The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-20
THE CASCADE MINES
A Newsy Description Of the >quaw and
slate Greek Camps.


Squsw ard State creek gold camps frcm
SPOKANE" sai6 Mark Maszrove. who has
returned from al EXTENDED ysSSt 70 th4s
district a.Oue is via the Great North
ern 70 Wena tcnse. there connecting win
the staner City Of EElensbuTg for Viz
gini2 Clty, about seventy miles Up the
Colurn hta The other is via the Central
Washington 20 CouIes City. and then
by stage sixty miles 10 Virginia City.
From Virginia CiGy there IS a regular
stage Inns TO MetA0w and the Squa y
creek district, ard the distance is seven
teen miles. also another line 70 la Mesa
in the State creek district. distance OF
ninety miles. The fare 10 Sduaw creek
Is $50 10 La Mesa sT.5A From La Mesa
10 Vera Cruz. in the Slate creek district.
is fourteen miles 81 trail
Virginia City is on the north bank OF
the Columbia river. short distance west
OF the mouth OF the okanogan, and has a
population of about lgl. Several Spo-
kane men are there doing business,
among them the Andersen brothers. The
town OF Meth5w Is ten miles from the
mouth OF the Mellow river. and is the
principal town In the Squaw creek dis
trict II has four large general merchsn-
disc stores. two hotels. one saloon. two
barber shops. assay Office, jewelry store
and sawmin. II has a population OF about
80. AT the mouth Of the Methow a new
town has sprung up. called Rena. It has
a large hotel, one general merchandise
establishment, conducted by s. Haas, for
merly OF Spokane. and saloon.
Going out on the Slate creek road,
thirty-two miles from Virginia City, one
strikes the town of Silver. IT has one
large store and IS surrounded by beautiful
farming and grazing country. Twenty
eight miles further on IS Winthrop, with
large hotel. store and blacksmith shop.
-. !. lab
makes IL a point of considerable impor-
tance. About twenty-five miles further on
is the new tented town OF La Mesa, laid
out by Col Hart for the convenience of
the Methow syndicate and the general
public. The popularity Of this townsite
is that the lots are not for sale. A new
conner who wants 10 locate is asked bis
business and located accordingly by Col.
Hart. There is your place the colonel
says, and that settles IL. He frankly tells
people that he does not believe the town.
site will he permanent and advises men
not TO build extensively. The place has
population OF about go. and there are
about 400 men IN the district.
From this place on to Slate creek. four
teen miles. Col. Hart has built trail on
an 6 Der cent. grade. He employs about
I50 men and pays them $3.50 a day. About
twenty of these men are now shoveling
snow off the prospects heretofore bonded
by him. This trail was shoveled out OF
from six to fourteen feet of snow. For
quite a distance one can ride along on
horseback and not touch the top of the
snow with his hand. Near the mouth of
Rattlesnake creek, where the trail starts
up the mountain, ITO rattlesnakes were
killed within a few days.
AT this time there is from eight TO fif-
teen feet OF snow on the Slate creek
mines, and II will be fully six weeks be-
fore parties can get around and sccom-
plish anything. There is no work here,
and poor men would better keep out.
While there seems to be perfect conf
dence in the mind of Col. Hart in the
richness OF the mines, he very candidly
says he knows nothing about them him
self and bases his belief on the reports
of others. William Toole. an expert rep
resenting Marcus Daily, is on the ground
with a force OF four men and an assayer.
and is quietly picking up properties. L
want to emphasize the statement that
Slate creek is no place for poor men a
this season. and will not be for at least
six weeks"
Speaking of the Squaw creek mines.
Mr.. Musgrove said: al least 700 loca-
tons have been made. and all are gold
propositions. The deepest shaft in the
camp is about 100 feet. and il is claimed
that the greater the development work
on the properties the stronger and richer
appear the ore bodies. As a general
thing the pay streak seems 10 be from
eight 10 sixteen inches. and the ore goes
from $40 10 $40 in sold. though there are
several properties which show vein
from eight to twenty feet. These veins
average across. 1t Is said from $40 10 SIS.
Ostenberg & Gardner's arastra, with the
cyanide process. is now running on Pay
master ore, and is said to save about 81
per cent. The ten-stamp mill of the
Gray Eagle company Is saving from s. 10
90 per cent. and running through about
fifteen tons a day. The Highland Light.
the Hidden Treasure. -Four Aces, Chi
cage and several other properties have
made recent ore shipments. Just before
i left very rich strike was reported In
the Hidden Treasure. Last fall they were
running In a horse. but after a small
amount of work this spring they passed
through this and opened up what is said
10 be a fine body OF ore. There must be
500 men in the Squaw creek district.
The finest grazing lands l have seen
in the Northwest lie from about twenty
miles northwest OF Virginia City up to
within ten miles Of the summit OF the
Cascades. when went in two weeks ago
the new bunch grass stood TO the horses
knees This beautiful expanse extends
for about eighty miles, and yet the range
is hardly stocked a all.
The Methow valley is from one-half
10 a mile and a Lalf wide, extending on
both sides OF the river. The country is
chiefly open, and is comparatively well
settled. there being from 30 to 800 FAINT
lies IN there. Many OF these have beauti-
ful ranches. which are irrigated from
small springs and streams. / should say
the Methow Is fully half as large as the
Spokane river. one OF its small tribu-
taries flows over the face Of Goat wall
and has a fan OF 300 feet. II Is the
most beautiful waterfall l have ever
seen"