, 1889-02-28
ORES OF OKANOGAN.
Ex-Governor LaughtOn's OBJ
servatiOns of the Mines.
Their Magnitude Attracting
Very General Attention.
The Boundaries OF the Mining Region
and the Character OF the Mineral
Found Therein Described.

of Nevada, but now resident of Wash
inRton, writes to the editor of tho Carson,
Nevada. Appeal:
Answering your inquiry for general
infor nation respecting mining interests
and developme ents In Okanogon county, In
are attracting 80 much attention, | know
you will kindly allow me-. in order to
clearly reply, to briefly review the facts
connected with their discovery, location
and subsequent development.
"Okanogan county comprises all that
part of Stevens county west OF the Coium-
bia guide meridian. IL does not appear
on any map of Washington, as it was only
created by An act of Legislature passed at
mythical stories of deposits of r,ch ga
lena silver, found in that section, were
currents; but it then formed o part of
the Moses Indian reserv alton, and neither
prospectors nor white men were allowed
within its precincts. lu 1886. however,
this reservation was vacated by executive
order, and during that autumn some
hundred or more mineral claims we're
located on the Conconully (then called
and new discoveries we're made, and last
year there were opened within radius of
thirty miles from ConcoDully five other
new mining districts. The country in
which minerals are found embraces a strip
thirty miles wide and probably at least a
hundred miles long.
The Salmon river mining district was
the first mining district organized In the
county, and the various mining locatio ms
Upwards Of a thousand in number) made
In this district, surround the town of Con.
| conully, which Is now the county seat of
Okanogan county. There are three routes
from the Northern Pacific railway by
which these mines and town may be
reached; the better route for winter
travel is from Spokane Falls to Daven-
port by rail, and thence about 100 miles by
stage, the trip consuming about two days
and nights; there Is also a stage route
from SpraRue, but as it is little travelled 1t
is not o popular route. In the spring,
summer and fall. a very pleasant means of
travel is, from Ellensburgh by stage to the
Columbia river, thence by steamer to the
mouth of the Okanogan river, and thence
by stage to Conconnully.
"ln all the developments made thus far
the ore is a Ralena silver, showing gray
copper, brittle silver, bismuth silver, and
occasionally seams and pockets OF chloride.
This rock carries from 40 to SO per cent
lead; traces of gold with little iron and
zinc: Professor Price, the eminent metal.
lurgist of San Francisco, pronounces it the
cleanest smelling ore which he has ever
handled. The grade OF the ore in silver
| varies somewhat, but 1t may safely be
called q high grade proposition, as as.
says taken generally from the various
lodges which have thus far been developed
will, believe, show an average value of
ut least forty ounces to the ton. The veins
have general direction of northeast and
and southwest, dipping from twenty to
forty degrees east. and are composed of
live quartz and 1uartZite, with we'll defined
walls of clay or tale in porphyry, phorphy-
Iitic granite, and granite country rock.
The pay streak in the ore chute varies
from eighteen inches to four feet in width.
1.-The Salmon River Mill and Mining
company has erected concentrating plant
in this district with a capacity of seventy
FIVE tons per day. These works are situ.
ated on the Conconully river, about three
quarters of u mile above the town OF the
same name and, being of easy access to
all the mines in the Salmon river district.
will form valuable adjunct to the treat.
ment of the ores.
"a lack of railroad communication and
transportation is the only impediment to
the immediate development of this entire
country, and the Northern Pacific railroad
as we'll as the Seattle, Lake Shore Il East
from Cheney and Spokane Falls northward; |;
both lines are now completed and
running forty miles to Davenport.
and am assured by executive officers of
| these roads that each will have a line to
the Okanogan river before the close of
tho present year; this will bring them to
within about twenty miles of this group
of mines. and Conc nully. While the
fact initiates seriously against the inn
mediate output of our mines, it at the
same time renders mining values much less
| than they would assurenly bp, had we now
the advantage of direct railroad transpor.
tation. As consequence, Intending in
vestors will never be able to obtain mining
property at as low figure in this and contig-
of, and to which | desire to call attention
1t has been the policy Of those of us who
have interests there to keep down specu-
latlve, prospective and locators' values;
and as consequence, values are now upon
a conservative basis.
The country Is most delightfully."- wooded
and watered in nearly every case the
claims can be worked by tunneling, and
it is the most favorably situated for min.
ing, an respects its natural resources, of
any mining camp have ever seen.
Our ores can be treated and M keted at
Helena, Montana, or at Tacoma where
Dennis Ryan IL now erecting q 200 ton
smelter. or they can be shipped East to
Salt Lake, Denver, st. Louis or Omaha.
IL il mining country with q great future,
and when capital shall have been expended
in its intelligent development, the output
will astonish the mining world; and unless
all Indications are at fault, will rival our
Old Comstock in its palmy days."