The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-27
THE MINES or s~oaoMusH.
latent Wealth az Great Cnd~vrlcreS
Region
S1oAozeish sun.

2sCE1N0-
SnoAonassh sun.
We observe taas within the last ten Ssy,
enough has been developed in the mining
interests alone. 10 pns an Eastern ssss.
ssfow with excitement We find thai
ysiaah'e beds of coal have been discovered
near the mouth of the Skykonaish. From
TIE staalaggsrisA Tysaes we learn that fine
specimens Of iron ore have been unearshea
short distance east al the north fork al
the sfaiiagaafaish. and that tools and ma
chInery have been sent there 90 devotion Il
AZ once Many snch discoveries as these
might he mentioned. bat we pass on 10 the
greSf bonanza Of Snohomish county. the
Silver creek mines Only few days ago
civil and mining engineer visited these
mines IN the interest of syndicate IT New
YORK capitalists. who have some mining
property in that vicinity. Mr.. Riakely
spent two weeks there and mace q
thorough inspection of the differ
emit mining districts in that neigh
eorhocd. Within the last sin
menths about eighty claims have been lo-
Gated on Silver creek, q branch OF tho
north fork OF the Skykomish river. In six
OF these work has been actively prosecuted
during the summer months. in the way OF
running drifts and opening mp the lodges,
while many of the remainder have been
prospected with great results, and will I'M
dcIhtedly be extensively developed during
the coming summer. Assays have been
taken and the result has been that the ore
viii average from $50 to $40 per ton of
silver. About eighteen years ago, when
Silver creek was first discovered, q miner
located gold lead. but the metal found in
the ore and the crude appliances he had
Tor extracting il made the work an un-
profitable business. and since that time
very little gold prospecting has been done,
although il is believed that with modern
machinery the gold leads could be
made 10 pay. Silver creek has never at
tracted much attention as mining region
until last spring. During last summer
drifts were run into two or three of tha
mines by a Mr.. Hubbard and q very high
grade of ore was taken out. Mr.. Hubbard
immediately went TO work and organized
an Eastern syndicate. who viii set TO work
during the next year 10 work the property
on an extensive scale. Mr.. Leslie, of Mon
tana, viii also commence next year TO run
big drift costing not less than $4,000.
The main drawback so far TO the success.
full working of the mines in this region has
been the difficulty of access. The present
route there Is Dotn cirtuitpus ana Attended
with great difficulty. From Snohomish To
Sultan city the traveller can either go by
stage or canoe, a distance of seventeen
miles. From Sultan river 10 the
forks of the river is mere
trail, while from the forks up to
the mines one would almost need
a guide To find his way through. Mr..
Blakely thinks that the first thing neces-
sary is a good wagon road from Snohomish
To the mines, rs this is the point from
which parties will leave the railway 10
work in the mines. He says he Is conf
dent that there are millions OF tons OF high
grade ores there, and when means of access
are provided that Silver Creek will be one
OF the greatest mining regions yet discov-
cred. He says that with smelling works
erected here at Snohomish there is no rea-
son why mining at Silver Greek would not
be one of the most profitable occupations
in the United States. He is of the opinion
that the Silver Creek region bids fair 10
rival Nevada or Montana as mining re-
gion; that at present it is in the infancy of
its development, and as soon as the true
facts concerning its merits become known
10 the world. rush similar to the Feather
river excitement in the "iifties" in Cali
fornia will take Mace