The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-09
Flowed and Prospected by the
Glaciers Of 900 Years.
CROSSING The CASCADE RANGE.
Extensive Mineral Discoveries in
Okanogan and Skagit Counties.
a Nippfng and Eager Frost In MID
summer-Cro~~ing a Lake Filled
with Ice-BnfIding Of the state Road
From the Cascade Mountains.

AIMS At the headwaserH OF the atebekin
river sn6 tts tributaries have exposed 70
view a series Of mineral veins Of sach SIZE
and strength as must inevitably make this
one of the great mining districts % WASH
inxtSn whensver this state takes fts prop
tr rank as one q the foremost mining
states ~ the Union. The granite % which
she mountains aFe mainly built IL cut by
a series % parallel lodges Of silver ard
copper ore. which are Ia many piaces 80
TEch thar they viii pay 10 mine even Al the
present low price Of silver. especially ~
they carry a good proportion OF gold. TIE
state trail. now under construction. will
Pass within mile OF the principal groups
Of claims on Horse Shoe basin and Doubt
ful lake, ard the construction OF A wagon
road 10 connect with the trail Al the mouth
Of bridge creek. A distance OF sixteen
miles as surveyed BY Okanogan county
with short connecting roads from the
mines 70 the trail. viii make II possible 30
hsBi or pack ore and supplies either 20
fhts point. where connection is made wifh
the Lake sheian steamer. or over Cascade
Tagz by the state trail 10 Marble mount
and Hamilton. where the Seattle 4 North
err railroad ends TIE district has hHh-
srfo been held back BIZ the general depres-
sion and the low price % silver, bat the
Improvement ~ transportation facilities
ard the revived interest n mining must
ere long bring about change for The bet
! groups are keeping 40 their assessment
work, and prospecting continues 20 dlz-
,ss<0pver extensions e the mineral belt The
EkqeFies az lodges which has been uncovered
hy the glaciers ia Horse Shoe basin has
been traced four nasies westward across
the summit three-quavters of mile north
cast 81 Cascade pass 70 the middle fork 81
abe cascsde river. Eastward they have
been traced and located across the head OF
Rar4 creek TO the headwateFs OF Bridge
creek. distance OF twelve miles TIE
same belt extends westward through the
Eascaae and Mineral Park districts ar the
headwatsrs Of the Cascade river and for a
mile or more down the mountains which
form the Ssehekin canyon. esill further
southeast. on the headwaters Of Company
creek and Agnes creek, which flow into the
stehekin river, the last years prospecting
has shown up deposits OF low grade gold
hearing snlphide ore eanal In extent to
chose OF boundary creek.
Formation OF the Cou-frv.
proper understanding Of the character
~ this district cannot be formed without
description Of the formation of the conn
cry. FROM this point a frail leads 40 the
valley for thirty miles 70 the confluence Of
Horse shoe creek with the Sfehekln.
whore * forks. one fork leading "a "a The
basin In the same general northws<serfv
direction and the other continuing up the
Ftehekis canyon almost due weat "a
Doubtful lake and over The Cascade pass
70 the Cascade river. Fer A mile above
this town the trait runs along iow hos,ora
lands, from which the river has only a few
days age reeeded. and crosses several
sioughs which the river has rat a. ifs
raod TIDE. The bottoms are density over
grown with mapls alder. pussy wFFt8w.
fh'nblaberry, sarvlsberry. huekss3serrv
and oiher small brush. forming a lanf-
scare 81 ii-hter green sinfs up 70 a level
at -.
halsams. faruinE a dark green caropy
overhead. the pines being here Few ara
scattering and gradually disappearing IS.
wards the summit. A. fres The valley Is
broad and level. with rich black siiavsaI
seii. but as one progresses towards The
summit 4 Is broken iEfo rounded knobs -
foaidsrs cyefggawa with brush ard tim
Der ard eng AZ frequent Intervals ~
streams pouring from She mountains The
camyer r ahnt ~ bv mountains % ever
Increasing HEIGHT ard in many places fhav
are simply great cliffs thousands = fees
high from which masses - raek have
hrnkea ct and farrse8 Store h2ff way
w. From thsze lowering peeclnsces cas-
safe* dFar ike xfTe- threads sonnet ,rsfae
srTs aiding thinly oveT the smooth halatn.
