicine Bow, Sierra Madre
mountains and the northern spurs of the
Uintas, extending from Utah into Southern
Wyoming. The Shoshone, Teton and
Snake River ranges also bear quite heavy
forests.
THE WOODS.