rarfsce 81 cras ard resembling aafe
Niue sllSsn tsseti Above rnf beyond the
nearer ridges fsse others higher an8 high
-. until The f8fthest relrh an altitude -
700 or sea feet an1 ara covered wfsh
eternal snAw ard sce They have every
dtversify 81 form which fs would tax sha
resources 81 tha Eaw ~ language 20 se-
scribe. ThTooEh then fhc creeks pour fn
foTest-eisa canyons. heading waller tha
glacier ard cutting between them ~ 81
Increasing depth towards the nsaath Tsu~
,nslcs n1eve The meath ~ fhe silver Ce-sl-
raay creek comes 81 from sha south rhfts
rev mites further a0 Agnes ereek paurs
down from the opposite side - the sausa
snmmit. sew miles further up Rainbow
creek panfs thraHxh A deep assure whfrA
q has cut ~ ghe ciiy en the north ara
shsn makes a nerpendlenaar leap ~ $50
feet IN = curved ea'ufnn which assumes
raany eolors IN the sgniiEht ara has thue
earned the name ef Rainbow fa1s.
After threading its WY througA TIE
muddy Aatteuas ara crossing several swe}-
Zen torrents the tran climbs - tssn higher
Benches ard gives scope for faster travel
snr. leaving ihe rearing Sfehekga alter
rateiv in white vanS7s 8N8 trans pSrea'
green nceis. a hmn5ret fees ee1aw. Thea
= eiimbs a steep Suite ana winds behind
sgs crest - She borders % : smaN lake
swhosnn'e8 amorv ihe HTS. 4 descen3s
gradually - the eamch above tho river on
the ether sile 8w& then nurs8es SOS sev3-
ens way ~ the rat nes~ the mouth e
Trt3Ee creek Thls strcaau coming 6awn
ffca the Sesbow FsaEe on the narth. ~
raast deserves the nawe - Slvsr. a~I IN
2
aas crossing ter horses cnts tAe SETTLERS.
tsste3 ~ ~ r. rse8 balt a hrffre ~
So month d roars feaninE white on hsth
sides ~ q Hat-savned roFk. vhicA d.VItss
St. channel ana vhteh has beer Usei IS
sNe censer per - s rough hat sotta wood
- eTffsN Aheve IA creek Ire TRAN err
tiers sesser forest. in which iss,a teef
patches ~ snow tie az Intervals ana tha
riaer Is kfnt busy cushing aside ever
fsngiNE f'oUrhR often thn llne - ths
sraH Is enfv ina -atea hv 3 parting IN tha
thick hfusn wetrh nverhan,~ 80 ax 70
elae it. hGt the R0srrlrr instinct % tha
Narse traces 4 ous- Mex comes Fhe crosse.
tag - Park crerE 8n Uht-h spa,>fers
have Hsva this seasan ans IN \ Few vesles
a. trait crosses s natrh O. snow. q Nhfeh
deep drtss Ie IN tas Eelshcs . rtgas aa4
scfs.
tiorse shoe Rasgn.
AZ fast onc catChsa tha e~ss sfrat % the
ysssYse ss2soe hasa directly sSesa ard Il IS
a ssxht We worta sse wear-sessa seu~mer.
a rass<h bar circte ~ "a Rssosh Grass r5ses
asainss the hlRs say, 80 rs~s Frans a broad
elseler. ss6rsns DOVE hasla uh-h has
exactly tse foVss a Horseshoe Te fhe
sxft a. TIE - wteekas - wheel IA % sgr,se
A. S0sa xees ahaVe SEA laRet - q arse,sr
So, eetween them ana the HseDatsfn rffzs,
t.essaSfgae tSe hsssn On are tsfs rNregrh
*Nts eneEher glacier crowds as Ray lnso
xha hsSsn a'ren tHa ssi<es - the asacssrs
twenty-five WATERWAYS whiea srs al ytzs-